RESEARCH OF DIGIPAKS RELATED TO MY GENRE

"A digipak case consists of a rectangle cardboard package with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside. Variations include where the discs sit on a hub or spindle inside. It is a registered trademark for a patented style of optical disc packaging. Among commercial audio CD releases, Digipak-style cases are one of the few common alternatives to the somewhat brittle jewel case. "

As my genre is Indie, I have decided to analyse several digipacks in order to see the type of conventions that I have to follow.

· THE 1975 - Self-Titled Album:

- Front cover:

The use of the illuminated rectangle, and illuminated logo of the band is very effective as it is what catches the audience's attention. The rectangle is an iconic symbol of The 1975’s brand identity as it can be seen on all of their album covers, live performances, and some of their music videos. It is something with which they identify themselves with. The use of the colours also helps the fluency of the bands' identity as they are an indie band who use a lot of black and white- both on the branding and on their music videos. Also, they do not feature themselves on the cover of their albums, like many other indie bands, as they believe the music is more important than physical appearance. 

-CD:

The CD inside is very simple. It continues with the black and white minimalist theme that has been established for this digipak. The only information on the CD is the bands' name. This is important because they are such a recognisable brand that they don’t need to fill their products up with information. By doing this it creates a trademark for the band and gets them noticed worldwide, as people will see this font and design and will instantly relate it to the 1975. The CD itself is matte and the writing is shiny.

- Track List:

The design of the track list follows the same theme as the rest of the digipak. Once again, the iconic glowing rectangle is the main feature on this panel, following the convention of having both the front cover and the back cover in the same style. The names of the songs have been written down in their representative font which appeals to the target audience because they have it linked to the group's logo. The overall effect of this panel is the same as the front cover: simple, but projecting the bands' style and image onto it.

- Back Cover:

The back cover of the digipak is once again on point with keeping up with the style, including their logo and also the black and white colour scheme- a complete consistency of theme throughout the whole digipak. This is important because it shows that they are branding correctly any product that has to do with them, making it for the audience easier recognise them. Also the use of a simple font (their logo font) makes the information on the back clear and easy for the audience to read. They have also followed convention by putting all the copyright information on the back (in a much more smaller font) with all the parts the fans are less interested in. 

· MAC DEMARCO - SALAD DAYS:

- Front Cover:

At first, the digipak los very simple as it uses a medium shot of Mac's face which is slightly tilted a a low angle, enhancing his style and facial features. This type of shots are usually used when they want to give a feeling of superiority above the person looking at the image. The image used reflects his personality and the style of music. He is also wearing very simplistic clothes which has a laid back look to it suggesting the genre of music in which the artist will sing. Laid back clothes are a convention of artists from the indie rock genre. The low camera quality 'look' of these images adds a retro/ vintage vibe to the digipak which is unusual considering this album was released in 2014.  The lighting of the images has a real 'grainy' look and the shadows created by what appears to be trees gives the images a non professional look to them, this is also done purposefully.

-CD:

The typography is very unconventional as it is 'swirly' writing which, at first glance, it is hard to understand what it says therefore this suggests that Mac is confident enough to do so as it just suggests that he has done this to add to his dysfunctional style and he knows that people will understand this due to having previous knowledge about him and his music and if not then it gives first impressions that he is a dysfunctional artist but does not care about what other people might think of him. 

- Back Cover:

On the back cover the artist is in dark lighting then the other side bright lighting. This could suggest that the artist has two sides to his personality or their music, for example their music could have a 'light hearted' sound to it but yet the issues behind them go much deeper. The fact that he is holding a guitar links it to the fact that it is a music digipak, and also hints the type of music he plays. The back bricked wall gives a grunge look and adds to the whole "laid back" look. The track list on the back doesn't have numbers next to each song this gives the album a spontaneous feel to it. Another convention is to have the label that the artist is signed to at the bottom on the back of the digipak. 

· ARCTIC MONKEYS - Whatever they say I am, I am not:

- Front Cover:

The front cover of the album does not say the name of the album which is something rather unusual for an album cover. The main focus of the cover is a man who has a laid back feel alongside his casual clothing linking it with conventions of the genre and the title of the album itself. The person on the front is also smoking. Smoking is associated with being cool, something that indie bands aim to look as. The black and white style matches the conventions of an indie band and shows the rough and ready style of an indie band. The character on the album also has a beard, making him look slightly rugged again linking with the indie genre and the title of the album. The image of a man smoking is almost commercialising smoking to the audience. This suggests that arctic monkeys are not afraid to be controversial, almost glamorising the act of it.

-CD:

The use of cigarettes on the CD adds to the reckless feel of an Indie Band. The fact that the cigarettes are all stubbed out and smoked adds to the rugged feeling the band is trying to give. The shape of the CD could symbol an ashtray and the amount of cigarettes burnt could suggest how long the band worked on the album as the album was very anticipated by the fans. With the man smoking on the front and the many cigarettes on the CD - this could represent a character and his ongoing addiction. 

- Back Cover:

The 13 tracks are stated in the order they play in but are not numbered. This could add to the simple untidy feel of the album. The white text stands out against the black background and the style of it is simple and easy to read. The picture is the same person as on the front again but with a cigarette showing a continuations/theme throughout the album as a whole. He is in the same clothing but in this photo he is rubbing his eyes suggesting tiredness, this could also link in with the addiction theme showing the struggles of a young man. Like all albums this one has the record information and bar cove on the back. The spine of the album is where we finally see the album title, something unique for an album – something indie bands aim to be. The font is again in white and the same style to the track list giving the album an overall flow.