CONVENTIONS OF A DIGIPAK AND

ADVERTAnalysis of what a Digipak and Advert is and

the elements

What is a Digipak?Is a patented style of optical disc packaging, typically made from cardboard with an internal plastic holder for one or more discs.This is used for the promotion of a CD single or album and can often give extra information about the artist, record etc.

Example of a Digipak

FrontBack

CDInside

Elements of a Digipak

The main elements of a Digipak include: ■ Front cover:

– Album name. This is normally the third most prominent feature of an album cover as the artist name would need to be shown ahead of it to make it easier for audiences to identify with. The album name is usually positioned somewhere underneath the artist name and in a smaller font. There are some examples where the album name doesn’t feature at all as the artwork can also overshadow the whole front cover. Alternatively, the album name can be featured above everything else depending on the artist/genre (e.g. well known artists may focus on the artwork being the most prominent thing on the page.

– Artist/band name. This is usually the second most prominent feature on a digipak, letting the audience know who the album belongs to. It would need to be visible in order for audiences to recognise whose album it belongs to. However, there are examples of digipaks where the artists name is either less prominent than the album name or doesn’t feature. Alternatively, there are examples of album covers where the artist appears as the only thing on the front cover, sometimes overshadowing the image/artwork e.g. Dr Dre’s 2001.

– Image of artist/artwork. This is usually the most prominent thing on the digipak. Its main purpose is to attract audiences visually, whether that is though showing the artists face or some abstract imagery. It usually encapsulates the whole digipak’s front cover and can even extend over onto the inside of the digipak. There are some examples where the image/artwork is seen by itself with no words on it for example, Kanye West’s MBDTF (2010). Alternatively, there are also examples where the artwork can be overshadowed or equally matched in size by the artist name or album name, for example Chris Brown and Tyga’s Fan of a Fan (2015).

– Parental advisory sign. This is the least prominent thing on the front of the digipak. This doesn’t feature on all digipak but is necessary on the ones with explicit content. It usually appears near the bottom of the front cover in the corner or in the middle depending on the placing of all the other items.

– Single advertisment. For the hardcopy version, the front cover will sometimes feature some of the standout tracks (singles from the album and some features as well to advertise in the front. This acts as added overt advertising to entice fans into wanting to buy the album. It is smaller in size compared to the image, artist name and album name but features close to it so audiences will notice it. The absence of this feature usually depends on the genre/artist or band whose album it is as mainstream albums will be able to use this as their singles already released will be part of popular culture and will attract audiences.

■ Back of the Digipak:– Track list. This is a composed list of all the tracks featured in the album. It is usually organised

in the order in which the album plays it, with features also being mentioned next to it. This is to inform the audience what type of songs are featured, depending on the genre/artist or band. In terms of text size it is large, the most prominent feature of the back cover, however, depending on the number of tracks on the list and the placement of all the other items on the back cover it could also be the second most prominent feature.

– Image/artwork. This is sometimes used as a continuation from the image at the front of the digipak. This is used to further entice the audience visually. This could either feature the artist again or some abstract artwork. There are some cases where the front cover and back cover images aren’t in sync, while there are even some cases where there isn’t even any artwork or image at all.

– Barcode. This is mainly for the hardcopy digipak as most album covers that feature are seen digitally. This is usually the least prominent feature of the back cover and is seen at the bottom left or right corner of the back cover. There are some instances where the barcode can even be at the front and even near the top rather than the bottom.

– Record Label. This is usually featured in the back cover for the digipak. It is necessary as it advertises the label that the album is released through. Although small, the logo can sometimes have a bigger influence on the back cover than some of the main features, depending on genre (for example, an album released under Def Jam would receive more attention if the record label was emphasised more because Def Jam is a well known brand name as well being a major record label).

– Credits. This is always a necessity as the artist has to give credit to everyone involved in the making of the album. This is always featured at the back and written in small font to avoid it taking over the whole page and becoming the more dominant feature. This is normally featured close to the bottom next to the barcode or record label sign.

Elements of a Digipak

What is an advert?

A notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event or publicizing a job vacancy.On the right is an example of an advert for a hip hop album.

Elements of a DigipakThe main elements of a digipak include:■ The Album artwork: This is the main image/artwork taken from the

digipak which could either include the artist themselves or some sort of abstract artwork. Instead of encapsulating the whole page it is usually boarded to allow space for some overt advertising. In come cases, the advertisement may include some other artwork not featured on the album, while the original artwork may be omitted from the advert completely for example, Kasabian’s 48:13 features a different image that doesn’t appear on the digipak.

There is even an example of an advert where the artwork can encapsulate the whole page e.g. Adele’s album: 25 (2015)

Artwork on both differs

■ Artist name. This is more often than not present as it contributes to the overt advertisement, serving its purpose. The name is usually on there to both attract and inform, informing them who the artist is and attracting them (depending on the artists popularity and genre) For most adverts, the name appears at the top and is written in large font so the audience is immediately aware of who the advert is referring to. There is rarely a case where the artists name is missed out as it is vital for audiences who want to know who the advert is about.

■ Album name. This is also one of the most prominent features on an advert as the audience needs to know what the artist is advertising. Its purpose is to inform the audience as well as attract, informing them of what the artist is promoting and attracting them with a catchy or subliminal name for an album (depending on the artist and there genre). The album name can be found within the artwork itself or outside the border of it in a smaller font compared to the artist name. This is so the artist name remains the most prominent thing on the advertisement so that artists can recognise who the advertisement is about but also so that when the audience recognise who the ad is about, they can then find out what its about (whether it’s a new album, new clothing line etc.)

■ Release date. This is the date which is advertised to inform audiences when the album will be released. It is informative and lets audiences know when the album will be released, however it can also be attractive as the wording could be persuasive in its attempts to get the audience to buy the album. It is usually the third or fourth most prominent thing on the advertisement and can be found in the border of the ad outside of the artwork.

■ Features/Credits. This is usually the least most prominent thing on the advert as it attempts to attract audiences with any special features that may catch their attention. This is not always featured on the advertisement and depends on the artist/genre being referred to, for example, I analysed Snoop Dogg’s advertisement for Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (2006) and found that there were features written at the bottom (see Analysis of Digipaks and Magazine Ads).

■ Record label. Similar to the album cover, it is mostly discreet from the rest of the advertisement (found in the corner of the page). It is not a necessity, but appears in the more commercially minded genres. For example, Justin Bieber’s advertisement for Purpose (2015) includes the record labels in the corner. As he is of the pop/R&B mainstream genre it is a necessity that they advertise the record label as both a major label and a brand name as well (especially Def Jam).

■ Accolades. This is a specific feature on the advertisement which will only feature on specific artists or genres. This is a way of attracting audiences as they include the opinions of respected newspapers and other people to feature. This is usually found on a list going down either outside the border of the artwork or spread out around it.

■ Singles advertisement. Also similar to its use on the album cover, this is used to attract audiences by highlighting whatever successful single was released from the album. This isn’t always featured on the advertisement as it solely depends on the success of the singles itself.

Elements of a Digipak