Digipak analysis - Miss Miller

A Digipak typically consists of a gatefold (which is a book style) paperboard or cardboard outer building, with one or more plastic trays for for the CD. Digipak-style packaging is often used for CD singles although it is usually used for albums particularly special editions of CD albums. Digipak-style cases found their popularity among record labels as well as recording artists in the early 2000s.

Digipak's main competitor would be the jewel CD case. Which is the original compact side case which has been put to use since 1982. It is a three-piece plastic case, which usually contains a CD along with the liner notes and a back card.

Although a plastic jewel case is beneficial for various different reasons; for instance it is able to protect the contents more sufficiently due to it's hard cover meaning that if anything was to fall onto the case or the case itself was to fall the contents would be better protected compared to how it would in a digipak hence due to tho extra protection the actual product itself is likely to last longer. Most of the detail is soley on the front and the back, hence it is more likely to grab people's attention which is what the marketers behind the product aim for as creating something which is eye catching to the audience enables them to build a stronger relationship with the project as it creates a place in their train of thought persuading the audience to buy the product more strongly.

The following images both displaying David Guetta's album 'One Love' display the main differences between digipaks and jewel CD cases:

 Digipak 

Jewel case

Often these jewel cases obtain lyrics to songs within the album which is a persuading factor for many audience members as often within the music industry people lyrics have been misinterpreted one of the most famous examples being 'The Pussycat Dolls' single 'When I grow up' the lyrics actually read 'I wanna have groupies' but many audience members perceived the lyrics as 'I wanna have boobies' which coursed much controversy whilst ruining audience members experience of the song as they didn't have a clear enough indication of what the artist was expressing. Providing the lyrics means that the audience are able to engage themselves with the song further in a mixture of ways; they're able to sing along to songs following the words becoming a more enjoyable experience for them as they are able to feel a stronger connection with the song and the lyrics as they know they are following them correctly thus becoming more comfortable with them particularly when singing them further adding to the concept of a pleasant experience of the song for the audience.

Despite this appealing features to a jewel case digipak's are recognised as being a fans collectable item as they provide further details and insights to the audiences experience as well as their insight into the artist. Often within digipaks such as Britney Spears' the artist leaves a note or thank you letter to their fans. This helps strength the existing relationship between the audience and the artist (a relationship must already exist for them to have purchased the album) as it provides the audience with more of the artist as they are able to view their style of writing and read something which is styled to appear more as though it has actually come from the artist and isn't something which has been mass produced, having gone further various different hands in a list of different checks and over views so to ensure it is suitable and matching towards the marketing for said artist. The usage of such a message also implies to the audience that the artist really cares about their fans as they take the time to write something personal to them when they were able to simply allow their manufacturing companies to handle the creation of their digipak and simply took the credit. The concept of encoring  the audience to read a thank you note also has the beneficial factor of urging the audience to feel as though they really are apart of the artist fan base as they are reading this letter. This is beneficial as it often leads to audience members feeling more involved in the artists fan base and as a result wanting to become a better supporting member of the artists fan base helping because this letter has impacted upon the artists liveability factor and made the audience member feel really appreciated by the artist, as they have done what they feel to be a simple task of simply purchasing an album yet they are reading such a  supposed personal note which is aimed towards the artists greater fans yet they are made to feel apart of this selection as they are able to read the message themselves. Some artists such as Kanye West are also able to add extras to their digipaks as the artist did adding a two sided poster for fans. Said bonus feature engages the audience with the artist further and builds upon their relationship as the audience feels the artist is providing them with more. Hence implying connotations that the artist really cares about their audience and wishes to provide them with the best experience possible thus improving on their liveability factor, urging the audience to grow towards the artist making them more likely to purchase their albums etc.

The above image displays Kanye West's digipak for his album 'Heartbreaker' as you can see the digipak held a special slot where West and artists alike are able to store bonus features for their audience such as posters like West. 

Digipaks are also recognised for sometimes obtaining bonus tracks whereas the jewel pack version may not naturally encouraging the audience towards the digipak instead as the audience is persuaded via the factor of receiving. Not only are they made to feel as though they are receiving more from the artist physically but also emotionally because the aspect of the artist providing the audience with tracks which haven't else where been released feels more personal as though the artist is vulnerable when disputing this to the audience as it wasn't something which made the final cut yet they still choose to share it with them  as they value them. Digipak's are also recognised for containing content of higher quality involving the images as well as the meaning hidden within them hence attracting the audience as is it more physically appealing compared with it's competition of a jewel case also hinting as the idea of the audience receiving more with this option. This ties in with the idea that a digipak is actually able to hold more opportunity for further artwork or information applied onto the artist thus further extending upon the concept of the artist providing the audience with as these extra elements are able to demonstrate this physically allowing the audience to look further within the digipak to look or read into these extras discovering the most out of the further experience the artist is providing for them.

