To help inform the design process of my own Digipak, I have selected three albums from the RnB genre to analyse. I decided that all albums should by groups, rather than solo artists, to make the analysis as valid as possible (as we are promoting a group of four members).
Black Eyed Peas - Hey Mama
Colour
There are bold, bright colours used in this digipak with an added retro effect which makes it stand out more from other artist. it also gives it a original RnB stlye which the target audience will be attracted to. The instense purple colour used creates an imediate energetic effect and retro quality towards the album cover. There is a bold contrast of bright and dark colours used to portray the characters which suggests their unique and different personalities to make each one appeal to different types audiences.
Typography
The boldness of the type used in this digipak is instantly eye catching. This implies that the artists want to be seen as well as heard. The bold text indicates lively, outgoing emotions from the artist. The text is positioned in the middle and overlaps the artists which creates a more notorious effect to the album which sets it apart from other digipaks because normally the audience are mainly focus of who the artist is, where as with this one the audience are instantly attracted to the text which suggests that the artist is as focused on promoting the album as well than themselves.
composition
The image is quite close up providing more personal and intense qualities which enhances the bands confident to make them more eye catching. there is a close up of the lead artist which implies firstly that he is the lead artist within the band and secondly, trying to promote him individually.
Props (and Costume)
We see that the lead artist is holding a colourful hat to draw the attention to him and away from the other band members to enhance his lead role in the band. we see that the woman is wearing a short skirt. This creates a sexy appeal to both males and females. It is also quite trendy which shows that she has dignity and class and not trying to sell herself inappropriately.
The band are not dressed naturally or in modern clothes for example one of the band members is wearing a spotted large tie, this basically creates some humour for the audience to be more attractive to the digipak and to make the band more likeable which is one of they're techniques for promoting them as a band.
I am now going to analyse a whole digipak from one of th Black Eyed Pea's album:
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This is the whole digipak of the black eyed pea’s album “monkey business”. We can instantly notice the frequent use of red, yellow and black colours which convey a broad persona of royalty from the band. These colours are quite fresh and look like they belong to a circus theme. To justify this suggestion further the album name is called “monkey business” which adds to the wildness and excitement of the band. The background of the inside of the cover is a house style with an almost antique feeling to it. This challenges most stereotypical RnB digiapak as they would normally focus on creating a modern and wealthy appearance to it. This album appeals to a very wide audience as it is very unique a creative let along with comparison of other RnB digiapaks. This is because it instantly draws the audience in by curiosity. The font is consistent and maintains a house style feel to it. The whiteness of it contrasts with the fading background which carries on the theme of used on the front of the digipak.
We can also see that the other inside cover of the digiapk contain the icon image of a monkey. This is a clear representation for the name of the album “monkey business” and they have intended to stress the name by placing a memorable image of a monkey portrayed with elements of they’re style.
N*E*R*D - Fly or Die
Colour
The colour in this digipak are vibrant and bold however it mostly conveys of the same colour scheme.This intanstly catergorieses it as a RnB band because of the mysterious feel the colours used in the digipak give off.this could portray the band and each individual as a mysterious icon which is very stereotypical with the RnB industry. Each artist is either wearing a different coloured shirt or not one at all. This could suggest that each artist though together,still have their own characteristics which I admire.
Typography
With regards to the typography, we can see they have created their own style of font with a creative pattern under-laying it to enhance the boldness of the text. The text is positioned in the middle and the clear white colour makes it centre of attention for the digipak.this signifies that the artist are focusing on promoting them as a band and not as an individual
composition
The artists are positioned in a computerised image of a broken egg with the American flag printed on it. This could suggest they were in a shell and have broken free into the RnB industry which I effective as they produce new styles characteristics. Also is clear identifies that they are proud to be American and they are trying to base their target audience on Americans. The positioning of the text is in the centre giving it more power and importance with the artists name is in much bigger font which shows his power. The overlapping of elements is quite close to the artists which could create a sense of integration.
Props (and Costume)
With the uses of props and costumes, we can see that the artist in the middle is wearing jewellery which connotes his high status and perhaps wanting to try and fit in with the more wealthy artists in the RnB industry. Each artist is either wearing a different coloured shirt or not one at all. This could suggest that each artist though together,still have their own characteristics which again, I admire
50 cent - before I self destruct
Colour
As we can see from this digipak cover, it consists of quite tedious dark colours of black which could connotes the artist mysterious persona and an outlook on what the style of music within this digipak might be. The artist is also wearing black which grabs the audience’s attention because it creates a stereotypical image of him which is intriguing as it suggests that he is not afraid of his appearance. The dark colours display a calm, eerie atmosphere which is emphasised by the shady looking artist in the image.
Typography
The font used in this digipak noticeable because of the size of the font signifies a perspective on what the artist’s characteristics are like, which for 50 cent, he is shown as a confident, masculine yet mysterious artist. The writing 'Before I self Destruct' gives the image a more personal element and relates to the artist as perhaps being high tempered.
Composition
The text “50 cent-before I self destruct” is on the right side of the cover with the artist contrasting on the other side, which provides the artist with the positive and reflective state for the artist, which also enhance his appearance and makes him stand out more thus making him more eye catching. The artists name is in a high position which gives it importance and power.
Pose and Expression
50 Cent is positioned on a chair with his arms and face being the centre of attention. The reason for his arm standing out is because he his empathising his wealth to the audience which clearly indicates he has a high reputation and status towards the RnB industry. The relaxed pose he is giving exudes confident and calm connotations. The text placed at a slight angle provides the artist with power and assurance. The distancing is fairly close, providing more intense and personal qualities.
Props (and Costume)
With regards to props and costume, 50 Cent is wearing all black clothing however bold silver jewellery. This is to enhance the appearance of his jewellery his indicates his large amount of wealth.this is to attract more audiences as they see him as iconic famous rapper who is doing well in the industry.the black clothing signifies his mysterious attitudes as an individual.
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