Planning Individual Digipak
A digipak is a paperboard or cardboard binded book style which contains one or more plastic trays within. Digipak style cases were not used until the popularity grew when artists began using them in the early 2000's. They are often used for special editions of CD albums. This is in comparison to a Jewel CD case first released in 1982 which is a compact disc which was a three piece plastic case which contained the CD and a back card with liner notes also. This type of CD is constructed into 4 sides, with most detail located on the front and back which means that this is most likely to grab peoples attention and make them want to purchase the album. The Jewel CD case is plastic which means all paper and contents inside of the case is protected and would last much longer than a different material would. Additionally, the Jewel CD case contains lyrics of the song in case the audience may want to learn the lyrics to feel closer and more relatable to the artist. In comparison the Digipak is a special edition CD containing higher quality images and helps to display further meaning. The Digipak will contain a letter or a note from the artist which is directed to the audience from the artist which helps to give a personal feel for the audience and they feel as though they get to know the artists personality. The digipak occasionally contains a bonus track to the album whereas a CD may not include this, therefore it is more beneficial for the audience to purchase this version instead of the original as they can hear more music from the artist which they like. The digipak also has 6 sides to it, this allows opportunity for the visible artwork to be seen more clearly and engage the target audience, as well as leaving room for information or promotions of the artist. The digipak is not easily ripped when compared to the Jewel CD case as when the case is removed it may cause damage. Lastly, on a digipak all information is easily seen and very easy to access which makes this more appealing for the audience to purchase.
My task after analyzing Digipak from an artist from our chosen music genre was to create our own individual Digipak for our music video. The digipak contains a front cover, a track list of the artists album and songs that the audience can expect to hear when they listen. The CD that of the chosen artist, after this a note is included from our music artist which is written from the artist, to the audience which are her fans. The last two sections of the digipak and pictures that we will have taken before hand and used on Photoshop. The two pictures relate to the music video and may be recognizable to the audience from the music video. The first element of my digipak which I thought about were the colours which I was going to include. The main conventional aspect shown in my individual digipak is the representation of the artist. This is because through the use of imagery the artist is seen to be sad, and feeling down about her current situation. Furthermore, My digipak will be mostly in black and white, however I could not show this through my drawings as there was no way to illustrate this. These particular colours help to suggest and portray to the audience the artists emotion, how low and depressed she is currently feeling. This representation of the artist could illustrate to the audience that how she is feeling may reflect in her music content, so they may now know what they can expect. Contrasting this, the colour white is used additionally to create the black and white filtered effect. The colour white usually suggest innocence, which immediately makes the audience sympathize for the artist because when they compare the innocence to how low she is feeling, the artist can be represented as vulnerable and may not know what she is thinking due to mixed emotions. The two colours contrasting each other could also suggest that she is reflecting on her past, the black and white suggesting positivity and negativity which could remind her of her life before fame and after, giving the audience a taste of what they can expect to see within the music video as well as the digipak. The use of these two colours are stereotypical of the soul music genre because it helps to show the artists feelings which they are commonly seen to feel low and down, this also presents the artist as down to earth as she is willing to show the audience her true, raw emotion that she may not necessarily want to be seen. Furthermore, I will also use a variation of colour within my music video which have connotations to help represent the artist stereo typically and subversively. Aspects of red will be used throughout my digipak, this helps to portray the artist as a strong willed and fiery character, which is not stereotypical of a soul music artist as they are usually quiet due to their low emotion and vulnerable state, this could gain the artist respect and be seen as admirable from the audience as they see how she is trying, and is determined to make a change to how she is feeling, and not letting her situation get the better of her and may understand the feeling of not wanting to give up on something. However, in contrast to this representation is stereotypical to the soul music genre because it suggest