Analysis of two digipak covers

I am required to analyse examples of professional Digipaks as part of my research task. The research should influence how I will design my own Digipak. Using http://www.cdcovers.cc/ I have chosen two covers to analyse including the following:

1) The Kooks – Inside In Inside Out
Looking at other bands Digipaks from the same Indie/Rock genre will allow me to understand the general concepts associated within genre such as Mise-en-scene.

2) Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, I’m not
I have decided to choose this particular Digipak as it will give me an insight into the style and layout of my chosen band. Looking at an example from the Arctic Monkeys will help me to ensure my production conforms to consumer’s expectations, which is important as I am trying to create a product that will maintain and possibly enhance the band’s brand image.

The Kooks – Inside in Inside Out

The Digipak above is the debut album by English Indie Rock band The Kooks and was released in 2006. The album was produced by Virgin Records and sold over 2,000,000 copies worldwide to reach number two in the British album charts.

The mise-en-scene is particularly important as it informs the consumer about the genre of the music and the way in which Virgin Records want to market The Kooks to their target audience. The outer front cover portrays the four band members with very relaxed body languages and they all have an instrument. All of the individuals are avoiding eye contact with the photographer, which implies that their main focus is purely devoted to their instruments. The props have been used to reflect the band member’s attitudes towards their genre, which is ultimately playing solely for the love of music. One of the band members is resting his foot on the Amp whilst playing his guitar, which again suggests that, the group individuals have a very relaxed approached to their music. The clothing and fashion appearance of the four band members is representative of the Indie/Rock genre, as all of the individuals have long hair and informal clothes. The jeans and hoodies worn by the band reinforce the relaxed approach adopted by the band as it shows that they are comfortable within their given environment (an empty stage with only their instruments).

The front cover follows the basic conventions of most Digipak’s as it displays the title of the Album and an image of the artists. The red font stands out from the greyscale image, which perhaps suggests that The Kooks want to reinstate that the main focus should be on the album itself, and not the band members. The font is the same throughout the entire Digipak, which ensures that the product looks professional because continuity is an important aspect. Continuity will be vital for my own creations not just in the Digipak but other design tasks too such as the promo pack and the advert. The font on the outer back cover is aligned on the left for song titles and numbered which allows the consumer to easily identify their favourite songs. Although, my Digipak will only contain one track, I am likely to present the text as it has been on this example, which is over the blank white space which isn’t fulfilled by the image. The small print text on the back cover includes copyright details and a mention of Virgin Records. The Virgin Records label is also displayed on the CD cover, which is an example of advertising. Finally, there is a website link on the back of the Digipak, which is an example of marketing. The inclusion of the bands official website will raise awareness of the band and allows their target market to strengthen their current fan base.

The outer back cover uses the same image as the front cover, but the image has been blurred. The editing of the image makes it easier for the consumer to notify the song titles, which once again highlights the emphasis on The Kooks desire to ultimately promote the music and not themselves. The colour scheme is continuously red, white and black throughout the Digipak. The red font will stand out on the shop shelves because it contrasts the rest of the front cover. The only part of the Digipak that is brightly coloured is the actual CD, which may emphasise that it is significantly the only part of the purchase that matters to the consumer, the music itself. The continual colour scheme and the inclusion of the barcode on the back cover ensure that the Record Company have created a professional final product.

Arctic Monkeys - whatever people say i am, that's what i'm not

The second Digipak I have chosen to analyse (whatever people say I am, that’s what I’m not) is displayed above. The album was the debut album by Arctic Monkeys and was released in the same year as The Kooks Inside in, Inside out in 2006. The album is currently the UK’s fastest selling debut album and sold over 360,000 copies in its first week. The album includes ‘I bet you look good on the dance floor’ and ‘when the sun goes down’, which were both UK number ones.

The image on the front cover is a close-up of an individual after a heavy night out in Liverpool and was taken to demonstrate the stereotypical northern clubber. The image caused huge controversy as the NHS believed that the image ‘reinforced the idea that smoking is OK’. However, this particular image was used for the CD cover as the lyrics for all tracks within the album are first-person narratives of observations made when clubbing. The only two colours used throughout the Digipak are black and white, which ensures continuity is maintained. The text on the front cover is slightly disorientated, which may have been done to coincide with way the character is feeling.

The image has been staged so that there is a black background behind the smoker. The emphasis is heavily on the state of the individual on the front cover and shows that the band members are perhaps just like anyone else from their target audience. The only prop used within this shot is the cigarette that the person is smoking. The prop signifies the reality of the Sheffield nightlife and illustrates the typical clubber. The cigarette theme features heavily throughout the Digipak to maintain the same message throughout.

On the back cover, the song titles are aligned left and listed in the top hand corner. The text is once again placed on the black background to ensure the reader has no difficulty in reading the text. Following conventions such as listing the tracks on the back cover ensures continuity and professionalism is maintained. The font is very ordinary, which reflects the genre of music played by the Arctic Monkeys and the clothing and hairstyles are also very basic, which relates to their target audience.

The inside panel consists only of text thanking individuals and all of the copyright legislation expected to be evident within a Digipak. The focus and emphasis is purely on the actual music itself, which reinforces the Indie genre. Finally, after one of the thank you messages the text shows “If we sell any we will give you that amp back”. This message shows the target audience the relaxed and informal approach the Arctic Monkeys have towards their music.