Digipak Analysis - Miss Miller

A digipak is a different type of CD packagaing. Digipaks typically consist of a book style paperboard with many plastic trays to hold CDs attached inside. A jewel case CD was the main way of covering CD's however in the recent years Digipaks have become more popular with artists. The main purpose of a Digipak is to promote the artists CD to the audience as their is important information on the digipak such as images and song names. Digpipaks make the CD look more personal than a jewel CD case meaning that audiences are more likely to buy it. The images on the Digipak are more of a high quality than on a jewel CD case meaning that people are more likely to buy an artists album/CD as the digipak will be eye catching. Digipaks helps the artist attract wider audiences as people can perceive each digipak differently and see hidden messages within them. A digipak also includes promotional materials such as posters and booklets. A Digipak and a jewel CD case are different in many ways. Jewel Cd cases are made from plastic meaning that they are harder to break whereas Digipaks are made from cardboard meaning that they can break easily therefore their lifespan may be short. However Digipaks contain much more information then a jewel CD case such as images, lyrics and information about the artists which makes audiences want to buy the CD. A jewel CD case just contains the CD, inside cover and front and back covers therefore consumers are more likely to buy a Digipak as its more eye catching.

I will be analysing Jack Johnsons Digipak as his songs are in the indie genre and I could not find a Ed Sheeran Digipak. There is only 4 parts to it but for my artist we will create a 6 sided digipak.

Artist representation
From this digipak Jack Johnson is represented as music oriented as they aren't many photos of him on his album cover. This shows that hes not self centered and cares more about his music then what audiences perceive him as. By having less images of him makes the audience perceive the artist as unique and diverse as many artists images on their digipak is of themselves rather than other objects. By not having as many images of himself on the digipak shows that he is not constructed as a star which is conventional to the indie genre. He is also represented as an artist interested in nature due to the images of tree and wildlife on the front and back cover and disk of his digipak. This catches audiences attention as its unique and different meaning that they are more likely to buy the digipak. Its also conventional to the indie genre as the images of 'trees' makes the digipak look realistic and forests are typical places for indie songs to be set in. Also the image of him holding a guitar on the inside cover indicates to the audience straight away what genre of music he sings. It emhasises the fact that he is music oriented and shown as his own type of artist.

Images
On the front cover of the digipak the image is of Jack Johnson as a silhouette. The image of him is very small compared to the image of the tree next to him which again emphasizes the fact that he doesn't want the audience to focus on him but only his music. The silhouette is an unique image to be on Digipaks which catches audiences attention and promotes the artist to be very interesting. The silhouette image also makes the digipak seem mysterical and different, it also says a lot about Jack Johnson as it suggests that he doesn't want the audience to see his full identity. As a result audiences would want to buy the digipak to understand more about him. On the inside cover, the silhouette image of him is him picking a fruit off the tree, this may suggest to audiences on what he sings and writes about or could be percieved as him being a typical artist which audiences can relate to easily. The audience can interpret the image on the front cover in many ways which makes the digipak stand out and creates a wider target audience for Jack Johnson. The image on the front cover also highlights he's involved with nature. 
On the inside cover of the Digipak the image is of Jack Johnson holding his guitar which provides the audience of what type of music he performs which represents the indie genre. It also shows he is music oriented and wants to audience to see he loves making music. It shows his talented in playing the guitar which is conventional to the indie genre. The fact that the guitar is covering his face suggests he doesn't want audiences to focus on him but his music which promotes him as a good artist.
The other part of the inside cover of the digipak is a black silhouette image of a plant emphasizing the theme of nature. Indicating that his album may be about nature or he is interested in nature. The images of the leaves and the trees makes the audience want to understand him better as they can be interpreted in many different ways therefore they are likely to buy the digipak. On the back cover of the digipak there is again a symbol of nature a tree trunk which again relates to the theme of nature. From the images on the digipak the audience will be understand that his album may be about wildlife or he is interested in wildlife. 

Colours
The main colours on the digipak are yellow, black and white. The colour yellow makes the digipak very eye catching and catches the audiences attention. Its also very diverse and unique which makes the audience want to buy the digipak. It connotes to the idea of joy and happiness. The colour yellow suggests to the audience that he's sings about uplifting and happy songs which make the audience want to buy the digipak. The colour black contrasts with the yellow meaning that his name and the lyrics stand out suggesting to the audience that he is a powerful artists and wants his songs to be noticed rather then his image of himself. The yellow and black makes the digipak appealing but also different as they are odd colours showing the audience that he is an interesting artist. The colour white connotes to innocence and purity, its also a plain colour so that the digipak stands out. On the CD cover the only image on there is a leaf which connotes to the fact that he is nature oriented or the CD is about nature. It also shows he's not a typical star as there is no main image of him anywhere on the digipak promoting him as a powerful artist as he just cares about how the audience perceive his music not his image. The colour scheme is successful in catching the audiences attention due to the contrasting colours used. 