what the audience can expect the artists music to be based on, love and romance. The re occurrence of the colour red could also suggest an issue that keeps arising in the artists life which she can't seem to forget. This could reiterate to the audience the narrative of the song which we have chosen in regards to the artist keep thinking about her past life before she found fame and how much happier she was previously. Additionally, I have used several different images throughout my digipak which help to represent our music artist. The main image in which I will be using on the front of my digipak is the artist looking downwards, which from this the audience can infer that the artist is feeling low and vulnerable as this is a natural expression for somebody who is upset. This could be due to the topics which the artist is addressing in her lyrics. Connotations of looking downwards also can be seen as somebody feeling guilty, which the audience could infer that a theme of guilt runs throughout the album when the album addresses family, love and her personal life, the audience could relate to this in some way as they also may have own personal regrets involving their personal life which relieves them of guilt as it is comforting for the audience to know somebody else is also feeling this way which helps to build a relationship between the two of them as the artist is represented as a down to earth, ordinary girl as she is willing to show her own emotion in order to comfort her audience. Furthermore, the artist not being able to look at the camera and instead is looking downwards suggest that the artist has a low and and lack of confidence. This helps to build a relationship between the artist and the audience as they can see that she is struggling to handle her emotion, as the artist seems as though she is "staring into space" to avoid her emotions so she does not have to constantly think about this, this suggests to the audience that the artist is weak and vulnerable as she is wanting to escape her surroundings for a short space of time to forget what she is thinking and going through currently in her mind. Another image that I will include on my digipak is one of the artist playing the piano from a sideways view. This helps to suggest that the artist is multi-talented an can do more to engage her audience than just sing like a lot of artists do currently. This helps to gain respect from her audience as they can she the passion she is putting into her music from performing the instrument herself and from the facial expressions which can be seen slightly from the angle that is used. Most of the images used are set out conventionally to the soul music genre in a simplistic way which does not distract the audiences attention from un-focusing them of the image which has several connotations which helps to represent the artist. The image is laid out central to the layout as this will be the main focus for the audience as they are most likely to recognize the artist first which will immediately draw their attention in. The second part of the digipak the audience are most likely to focus on next is the use of typography. The way I have set out my digipak uses minimal typography due to the conventional aspect of simplicity and not wanting to draw away the audiences attention. The main title is in a bold font, but will be centered behind the main, focal image as this is what I would like the audience to focus on last, however make it known who the artist is and intrigue the audience. Below this, I will also include a slogan for the artist which helps to present the album, which I hope to use an italic, handwritten font. The use of this particular font gives a personal touch to the album and makes the audience feel as though the album is creating for them only, which possibly makes them feel happier and empowered as they may feel if they are in a similar situation or can relate to the artists songs that they are no longer alone. The style of the writing helps to present the artist as humble and down to earth as it is clear that thought and effort may have gone into this album and is wanting to produce something that the audience will want, in comparison to many artists who have let fame "get to them" and are interested in the profit of their album. Lastly, the language which I have used has again remained simple on the front cover of the album as I am not wanting to divert the audiences attention. However, the use of the term "presents" in the slogan which I will include makes the album more personal to the audience, as though the artist has created this album for the audience and giving it to them personally. This helps to represent the artist as unique and down to earth as it comes across that she has taken time to create something that she hopes will be personal for the audience. Following on from this point, the letter to the audience also helps to create a personal approach due to the unique and quirkiness of the letter of the artist including her own songs to create a message. This also helps to build a relationship between the artist and the audience as they get to see a glimpse of the artists personality and how she is trying to interact and engage with her audience and not remain ordinary like other artists.
