A2 Print analysis

1. EMINEM PRINT
PRODUCT
ANALYSISINFINITE

2. DIGIPAK
The digipak for Eminem’s ‘Infinite’ album uses a very dark
colour scheme, black base colour on the outer packaging
and a faded brown filter on the inside images. This is very
typical of the Rap/ hip hop genre as their star image
insists that they keep an appearance of a dark character,
usually seen as isolated in society. With Eminem being a
white rapper this colour scheme is significant as the
predominantly black community that rap is based around
and populated with separate's him from his competitors.
This is symbolised by the comparatively bright image of
Eminem inside the disk tray; it is white and seems to have
a higher brightness in comparison to the rest of the album,
it can be taken that Eminem is making a statement about
being a white man in a black community which is
something he uses in many of his lyrics. The dark colour
scheme also connotes the idea of grim themes and harsh
lyrics in his songs which is typical of his genre as it is
derived from a under privileged community, African
Americans, rapping about their troubles.
The image that is suggestive of stars in space and contextual
information about the album indicates that it was written and inspired
by his struggles with parenting his daughter with their house being
robbed multiple times and his wife beginning a downward descent in
her mental health. The tough times that his album is inspired by could
be the reasoning for the starry imagery. It connotes hope and
opportunity through his rapping, the album title ‘Infinite’ indicates that
his music can create infinite possibilities for him, his wife and his
daughter. Since this debut album Eminem’s image has changes, he
utilises comedic word manipulation and plays on the stereotype that
children and privileged white people listen to his music, unlike the
original target audience of rap. However in 1996, the year this was
released, his audience would be to the underprivileged and did
include dark themes from his harsh lifestyle trying to raise a family in
Detroit. For this reason the imagery indicates his hope in dark times
(the bright stars in a dark image) and actually did pave the way for his
success.
The disk is merged with the inside packaging with the
majority of an image of the rapper on the CD and little bits
like his arm being layered underneath on to the digipak. This
creates a meaning to all of the product he has produced, the
disk and its contents mean something as well as the digipak
and imagery having significant meaning. The genre is very
much based around giving your music meaning and not
exploitation of money so this layering creates a good link
between his products and his music.
The images of Eminem in various posed dotted around the
Digipak creates a focus around the artist. This was his debut
album so he had no brand except his troubled life and his
image, so he combined the two in this digipak to stem a
brand from.

3. FONT
The font is basic, likely because of his lack of branding.
The idea of rapping and creating music as a vice for
expressing his anger at his impoverished position
meant he had no need for a brand as the music was
not being made with the intention to mass sell but
instead be aimed at the under privileged population.
He did develop a logo* which has sharpened edges
and is less rounded than this original font, this
connotes the idea of him strengthening as an artist and
the harshness of his genre. The constancy he kept by
having the artist name and the album cover created
unity between him and his work. The links made
between his music and his life made no falsities with
what he was singing about, the lyrics are the same as
what he lives. This creates an understanding about
how harsh his life is which gives his music authenticity
and portrays the harsh reality to the population; this is
something the rap genre is based around however
since its rise in popularity is now faded a bit in
comparison to the earlier years it was in circulation.
*

4. ADVERT
The poster for Infinite is very similar to the art work for the album, this is a
consistency in the branding which is likely due to his size as an artist which
would be relatively small. With this being his debut his only image was that of
his album, therefore he could not multi-brand as some well known artists do.
The half blue, half back poster
is more colourful than the
overtly black album cover. This
poster would be used to
advertise his music so by
adding some colour to it, it
becomes more eye catching
and appealing to passers by
and is therefore more beneficial
as a means of selling his
product. It keeps the darker
colours which continues the
indication of his deep and
meaningful lyrics however it is
brightened and easier to sell.
The poster does not include any form of review from major magazines or
websites. This portrays his size and the intention to sell the album for his music
not for money. Something very common in this genre, as mentioned before, the
tracks are usually dedicated to the artists hardships in life. With this in mind, the
exclusion of reviews does seem to give his work integrity which is actually good for
his image as he looks authentic and not money driven which would be respected
in his industry.
The stand out article on this poster is
the name of the artist and the album,
this suggests its more important to try
and sell the artist and to get his name
out there with this being his first
album. The song titles are the second
largest which again focuses the
poster around his work, not image or
reviews or release date. This gives
him further integrity in a cut-throat
genre which would raise his image.