Digipaks

Digipaks are a printed card packaging that is often used for CDs and/or DVDs. The digipak, made from cardboard stock, contains an internal plastic holder that is capable of holding one or more discs.

Digipaks are used for the following reasons

- To promote an album

- To list the content of the album

- To make the CD eye catching

- Uses art and imagery to express a image

- To attract a wider audience

- To tell us something about the artists and the music behind them

- To sell additional promotional materials

- Tell us the corporate identity of artist

There are 2 types of Digipaks

4 panel Digipak - This is the most popular type of CD case that even managed to beat the jewel case in terms of sales and eventually replace it. This case has 4 printable panels glued together for a rigid yet sleek and stylish feel, with a plastic tray glued in the center that can hold up to 2 disks.

6 panel Digipak - The 6-panel digipak contains an extra tray, meaning it can carry 3 disks. It allows more room for creativity in terms of packaging. The plastic panel for holding the CD can be placed either in the center panel or one of the other two, depending on the kind of design the artist or manufacturer wishes to choose.

The first digipak I will be analyzing is "Loud" by Rihanna. The album cover features a extreme close up shot of Rihanna looking down, wearing red lipstick and having red hair, alongside the album title on the bottom in white letters. The font is big and simple, and is deliberately used this way as to not draw attention on the title, but to Rihanna herself. The album title directly correlates with the use of red, as it is a bold and eye catching colour. The panels have Rihanna wearing a white dress and laying on a bed of roses. The white dress symbolizes innocence and purity, representing the innocent side of her. The colour red represents love and passion, and the use of the lipstick, hair and roses, we can say that this is foreshadowing what Rihanna may sing about on her album (love and romance). The roses and the colour represent Rihannas's sexual and provocative nature showcased on the album. The position in which Rihanna is laying in, the roses and the seductive look may have a sexual connotation to it, thus making Rihanna appeal to a male audience (the male gaze). Meanwhile, the CD cover only has a white rose. This contrasts the red roses on the panels, as it may represent the sad and sensitive songs on the album. This album can be described as being both pop and R&B. The album cover juxtaposes the traditional conventions of what an R&B album cover should look like. This is because on R&B covers, women are depicted as 'sexy'; wearing minimal clothing and showcasing themselves as objects of desire. Rihanna is subverting this role, and instead is not showing her body in a sexual way and is creating a purer image for herself and is reflecting her innocent side, rather than the usual sexual objectification of the female artist, all despite being associated with the R&B genre of music. This album came out in 2010, and the music videos of the singles were all released on her VEVO Youtube channel, just as it began to release the music videos of artists during this time.

The second digipak I will be analyzing in "The Fame Monster" by Lady Gaga. The album cover features a mid shot of Gaga wearing a blonde wig and wearing a black coat, with one of the sleeves covering her mouth. Due to the covering of her mouth, her facial expression is quite ambiguous, showing the audience the emotional side of her, not the dramatic and over the top version that they have previously seen of her. The only colours that are featured in the digipak are black and white, creating a gothic and dark mood and tone, and is used to show the emotional and deep songs that are on the album. The deeper meanings are further suggested through the use of the crucifixes that are replacing the 't'. It further signifies that she isn't a pop star who makes happy and upbeat songs all the time, but also writes sad and melancholic songs that show her true human emotions. The bold font is used to represent the 'bold' version of Gaga; the pop star who isn't afraid to take any risks or cause controversy. It is located on the bottom of the cover, highlighting that the focus should be on Gaga herself, and not the title. The black and white colour palette contrast each other; the white colour represents her pure and innocent self, meanwhile the black represents her most controversial and extroverted self. The colour palette also signifies that she wants her target audience to focus on the music and lyrics only, and not on flashy colours and props, illuminating her transformation from 'diva pop star' to emotive singer-songwriter further. The consistency across the digipak is further penetrating her message of being a melancholic singer.

The third and final digipak I will be analyzing is "Born to Die" by Lana Del Rey. The front cover features a mid shot of Del Rey wearing a white lace top and having a old fashioned hairstyle. She is grabbing her audience's attention by being the only person featured on the cover, with the high key lighting being used to signify this. The old fashioned hairstyle paired with the lace top and minimal makeup creates a vintage feel, which Lana is known to do, which is not common amongst modern pop stars, who dress in bright colours and wear lots of makeup. Lana is subverting the traditional standards of what a modern pop star should be, as she sings songs that are reminiscent of the 50s and 60s and wears minimal makeup. Her vintage vibe and persona appeals to those who enjoy the vintage aesthetic. The colours featured across the digipak (red, white and blue) are reminiscent of that of the American flag. Lana's patriotic persona and national identity is revealed through the songs "National Anthem" and "Million Dollar Man", songs that are featured on Born to Die. The singer's name is at the top of the cover in bold capitalized white text that is spaced out in front of a blue sky, which grabs the viewer's attention. Meanwhile, the album title is in blue font and is noticeably smaller and is placed on the singer herself. This is to make the album title stand out. The title and the name of the singer contrast each other, creating a binary opposition. The mise- en - scene features what seems to be a vintage car (adding on the vintage aesthetic) and a chipped fence. This setting could symbolize the working class, and the album title could be seen as a homage to the fact that the destiny of the working class is to struggle and eventually die. The CD cover only features two roses, which represent love and passion. The roses have two meaning: the first meaning is that the fact that roses are given to someone who is in love, and Lana is giving roses to indicate that she loves her fans. The second meaning is that the roses represent the themes of love and lust that are presented through her lyrics.