The first digipak I am going to look at is Paramore's 'Riot':
The album artwork for Riot is relatively simple. The background consists of the repetitive scribbling’s of the word 'Riot!' The font is designed to look like handwriting but is also quite aggressive in its appearance. The lines are made up of scribbles which could be classed as aggressive due to the repetitive action of going over the lines multiple times with force. Not only does the design look like scribbles, but it could also link to the concept of graffiti. Graffiti is illegal and does carry some criminal stigma with it as it is not always accepted in society and this idea would connect with the idea of riots and the procedure of going against the social norms. This simple design connotes the whole feel of the album and its rebellious nature.
The colour scheme used is relatively grayscale, using mainly black and white. This could represent the black and white nature of our society, everything is either right or wrong with no in between stage. Once again, this can connect to the idea of society marking what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. However, the album does use a vibrant red which could connote the idea of the band and the album going against the social norms that society presents and being different. In particular, the use of the main title being in the colour red shows how the album itself represents a difference from the norm, something different from the mainstream music which people normally listen to. The colour red tends to connote danger and is often associated with rebellion due to the use of red with the Bolsheviks in Russia and so its use here would hint at the rebellious nature of the album. It also emphasises the importance of the album title. However, the name of the band is not mentioned on the actual album cover but on the spine of the album. This could be because it is the bands second album and so there is not as much pressure on advertising the band as much as their music as they would already have an established fanbase.
However, there is a picture of the band on the front cover. The picture is edited in a way that it also looks drawn. The colours are grayscale to match the theme. It is also quite heavily contrasted which could link to the theory of societies established wrongs and rights. The band are shown in dark colours which could connote that they are on the 'dark' side of societies norms and are going against the mainstream vibe. The angle of the picture forces the audience to look down on the band which also fits the idea that they are going against the norm as they are physically being looked down on. But, the band are looking up and at the camera in a confident manner suggesting that they know they are different and accept it, making the most of being different; they do not want to be mainstream.
The tracklist uses a similar theme to the front cover. It uses the same colour scheme and also has the repeated graphics of the word 'Riot!' The tracklist itself uses the colour red to stand out, as shown on the front cover. It works specifically with the song names due to the connotations of the colour red being danger and the aggressive titles such as 'Let the flames begin.' The use of these together creates an aggressive tone to link with the concept of Riots.
The picture used on the back uses very similar editing techniques to that on the front cover with the lack of colour and almost drawn style contrast. However, the picture itself simply reinforces the fact that they want to be different and embrace the fact that they go against the norms of music in today’s society. This is shown through the confidence in their stature and how they are directly looking toward the camera.
The second digipak I am going to analyse is Good Charlotte's Good Morning Revival.
Good Charlotte's album uses a very simplistic approach to its album. This particular album could be said to be quite different from their usual music and this change is represented in the artwork design. Firstly, the font used for the album title and the name of the band is relatively simple. It is not the style used in their previous albums, which has a certain logo element to it as it is recognisable as their font. The lack of this shows that they are striving for change and to do something different to what they have already achieved. The fact that they have used such a simplistic, recognisable font suggests that they want this album to be stripped back and concentrate on just the music without the added products. However, the font is slightly distorted which could indicate that although it is stripped back, there is still an element of Good Charlotte's style of music.
Another indicator that Good Charlotte has left their older style of music behind is the faded shadow of their logo at the front. The logo is a symbol for the punk side of their music and so the fact that it is shown as almost a shadow on the white suggests that this album does not follow the conventions that they have used previously and this is a different style of their music. However, the fact that it's present states that they are still the same band and their music is still them. Therefore, this album attracts both new and older fans to their music.
The shot of the band also suggests that this album is more music based rather than striving for new fans. The picture shows the band with their equipment. The fact that they are with their equipment focuses the audience onto their music and tells us that this is the main focus of this album, not the genre or the band themselves. In the picture, the band looks calm and subdued. This is different from Good Charlotte's previous work where they embrace their punk rock genre to fit the expectations of their fans. The fact that they are calm once again focuses the audience on the music and not the band. The band are also wearing all black which makes them stand out from the white background, bringing a little of the focus onto them and stating that it is them that makes this music. However the fact that the picture shows them at a long shot suggests that they are in the background of this album, letting the music itself be the real star.
The colour scheme is similar to that used in Paramore's Riot. It is simplistic, not catching a lot of attention. This is a big difference from their previous album's design which used striking artwork. This continues the theme of simplicity and change from what they have done in the past.
The tracklist for Good Morning Revival uses a common structure for the back cover of albums. However, the song titles are not as apparent as on others. They are located on the bottom left above the copyright information; they share the same style as the copyright information and so almost blend in with it. The fact the text is so small and that it is relatively hidden suggests that the names of the songs are not important and that the audience should take the songs as they hear them and not based on their title. The design for the back of the cover is simplistic in that it shows a collection of pictures of the band stuck to a grey background. The fact that they are the main focus does bring attention to the band but as it is on the back cover not the front, it indicates that they are still not the most important part of this album.
All the photos are quite worn and the fact that they are stuck with tape suggests a lack of care. This could be a representation of the music on this album suggesting that the album is raw and stripped back. The fact that they are pictures of the band in a style that does not resemble a photo shoot also gives the album a slightly personal feel.
The final digipak I will analyse is Playing in the Shadow by Example.
This is very different from the previous two albums. The graphics on the cover are still simplistic like with the Paramore and Good Charlotte covers but this cover represents completely different meanings. The main focus of this album is Example himself. This differs from the previous two where the bands were not the main focus. As Example's music is a lot more mainstream, he will be generally more recognised and so by using him as a selling product, more fans will be attracted to buy it. The picture has been edited to be a literal interpretation of the album's title: Playing In The Shadows. We see Example half masked by a shadow. The use of the shadow suggests that a part of Example's music style is hidden. This may link to his varying style in music as much of his previous work was different to the music which made his name in the industry. The use of contrast in the editing also suggests that there are two sides to examples music and this album could be the culmination of his style of music.
In the picture, Example is looking directly at the audience in an almost menacing way. The eye contact exudes self-confidence and therefore makes the audience more confident in buying the album. It's slightly menacing look helps to establish his urban appearance which relates to his genre of music.
The colour scheme mainly relies on black and white which are used as opposite ends of the spectrum to identify the conflict present on the album. Both colours carry many connotations such as good and bad and light and dark, a reference to title of the album, which also suggests an element of conflict. Both colours are often used in games such as chess. This concept could also link to the word 'Playing' in the title. This idea could suggest that Example is taking a risk with this album after the success of his previous album, hence the use of black and white.
The only other colour shown on this album is the yellow of the logo. The logo is now synonymous with example and so the colour has also become a representation of his work. The use of this attracts his fans and maintains his relatively high status in music, due to his recent fame.
Both the artist and album name are included on the cover. Both are shown in simplistic fonts, stating what needs to be said in as rawest form as possible keeping the album objective in it's appearance. The artists name is also bigger than the album name which suggests that the artist is more important than the album and so they are using him to sell the album.
As with the front cover, the back cover is very objective and simplistic. There is no graphics just a plain black background. This connotes the raw side of he album stating that it is simple but powerful; it does what it needs to do. The logo is also present on the back maintaining the selling of the artist. The fact that it is the main focus over the track names suggests that it is Eample which is important on the album, not his songs.
The tracklist is laid out simply in the centre of the cover. This way it attracts attention but does not distract away from the logo of the artist. The font is the same as on the cover and is simply used to express the simplistic nature of the album and artist.
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