I have chosen to analysis the following Digipak by soul artist Duffy as she is of my chosen genre and provides a solid digipak providing all the necessary elements hence looking into it further shall aid me in the planning and production of my own digipak:

Representation of music artist

Duffy's digipak really suits the artist to her chosen genre of soul via the use of different codes and conventions fitting towards said genre. For instance the use of black and white filters across all images of the artist for her digipak connotes towards the soul genre as black and white filters provide that feeling of going back in time. Hence being conventional as the soul genre was originally created in the 1950s/1960s a time in which the genre hasn't really developed from.  Duffy also provides connotations through her use of Mise en scene involving costume, hair and make up particularly the hair which is highlighted through her body positioning (also Mise en scene) used throughout her shots as at each angle the camera is almost aiming towards the hair as it is set to be the main thing the audience notices so to convey the image of a typical soul artist which Duffy is trying to illustrate. Duffy's hairstyle is fairly eye catching to the audience as it isn't one they would be use to seeing every day although it isn't as drastic as my chosen artist Amy Winehouse's infamous 'beehive' hairstyle it still capture the audiences attention as being different from the considered 'norm'. It is fitting towards the period in which soul was created hence being conventional for the same reasons as the black and white filter.  Although Duffy isn't seen looking directly at the camera the audience is still drawn towards the artists choice of make up, although the actual base of the make up is fairly little and rather plain it is exaggerated via the winged eye liner she has chosen to decorate her eyelids with hence being conventional towards the genre of soul as this was the style in which women applied their make up in the 1950s/1960s. It is beneficial for the artist to display such elements of Mise en scene within the photos covering her digipak as it demonstrates to the audience viewing the digipak in a shop or online that this album contains songs of the soul genre hence advertising primarily to the artists chosen artist.

The artist also portrays herself as being rather personal and keeping herself to herself due to the lack of presence of others throughout her images as well as the use of her body language (Mise en scene) the artist appears rather closed off as though she doesn't wish to make contact with anyone else. Especially in the main image covering the digipak as the artist has placed a hand against her chest suggesting that she is quite self conscious and doesn't particularly want other people entering her space. This is conventional towards the soul genre as soul artists are known for being much more personal people, who are happy to keep themselves to themselves and get on with their own troubles, as well as thought of being deep thinkers hence they are able to capture such unique and universally touching lyrics. Again this is beneficial for the artist to represent herself within this way as it illustrates that she obtains the kind of mindset and attitude you would expect from a soul artist. Meaningly that instantly upon viewing this opening image members of the soul audience feel as though they are able to relate to the artist and therefore find themselves becoming more interested in her, benefiting the artist as this added interest means that they're more likely to purchase her digipak.

The body language of the artist also provides the audience with a further understanding of the artist as the concept of her looking down as though she avoiding looking directly at anyone or even making eye contact suggests various connotations. For instance the idea that people don't like to make eye contact as it makes them feel uncomfortable because they have issues connecting with others often feeling a lack of trust in others indicating that the artist has been through many struggles throughout her life. Which is conventional towards the soul genre as it is recognised for providing it's artists with a platform to share their experiences with their audience on a more personal note as they apply more to personal information to their lyrics so to make it a more relateable experience for their audience helping them to engage and find a sense of enjoyment from the music also. The artists chosen body language also represents that she doesn't particularly want to engage with anyone as it appears she is purposefully avoiding any form of human communication which is also conventional as in the modern day era many members of the soul audience find it difficult to converse with those outside of it as compared to others the soul genre appears rather outdated yet the soul audience enjoy this theme and remain within it hence struggling to adapt to certain aspects of modern day life. Therefore seeing this helps the audience to really see themselves relating to the artist meaning that they can also picture themselves adoring her music as it appears that she would truly be able to understand them as she presents herself to be so stereotypical to that of the soul audience that they are able to view so many aspects of themselves both within her representation and within her actual work.

