Digipak Analysis - Miss Miller.

When distributing their music an artist can either package they're cd in a standard cd case or within a digipak packaging. The more frequently used method is a standard cd case which is just a plastic container stereotypically with a album cover, a track list on the back and the cd on the inside. Alternatively a artist could package they're content within a digipak - a digipak is when, within the cd packaging there is some exclusive content such as unseen images or artists notes. This is usually presented in a book format. There are many advantages when using this method of packaging and the majority of these advantages result in a increase in the bond between the artist and the audience and strengthening their relationship. For example if a artist was to include a personal message this would help build a relationship because the audience feel like they know more about the artist on a personal level and understand more of their personality and can therefore can conclude whether they like the artist on a personal level or not. As well as this a artist can also include exclusive, high quality images this furthers the relationship with the artist as the high quality of the image means that what is being captured is more realistic and therefore more relatable to the audience. The fact that these images will only be seen within this digipak also helps build a relationship as it makes the audience feel as if those images are just for them, making them more personal. 

As i was unable to find a digipak from my chosen artist, Sub Focus, i have chosen to analyse a digipak from David Guetta who is a similar artist to Sub Focus and belongs to the same genre of dance. Within this digipak the representation of the artist is clearly important to the artist as they have chosen to use a large picture of themselves which covers the whole of the front cover. This image is a black and white close up of David Guetta who can notably be seen wearing sunglasses, the fact that he is wearing sunglasses is key when trying to understand the representation of the artist as this use of costume presents him as cool and stylish which may result in the audience idolising him and aiming to replicate this look. A close up is used for this specific image as it ensures that the focus of the audience is on the sunglasses which therefore emphasises the 'cool' representation of the artist. This specific close up also makes appear like the paparazzi has taken it as he appears to be rushing, this again presents him as cool as it presents him as the centre of attention and highlights his fame. 

The colours used within this digipak differ as the front cover is unconventionally black and white with a slight bit of gold and contrastingly the rest of the digipak uses more conventional bright colours. On the front cover the vast majority of it is in black and white, this is unconventional to the dance genre as they usually use bright colours. The fact that the artist has chosen to use this unconventional colouring on the front cover is unique as it is the first thing the audience see and therefore bright colours are used to grab their attention, this may suggest to the audience that the artist doesn't need to use bright colours and can instead use his music to appeal to his audience and can rely on his large fan base. On the front cover there is also the inclusion of the colour gold, this inclusion suggests to the audience that the album is the best and of very high quality  as this colour suggests success and achievement which could also be another representation of the artist. This colour gold is then used to list some of the songs which again could suggest that those songs are of a very high quality and their superiority as they appear above everything else listed in black or white which may be of less importance. Contrastingly the colours used on the rest of the digipak are extremely conventional to the dance genre as it consists of a vast variety of different bright colours which are layered to contrast each other to make them stand out even more. This use of conventional colouring is used to allow the audience to recognise the genre of the album as they may be left confused following the unconventional cover and this use of colours means that they understand that it is a dance album as these specific colours can be seen within dance music videos and adverts. These colours also connote excitement which could be a representation of the music and prompt the audience to buy the album if they are fans of fast and some what chaotic music. 

The design and layout of this digipak rather basic and similar to many other digipaks within the genre. The front cover is rather basic with just a large image of the artist with the artists name and album name in the top right of the cover. This layout is key within the representation of the artist as it allows for the biggest possible picture of the artist to be used and with the little pace in the top right where there is no image they have included the album and artists name. This means that the text is not overlapping the image and therefore all the audiences attention is either on the image or the text. I believe this plain layout on the cover links in to the colouring of the digipak as like the colouring the layout of the cover is very basic which contrasts the complex layout used for the rest of the digipak. This plainness on the cover could connote that the artist doesn't need extravagant covers to appeal to his audience and can rely on other elements to promote his music. The design and layout within the digipak contrasts that used on the front cover as on the inside of the digipak there is a large splash of bright colours on the left side of the digipak and on the right side is the listing of the songs with "CD1" and "CD2" written sideways next to this list. This layout is conventional to the dance genre as the fact that it is divided down the middle means that the artist can include the conventional colouring on the left as well as allowing enough space for the track listing to be stated with plain white background allowing for the black and gold font to be emphasised and more influential and have an increased impact. The fact that that "CD1" and "CD2" is written sidewards means that it saves space allowing for more conventional elements to be used as well as presenting the artist as unique and original.

The typography used within this digipak also has a big effect on the audience as on the front cover the typography of the artists name "David Guetta" used in his signature and the album name "One More Love" can be seen written in large contrasting fonts. The first use of typography which the audience see is the artists name "David Guetta. This is written in his signature own font which he uses on all his material, this means that when the audience see this font they immediately recognise that he is the artist which may prompt them to buy it if they are fans. It is also written as the largest piece of text on the cover and written in bold, this is because that the artist is very successful and therefore the audience will recognise his name and again maybe buy it if they like the artist. The fact that the artist name is written in white also highlights this as it means it contrasts the black background which again makes his focal name stand out. Underneath the artists name is the album name "One More Love" this album name is written in a font which makes it appear as if it has been written by hand, this helps form a relationship between the artist and the audience as it makes it appear that he has written it making it appear more personal to each individual member of the audience. The term "More" within this title differs in colour from the rest this is so the fact that this is the deluxe album is highlighted and the audience feel more privileged to own this exclusive version. The rest of the title is written in gold this suggests to the audience that the album is of a very high standard and the artist is proud of it as this specific colour connotes that it is better and superior to everything else and again emphasises the fact that it is the deluxe version which is better than the standard version. 

To conclude this research into Digipaks has helped us understand how to create a digipak which is either conventional or unconventional to the dance genre and how to manipulate each individual element to make the digipak as appealing as possible to our target audience. Specifically we have taken inspiration from the large focal image of the artist on the front cover and the use of large typography in specific fonts which have profound effects on the audience and the colours in which this writing is. We also plan to replicate the conventional use of bright colouring which is seen within this digipak but unlike this digipak we will use this conventional lighting throughout our digipak.