STUDENT DIGIPAK AND MAGAZINE ADVERT ANALYSIS

DIGIPAK #1: GENRE

The genre for this digipak is not well established through the inside designs especially – the song/music video is Hip-Hop/R&B but the imagery here suggests rock, with the black costumes, dark make up, aggressive font and fire iconography.

DIGIPAK #1: AUDIENCE AND REPRESENTATION

Upon doing a little research, the target audience for their genre is females, aged late teens to early twenties. This demographic is represented well on the digipak, and is meant to ‘empower’ those that the target audience consists of. However it does also sexualise women, which is very stereotypical representation regardless of the media product/text.

DIGIPAK #1: LAYOUT

The layout for this digipak is good, however the back image doesn’t quite fit with the theme – I feel the image bottom left would be a better idea, as it matches the front cover but also contrasts from a lighting perspective, the track list would also be more visible if this was the case. However the barcode and legal information are in a decent place. The disc areas go well together and match the inside right panel. As for the front cover, I think it is really effective and the only criticism I would make about the layout is that part of the title disappears behind one of the girls – but this could indicate the importance of the artist on the front cover of a digipak.

DIGIPAK #1: FONT AND COLOURS

This digipak has a great colour scheme, but it is ruined by the back image. The black and red/orange go well together to make an impact – however there are too many colours on the back, and the font colour is an issue too. The title font is consistent throughout the digipak, and it is very striking and unique, however it may be too harsh for the genre until you reach the track listing, which is fair enough but the font chosen for the listing is hard to read, along with its black and yellow colour that doesn’t go with anything else on the digipak. Nevertheless, the font for the legal information is formal, as it should be, but due to the colour of the background, it is hard to read in black.

DIGIPAK #1: IMAGE

The first image is my least favourite, as nothing but the costume matches the rest of the images within the digipak. The image for the front cover was a great choice as it puts emphasis solely on the artists’/those who perform in the video. The fire images within the digipak are very creative and go well together, but don’t establish the genre.

DIGIPAK #1: MISE – EN - SCENE

The costumes are similar to those used in the original video and they’re iconic for Beyoncé, the original artist. They work well in conveying the message of the video, however look a bit too gothic for the genre. Lighting is natural for the bottom three panels and assumedly artificial for the top three considering they are photo shopped or green screened. The lighting contrast between the front cover and the inside (bottom left) is good, so perhaps this would have been a better image for the back cover as noted previously. The acting is perfect for telling the song and music video’s story, you can tell the women have attitude, and they maintain strong stances with very expressive, dominating body language. The make up is very bold and fierce, which portrays the music videos message of being confident and making a statement. All of the locations/settings of the digipak are decent, apart from the back cover which is a little out of place as the background and colours don’t match – the fire touch is very creative though.

DIGIPAK #1: LIKES AND DISLIKES

Likes: The positions in which the women are stood makes it very clear what the music video is about, and as does their clothing – also the settings, bar the back cover, are great choices, especially the front cover as it focuses the attention on the artists/performers and nowhere else. The font used for the artist and album name is really striking too and the artist is also well promoted on this digipak. Dislikes: The back cover doesn’t live up to the standard of the rest of the digipak, the font and colours of the track list was a bad choice and the background of the image doesn’t suit the digipaks theme. Overall, the digipak looks too gothic, and so it ultimately fails to establish the genre.

MAGAZINE ADVERT #1This student decided to make two magazine adverts for their music video – one which uses an image that relates to the digipak and one that does not. The top magazine advert is the one I prefer, because it successfully delivers the message of the music video and the song, whereas the bottom one doesn’t particularly appeal as an advert for a magazine, and the picture is pointless, considering the song, its title and its lyrics. The layout of both are good, and the artist can be seen without text getting in the way, however the lighting for the top one is a bit dark, meaning that text in black, as well as the performers faces, is hard to see, especially compared to the second one. ‘Parental Advisory’ would usually go on the digipak, and not on the magazine advert. Elements like the release date, album name and reviews are very clear and well established in both magazine adverts, which is good because these are the things the audience need to take note of. Overall, they are both well made and photographed, however the top one is certainly better as it related to the music video and the digipak and gives more of an indication as to what the song/video is about.

STUDENT DIGIPAK AND MAGAZINE ADVERT ANALYSIS (#2)

DIGIPAK #2: GENRE

Genre is well established through the colours and tones used for this digipak, as well as through fonts and props – you can tell this digipak is for an Indie album. Establishing the genre is an important part of the digipak as that’s what will reach your target audience and tell people what kind of music they’d get.

DIGIPAK #2: AUDIENCE AND REPRESENTATION

Since I chose the same genre as this student, I know that her Target Audience is 16-25 year old girls, generally in education still. This makes the images used throughout the digipak very significant as they relate directly to the target audience. The artist also leaves a message on one panel of the digipak to communicate with the audience, this gives the album a personal touch and is a creative idea – making the product feel personal is a good aspect of the indie genre. Because the digipak is representative of it’s target audience, it makes it relatable and more appealing.

DIGIPAK #2: LAYOUT

The layout on the front cover is very simplistic, whereas indie digipaks are usually more eccentric, however it still works. The album name and artist name are positioned in a really good place, so they fill a space without obstructing the audiences’ view of the artist. The layout of the back is less conventional as the legal information is as visible as the track list, which artists rarely ever do. On top of that, the record labels (etc) are too prominent at the bottom of the back cover – and the HMV logo (if anywhere) would be on the magazine advert or plastic covering of the album, not the digipak itself. The inside layout are very effective, especially the one with a ‘Message from Meg’

DIGIPAK #2: FONT AND COLOURS

The fonts and colours used for this digipak are spot on, my only concern in the sizing. The message uses a calligraphic font to communicate Meg’s words to the audience – it looks very sophisticated. The two different shades of pink used on the front of the album work well together, especially with the background and general tones of the digipak. Having the artists name bigger and higher up than the album name is a convention of the genre too. The size of the legal information (as mentioned previously) is way too big, although the font is professional, while the track listing could do with being a bit bigger.

