a2 media

1. DIGIPAK
ANALYSISES X3
Victoria Cowburn

2. PINK FLYOD – DARK
SIDE OFTHE MOON

3. PINK FLOYD■ Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London and founded in 1965.The
band were active between the years 1965 to 1994 and 2012 to 2014. famous for their
progressive and psychedelic music.This was distinguished by their sonic
experimentation, philosophical lyrics, extended compositions and elaborate live shows
making the band commercially successful and ‘musically influential groups in the
history of popular music’.
■ ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ was released in March 1973, became an instant chart
success it was a US number 1 remaining on the Billboard chart for more than fourteen
years. In Britain the album peaked at number 2, spending 364 weeks on the UK chart
and selling over 40 million copies worldwide making it the world's second best-selling
album.

4. MAIN IMAGE/ARTWORK:
The band’s eternally famous logo features as the main design of the front cover, covering the entire
space.The iconic artwork was designed by Hipgnosis and George Hardie which features a beam of
white light passing through a refracting prism.The stroke of light represents unity and the prism
represents society in which the refracting beam of coloured light symbolises unity diffracted, leaving
an absence of unity.This deep message evoked from such a simple design creates a sense of mystery
for the contents of the album making audiences wanting to understand more about the meaning
behind the design and music.The contrast from the multicolours to the pitch black background creates
the colour palette of astronomy, as if a star is shooting through the sky.The large amount of black
throughout the digipak links to the name of the album ‘dark side’ creating a connection between the
conventions and a ongoing theme.However for the audience, black has connotations of mystery, evil
and the unknown thus intriguing listeners to buy the album and look inside for more information.The
main design is positioned in the middle of the front cover but stretches to each end, encompassing all
the space.The overall very simplistic design evokes a lot about the persona of the artists; that they are
more passionate their music rather promoting their star images which would be done by featuring
photographs of themselves. At the time, Pink Floyd were already famous in the music industry
therefore there was no need to promote their star images much further as they were already
established artists. Despite the design being arguably quite basic, it is now known as one of the most
famous album artwork’s in the world and now features on a range of merchandise such as t-shirts and
canvas bags.
ALBUM NAME/ARTIST NAME:
The name of the band and album are discreetly positioned together in the top right hand corner, far from the album’s artwork. Inserted in a small circle,
the serif font is of a very small size coloured white in order to stand out against the black background. Due to the composition of these two conventions,
it looks like a sticker on the cover especially as it is framed by two circles, creating an almost 3D effect.The subtly of these two conventions is done in
order to not distract the audience’s eye from the main artwork and not to overcrowd or cluster the space in keeping with the simple design.
FRONT
COVER

5. BACK
COVER
MAIN IMAGE/ARTWORK:
The same artwork is used on the back cover of
the digipak as on the front cover. However here
it has been horizontally flipped upside down,
creating a more abstract piece of artwork.The
size of the piece is composed slightly larger
compared to the front cover but otherwise is
near enough exactly the same.There is a strong
sense of consistency from the front to back
covers where the meanings behind the artwork
are emphasised further and highlighted by the
band.
TEXT:
Interestingly, the conventions of a back cover
have been massively subverted on this
digipak. Conventionally, a track listing of the
album is listed informing the audience of all
the songs included. However here there is no
text at all, giving the audience no information
at all.When initially looking at this I was
immediately confused as to why no
information is mentioned, an impression
given to most people.The lack of text keeps
the audience guessing and intrigued to the
contents of the album, a key way of selling a
product. If text was inserted then it would
have to be layered over the artwork,
distracting the audiences attention away from
it and possibly destroying the simplicity of the
design. In addition to no track listing there is
neither any copyright accreditations. Again
the added text would possibly overcrowd the
design however this means there is lack of
protection of the artwork.
BARCODE AND RECORD LABEL
LOGO:
Only two are other conventions are confirmed to on
the back of this digipak; barcode and record label
logo.The standard composition of a barcode is
subverted as here it is position at the top of the
cover rather than the bottom.The barcode is an
essential convention as it is needed when
purchasing the product however to be different and
unique the band have chosen to position it
elsewhere. The ‘Harvest’ record label logo
(belonging to Capitol MusicGroup, originally
created by EMI) is signally positioned at the bottom
right hand corner, which can look slightly random
and out of place but in keeping the quirky abstract
design.

6. INSIDE COVER AND SPINE
MAIN IMAGE/ARTWORK AND RECORD LABEL:
For the inside cover of this digipak, the convention of using a similar design to the
front or back cover is exactly confirmed. Here, the artwork of the back cover is used
creating a strong sense of fluency throughout the product.The Harvest record label
logo is also included for copyright of production reasons, another standard
convention that is used throughout the digipak. Pink Floyd have a very obvious
theme and message of their album, where the logo is constantly used making it
today so recognisable and well-known. Inside the booklet features the lyrics to each
individual track, photographs of the band, copyright warns and compact disc
information.
TYPOGRAPHY:
All the conventions of a spine are used, making the album
look legitimate and recognisable when searching for it on a
shelf or in a shop.The same font is used for the band’s name
as on the CD and a similar font for the album name as on the
front cover.The bold typography style is furtherly conveyed
making the words easily readable. The name of the record
label and the catalogue/serial number is traditionally used
positioned at the far end of the spine.