Connotations of the digipak:

Various different connotations are formed throughout the digipak including the codes and conventions towards the soul genre as they connote the artist as being apart of this genre. Hence encouraging members of the soul artist to engage with the artists music. As well as various different connotations informing the audience of elements of the artist away from the genre which are more personal to them as an individual. This urges the audience to feel more comfortable with the artist as they feel the artist is providing them with more about themselves which allows for the concept that the artists work is therefore more pure, true and relatable as they are singing honestly which also creates for further respect and credibility for the artist. Due to the belief that if someone is putting so much of themselves into something then they must clearly have a real passion and love for it as they're putting so much effort/work into it and pairing so much of themselves with it indicating how personal their love for the genre is. 

Even simple elements such as the structure, design, layout and colouring behind the digipak informs audience members of subtle pieces of information about the artist which is set to impact upon the artists liveability factor. These may even be factors of which the audience is unaware that they are noticing and analysing:

Even the way in which the artist has chosen to lay out her song listings for the album is very telling of who she is as both a person and an artist as well as of the type of music having been produced for this album.

As the artist has chosen to use a plain background it suggests that her songs are of  such a strong quality both in her singing ability and in the lyrical content that the album doesn't need added extra features so to boast it up in order to achieve more attention. Insinuating that the music speaks for itself. This technique also highlights that the songs on this album are likely much more personal as the artist hasn't chosen to use bright, flashy colours which provide connotations of genres such as pop or dance which main objective is to ensure that the audience are having a fun time, enjoying listening to the music and not so much about how highly the audience is rating the quality of the content involved in the song. As there is a lack of images etc so to indicate what the songs are about it suggests that there is such a wide range in song meaning and choices that the artist couldn't simply add a few images to represent her work for this album. This is beneficial for the artist as it conveys to the audience that this album is a much wider mixture of the artists work therefore creating further interest on the audiences part as they feel that this album via the artist shall provide them with a further experience as it contains a broader content hence meaning that the artist is able to provide them with a wider variety of experiences throughout this album helping them enter into a variety of different things. This concept gains the audiences as it contrasts the boring concept of all of artists songs on one album being very similar in content hence becoming quite tedious after a while and coursing the audience to feel as though all of the songs are merging into one. Preventing them from being able to recognise the songs individually and loosing their interest in both the album making it an unsuccessful one and the artist as the have provided them with this negative experience. Not only tarnishing their reputation for this album but also any further work to come.

The actual typography for the artists song listings is rather basic just simple bold capitals. This is beneficial as it conveys to the audience that the artist doesn't need to apply fancy tricks or spend loads of money on the design of her digipak as her music speaks well enough for itself. This is an element audience members of the soul genre shall appreciate as this simplistic style is conventional towards the genre as it reminds audience members of the presentation styles adopted within the period the soul genre was created (1950s-1960s) hence assuring them that Duffy really is an artist of the soul genre and not just a modern day artist attempting to fit to that style. It is almost more universally relateable as it doesn't alienate any audience members as there is nothing which could alienate any particularly members of the audience hence being conventional as the artist keeps themselves relateable being conventional as the soul genre is about artists singing about their real life struggles which others are able to relate to rather than promoting elements of their fame and fortune such as rap artists who are known to often sing about elements which have come about from their fame and fortune such a large sums of money and much female attention.

The dark colour scheme also connotations the idea that the artist is quite a dark, trouble person with lots of issues to vent about on this album. From this the audience become interested as they feel that the artist has more to offer them compared to others who haven't suffered in such ways or share similar experiences and therefore have a less knowledge on life in general. This is also conventional towards the soul genre as artists of the genre are known for having sound lyrical content which is thought to be of a deeper purpose gaining audiences interest and connection on a more personal level therefore creating a more surreal experience for them.

The actual covering for the CD keeps to following the conventional theme set through the actual digipak itself. Keeping to the same colour scheme and simplicity which was been used throughout so to ensure that the audience members are able to pick up on the codes and conventions of the soul genre and note the artist to that. The CD also showcases the same signature type typography of which Duffy's name is written in which is shown on the front of the digipak. This becomes more personal as it appears as though it is actual hand writing hence suggesting that this is something Duffy has hand written to her fans. Which provides connotations of her really caring about her fans and dedicating this digipak to them. Hence this builds upon the bond between the artist and the audience as the audience feel as though through purchasing this item they have become one of the artists treasured fans. Which often urges them to do more so to act as a fan of the artist as they feel that Duffy is a good role model to her audience as she does her best to provide the best possible experience for her fans and really cares for them. To audience members yet to buy the digipak this attracts them as it shows them that the artist really cares about and appreciates the audience purchasing her digipak hence urging them to purchase it as they feel as though it shall be a better experience as the artist is focusing more so on her bond between the audience and the artist therefore displaying that she is catering more towards them. This same style of font is used for the artists name over three times throughout the digipak this helps the audience to really come to terms with the concept that the artist is attempting to reach out and connection with their audience. 