DIGIPAK #2: IMAGEEach image (3/4) serves well in promoting the artist. They also relate to the music video so a significant connection can be made. Blurring the image on the back is a good effect in order to make the track list stand out, besides we don’t need to see the artist again as she is on the front and inside cover – it makes a creative and soothing effect on the lights, something that helps establish the genre. The image behind the CD is very simple, and although it doesn’t particularly fit with the theme of the digipak, it still fits with the colours.

DIGIPAK #2: MISE – EN - SCENE

Both costume and make – up used in this digipak are conventional of the indie genre; simple, natural, etc., and most importantly relatable for the audience. Lighting is used efficiently, lowering the tone of the image and again helping with genre establishment, even the lights in the background add to the imagery, as without them the images could look too boring. Emotionless expressions of the actors on digipaks/magazine adverts and music videos is a generic convention of indie too, this is portrayed well here. The genre rarely uses props of significance, apart from instruments like guitars, just like the student chooses to use in her digipak – it works brilliantly.

DIGIPAK #2: LIKES AND DISLIKES

Likes: The general theme of the digipak and the way it promotes the artist. Also the colours and fonts used as they’re easy on the eye and work well together. The layout for the front cover looks professional and the message inside is a really nice touch. It overall manages to establish the genre.Dislikes: The layout for the back cover, because the legal information takes up way too much place, along with the record label (etc) at the bottom. Also the HMV logo shouldn’t be there as the artist would want the album to be sold all over the place, not just in one shop.

MAGAZINE ADVERT #2 The layout of the magazine advert is good, especially the titles, as it gives a clear idea of who and what is being promoted. The colours and fonts of said titles, as well as the release date and reviews, white against black or black against white is a great contrast and makes for good visuals. Furthermore, the artist is the main focus, as is the case for most magazine adverts regardless of genre, this promotes them effectively. The location of which the image was taken is not the same as the one on the digipak, neither are the colours, so although the fonts are similar, nothing else fully indicates that the digipak and magazine advert are related, and if the student wanted to make this sort of difference, it would have been more fitting to have the digipak in black and white and the poster in colour, as the poster is supposed to catch peoples eye in order to promote the product. What also would have worked better is to have the artist wear the same clothes in relation to the digipak. Lastly, the magazine title from which the review came doesn’t match the genre, as ‘The Rolling Stone’ is a Rock magazine, not Indie.

STUDENT DIGIPAK AND MAGAZINE ADVERT ANALYSIS (#3)

DIGIPAK #3: GENRE

The genre of this digipak really isn’t established at all. It is extremely basic, and perhaps this was the artists idea/unique selling point or it could actually be a convention of the genre, but as a digipak it has very little to offer. In fact the only way in which the genre may be established is the colours and fonts - personally I still can’t tell.

DIGIPAK #3: AUDIENCE AND REPRESENTATION

The whole album gives no indication towards what it is trying to represent, or what the music/music video will represent – it could be considered enigmatic but the audience need to know what they’re letting themselves in for, and it is open to interpretation. As for a target audience, this could be exactly the design they look for in an album cover, but it from a technical point of view it doesn’t work well.

DIGIPAK #3: LAYOUT

The layout of this digipak is fairly conventional, apart from the obvious absence of important titles on the front cover. The track list is aligned well, and the legal information is positioned in accordance with the track list, along with the record label. While the back of the digipak is simple, it is effective is giving the information needed. The barcodes position is more than likely a generic convention of their chosen genre.

DIGIPAK #3: FONTS AND COLOUR

Fonts and colour are the element most played upon in this digipak. Most colours are black and white, which contrast with the really colourful front cover. The font used for the track list (I assume) is used to establish the genre, and is very clear being white against a black background – along with the legal information. This is the best aspect of their digipak.

DIGIPAK #3: IMAGEImages are very abstract for this digipak, which may be an indication on the albums genre. All the art work is obscure, and can therefore be interpreted in different ways by the audience – this is an interesting approach for a digipak, however there is a fine line between creativity and laziness. There isn’t an image for the area behind the CD or for the back cover of the digipak. It doesn’t serve well in promoting the artist either; without an album or artists name, it is conventional to at least have a clear image of the artist to relate the music to its ‘producer’.

DIGIPAK #3: MISE – EN – SCENE, LIKES AND DISLIKES

Because there is no photography involved in the making of this digipak. It is really hard to analyse the Mise – En – Scene included. Overall, although this album is creative, it fails to do a lot of things digipaks set out to do, such a promote the artist. It lacks a title, or the artists name on the front cover, which can be considered the most important parts of a digipak. The fonts and colours are the elements that stand out the most here.The poster (see next slide) somewhat compensates for the lack of detail put into this product.

MAGAZINE ADVERT #3

This magazine advert immediately associates the album with the poster, as the main picture is identical to the one found on the front cover of the digipak. The artists name and album name is also included, which helps the audience relate them to the album, since the digipak doesn’t include this information. Here is an example of how the artists name is considered more important than other information, especially the release date which, although visible, is in a very tiny sized font at the bottom of the poster under the record label. It’s simplistic but also eye catching, which is a good quality, as the colourful image stands out among the white and black, and I think if there was any more information included on this poster it would look too cluttered.