A digipak has many important properties for their extra information that is included within, as opposed to a general jewel CD. It allows for more of a relationship between the audience and the artist to be created as the audience has more access to material from the artist. Digipak's offer a more exclusive product of the artist's for the audience to access, even making it a possible collector's item. The audience feel special and appreciated as they feel as if the artist has taken into account their feelings and the appreciation in which they feel for exclusive products and material accessible to them. Digipak's also are better in relation to quality as opposed to a jewel CD case as the content within such as the images are of more high definition and the packaging is also more sturdy and sustainable. The jewel CD has flimsy and easily damageable plastic casing which is very much in contrast to the hardware more strong packaging of the Digipak. The artist is more exposed in the Digipak as it contains content such as a personal message from the artist to the purchaser. With this included, it makes the audience/fan feel more directly approached by the reader and adds a personal touch to the product. This creates a better relationship between them as it makes the audience feel more engaged with the artist and as if they are more familiar with them and who they are. It also allows the personality to of the artist to seem through, as well as the appreciation and love in which they feel towards their fans. This is important for the fans to realise because they feel more appreciated and can understand the passion that the artist feels towards them and their career. I have researched other Digipak's such as Duffy's and have recognised different content within that makes it appealing to the audience. This is actually where my inspiration came from, especially due to the fact that Duffy's Digipak complied with the soul genre conventions - one of these being the black and white filter used. I will eventually be creating a Digipak on photoshop for our artist, however, this is my drawn plan. I have considered the different colours, layout, typography, language, etc when designing my Digipak, and have tried to make it as realistic as possible. Planning the Digipak is important because it allows me to visually illustrate my ideas and gives me an opportunity to see what looks appealing and what doesn't. Furthermore, time is saved as my ideas are generally all covered and only minor alterations may be needed when creating the actual Digipak. This gives me more time to work on the quality of the Digipak to ensure that it is how I want it to look. Considering the aspects of the Digipak during the planning will help to ensure that my Digipak is successful and effective as it means that each aspect has been thoroughly thought of, not carelessly rushed or thought of in an unorganised way.
Below is my design for my Digipak:
Certain elements have been used within my Digipak for various reasons, whether that be to comply with genre conventions or to comply with the typical features within a Digipak. For example, the colours I have used within my Digipak are simply and basic. A black and white filter has been applied through the whole six sides of my digipak, however, aspects od red scatter the product in particular sides. I have chosen to use a black and white filter for my Digipak as it was inspired by Duffy's 'Rockferry' Digipak and created a negative, reflective effect which I also wanted to create for my own. Whilst the black symbolises negative, sadness and depression, it is balanced out by the white which connotes innocence and purity. The artist is shown as being a mirror of the white colouring whereas her surrounding and the situations in to which she falls are more associated with the black colouring. More obviously, the black and white filter shows the reflection on the past as most past videos or general situations are set in black and white. This reinforces the personal experiences that the artist sings about as it emphasises the exposure that the artist is allowing for the audience to seek into the artist's past and life. By having elements of red within the Digipak when complimented with the black and white filter, creates interest within. It also emphasises the connotations of the colour red as it is most prominently noticed from its contrast to the black and white displayed. Red connotes love and passion which is reflective of the contents of the songs included within the album. It allows for some insight into the artist's material before the audience proceeds to buy the Digipak. They are able to acknowledge whether they would feel that they would like the style of this artist's work or whether it is something that may not fully satisfy them and their taste in music. Love and passion are very much theme conventions of the soul genre as they are personal to the artist and are expressed in a way that may expose them into a different light than what the audience would originally associate with the artist. The red is used to emphasise certain aspects of the Digipak for example, the first letter of the artist's name. This makes the name more noticeable, eye-catching and different to others in the industry. This specific colouring makes the audience more aware of how the artist is being represented as it makes them seem as if they have experienced a lot of situations that have allowed them to express themselves through music. This further makes them seem creative, but also very emotive which allows them to be more relatable in particular situations. This therefore appeals to the target audience as they feel as if the artist is just like them and reinforces the fact that they are just like a normal person and any audience member. This is also why the artist is aided to be promoted effectively, as the audience feel relatable and empathetic towards Amy as the content of her material may express how other audience members are feeling about the same or a similar situation.