Often within digipaks as Duffy has done artists include two CDs rather than one. This persuades the audience to feel as though the artist is trying harder to connect with the audience as they are physically providing them with more. Naturally the audience are to be more drawn to this concept of a digipak than they are a jewel case as they are getting more for their money. As well as feeling as though they are being provided with a less mainstream experience from the artist/ insight into them as  with there being two CDs the audience are also being provided with songs which won't have achieved as much media coverage as other more well known songs from the artists album. For instance the audience are likely to be familiar with Duffy's songs such as 'Rain on your parade', 'Rockferry', 'Stepping Stone' and 'Warwick Avenue' however they are less likely to be familiar with songs such as 'syrup & honey' this urges the audience to feel as though they have a better understanding of the artist as the fact that these songs haven't been as covered suggests to them that they're more personal to the audience. Often audience members complain that they find it irritating when they find a song which they really like and connect with and then they feel that it becomes too popular and that everyone is singing it. A lot of the time people say they find this annoying as these songs are thought to be personal to them and hearing other people singing them over and over again takes away from this as well as the concept of hearing a song too much can get on peoples nerves and they feel that they have heard it too much and want to hear something else.

This research was beneficial as it meant that I had a better idea of how artists were able to promote themselves to the audience. For instance I noticed the importance of making sure that all of my different sides to the digipak connect and are well suited to each other when I am creating/producing the digipak. As when I am creating it I shall do each side separately and then put them together however when you look at each side as a single image it can easily be forgotten how important it is to forget that these sides all need to work well together when getting caught up in new ideas and trying to be creative with each side. It is also harder to picture this and set them all together when they are not placed next to each other however it is important to achieve so keep the digipak looking professional without confusing the audience with all these different mix matching elements which may course them to miss the concept the artist is attempting to capture with the music video.

Within the digipak there is two CD'S rather than one this is an important aspect to the digipak as it means that the audience feel as though they are receiving more for their money. This also suggests to the audience that the artist truly cares about them and their experience of their music as they are providing this extra for them. Thus the audience feel as though the artist has put in extra effort especially for them. So not only does the digipak stand out more to the audience compared with the jewel CD case as the audience are receiving a greater product but they are also more attracted to this edition of the product as it is presented that this edition is created with the intent of the artists more committed fans. This occurs through the use of the artist using a second CD which indicates to the audience that the artist must be applying more of their music to this product. Naturally the more popular and mainstream music created via the artist shall be going to the standard jewel CD case hence it is evident that within the digipak the audience shall also be receiving the artists less recognised work. This is often thought to be an artists more personal work as generally this is the music which has received the little or no promotion and has often been recorded more as a fun hobby for the artist than as music they planned to even release making it that bit more personal. Thus the audience are interested within this as it is conveyed that via listening to this music the audience shall be creating a deeper and more meaningful connection with the artist whilst obtaining a greater understanding for them. This is even more beneficial when considering my artist audience of the soul genre. As it is conventional within the soul genre for the audience to feel as though the artist are providing the audience with more of themselves as often they refer to rather personal and touching subjects within their lyrics such as their love lives or family struggles etc. Henceforth the concept of the artist allowing the audience this option to hear their more personal work shall really appeal to them as they enjoy these codes and conventions towards the genre.

 Analysing Duffy's digipak I have noted how artists of the soul genre are able to use codes and conventions both so to attract their audience and how to do so in informing them that the artist is of their genre. One piece of inspiration I gained from analysing Duffy's use of codes and conventions towards the soul genre comes from that of her use of typography. As Duffy has developed a style of typography throughout her digipak to present her name which appears to almost be hand written she is following codes and conventions of the soul genre as this provides connotations of the artist putting more of herself into her work which artists of the genre are known for doing as their lyrics are often considered to be of a much more personal level than that of artists from other genres. I plan to incorporate this within my own digipak as I shall style my typography to create the same effect as it shall appear almost hand written. I plan to do this for both the artist and album name on both the cover of my digipak and on the actual CD, as well as for my artists thank you note which shall really help to impact upon this effect as this shall make the note appear even more personal and for the track-list. I also plan to take this piece of inspiration and apply it to my magazine advert again for the artist and album names as well as the release date. I plan to do this for the same effects as my digipak.

