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. 

Magazine Advert - Miss Miller.

When promoting an album or single artists may include a advertisements in specific magazines. Artists do this for many reasons the main one being to promote the album as the magazine will be read by a large audience and you can specifically include your advertisement in a magazine which is read by their target audience. Including a magazine advert also acts as a constant reminder to the target audience about the up and coming release of the album which ensures they are aware of the release as they frequently see it advertised which frequently jogs their memory. A artist might also include a advertisement in a magazine which links to some of the articles within the magazine. A artist may do this because it ensures that the people who are interested in the article will be interested in the album swell therefore linking the two will mean that if their target audience read this article then it may prompt them to buy the album. A artist may also link this magazine advert with other forms of advertisements within their marketing campaign for the album. Artists frequently use similar themes and images when promoting their album throughout different forms of media as it means that the audience will immediately recognise the album and what is being promoted when they see the advert. This also is allows the artist to create a specific artist image and allows them to present themselves in a specific way which may lead to a boost sales.

The first advertisement i have chosen to analyse was produced by our chosen artist, Sub Focus, and is a clipping from a magazine or newspaper in which he promotes his new album. There is limited artist representation within this advertisement as the artist doesn't feature within the advert which is conventional of the dance genre because within this genre the artists are not as heavily promoted and are rarely seen within both the music video and advertisements. This is because they rely on other elements such as lighting and the music to appeal to their specific target audience as this genre relies on the audience relating to the scenario in which is seen rather than the artist.

The colours used within this advert are rather basic apart from the image of the cover of the album. The text and Sub Focus logo are both white with a black background. This is very basic and doesn't have much impact on the audience as it doesn't connote much apart from the fact that it contradicts the conventional bright lighting of the dance genre and therefore might connote that this album will be different from most other dance albums. The fact that black and white are the only colours used for everything else rather than the cd cover results in a contrast between the album cover and the rest of the advert. This makes the cd cover stand out and makes it more memorable to the audience who see this advert. On the cd cover is a image which resembles a cd, this image is a variety of bright colours. This is conventional to the dance genre as the dance genre is stereotypically known or the bright colours which feature within the video. The inclusion of this within the magazine advert means that it will catch the audiences eye and they will remember the cover of the cd which will boost sales. It also suggests to the audience that the cd may contain conventional music if they have included conventional colous on the cd case. The colours used on the cd also connote the emotions which the dance genre aims to evoke such as happiness and excitement as the colours are bright and in your face rather than being dull and dark.

The design and layout of the advertisement is rather basic which is unconventional to the dance genre as they stereotypically have a lot going on within their advertisements. This advertisement has the artist name, Sub Focus, in big bold letters at the top of the advert making it the focal point. Next to this is the record labels logo. Then below this the advert is split into two; the right side has a image of the front cover of the album which has on it just the artists name and a bright image of a cd. On the over half of the advert has a list of the songs on the cd as well as saying 'The album out now' and 'Available on CD / digital download / 2X 12" vinyl. The fact that at the top of the advert it says the artists name, in the famous font always used by Sub Focus, as well as the record labels logo, also in large, next to the artists name is significant as the artists name is also the name of the album therefore they want to make it as memorable as possible as he was rather unknown when this was released therefore they wanted to promote the artist as whole and make sure that he is remembered rather than the album itself. This method is specifically used because it ensures that the audience remember the name of the artist and recognise the font used by him as well as his record label. To make it as memorable as possible they

made both, the logo and artists name, as large as possible and positioned it at the top of the advert and made sure it spread across the whole advert, this makes it immediately the first thing the audience see and makes it the focal point of the advert and therefore the most memorable. The other focal point of this advert is the cover of the cd. The artist has made this one of the focal points because they want the audience to recognise the album cover so they remember it when they see it in the shops or online. They also may have made this one of the focal points because it is one of the only elements of the advert which expresses the artists creativity through the image and the colours used and their connotations. On the right side of the advert the initial thing the audience see's and at the top of all the writing is the quote 'The Album Out Now', this quote is one which is stereotypically used within adverts across all genres because it makes it obvious to the audience that what ever is on the album is out now which is a attempt to get them to buy it immediately as it doesn't contain a release date, which bigger artists of other genres like the pop genre usually use because they have a large following who will wait for this release date, where as Sub Focus will rely on people who see this advert and immediately recognise that they want to buy it. Unconventionally to all magazine adverts it then lists the songs which feature on the album, this isn't usually used as magazine adverts usually aim to be as eye-catching as possible and a long passage of text doesn't achieve this. The benefit of including the list of songs on the cover is that if the audience who see this advert recognise one of the songs and they enjoyed it then they are likely to buy the album. This suggest the confidence in the content, of the album, from the artist and suggest to the audience that the music is good as he wants to express what is actually on the album rather than using various forms of promotion which distracts the audience away from the music itself. The audience may also be able to relate to some of the song titles and are interested in what the rest of the song says just from the title. At the bottom of this long passage of text it says 'Available on CD / digital download / 2X 12" vinyl" and underneath this lists the shops in which it will be stocked. This is a clear example of the artist trying to promote the album as it lets the audience know where they can by it and on what formats which may boost sales if it immediately allows them to recognise that they could purchase the album.