Soul genre conventions have been conformed within my Digipak as the black and white in which I have discussed is conventional to the soul genre, for its meaning for reflecting on the past as well as connoting negative feelings or atmospheres. A further convention is the way in which throughout the images that have been used the artist is not looking directly into the camera at any point. In some images such as the 6th side, the artist's face isn't visible at all within the image. This conventional idea reflects the artist's insecurity and allows their lack of confidence to be illustrated through this visual aspect of the Digipak. This also compliments the inferring of content within some songs for example, the idea of Amy looking away from the camera makes her seem insecure which, when in relation to love, could also further reflect paranoia. From one of the song titles on the album 'Rumour Has It' supports this idea, as it makes the artist seem as if they have heard something that may be untrue, however, their paranoia has convinced them that it is the truth to an extent that they want to express it. Insecurity is a feeling that is widely and commonly experienced and that includes most, if not all, the target audience. Therefore, the artist expresses something that is relatable and makes them again seem normal, like the audience member witnessing these images of Amy. This makes the artist more appealing as it promotes them in an effective, relatable way which results them into being quite inspiring to some audience members. This is from the way that she is represented as being such a normal and relatable person and so, she is made to seem extraordinary from the way that she has reached so much success in her career. The audience instantly feel as if she is someone to look up to, as although she has faced struggles along her journey to where she is, she has still made herself to be a successful and genuine artist in which she is. This therefore, builds a stronger relationship between the artist and the audience as they become more appreciative of the successes of the artist and their work.
The images used within the Digipak have been designed and chosen especially in order to create intended effects. For the front cover of the Digipak, I decided for a close up of the artist to be evident due to the fact I have found in research that a close up attracts the audience a lot more easily. In my primary research of carrying out a questionnaire in relation to the content within my music video, the participants favoured the including of close up shots. I thought that I would maintain this idea within my Digipak, as, although it is different to the music video, it is obviously still an aspect of cinematography that attracts the audience to the product. The audience can also familiarise themselves better with the artist as the close up enables the intricate detail to be exposed. This makes the audience feel more connected to the artist as they can also witness their emotions and expressions a lot more clearly and therefore percept the artist in a more accurate and intended way. As well as this, another image in which I have used is an alternative to a simple text of personal message from the artist. Although I have still included a personal message from the artist, I have displayed it in a more creative way in relation to the representation of the artist. I have done this by having the image display the artist holding the message to make it more personal as if they have just written the note directly for the fans. By holding it, it makes the message seem more genuine and raw, creating a more strengthened relationship with the audience. This makes the audience/fans feel more special and noticed by the artist which also is appealing to them as they feel that the artist has considered how they feel and is appreciative of the support in which they display. This personal touch is very conventional to the genre of soul as it is often mirrored within the content of the artist's work. The 6th side shows an image of the artist playing the piano which shows the artist in an extraordinary light. This could be unconventional to the genre of soul as they are usually seen as being ordinary and relatable to any other audience member, where artists playing musical instruments are more conventional to the indie genre rather than soul. However, in some soul music videos, the artist is seen as being talented as it gives them a unique persona and gives them more of an impressive perception for the audience. It also displays them in a way that the audience may not have realised existed for example, they may not have realised that our artist could play piano. This outlines them from other artists in the industry as it illustrates their further talent and dedication to the music industry, strengthening the passion in which they have. Their unique representation promotes them as an individual artist which is conventional to the genre of soul as they are shown as being different and quirky. This makes the artist more successful as well, due to the fact that they give the impression that all of their music is written by themselves which makes them more appealing to an audience.
