Thursday, 6 November 2014

Digipak analysis - Miss Miller

The purpose of a digipak is to give the audience more of an insight and to being more information across about the artist so the fans can get to know them and their personal life. This can make the fans feel more connected to the audience as though they know them personally along with the meanings behind their songs. There is more of a design included within the digipak to make it more appealing to the audience which can include more images of the artist and showing them within the studio or singing whilst filming as it is presented in the style of a book, with paperboard/cardboard outer binding including one or more plastic trays for the CD which makes the audience feel as though they are a part of the growing stages of the star becoming famous.  A jewel CD case is the original disc case, that consists of three pieces of plastic and includes a plastic tray for the CD. Most of the detail is on the cover and the back, with song titles listed. 

Within a digipak the artist can also include a small note to the audience to make the audience feel as though they are including the audience and make the digipak more personal for the audience. There are more spaces for images which are of main high definition and quality images to make the audience feel as though they are paying a good price for the best images and more images, to make the audience feel more involved and closer to the artist and their work and making into their music. The six sides used within the digipak is used instead of four is to be more detailed within the pack for the audience, it also makes the main points of the artist more accessible for the audience. 

A jewel CD case is argued to be more traditional and durable because of the plastic sides. Due to this, a CD is quicker and easier to make and is cheaper to buy in stores. This type of casing is also easier to store and the booklets won't bend inside. Lastly, CDs are a better option for new fans testing the music. They usually inlcude the main information that you need which may include the artists name and the songs, which can make it easier for the audience to understand the song titles and the artist that it is from. 
The artists name is situated on the front to show the audience who the artist is and to give a clear view for audiences of all ages. This helps the audience to make the artist known and to also to be able to identify the same artist on other different advert. 
The plastic casing of the CD case will protect the information within the case and the CD not allowing it to get wet and therefore protecting the main contents within the CD case, which is also more durable.
The lyrics within digipacks can be included of the main songs within the CD case to allow the catch on to the most popular music of that artist. Also some audiences like to look at the meanings behind the song that they like and therefore read the lyrics, and read between the lines of the song to gain a better understanding of the concept and the artist. 



The digipak I have chosen to analyse is Lana Del Rey's 'Born To Die'. I have chosen to analyse this digipak as it was  her fist ever album to be released which  therefore means that I am able to analyse the aspects that causes an artist representation and the build up towards being a star.
Firstly, the artist's name is presented as the largest and most bold font which is situated at the top of the album cover in the bright colour white. The purpose of this typography on the header is to promote the idea that Lana Del Rey is a new upcoming artist which ties into the fact that her name is positioned in the centre alongside the central image of her showing that she is the main focus of whom is seeking for acknowledgement which therefore makes her face and name more recognisable to the public and fans. In addition, within this digipack we can see that the song titles, artist's name and album title are all capitalised, spaced out lettered and bold highlighting their importance which therefore makes the artist and album name more memorable to the audience as it is more likely to catch their eye and stick in their minds. Furthermore, the title name of the album 'Born to die' is also written in the same
 font which is also bold but in the colour blue which matches the sky within this image which represents the artist as being serious about her music due to the fact colour co-ordination is used as it could mean she is a perfectionist. The title is positioned on the artists white matching shirt which could mean that she is connected and in sync with her album therefore conveying a sense of pride and shows her personal involvement with her album and music. 

On this digipak, the artist is situated in the centre of album cover with the use of a mid shot and low angle for the image included. The use of the central low angle connotes that Lana Del Rey is looking down to her audience of whom are looking up to her as her importance and her strength to be a role model is the main focus within this element and her confident independent posture which is effective in building up her star image. This is conventional to the indie genre as she is wearing concealed and non promiscuous which is typical in many other genres such as hip-hop and pop instead she has a unique and individual style which is effective in showing her bare appearance, making her seem more realistic and so therefore more relatable to the audience. Furthermore Lana Del Rey has a 70s retro element to her image which is evident with a back combed hair style and bright red hollywood lips to show the audience a relation between the artists style and her type of music.

Lana Del Rey's body language and posture represents her to be confident, as she is shown to be an independent woman which appeals to her target audience which consists mostly of females of whom may be enticed by the feminist representation brought across by Lana on her album cover. The artists confidence ties in with the title of her album 'Born To Die' due to the concept of death being accentuated and Lana appears to have no emotion as her facial expression is relaxed and calm. This is conventional to the indie genre as  it highlights the fact that she doesn't follow the fears of the norm that the majority of people do which highlights her individuality.

The colours used throughout Lana Del Rey's digipak consist of the colour blue within the song titles which is calm and pleasant therefore linking this with her music and her intricate restful voice as well as tying in with the indie genre as blue is  seen as being a naturalistic colour- in this case connoting the natural sky. White could connote the idea of purity which  shows the artist's innocence and demure as well as bringing forward the concept  that she is a pure or fresh part of the music industry. The colour red is used for the roses on the CD, the artists lipstick colour and also the blood splattered pages which conventionally connotes passion and love, which links in with the meaning and lyrics of Lana Del Rey's music. Red could also connote negative aspects such as death, which ties in  and emphasises the name of the album 'Born To Die'. Furthermore the use of the colours combined- red, white and blue are cleverly used by the artist to convey her love for her country due to the fact they're the colours of the American Flag which can appeal to a wide range of audience from America who can relate to the love of the country.

The design and layout of the image conveys simplicity as it is has a plain background and causes Lana Del Rey to become the main focus. The simplicity of the album cover is conventional to the indie genre as there are no further distractions for the audience which may cause confusion instead they are linked firmly to her image. Lana Del Rey is only featured on the front cover of the digipak which shows she wants to promote her music and meaning behind it just as much as her own image and artist representation.

I will use my research to assist me with the creation of my own digipak as I can use these ideas that are conventional and related to the indie genre and the ideas used will be able to reach out to our target audience. The font of the typography will represent our artist and the album and the songs involved as well as the connotations brought forward through the use of colours. This will show the audience and help identify them when the audience sees the font they will understand what the artist is about and what message they are trying to get across to their audience.With our groups design and layout we will use central pictures of the artist or close up images of them in order to help the audience gain a personal relationship with the artist.

1 comment:

  1. You have provided a sound analysis of the digipak, explaining what the various connotations are of the elements used. You need to cover all bullet points.

    You need to:
    1) Make sure you analyse all bullet points (typography/style of language etc.)
    2) Elaborate on your summary by explaining how and why this research was beneficial, as well as mentioning any inspirations you will take on board and include within your own magazine advert (give examples)
    3) Check your spelling, grammar and phrasing of sentences

    ReplyDelete