Digipak AnalysisBy Tom Crane

Digipak Analysis 1

All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra is a compilation album by the Electric Light Orchestra, released in 2005. Originally released exclusively in the band's home market (the UK), the album sold very well, becoming the ELO's first Top Ten entry since Dino Record's compilation album The Very Best of the Electric Light Orchestra hit number 4 in 1994. All Over the World sold over 300,000 copies in the UK alone within a year and a half of its release. The songs on the album include "Mr. Blue Sky“, "Evil Woman“, "Don't Bring Me Down“, "Sweet Talkin' Woman“, "Shine a Little Love“, "Turn to Stone“, "The Diary of Horace Wimp“, "Confusion“, "Hold on Tight“, "Livin' Thing“, "Telephone Line“, "All Over the World“, "Wild West Hero“, "Showdown“, "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle“, "Xanadu“, "Rockaria!“, "Strange Magic“, "Alright“ and "Rock 'n' Roll Is King“.

The colour scheme when picked out from the front cover looks very bright and appealing, this allows the album cover to look eye catchy and people will be drawn towards the cover. The colours on the album allow for many representations of the album is and also the songs. Yellow is associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. This is important for the audience as they can make this interpretation of the cover just by the image and colours that are used. Blue is the colour of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. The colour blue is the colour that is used the most throughout the album cover, CD and the back cover. This may be to represent one of ELOs most popular songs called ‘Mr. Blue Sky’. The music that ELO produces is of the rock genre and there is heavy use of instruments through their work. This could represent the yellow on the front cover to represent the energy from the use of instruments.

The back of the digipak is very simple, although it uses a variety of different colours, the layout looks very simple but unique. The back of the digipak also has the listing of songs, this is important information that is needed for the audience who buy the album. Furthermore the image used of earth will also draw the attention of the users. The back cover of the digipak uses a very plain and simple font, this can be very beneficial because it allows the audience to clearly see what songs are listed on the back cover. The yellow colour of the font allows it to stand out which makes it appealing and it makes its very clear to read. Furthermore the white font is also required information but it is in a much smaller font because the audience will not find it interesting and it wont make a difference to whether they buy it or not. Finally the image is very futuristic which may reflect a positive vibe for the album.

The front cover of ‘All Over The World’ is very unique and colourful, this allows the cover to look appealing and eye catching. The use of a space ship allows it to give an unusual look and that also helps to grab the attention of the audience. There is clearly a motif across this digipak, we as the audience can see that there is a use of space ships and also space as we can see earth on the back cover. The font that they have used on the front cover of the digipak is very clear and can be easily read by the audience. The name of ELO is placed in the centre of the front cover as that is there abbreviation of Electric Light Orchestra. The cover gives the album a positive vibe due to the bright colours.

Overall this digipak is very successful and meets many conventions of digipaks. The colour palette is very bright on the front cover and it gradually gets darker across the CD and the back cover but this does not effect the clean look of the digipak. The structure of the digipak looks well organised and everything looks to be in the right place like the barcode for example. I personally feel that the list of the songs could be placed in a better position as I feel they have just been placed in the middle of the page. Overall the ‘All Over The World’ has a very positive vibe due to the wide range of bright colours used.

Digipak Analysis 2

The back cover of the digipak for ‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana is very unusual and we can see this through the unusual use of colours of orange and a light blue which looks like a swimming pool. I personally feel that the back cover lets the album down as I feel the structure of the back cover is very poor. I understand that they have used the water effect which continues throughout the digipak but this is something I will stay away from this when designing my digipak. Furthermore I feel the orange image on the back cover is very unusual and I personally feel that it doesn’t look right within the digipak. This is the first introduction of the bright orange across the digipak and although it stands out and looks very appealing it makes the back cover look odd. The font is very clear which makes it easier for the users to understand the songs that are listed. The black font colour allows it to also stand out due to the light blue back ground. It has all the require information on the back cover which is required and this is important especially when people come to buying the album. Overall the cover is very unusual but it works within the digipak to create a successful album.