This album cover consists of jus two images - the first the record labels logo in large at the top of the advert than a very big image of the cd cover, which dominates the advert. The use of the record labels logo at the top of the advert means that the audience will immediately see it and therefore will increase the chance of them remembering it and recognising it in the future. To emphasise this they have also placed it next to the artists name which makes sure the audience will link the two together and subconsciously note the artist from just the logo. To see the record labels logo have such a focal role within the advert is unconventional as they usually don't have such a large role. It may have been used because he is a new artist and if the audience recognise the record labels logo than they might assume that he is a talented artist to be signed to such a label. It may also suggest that the record label is proud of the album and therefore wants to make it evident of their contribution and in doing so promoting themselves rather than the artist.The other image used is a picture of the cd, this image is very big within the advert and dominates the advert due to its size and use of colour. They have made this images as prominent as possible because it allows the audience to recognise the cd cover and therefore regonise it when buying it as often certain magazine adverts don't directly show the cover of the cd and therefore the audience may not know what the actual cd looks like when looking to buy it. The fact that the image is so big also emphasises the creativity used within the cd cover which makes it appealing to the audience as it shows off how innovative and unique the artist is.

The second video i have chosen to analyse is another one from the dance genre and is produced by the duo 'Basement Jaxx' who's promoting their album 'Rooty' Once again the artist does not feature within the advert, this is conventional to the dance genre as the artist is rarely seen in the limelight and more often than not takes a back seat and don't promote themselves as product as much as other genres such as the pop genre. Despite this what the artist included within the magazine advert presents them as comical as a funny picture is used with conventional bright colours and a edgy font which presents him as diverse as the contents of this advert is mostly unconventional to the dance genre which makes them more appealing to their target audience as it suggest that the artist and his music are completely original and unique and different to anything they had previously heard.

The imagery used within this advert is extremely unconventional and unique to the dance genre and all other genres swell. The background image is stars from space. This image is rather basic and plain which therefore allows for other images to stand out in the foreground of the advert. As well as this i believe that this image connotes to the audience that the album is 'out of this world' as this is where they have set the scene which implies that the album is really good and different to all other albums from within the genre as other adverts are stereotypically set on this planet. The dark colour of the background image allows for the foreground image of a blonde gorilla holding a plant in his mouth to stand out and be prominent. As well as the background image having hidden messages i also believe that this image has connotations, as a gorilla is a aggressive, domineering animal and this could be representative of the aggressive music which features within the album which could entice as specific type of audience as well as Basement Jaxx's dominance within the dance genre. This image used is extremely unconventional to the dance genre as it doesn't link directly to the genre at all and is extremely diverse as this genre usually features a young attractive random female on adverts which attracts a specific audience but instead they use a different masculine, eye-catching image which also attracts this same audience.

Unlike the images used within this advert the colours used are very conventional to the dance genre as on the left of the video is the bright colour pink and the artists name is written in bright yellow. Both these colours are conventional to the dance genre as the colours which are associated with this genre are bright neon colours. These colours are used as they are eye-catching and easily catch the audiences eyes, the target audience may also like this colour because fans of the dance genre like to dress in bold colours and stand out from the normal clothing worn. These colours used within the advert reflect those seen within a conventional dance music video as within the club setting bright lighting is always used this means that the audience who see the advert immediately recognise the genre as they associate these colours with the club setting which is a clear sign of the dance genre. The black background also supports this as it is a representation of the darkness within a club setting with frequent injections of extremely bright contrasting lights and colours.

The typography within this advert is also conventional to the dance genre as it is edgy and bold. This means that it will attract the audience and they will immediately be able to recognise the dance genre. The font used for the artists name and the album name is also the font which Basement Jaxx has used throughout his career. This means that his target audience will see this font and will notice that he is the artist and will then be more inclined to buy it. This font has numerous sharp edges and is extremely different and unique this means that it can directly linked to the dance genre and specifically to Basement Jaxx. The writing of the artists name is the biggest thing which features within the advert and therefore is the thing which grabs the attention of fans of Basment Jaxx who see this and then wish to read more. They then see the next biggest typing which is the name of the album 'Rooty' this means that the advert has successfully been promoted to this audience as it alerts the audience who are already fans of the artist of his newest album and therefore they are prompted to buy it.

The design and layout of this advert is again conventional to this specific genre as it is common for a dance artist to feature their name as the main focal point of a advert, then the next biggest thing to be the album name then the use of images and colour used to attract the audience and grab their attention. This advert follows this formula as the focal point of this advert is the name of the artist - this is used because if the fans of the artist see his or hers name then they will be immediately interested and want to read on, rather than if they saw a random image or name of a album then they won't be attracted to it as they would assume that it is most probably something they are not interested in. They next most prominent element is the album name, artists use this because once the audience's attention has been grabbed by their name in large then they want to see what is being promoted and will be then looking to buy it if it is immediately noticeable that they will enjoy it. Much like all other music magazine adverts it then features a big main image which differs between each genre depending on what is conventional and is used appeal to different audiences in different ways. This advert also features a 'splash' of the colour pink all down the left side this is to conform with the conventions of the genre and grab the audiences attention. It then describes the release date which is obviously important as the audience need to be aware when it released so to make sure they are they have positioned it in the middle of the advert underneath the the name of the album.

This research into the magazine adverts produced within my specific genre of dance and why they are produced in that particular way will help me immensely when producing my own magazine album advert as i now know what conventions are used and i can either conform to these to produce a conventional advert or go against them to produce a diverse video. Seeing as the video we plan to produce is partially unconventional and conventional music video i believe the advert we create will have both conventional and unconventional elements in order for it to link with the video successfully as well as appeal to our select target audience.