The layout/design of the Digipak has fully been considered as the Digipak has 6 sides for the artist to access. The first box shown inn my drawing is of the front cover - this is important for being effective and eye-catching as this is the initial siting that the audience will witness and attract them into buying the Digipak. I chose to use a close up image of the artist for the front cover with the album name in the background of the artist, however allowing it to still be visible. This adds a slight hint of creativity to be reflected onto the artist which is also shown through the material of their work. The second side of the digipak displays the back cover, showing the track list, the third side shows the CD design, the fourth side shows the personal message and the fifth and sixth side shows extra exclusive images. On the front cover of the Digipak, I have chosen to place the artist's name underneath the image to clearly show familiarity and a labelling. It being quite large also attracts the audience to the Digipak as it clearly labels the artist and what they are about. Positioning the artist to the left in the front cover rather than central, promotes the artist in a way that they feel they do not want to be the centre of attention. When in compliment with the fact that the artist is looking away from the camera, this demonstrates insecurity and a seeking to hide into the background. The positioning of the album name behind the artist makes it seem as if the album is exposing the artist as it is making it appear to be pushing the artist more towards the audience. Having the artist seem as if they don't want to be in the limelight makes them seem less arrogant than how some artists can easily come across as. This makes them appeal to the target audience as they come across in a more genuine way, illustrating how fame has not got to them and changed them in a negative way.
The typography is demonstrated in a way that helps to make the Digipak successful and effective in relation to our artist and the soul genre specifically. The personal message will be shown in a handwritten type of don't which makes the note seem personal and genuinely written from the artist. The way it is also in a letter format makes it more direct to the audience/fans who have the Digipak and makes it seem as if the artist has taken time to dedicate themselves to the fans to show their appreciation. The handwritten font also makes it mirror the way that the artist writes their own songs and illustrates them in a creative light. The simple font of the artist allows for interpretation of the audience and creativity of the artist to be portrayed in different ways. This makes them be promoted in a versatile but classic way, which is very conventional to the soul genre. This also makes them appeal to the target audience as they expect a classic representation from the way the artist is from the soul genre. This is effective because although the artist is shown to be versatile and different, they are also shown as being familiar and relatable.
The language contained in my Digipak is very simple, which is what also makes it very conventional to the soul genre. This is demonstrated in Duffy's 'Rockferry' Digipak which is an aspect in which I wanted to include in my Digipak, especially as the target audience is a young one. The younger generations tend to be lazy when it comes to reading large content and so, by having simple language it not only allows them for a better understanding but makes them more likely want to read the Digipak because they don't have to read lengthy content. The simplicity also adds to the way in that the audience are able to make their own perception of the artist. This makes it more personal and direct also as the simple language ensure that only the important and main, relevant information is exposed to the audience. This is conventional as the audience feel as if the artist care more for the audience and what they want.
I found this planning useful in relation to taking pictures for my Digipak as well as preparing for the use of Photoshop as it has outlined how I want my Digipak to roughly look. It will now save me time as I will be able to focus on making the Digipak look professional, rather than worrying about what I want included in each side as I have already decided on this. This planning has also allowed me to recognise what aspects are needed where, for example the colouring - black and white filter but to ensure that the red aspects are illustrated within the Digipak. The images in which I need have also been demonstrated to me through the use of this planning as it has given me more of an idea as to how I would like the artist to look and pose in the pictures for my Digipak. As well as this, it enables me to prepare for these pictures to be taken for example, I need to make sure for side number 4 I have the artist holding a blank piece of paper and for side number 6 that I have access to a piano. I have tried to create a relationship between all of my three products in order to demonstrate similarity between them. The link is created through the consistent use of colour reference to a black and white filter, complimented with red aspects including red lipstick. I found that not only does this ensure that the soul genre is featured strongly throughout my products, but also allows the mood and atmosphere of a depressed, insecure and reflective artist representation to be displayed. The audience can recognise this and also recognise other products from the artist as the consistency of the features such as the colour use means that they will begin to make links between what they have seen before. Moreover, this is appealing to the audience as it shows that the artist is not changing their style and are 'sticking to what they know'. We want our artist to be very stereotypical in relation to soul and so by complying with conventions such as this one throughout the products, it helps to reinforce this particular representation in which we intend to show. The way in which the images show the artist looking away rom the camera also demonstrates her in an insecure light. This is portrayed throughout my three products as the images consistently include the artist looking down or not directly at the camera. In the digipak, the artist's face isn't featured at all in one of the images - side number 6. This illustrates her lack of confidence of looking into the camera and so makes the audience feel sympathetic towards the artist but also makes her relatable, which is consistent throughout the products.