A digipak is a paperboard or cardboard binded book style which contains one or more plastic trays within. Digipak style cases were not used until the popularity grew when artists began using them in the early 2000's. They are often used for special editions of CD albums. This is in comparison to a Jewel CD case first released in 1982 which is a compact disc which was a three piece plastic case which contained the CD and a back card with liner notes also. This type of CD is constructed into 4 sides, with most detail located on the front and back which means that this is most likely to grab peoples attention and make them want to purchase the album. The Jewel CD case is plastic which means all paper and contents inside of the case is protected and would last much longer than a different material would. Additionally, the Jewel CD case contains lyrics of the song in case the audience may want to learn the lyrics to feel closer and more relatable to the artist. In comparison the Digipak is a special edition CD containing higher quality images and helps to display further meaning. The Digipak will contain a letter or a note from the artist which is directed to the audience from the artist which helps to give a personal feel for the audience and they feel as though they get to know the artists personality. The digipak occasionally contains a bonus track to the album whereas a CD may not include this, therefore it is more beneficial for the audience to purchase this version instead of the original as they can hear more music from the artist which they like. The digipak also has 6 sides to it, this allows opportunity for the visible artwork to be seen more clearly and engage the target audience, as well as leaving room for information or promotions of the artist. The digipak is not easily ripped when compared to the Jewel CD case as when the case is removed it may cause damage. Lastly, on a digipak all information is easily seen and very easy to access which makes this more appealing for the audience to purchase.
My task after analyzing Digipak from an artist from our chosen music genre was to create our own individual Digipak for our music video. The digipak contains a front cover, a track list of the artists album and songs that the audience can expect to hear when they listen. The CD that of the chosen artist, after this a note is included from our music artist which is written from the artist, to the audience which are her fans. The last two sections of the digipak and pictures that we will have taken before hand and used on Photoshop. The two pictures relate to the music video and may be recognizable to the audience from the music video. The first element of my digipak which I thought about were the colours which I was going to include. The main conventional aspect shown in my individual digipak is the representation of the artist. This is because through the use of imagery the artist is seen to be sad, and feeling down about her current situation. Furthermore, My digipak will be mostly in black and white, however I could not show this through my drawings as there was no way to illustrate this. These particular colours help to suggest and portray to the audience the artists emotion, how low and depressed she is currently feeling. This representation of the artist could illustrate to the audience that how she is feeling may reflect in her music content, so they may now know what they can expect. Contrasting this, the colour white is used additionally to create the black and white filtered effect. The colour white usually suggest innocence, which immediately makes the audience sympathize for the artist because when they compare the innocence to how low she is feeling, the artist can be represented as vulnerable and may not know what she is thinking due to mixed emotions. The two colours contrasting each other could also suggest that she is reflecting on her past, the black and white suggesting positivity and negativity which could remind her of her life before fame and after, giving the audience a taste of what they can expect to see within the music video as well as the digipak. The use of these two colours are stereotypical of the soul music genre because it helps to show the artists feelings which they are commonly seen to feel low and down, this also presents the artist as down to earth as she is willing to show the audience her true, raw emotion that she may not necessarily want to be seen. Furthermore, I will also use a variation of colour within my music video which have connotations to help represent the artist stereo typically and subversively. Aspects of red will be used throughout my digipak, this helps to portray the artist as a strong willed and fiery character, which is not stereotypical of a soul music artist as they are usually quiet due to their low emotion and vulnerable state, this could gain the artist respect and be seen as admirable from the audience as they see how she is trying, and is determined to make a change to how she is feeling, and not letting her situation get the better of her and may understand the feeling of not wanting to give up on something. However, in contrast to this representation is stereotypical to the soul music genre because it suggest what the audience can expect the artists music to be based on, love and romance. The re occurrence of the colour red could also suggest an issue that keeps arising in the artists life which she can't seem to forget. This could reiterate to the audience the narrative of the song which we have chosen in regards to the artist keep thinking about her past life before she found fame and how much happier she was previously. Additionally, I have used several different images throughout my digipak which help to represent our music artist. The main image in which I will be using on the front of my digipak is the artist looking downwards, which from this the audience can infer that the artist is feeling low and vulnerable as this is a natural expression for somebody who is upset. This