Research - Analysis Of Digipacks

A digipak is a CD Case, normally made of card, which has several folding panes (squares) along with either one or two plastic holders for the disc/s inside.

Conventions of a digipak

A DigiPak is a patented style of CD or DVD packaging. They normally tend to have a gate fold like a book. The outer packaging is made of card/paper and the inner packaging is made of plastic. They are normally used on special editions and albums.  They became popular with artists and record labels in the early 2000s.
DigiPaks are designed to fold into a square CD case. They can fold many different ways and can have different amount of panels. The front and back panels are the main ‘promoters’ of the CD and are very much used to draw in the customers. The inside of the DigiPak is used more for information and extra bits to do with the artist/song/album. The theme of the inside packaging normally is more subtle compared to the outside packaging. The cardboard/paper folds around the plastic case which secures the disc in place.
The front of DigiPaks tend to have a large eye-catching picture on them. The picture illustrated on the front panels tend to have some relation to the songs or artist. The song/album title is also found on the front panel.
Inside a DigiPak you can find the plastic holder for the actual CD itself. A lot of plastic holders nowadays are see-through with another piece of album artwork behind which goes with the rest of the packaging. You can also find inside the pack itself more information and possibly more artwork to do with the disc. Extra information provided within the packaging would include song lyrics, artist information and personal messages.


Kanye West - Graduation

This is the front cover of Kanye West's third album ' Graduation', released in 2007. Kanye recruited Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami to art direct and design the artwork for Graduation, kicking off a new era for him musically and aesthetically. 

The mascot is stylized like Kanye West, this helps us make the comparison between the bear and artist. The image could represent growing up or 'coming out of your shell', this directly targets teenagers and young adults who are just finding themselves. 

The colorful, pastel imagery and colour scheme captures Murakami’s fascination with anime and manga which is represented in the creative digipak.
The font of the album title is in a bright pink and looks as though it is overlapped or shadowed. 

The album booklet tells the story of Dropout Bear struggling to make his college graduation ceremony on time after being awoken by his alarm clock, hopping in a De Lorean that dies, trying to catch a cab, and walking (after being chased by a rainstorm) to his ceremony. He then gets shot back into the sky, which is depicted on the back cover (similar to the narrative progression and front/back cover layout of Late Registration).
The cartoon characters appear friendly and happy when you first look at them but hold dark, twisted undertones. 

The back cover is the front artwork mirrored, but captured from behind, this gives the digipak a 3D effect. The composition of the track-list is curved, this is not a normal convention of a hip-hop digipak as it normally appears in a straight line, this expresses the abstract ideas of the artist himself. 

The Weeknd - Trilogy

The Weeknd's 'Trilogy' album cover is black and white, this suggests the album content and lyrics may be mellow and moody. At the right hand side of the artist is the string of a balloon, this gives recognition to his previous album 'House of Balloons.'
The image which is framed with a white border on the front cover is of the artist and a woman holding him down, her face is cut out which directs the audience's full focus on The Weeknd himself. Also, the small diamonds at the bottom refer back to the name 'Trilogy' meaning that  their are 3 parts/discs in the album.

The back of the cover has a centered image of the artist using various lighting techniques to create shadows on his face. His eyes are blacked out suggesting he is intoxicated, also, the image is layered to make it look distorted. Below this, is the album track listed in italics, which appears quite classy and sophisticated.

Drake - Take Care

On his Take Care album cover, the rapper appears draped in gold jewelry and looks deep in thought, with his head hanging down. Hardly an image an audience would expect from a kid who has moved up the ranks in hip-hop, after selling more than a million copies of his debut album in 2010. Drake is clearly at odds with his fame.

In an interview drake explains, 'That’s who’s sitting on that album cover, that kid that’s just somehow gone from his mom’s basement in Toronto to becoming a king.'

The album cover has a vintage, antique vibe with gold and deep brown undertones which signifies wealth and money. Various artistry works are in play in the background and lowly lit candles are in the foreground which sets the bleak tone of the album. This image on the front cover corresponds with the track 'Marvin's Room.' The album title 'Take Care' is written in a sophisticated, italic font which is effective
in response to the scenery.

The back of the album cover is minimalist but still follows the same colour scheme as the front. The tracklist is written in a bronze font in capitals down the middle, which follows the conventions of most back covers of digipaks.
The background looks like marble which could be the table Drake is sitting at in the front cover.