Three Digipak AnalysisJACK HUMPHERSON

Edge Of Sanity – Purgatory Afterglow

Centred on the booklets front (doubling as the CD cases cover) is the name of the band as well as the albums name, a common code on digipaks. Centring this against the Hellish

landscape not only focuses the audience’s attention on the band’s name due to the contrast between the use of red and white, but also gives the artist and their music the dark and

frightening connotations which is a key convention of metal albums. The graphic on the CD share similar colours in order to maintain a constant house style which is a key convention in

metal digipaks. I will try to incorporate this by using similar dark imagery as this will match my planned nihilist style of my music video as well as centring band logos on the digipak in

order to clearly show the creator of the music.

Also on the CD is the logo of the band featuring the album’s name underneath, the same image is the logo centre of the digipak’s front. This makes it clear that the CD is part of the

digipak so that audiences will be able to know the band and find more albums or merchandise they have made which is a common code for digipak CDs. A track list is also on the CD. Not only does this make it easy for the users what songs are on the CD but it also it also means that it the digipak is lost or removed, the user can still easily find desired tracks.

However, this is unconventional for digipak design because the track list is also on the digipak’s back (which is the more conventional place for a track list). I can incorporate some of these design ideas into my own digipak by taking advantage of the space on the CD itself. On the CD I can put conventional elements such as the band’s logo and images of/relating

the band/songs.

Though it is in another language, I can assume that the insert placed alongside the CD is a piece of promotion possibly for another CD or upcoming show. This is something I think

would be important in my own digipak. A piece of promotion will encourage those who have bought the CD to view or purchase other product by the band such as tickets, merchandise

or social media sites making it a valuable piece of advertising.

Saxton – Unplugged and Strung up

On the back of the booklet to this digipak is a web address to the band’s website, ‘www.saxon747.com’. This is beneficial to the band because it means audiences who have bought the CD are then aware of the band’s website. From here they can find

other products and upcoming events. I will try to incorporate this type of advertising by promoting websites for the band and possibly social media pages as social media is now becoming an important role in advertising. While on the topic of the front to the digipak the style of the cover give a lot to the digipak’s theme. The font of the logo of

the band’s name is in a Viking font in a wooden or medieval style. Which fits the bands idea that this album is bringing modern metal to older and more classical music

forms because wooden styles and Vikings/medieval have historic connotations.

The imagery on the digipack as it shows a cello being strung up beside an amplifier. Most of the colour shown here is browns and greys which both have connotations of

age and history. This adds to the albums idea of bringing a metal theme to more classical instruments and styles which is a subversion from the usual convention of the

metal genre. I could use colour similarly to create certain tones. Conventionally the colour associated with metal would be blacks and red because of their connotations of darkness and evil which fit the nihilistic style I have chosen. Not only the colours

but also the composure of the cover image is interesting because unlike other albums where the logo or name of band/musician is in the centre but in this album, it is

centred at the top of the cover which is quite unconventional in metal digipaks. This is because the centre of the digipak’s cover is focused on the previously mentioned cello

being strung up and if the logo were to be centred in the middle, the focus of the digipaks cover art would be disrupted. Will try to incorporate these type of ideas in my own digipak by ensuring that the composure of the cover does not disrupt the

main image with the band’s logo.

Dynasty

This digipak has a different approach to its design because unlike conventional digipaks where features such as images of the band and quotes are found within a booklet in the

jewel case, this digipak is made partially of card which can be folded creating a sort of ‘double gatefold’ creating a larger amount of surface area on which they can put the

conventional features (track list, band information and possibly information about the band). Though I many be unable to create a double gatefold, I will try to incorporate the

conventions used on this CD.

On the different sides of the digipak there is a reoccurring theme of east Asian culture as the images show iconography such as dragons, pagodas styled building and

terracotta statues. I will incorporate this by using a reoccurring theme in my house style. This could be because this style of music has possible connection of eastern culture

which would justify the use of Asian iconography. This would need to be something dark or macabre in order to compliment the nihilist styled metal video.

The use of the bands logo is used interestingly as it is rather unconventional for digipaks to use the band’s logo subtly. For example, on the digipak’s cover the log is beside the image of a terracotta stature but blends into the background (the logo itself is in the

style of eastern language. This could be because of two reason, this was unintentional but assuming that it was intention it could because the creator of the digipaks would

prefer the audiences attention to focus on the digipaks art which would be because the band is trying to create and identity for themselves. The use of the sombre colours and

Asian iconography would definitely be appropriate for a metal band with connections of eastern culture.