The colour scheme of this digipak is very bright and appealing and we can see this through the use of the colour blue. The use of the swimming pool is a motif across the digipak as it features on the front cover, CD and the back cover. Due to the bright blue colour it is eye catchy which grabs the attention of the audience. The colours on the album allow for many representations of the album is and also the songs. Blue is the colour of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. The colour blue is the colour that is used the most throughout the album cover, CD and the back cover. Although the theme of blue is used across the digipak, there is an introduction of orange on the back cover. I personally feel that the image looks out of place on the back cover so this is something I would stay away from this when designing my digipak and stick to the same colour theme.

Overall this digipak is very successful and it will grab the attention of the audience by the use of the unusual image and the colour scheme throughout the digipak. The digipak looks very structured and the use of swimming pool effects throughout the digipak makes it looks unique. We can see the strong structure through the organisation of the digipak, the band name Nirvana and the Album name is placed in the left hand corner of the front cover which is essential information and it empowering enough to catch the attention of the audience. Although I personally feel the back cover lets down the digipak due to the poor choice of image. Overall the digipak is successful in many ways and there has been many copies been sold.

Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991 by DGC Records. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC. Lead singer Kurt Cobain sought to make music outside the restrictive confines of the Seattle grunge scene, drawing influence from groups such as the Pixies and their use of "loud/quiet" dynamics. The songs on the album include ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘In Bloom’, ‘Come As You Are’, ‘Breed’, ‘Lithium’, ‘Polly’, ‘Territorial Pissings’, ‘Drain You’, ‘Lounge Act’, ‘Stay Away Lyrics’, ‘On A Plain Lyrics’ and ‘Something In The Way’. Due to Nirvana being a rock band the songs will most likely meet many conventions of the genre rock. The digipak also fits the rock genre as it is very unusual and different which allows the digipak to have its own unique look.

The front cover of the digipak is very unusual as it is not common to see a naked child in the middle of a swimming pool trying to catch money. This is a unique way of grabbing the audiences attention due to the unusual image. The colour blue is also very bright and appealing which will also catch the attention of the audience. The black font is very dominating and it stands out on the front cover which is important because the audience can see what the album is called and also the name of the band. The fonts are very clear which makes it easy to understand also the font used for ‘Nevermind’ is wavy which may represent the swimming pool.

Digipak Analysis 3

The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth album by the English rock band Pink Floyd. Originally released on 1 March 1973, on the label Harvest, it built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but departs from instrumental thematic by founding member Syd Barrett. The album explores themes including conflict, greed, the passage of time, and mental illness, the latter partly inspired by Barrett's deteriorating mental state. The songs on the album include ‘Speak to Me’, ‘Breathe (In the Air)’, ‘On the Run’, ‘Time’, ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’, ‘Money’, ‘Us and Them’, ‘Any Colour You Like’, ‘Brain Damage’ and ‘Eclipse’. It is important that the songs are listed on the back cover as people may buy the album due to a specific song. Due to Pink Floyd being a rock band they need to meet the conventions of rock. One way they have met the conventions of rock is using a black coloured theme which is typical within rock.

The colour scheme of this Digipak is very conflicting as the majority of the digipak is black but it has a few bright colours in the from of a rainbow. Overall the colour scheme is very dark which is typical of the rock genre as rock bands wear black clothing. The colours actually work really work together well to portray a clean looking digipak. The use of colours are used across the digipak which is important because we can see the consistency of colour scheme throughout. The use of the rainbow is also very appealing as it will catch the attention of the audience due to the bright colours. I personally feel that the colour scheme Pink Floyd have used defines them as a band as the black represents their rock genre and the bright colours may define the music within the album. Overall the colour scheme of this digipak is very successful as it will grab the attention of users.

The front cover of this digipak is very different compared to other digipaks, this plays to advantage of the album as more people will most likely look at the album due to it looking unusual. The reason the front cover is different is because it doesn’t have the name of the album or the name of the band. The colours used on the front cover are very eye catchy as the rainbow will draw the attention of the audience. The colour black that has been used may represent that they are a rock band as many bands within the rock genre use the colour black for their clothing. Furthermore the image is also very different and this may also attract the audience to looking at the album. Overall the cover looks very unique but it doesn’t follow the convention of including the band name and album name on the cover which is a negative.

