Conventions of a Digipak - By Diranjeet Sohi

Conventions of a Digipak

Basic information:

From our research we have gathered that there are many conventions regarding Digipaks. A digipak folds out like a book rather than a conventional case. It is made out of card rather than plastic, which is cheaper and easier to produce than a traditional CD case. There are many flaps and compartments to store more, thus giving the customer more than they would expect from a plastic case. Multiple disks can be stored with a digipak.

Origins:

The digipak is actually a registered trademark of AGI media. On their website, AGI claim they "create big ideas that can be delivered across a raft of media including packaging, through the line marketing campaigns, flatprint, POS, 3D and digital". Through the digipak they have created a way to further the customer experience. The graphics play a great part because they have to catch the eye of the potential customer, as well as conveying the genre through the artwork.

Below shows the Outside cover of a digi pak:

Inside:

Common conventions:

• Genre characteristics. The artwork should give some kind of indication into the genre of the music.
• Artwork. The artwork needs to reflect the main theme of the album or artists. For example if the album is filled with dark tracks the artwork would be dark and gloomy. Usually the artwork is designed to make a statement.
• Images of the artist and their iconography. The image of the artist itself is usually enough to sell the album. Their iconography acts as a brand, it will include something unique about them like a symbol.
• Intertextual references. The album can be summed up with an image referencing another text. However, this is more troublesome as it is likely to cause a legal dispute. Artists can also borrow from other artists within the same genre, imitating other artwork and incorporating into their own.
• A consistent design aesthetic. This helps the digipak appear more unified.
• Information about the product. Every CD will contain information about the tracklisting, time of the tracks, record company and other essential details to keep the customer informed. This includes the barcode, price and sometimes a warning for explicit lyrics. Sometimes, to appeal to potential buyers, reviews of the artists' success will be displayed with stickers.