Soul genre conventions have been conformed within my Digipak as the black and white in which I have discussed is conventional to the soul genre, for its meaning for reflecting on the past as well as connoting negative feelings or atmospheres. A further convention is the way in which throughout the images that have been used the artist is not looking directly into the camera at any point. In some images such as the 6th side, the artist's face isn't visible at all within the image. This conventional idea reflects the artist's insecurity and allows their lack of confidence to be illustrated through this visual aspect of the Digipak. This also compliments the inferring of content within some songs for example, the idea of Amy looking away from the camera makes her seem insecure which, when in relation to love, could also further reflect paranoia. From one of the song titles on the album 'Rumour Has It' supports this idea, as it makes the artist seem as if they have heard something that may be untrue, however, their paranoia has convinced them that it is the truth to an extent that they want to express it. Insecurity is a feeling that is widely and commonly experienced and that includes most, if not all, the target audience. Therefore, the artist expresses something that is relatable and makes them again seem normal, like the audience member witnessing these images of Amy. This makes the artist more appealing as it promotes them in an effective, relatable way which results them into being quite inspiring to some audience members. This is from the way that she is represented as being such a normal and relatable person and so, she is made to seem extraordinary from the way that she has reached so much success in her career. The audience instantly feel as if she is someone to look up to, as although she has faced struggles along her journey to where she is, she has still made herself to be a successful and genuine artist in which she is. This therefore, builds a stronger relationship between the artist and the audience as they become more appreciative of the successes of the artist and their work.
The images used within the Digipak have been designed and chosen especially in order to create intended effects. For the front cover of the Digipak, I decided for a close up of the artist to be evident due to the fact I have found in research that a close up attracts the audience a lot more easily. In my primary research of carrying out a questionnaire in relation to the content within my music video, the participants favoured the including of close up shots. I thought that I would maintain this idea within my Digipak, as, although it is different to the music video, it is obviously still an aspect of cinematography that attracts the audience to the product. The audience can also familiarise themselves better with the artist as the close up enables the intricate detail to be exposed. This makes the audience feel more connected to the artist as they can also witness their emotions and expressions a lot more clearly and therefore percept the artist in a more accurate and intended way. As well as this, another image in which I have used is an alternative to a simple text of personal message from the artist. Although I have still included a personal message from the artist, I have displayed it in a more creative way in relation to the representation of the artist. I have done this by having the image display the artist holding the message to make it more personal as if they have just written the note directly for the fans. By holding it, it makes the message seem more genuine and raw, creating a more strengthened relationship with the audience. This makes the audience/fans feel more special and noticed by the artist which also is appealing to them as they feel that the artist has considered how they feel and is appreciative of the support in which they display. This personal touch is very conventional to the genre of soul as it is often mirrored within the content of the artist's work. The 6th side shows an image of the artist playing the piano which shows the artist in an extraordinary light. This could be unconventional to the genre of soul as they are usually seen as being ordinary and relatable to any other audience member, where artists playing musical instruments are more conventional to the indie genre rather than soul. However, in some soul music videos, the artist is seen as being talented as it gives them a unique persona and gives them more of an impressive perception for the audience. It also displays them in a way that the audience may not have realised existed for example, they may not have realised that our artist could play piano. This outlines them from other artists in the industry as it illustrates their further talent and dedication to the music industry, strengthening the passion in which they have. Their unique representation promotes them as an individual artist which is conventional to the genre of soul as they are shown as being different and quirky. This makes the artist more successful as well, due to the fact that they give the impression that all of their music is written by themselves which makes them more appealing to an audience.
The layout/design of the Digipak has fully been considered as the Digipak has 6 sides for the artist to access. The first box shown inn my drawing is of the front cover - this is important for being effective and eye-catching as this is the initial siting that the audience will witness and attract them into buying the Digipak. I chose to use a close up image of the artist for the front cover with the album name in the background of the artist, however allowing it to still be visible. This adds a slight hint of creativity to be reflected onto the artist which is also shown through the material of their work. The second side of the digipak displays the back cover, showing the track list, the third side shows the CD design, the fourth side shows the personal message and the fifth and sixth side shows extra exclusive images. On the front cover of the Digipak, I have chosen to place the artist's name underneath the image to clearly show familiarity and a labelling. It being quite large also attracts the audience to the Digipak as it clearly labels the artist and what they are about. Positioning the artist to the left in the front cover rather than central, promotes the artist in a way that they feel they do not want to be the centre of attention. When in compliment with the fact that the artist is looking away from the camera, this demonstrates insecurity and a seeking to hide into the background. The positioning of the album name behind the artist makes it seem as if the album is exposing the artist as it is making it appear to be pushing the artist more towards the audience. Having the artist seem as if they don't want to be in the limelight makes them seem less arrogant than how some artists can easily come across as. This makes them appeal to the target audience as they come across in a more genuine way, illustrating how fame has not got to them and changed them in a negative way.
