Planning Digipak - Miss Miller

A digipak is presented in the style of a book, with paperboard/cardboard outer binding including one or more plastic trays for the CD. This style became popular in the 2000s and is often used for special edition albums. 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. Below is a listed comparison of both types. 

A digipak provides the fans with more information from the artist, for example a personal fan message which overall enhances the fan/artist bond, which is another positive factor. Digipaks are also unique and more attractive as there are featured bonus tracks and the use of higher quality images.

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.

Within my digipak draft the colours consist mostly of white in the background to bring out the artist making her the main focus of the audiences attention and also the typography will stand out more as it will be black that will be used within the digipak.

Mainly red will be used used for the typography of the digipak to create a feminine feel to the digipak and also to connote passion/love or danger to give the audience a visual insight into the representation of the artist and her music. The use of the colour red within my digipak could also connote a relation between the artist and her music and how much she loves and is passionate about her music.

My digipak is conventional to the indie genre as I have included a close up of the artist which allows the audeince to identify who the artist is which therefore makes it easier for the target audeince and other audiences to put a face to the music. A page on the digipack includes a personal handwritten message from the artist quoting lyrics from one of her songs which will be used to allow the audience to feel personally involved with the artist which then builds a relationship between the artist and the audience. I have used elements listed down below to promote the artist, highlight the indie genre and cause the artist to build a relationship with the audience. All of the elements listed appeal to the target audience as they express parts of the artist's life for especially the note to fans. This promotes her as an artist in a positive way as it creates the idea that her fans and music are her main priority. Fundamentally, this digipak converts to the indie genre with the use of all elements for example, the use of images, this is to keep fans interested and cause members of the public that enjoy this genre to purchase the album.

The images used throughout the digipak include only pictures of the artist so the audeince can identify the artist without distractions of other images and also allows the audience to get a visual aspect of  what the artist is about. The different pictures of the artist are helpful within my digipak on the collage page for the audience as to they can try and get a personal feel for the music and the digipak is meant to draw the audience in and allow the audience to know more about the artist, which is something that the jewel CD case provide as it lacks in the amount of images in which can be displayed. The artist is portrayed as confident due to her posture and facial expressions within all of the pictures, although the smoking is questionable, it shows that she in charge and independent and also adds to her vintage, 1950s vibe. Linking to this, the artist seems fierce and independent as she is the only person in every picture and on the cover through a close up, showing her importance and to promote her further. Her look is also natural with 50s makeup, worn previously by famous models and actresses such as Audrey Hepburn, and big, back combed hair for a vintage look, to bring back elements of an earlier time which makes her seem cool and unique. Lastly, in the front cover she wears flowers in her hair and looks quite natural which is conventional of the indie genre and appeals to an artist. 

  

The design and layout used within this digipak is mainly close ups of Lana Del Rey's (Autumn Healy's) face to show the audience who the artist is and to promote her. These different pictures are to gain the attention of the audience and the personal feel that they are involved with the development of the artist and her music. The artists name is placed on the top of the digipak page which shows the audience that she is the most important person to focus on and engage with. The layout and design of the overall digipak is quite simplistic. The white background on the front cover makes the artist the main focus, showing her importance and promotes the album to the audience and the close up makes the cover more memorable as it stands out on shelves. One of the other pictures features a long shot of the artist in the forest, which highlights the theme of nature which relates to the indie genre because of naturalistic aspects and purity and is simple which is relatable overall however, the smoking image makes her more rebellious and cool, making her questionable and unique yet converts to the indie genre and artists within this genre usually uphold this habit.

The style of language used within my digipak is simple, basic so thefore easy to read, this is meant to reach out to a wider range of audience it would be unfair for people who don't know about Lana Del Rey (Autumn Healy) and if the publishers started using long words the audience may feel intimidated to buy the digipak as they may not understand what the artist is trying to say. The connotations of this show that the artist doesn't speak through many words but mainly through music which therefore implies to the audience that they have to listen to the music in order to gain an understaning of the artist. 

To conclude, I found this useful when taking pictures for the digipak because it gave me new ideas on what to have within my digipak and what I thought would be acceptable for the audience to see what the artist is like. This is preparing me for the use of photoshop as it gives me an idea on the look of the artist that I want to portray to the audience. 
I am more aware of the photos that I need to take and how I want the artist to be conveyed through the images and personal touches.