could be due to the topics which the artist is addressing in her lyrics. Connotations of looking downwards also can be seen as somebody feeling guilty, which the audience could infer that a theme of guilt runs throughout the album when the album addresses family, love and her personal life, the audience could relate to this in some way as they also may have own personal regrets involving their personal life which relieves them of guilt as it is comforting for the audience to know somebody else is also feeling this way which helps to build a relationship between the two of them as the artist is represented as a down to earth, ordinary girl as she is willing to show her own emotion in order to comfort her audience. Furthermore, the artist not being able to look at the camera and instead is looking downwards suggest that the artist has a low and and lack of confidence. This helps to build a relationship between the artist and the audience as they can see that she is struggling to handle her emotion, as the artist seems as though she is "staring into space" to avoid her emotions so she does not have to constantly think about this, this suggests to the audience that the artist is weak and vulnerable as she is wanting to escape her surroundings for a short space of time to forget what she is thinking and going through currently in her mind. Another image that I will include on my digipak is one of the artist playing the piano from a sideways view. This helps to suggest that the artist is multi-talented an can do more to engage her audience than just sing like a lot of artists do currently. This helps to gain respect from her audience as they can she the passion she is putting into her music from performing the instrument herself and from the facial expressions which can be seen slightly from the angle that is used. Most of the images used are set out conventionally to the soul music genre in a simplistic way which does not distract the audiences attention from un-focusing them of the image which has several connotations which helps to represent the artist. The image is laid out central to the layout as this will be the main focus for the audience as they are most likely to recognize the artist first which will immediately draw their attention in. The second part of the digipak the audience are most likely to focus on next is the use of typography. The way I have set out my digipak uses minimal typography due to the conventional aspect of simplicity and not wanting to draw away the audiences attention. The main title is in a bold font, but will be centered behind the main, focal image as this is what I would like the audience to focus on last, however make it known who the artist is and intrigue the audience. Below this, I will also include a slogan for the artist which helps to present the album, which I hope to use an italic, handwritten font. The use of this particular font gives a personal touch to the album and makes the audience feel as though the album is creating for them only, which possibly makes them feel happier and empowered as they may feel if they are in a similar situation or can relate to the artists songs that they are no longer alone. The style of the writing helps to present the artist as humble and down to earth as it is clear that thought and effort may have gone into this album and is wanting to produce something that the audience will want, in comparison to many artists who have let fame "get to them" and are interested in the profit of their album. Lastly, the language which I have used has again remained simple on the front cover of the album as I am not wanting to divert the audiences attention. However, the use of the term "presents" in the slogan which I will include makes the album more personal to the audience, as though the artist has created this album for the audience and giving it to them personally. This helps to represent the artist as unique and down to earth as it comes across that she has taken time to create something that she hopes will be personal for the audience. Following on from this point, the letter to the audience also helps to create a personal approach due to the unique and quirkiness of the letter of the artist including her own songs to create a message. This also helps to build a relationship between the artist and the audience as they get to see a glimpse of the artists personality and how she is trying to interact and engage with her audience and not remain ordinary like other artists.
In conclusion, I feel that researching and planning my individual digipak is beneficial as it allowed me to think about conventional aspects which I would like to include in my own digipak in order to gain attention and engage my target audience. Additionally, I found that planning my individual digipak has been useful in regards for preparing me to decide what pictures I would like to use when we come to the stage of using Photoshop. This is because I have set out my Digipak in the structure it is usually set out in, and have drawn pictures which I would like to include. I now know when taking pictures for my Digipak what i need to take. This is beneficial of my time as I can try to get an accurate shot as possible to the ones that I have drawn as I feel as though these shots are the most recognizable for the audience as these shots are seen frequently throughout our music video. Furthermore, If I then if I have time left take several different shots in case I do not like the originals that I had taken to try and improve my Digipak.
This post demonstrates good planning techniques of how you visualise your digiapk to look like. You have made some good comments on the choices and decisions that's you would like to include, by commenting on the soul conventions and the different representations that you would like to create.
ReplyDeleteAim-
1) Consider the different ways in which your audience can build a relationship with your three themes, by considering a similar theme between the three products that you will create