Layout/Design
On the front cover the layout is quite simple. The main image is in the middle of the cover with information around the outside of the image. This suggests to the audience that he wants them to focus on the image rather then the information as the image reflects on him as a person. In the right hand corner we have Jack Johnson's name which catches the audiences attention straight away as they can see clearly who's Digipak it is. There's also special edition at the right hand bottom corner which attracts readers eye. Its on the front cover rather than on the back or inside as 'special edition' catches audiences attention. On the back cover of the digipak the column layout allows the audience to concentrate on each song title one by one suggesting that Jack Johnson wants to promote his songs well. On the inside cover the fact that its split into two sides is very interesting, it may suggest that Jack Johnson has two sides to him which makes the audience want to find out more about him. The layout shows audiences that he performs songs which are in the indie genre due to the guitar as this is conventional but it also shows that he is nature oriented due to the image of the leaf. On the CD itself the image is covering mainly the CD disk where as the writing which is name is small in the right hand corner. This suggests that he's not self centered as the image is bigger then then his name but wants the audience to understand the concept of the images being used. 

Typography 
The style of the font on the digipak is plain and realistic which is typical for indie artists to have on their digipak. Its normal font which is clear to the audiences and doesn't distract audiences attention from the images and song titles. Using a plain font shows that he wants the audience to interpret him and his music. The color of the typography goes with the color scheme of yellow, black and white. Therefore the typography makes the digipak visually appealing. Also the font of 'Jack Johnsons' name is still a plain font showing he's not self centered which is typical for a indie artist. 

Style of language 
The main text that is used on the digipak is the artists name 'Jack Johnson' and his song titles. Therefore showing audiences vital information of who the artist is and what is included in the album. The language that is used is very simple and clear so that the audience are aware of the information when looking at the digipak. It also has other information such as bonus tracks on the album. As a result of the simple language audiences will be more engaged when reading the digipak therefore more likely to buy it. The simple language relates to the indie genre as indie music videos are quite simple and realistic meaning that audiences may be able to understand straight away what genre the CD is in.

Connotations
There are many connotations within this digipak. The colour scheme which is black, white and yellow connotes to purity and happiness which may relate to the artist or the album. It may give an idea of what type of songs are on the CD therefore audiences may feel like they have to buy it. The theme of nature may connote to that hes a typical boy which is conventional in the indie genre, it also builds a relationship between the audience and the artist. Due to the inside cover being split, it may suggest theres two sides to him which is the nature side and the musical side of him which intrigues audiences to understand him more. Due to that there's a silhouette image of him on the front cover suggests that he doesn't want his identity to be discovered which suggests he is mystical. 


This is the inside cover of Jack Johnsons digipak, the colour scheme of the inside of the digipak is the same as the the outside by using the colours yellow, this makes the digipak visually appealing. The images that have been used are very indie as many of the images are of people playing instruments, the connotation of this may mean that these were the people that helped him create the album. The layout/desgin is simple yet appealing as there is a collage of images with writing in the next column, this adds a personal effect and shows to the audience that Jack Johnson is a typical boy which will build a relationship between the two. The typography is simple which is conventional to the indie genre. 

Overall the design of the digipak is very simple which is conventional to the indie genre. The theme of nature is very interesting and realistic which is also conventional to the indie genre. The image of Jack Johnson holding the guitar is relatable to the indie genre as its the main instrument used in indie songs. However the coloring subverts the indie genre as its not typical colours which are used as they are normally more dull. The digipak is also more personal then a jewel CD case as it makes the audience feel important and as if the digipak is made for them through the use of images and information. 

From researching into digipaks I now understand how to make one myself and how to make it conventional to the indie genre. My research will assist me when planning and creating my own digipak for my artist as I understand the conventions of the indie genre now which are subtle colours, simple font, simple layout/desgin and edgy image. It has also taught me what needs to be included within a digipak which will significantly help me when I come to create my own digipak. I will try to make my digipak as conventional as I can to the indie genre.