The back cover of the digipak is very well structured and organised which is important because the users will want the to see the vital information like the tack list etc. The songs are list in the top left hand corner which looks really good as it still allows space for the triangle image and rainbow which is repetitive across the digipak. All the required information is on the back cover which is essential. For example the barcode needs to be on the digipak as when people buy it, the album needs to be scanned. The back cover looks very clean and organised which is good because people are more likely to buy the album if it looks well organised. Overall the back cover looks well designed and has all the required information that the user would need.

Magazine Advert Analysis 1Stereophonics-

Keep Calm and Carry On

During my research of magazine adverts I came across Stereophonics magazine advert to promote their new album ‘ Keep Calm and Carry On’ which was released on 16 November 2009. The colour scheme of this magazine advert is very dark and gloomy, the colours used are very dull which will not help when it comes to attracting the audience to the advert. The sea water looks very grey along with the sky which portrays the album as very dark and depressing. Furthermore the advert is very simple, it includes the information that is needed so that the users understand about the new album. When people are flicking through a magazine they don’t want to read lots of information so this advert is successful in this way as the text is very minimalistic. The image that is used is very unusual as you wouldn’t ever see 4 men sat around a table in the middle of the see. The reason that this image works within the magazine is because people will be drawn towards it because it is so unusual. The fonts used throughout this advert is very simple but clear, the user will be able to read the text clearly which is important so that they know the information. The black font for the band name is clear due to it being black on a grey background, this is the same with the album name. These two bits of text are the most essential because it gives an idea to the audience what the advert is about. Overall the magazine advert is very successful due to the promotion of their new album, it includes vital information like the release date and also the name of the album.

Magazine Advert Analysis 2Kasabian-

The Debut AlbumDuring my research of magazine adverts I came across Kasabian magazine advert to promote their new album ‘ The Debut Album’ which was released on 6 September 2004. The colour scheme of this magazine advert is mainly very dark due to the strong use of black throughout the advert. The contrast of black and white is really effective as the white text stands out on the image and it will catch the attention of the user. The advert is very simple and structured well which can be very effective as most people do not want to read a lot of information, they would prefer it to be short and snappy like this advert. The image that is used is very dominating on the advert and will catch the eye of the users, the image is a recurring motif across the album that Kasabian created. The fonts that is used throughout the advert is very clear and bold which make it easier for the audience to read the advert when going through their magazine. The white colour for the font also allows it to stand out more. When seeing a music magazine advert you would want to see the key points of the poster like the name of the band and also the name of the album and this advert successfully meets these conventions. Furthermore by having the name Kasabian printed in a big font at the top of the page it will also attract customers. Overall the magazine advert is very successful due to the promotion of their new album, it includes vital information like the bands website and also some of the songs that are included.

Magazine Advert Analysis 3The Killers-Day & Age

During my research of magazine adverts I came across The Killers magazine advert to promote their new album ‘ Day & Age’ which was released on November 18, 2008. The colour scheme of this advert is very different and unusual, the use of the violet colour makes the advert stand out. All the colours used have been used in a certain effect as they are dotted on to create an image which is different and it will draw the attention of the users. The advert is also very simplistic and there is very little information provided but I feel this helps the advert to keep a clean look and I feel people will look at the advert due to there being very little information as they will most likely not want to read a lot of information. The image created by the dots looks like a sun setting which creates a very relaxing mood and this may represent the type of music that The Killers sing. The fonts that have been sued throughput the advert are very clear and bold which is important as it will grab the attention of the users. The colour of the fonts also work with the background as they stand out clearly. The white colour for the band name is very bold and big which is essential when trying to grab the attention of the users. Overall the magazine advert is very successful due to the promotion of their new album, it includes vital information like the name of the band and also the name of the album.