The typography is demonstrated in a way that helps to make the Digipak successful and effective in relation to our artist and the soul genre specifically. The personal message will be shown in a handwritten type of don't which makes the note seem personal and genuinely written from the artist. The way it is also in a letter format makes it more direct to the audience/fans who have the Digipak and makes it seem as if the artist has taken time to dedicate themselves to the fans to show their appreciation. The handwritten font also makes it mirror the way that the artist writes their own songs and illustrates them in a creative light. The simple font of the artist allows for interpretation of the audience and creativity of the artist to be portrayed in different ways. This makes them be promoted in a versatile but classic way, which is very conventional to the soul genre. This also makes them appeal to the target audience as they expect a classic representation from the way the artist is from the soul genre. This is effective because although the artist is shown to be versatile and different, they are also shown as being familiar and relatable.
The language contained in my Digipak is very simple, which is what also makes it very conventional to the soul genre. This is demonstrated in Duffy's 'Rockferry' Digipak which is an aspect in which I wanted to include in my Digipak, especially as the target audience is a young one. The younger generations tend to be lazy when it comes to reading large content and so, by having simple language it not only allows them for a better understanding but makes them more likely want to read the Digipak because they don't have to read lengthy content. The simplicity also adds to the way in that the audience are able to make their own perception of the artist. This makes it more personal and direct also as the simple language ensure that only the important and main, relevant information is exposed to the audience. This is conventional as the audience feel as if the artist care more for the audience and what they want.
I found this planning useful in relation to taking pictures for my Digipak as well as preparing for the use of Photoshop as it has outlined how I want my Digipak to roughly look. It will now save me time as I will be able to focus on making the Digipak look professional, rather than worrying about what I want included in each side as I have already decided on this. This planning has also allowed me to recognise what aspects are needed where, for example the colouring - black and white filter but to ensure that the red aspects are illustrated within the Digipak. The images in which I need have also been demonstrated to me through the use of this planning as it has given me more of an idea as to how I would like the artist to look and pose in the pictures for my Digipak. As well as this, it enables me to prepare for these pictures to be taken for example, I need to make sure for side number 4 I have the artist holding a blank piece of paper and for side number 6 that I have access to a piano. I have tried to create a relationship between all of my three products in order to demonstrate similarity between them. The link is created through the consistent use of colour reference to a black and white filter, complimented with red aspects including red lipstick. I found that not only does this ensure that the soul genre is featured strongly throughout my products, but also allows the mood and atmosphere of a depressed, insecure and reflective artist representation to be displayed. The audience can recognise this and also recognise other products from the artist as the consistency of the features such as the colour use means that they will begin to make links between what they have seen before. Moreover, this is appealing to the audience as it shows that the artist is not changing their style and are 'sticking to what they know'. We want our artist to be very stereotypical in relation to soul and so by complying with conventions such as this one throughout the products, it helps to reinforce this particular representation in which we intend to show. The way in which the images show the artist looking away rom the camera also demonstrates her in an insecure light. This is portrayed throughout my three products as the images consistently include the artist looking down or not directly at the camera. In the digipak, the artist's face isn't featured at all in one of the images - side number 6. This illustrates her lack of confidence of looking into the camera and so makes the audience feel sympathetic towards the artist but also makes her relatable, which is consistent throughout the products.
This post demonstrates a good understanding of how you visualise your digipak to look like. You have made some excellent points of the conventions that you would like to include and have referred to excellent examples throughout, to demonstrate your understanding of the conventions, images and layout that you would like to include within your product.
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1) Discuss the ways in which a relationship is created through your three products, by focusing on similar themes and concepts that you will include.
This post now demonstrates excellent planning techniques and this is because you have explored a similar theme that you intend to include within your products and the effect that this will have on your audience.
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