I have also taken inspiration from Duffy to apply black and white filters within my own digipak. This shall provide further positive impacts and this shall create a link with more of my artists work as black and white filters are featured within my artists music video for her single 'In my bed'. Hence this shall help the audience to remember the artist as they recognise all of the features coming together and put them in place to create the artists overall representation. It is important for the audience to remember the artist as this keeps her as more relevant in their minds  meaning that they are therefore more likely to purchase her music as she appears to be a more interesting and important artist. This is also a conventional element towards the soul genre as the concept of black and white filters provide the essence of going back in time. This works because black and white filters remind the audience of a time before colour filming linking with the soul genre as it is the genre is known for remaining within the period is was captured (50s/60s) as the audience are fans of the genres classic vibes. Thus this is a beneficial element as it provides aspects which the audience are prone to enjoy as well as being an effective way to represent the artist and her digipak as belonging to the genre as this is an aspect which the audience are easily able to pick up as conforming with the genre. I also plan to use a black and white filter for my magazine advert for the same effects. Again I want to keep to using similar ideas, concepts and themes throughout the aspects belonging to the artist as this strengthens her representation and helps the audience to connect with her as they feel that they have a better understanding of her. This is important as the more the audience feel a connection with an artist the more likely they are to purchase her music. This is also an essential element as it is a heavily used convention throughout the soul genre as soul artists are known for encouraging their audience to connect with them as they sing about more personal topics so that their audience are able to relate to them and benefit from this as it acts of a form of comfort knowing that people are going through similar issues and sharing emotions.

I have also been inspired by the artists choice of body language, body positioning and facial expressions throughout her images. As in all of the images the artist appears to be unaware of the camera or even the presence of anyone else. This is beneficial as it suggests to the audience that the artist is unfazed via the element of fame, indicating that the artist is simply creating music out of a pure passion not so to achieve fame, money and success. This urges the audience to grow more towards the artist as it appears that she has a great deal of respect for their genre as they do illustrating that they should be able to connect with the artist also urging them to purchase the artists music as well as the fact that this paints the artist to be someone with a good attitude also making her more likeable to the audience. This is also important as the audience shall be uninterested in listening to music via someone they don't exactly like. As due to their lack of appreciation for the artist they are unlikely to be open to connecting to their music or even really listening or looking for any hidden messages or meanings within the lyrics. Thus this prevents the audience for allowing a relationship to build between themselves artist which shall negatively effect their experience of the artists music.  The artist is presented to be looking away from the camera, gazing out into the open air or looking down to the ground. Both of these actions provide connotations of someone being in deep thought. Which follows codes and conventions of the soul genre as soul artists are often thought to be thoughtful or brooding as compared to artists of other genres they are known for sining more so about  topics which people may find to be rather sad or deep. I plan to use this within my digipak as like Duffy I shall use images of my artist where she isn't looking at the camera for one image I plan to have the artist attending to her make up and have the camera capture her as she is looking down so to represent that the audience are viewing her in her natural habitat and that none of how she is presenting herself is for show. This is conventional towards the genre as soul artists are known for caring more about the music than any other aspect of their 'work' as they seen these more as elements of promotion which are used so to sell them as a celebrity or product rather than to promote and embrace their music. Another image I plan to have the artists body facing away from the camera as she looks out onto the open water in front of her. This shall indicate to the audience that like Duffy the artist is deep in thought which is conventional again as this further embraces upon the concept of the artist being deep in thought which soul artists are considered to often be due to their deep lyrical content. Another image I plan to use of my artist shall be on both my digipak and my magazine advert however the image shall be edited in different ways so to appear different however I still want to use the same image so that the artist recognise this representation with the artist and build up more of a relationship with her. I want to capture the artist closing her eyes as she is singing, this shall be beneficial as it presents the artist as being heavily invested into her music which the audience want to see from the artist and the soul genre is thought to be a genre of a higher quality which the audience shall expect the artist to respect and follow it's rules. This is a conventional element as artists of the genre are thought to share a strong passion for the genre thus they are able to apply such devotion to the music in putting so much of themselves in their music.

A digipak is a good way to package a CD or CD set like Duffy a with her two disc set edition as it is a much more personal way for an artist to provide their music to their audience compared with a CD jewel case. Not only is the case less likely to break but it also provides the artist with further opportunity's to express themselves as well as to display added extras for their target audience such as Kanye West providing them with the bonus feature of a double sided poster. Or like other artists who have taken the opportunity to write a thank you note to fans.

This research was most beneficial as it meant that I had a greater understanding of the various different benefits to creating a digipak and how they may be considered to be better than that of a jewel CD case. As well as how best to present these elements so to aid in attracting the audiences attention for the right reasons.