7. CD
Pink Floyd’s CD is the most informative segment of the
digipak as it beholds a lot of useful text.The name of the
album and artist are positioned at either end of disk in the
same font as the spine, creating a fluent typography style.
They are the largest features of the CD increasing their
significance to the audience. The track listing is also finally
included which is a typical convention of a CD but also
very necessary for this digipak as it is not included
anywhere else. All the copyright information is also
included such as dates, record company names and
producers protecting the contents of the disk. Information
about the CD itself is used for playing purposes as well as
the logo of the production company.The same sans serif
font is used throughout and coloured all black, creating
familiarity for the audience and sticking to the colour
pallet of the digipak.The size of the fonts are all
proportionally balanced as the track listing is easily
readable and large highlighting its significance of the
digipak compared to copyright information which most
customers are disinterested in reading.

8. PEACE – HAPPY
PEOPLE

9. PEACE
■ Peace are an indie rock band formed in 2009 inWorcester,
England and are still established to present day. Having
grabbed the attention of musical institution NME in 2010 and
compared to the likes ofVampire Weekend and Foals, the
band were soon featured as part of the magazine's ’Ones to
Watch ’ feature and released their first track ‘Bblood’ online
in 2012.
■ ‘Happy People’ is the band’s second album and was released
in 9th February 2015. Under Columbia record label the album
peaked to number 12 in the UK charts.

10. The colour pallet of this digipak is obviously depicted from the front cover;
consisting of different shades of blue and yellow. Blue and yellow are
traditionally very calm and mellow colours which in keeps with the name of
the band ‘Peace’.The colours however are also very bright and vivid
connected to the ‘happy’ feel of the digipak.This is a subverted stereotype
as most modern indie albums feature dull colours or are completely
monochrome e.g. Catfish and the Bottlemen ‘Balcony’.The name of the
band was inspired by a photograph celebrating the end ofWorld War 2
which fitted in with feel of the songs they wanted to produce.The main
image is a photograph of all four members of the band in a living room
looking directly at the camera, thus creating eye contact with the audience.
The photograph has been edited to create a distorted and manipulated
effect as it curves into the middle. This emphasises the relaxed almost
hippie feel of the digipak, highlighted by the artist name. The name of the
album has also been abstractly transformed, looking as if it has been
squished.The traditional peace symbol frames the photograph, a common
feature of the band’s album front covers, also seen of their EP ‘Delicious’
making fans aware that both albums are produced from the same artist.
The photograph can said to be ironic as the artists appear very serious and
thoughtful rather than looking like ‘happy people’.This fits in with the indie
persona of expressing moody expressions, especially in photographs.The
geometric pattern in the background adds extra texture and interest to the
front cover as well continuing the colour palette.The name of the band
conventionally positioned at the top is of the same typography style as the
album name positioned at the bottom. A serif has been used adding more
character and style to each letter.
FRONTCOVER

11. A similar style of photograph is replicated on the back cover, consisting of
the same models and location. Instead the main image on the back cover
features a out of focus photograph of the lead singer Harry Koisser who
appears to be taking an picture using a phone.This can be interpreted as
Harry taking an picture of the audience, exciting fans and making the
product feel more personal. Or, it could be Harry taking the image on the
front cover giving an behind the scenes insight into the production.
Layered underneath the main image, the same peace symbol and location
of a room is used as on the front cover, creating a strong connection
between the two covers.The composition of the track listing has been
subverted as it is horizontally listed rather than vertically.Still separated by
numbers, each track is typed in the same serif font as on the front cover
informing the audience what songs are featured on the album. Underneath
this convention is all the copyright information by the record label with the
logos inserted next to.The parental adversary explicit content logo has to
be included as some of the songs include swearing which younger listeners
may find offensive. Usually parental adversary warnings are seen on rap or
hip-hop albums rather than indie as they contain more explicit language
and references, therefore this album has subverted the stereotype within
the indie genre.As all the written and visual information is at the bottom of
the cover, the barcode is positioned vertically in the top right hand corner,
instead standardly horizontally at the bottom.This convention has been
subverted due to the composition of the rest of the back cover leaving no
remaining space of the barcode other than the top.
The spine follows the same colour palette consisting of yellow, blue and white as seen on the front and back covers.The colours all very consistent
and fluent throughout the album making it memorable and recognisable for future references. The same font is used as on the front cover for the
artist and album name but has been changed to italics, making the text appear more relaxed and smooth. Other key and very important
conventions are the catalogue number used by CD manufactures to search quickly and efficiently for certain products, a necessary convention of
officially produced albums on sale.
BACK COVER AND SPINE

12. This CD design is very simplistic and lacks a lot of the
standard conventions found on a disk inside a digipak.This
includes no track listing of the contents of the album which
is conventionally found on a disk to inform the audience
when playing the music.The name of the artist and album is
another stereotype subverted, however the CD is
recognisable in other ways.The vivid colour scheme is
presented throughout the digipak, including the disk
making it obvious what artist and album the CD belongs.
Also the thick blue peace symbol divides the CD into
sections which features on the front and back cover,
denoting the name of the band through the symbol.The
necessary and relevant copyright credits are curved around
the shape of the CD in basic a sans-serif font.
CD

13. SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ALBUM COVER
AND MUSICVIDEO
‘WORLD PLEASURE’
‘World Pleasure’ taken from Peace’s second album ‘Happy People’ was
revealed onYouTube in March 2014 after the full album was officially
released in February 2015. ‘World Pleasure’ was the first song to be
revealed and was therefore seen as a tease to the fans awaiting the new
album.The mise en scene of the music video is very similar to the artwork
on the front cover of the album, particularly focusing on the costume.
Bassist and back vocalist Sam Koisser wears the same brightly coloured
black and yellow jumper in the photograph of the front cover and during
the music video, creating a direct comparison between the two products.
Another point of comparison is the structure of the peace symbol used to
frame the artists, which has become apart of the band’s logo and
highlights the name of the band. On the front cover the artists are
positioned within the circular shape of the peace symbol over them, the
same as the video. By making clear points of comparisons between the
digipak and music video is creates a link between the two products and
thus promotes one another , creating a sense of familiarity for the
audience and a obvious image style.

14. CIRCAWAVES –YOUNG
CHASERS

15. CIRCAWAVES
■ British indie-rock band ‘CircaWaves’ were formed in 2013 in Liverpool.
The band consists of frontman Kieran Shudall (vocals and guitar), Sam
Rourke (bass), Colin Jones (drums) and Joe Falconer (guitarist).
■ The band released their first studio debut album ‘YoungChasers’ on 30th
March 2015 after being signed toTransgressive Records in the UK and
Virgin EMI in the US.The band had a successful festival season playing
at Glastonbury and Reading festival in addition to touring in October,
headlining at O2 academy in Brixton, London.

16. The main image presented on the front cover fulfils a illustrated and
cartoon style due to the quality and colours of the artwork.The
name of the album ‘Young Chasers’ taken from the seventh track
name is accentuated by the main image featuring a young boy
running. The name can be interpreted as the boy chasing
something, or being chased and running away, this is open for
audiences to infer.The image over the boy has been Photoshopped
over the sky background creating a surreal image that makes the
overall piece abstract and quirky, a convention of the indie genre.
The sunny sky background suggests the boy is running through the
clouds, creating a unreal perception and evoking dreamlike qualities.
The colour palette of white, blue and black is continued through the
product, light blue being the dominant colour. Baby blue has
connotations of new life and innocence, in keeping with the youthful
aspect of the album conveying a moral or message to the audience.
This message is to keep to continue to chase your dreams will you
are still young, directly communicating to their young target
audience of teenagers. Two different font styles are used are quite
the opposite to one another in style.The album name is written a
rough, hand-written font where shadowing has been used to create
a slight 3D effect. The font looks as if it has been hand drawn onto
the album, making it appear quite personal and informal. The
calligraphy font used beneath the logo adds more design and
interest to the front cover emphasised by being coloured black
making it dominant on the page.
FRONT COVER

17. The back cover features the same subject of the sky, however here the colours are more muted and more clouds are
included. This could demonstrate a more serious tone to the album contrasted against the bright and sunny front cover,
conveying a more important message and mood. However the more subtle colours allow the increased amount of text to
be more readable and dominate on the page against the main background image/artwork.The track listing, a convention
of the back cover of a digipak, its vertically listed informing the audience what is featured in the product.The style and
structure of this convention suits the indie genre, as it does not include numbers and is messily organised. The font remind
me of someone's handwriting, similar to the font used on the front cover, creating a relaxed and informal style and mood.
The messy handwriting resembles the youthful meaning behind the album conveying a clear theme and moral behind the
work.
The other convectional codes of a back cover are
positioned at the bottom including copyright
information, the record label logoVirgin EMI and
barcode. The conventions are structured in order of
significance and importance, as the text at the
bottom is least interesting to the young target
audience. This hence reasons why the text is so small
as most audience members would see it as irrelevant
to the design and contents of the product. However
such information is vital in protecting its contents
and giving certain rights to the artist and record
company.
BACK COVER

18. The design of the CD is very basic and simplistic and some of the conventions of a CD have been subverted.This
includes the track listing of the digipak, website addresses, production and manufacturing information. By not
including these conventions the artist has subverted the conventions, adding to their indie persona and thus not
committing to society’s conventions.The dominant colour taken from the outside of the digipak of baby blue fills
the entire disk, adding to the fresh youthful nature of the band and target audience.The logo and album name
have been inserted in the same font as the front cover at the top where the audience will be familiar with the
layout. Around the edge of the disk copyright information similar to that displayed on the back cover is used in
order for the record company and artist to claim all the rights of the product.
CD