Examples of digipaks and how they have used the conventions - By Meryl Cariaga

Following our research on what digi paks are, and the conventions they all have in common here are some examples. Below shows digi paks, which follow the particular conventions.

As you can see on the right is an imae of a typical digi pak, the artist is shown on all the faces of the digi pak, that is, both front and back, this is particularly used to make the audience identify who the artist is.

Also, the name of the artist is on the front cover of the digi pak, this is also used to identify the artist which will allow the audience to know who the artist is.

In considering the style of the digi pak used, as you can see it particularly conveys the style and genre of the particular artist. In this case, the genre of this artist is classical. This is because the particular poses and costume the artist uses within the images of the digi pak portray this.

Above shows all the track listings of the artist within the inside cover of the digi pak, this is another particular convention this digi pak follows. In addition, a holder to place the CD. By the looks of the digi pak, it follows a particular house style, with specific colour usage and a limited amount of images being used. This again, in used to convey the genre of the artist and the mood the artist is trying to portray towards the audience.

On the other hand, if the artists’ genre is pop, for example Madonna, its house style is unlikely to be similar to that of a classical artist as shown above. Instead it is more likely to be more lively consisting of vibrant colours and possibly more

Image usage below is an example of Madonna’s “Celebration” digi pak.

As you can see on the right

is an image, similar to other digi paks in reference to the conventions of digi paks, the artists’ image is shown within the front cover, along with the name of the artist and the album name.

As youcan see it follows a house style, which is more associated to the pop culture, unlike the classical culture as shown above. The art at the front is done in a pop style, which references a time when pop art was popular. This conveys the era this album was suited for; very 80’s. Due to the use of colours and images, the digi pak strongly targets their specific audience. Although the expression of the artist is not as “happy” a pop artist would usually seem, the use of colours still portray a positive feeling.

On the back of the digi pak shows a full track listing, for both disks inside, barcode, record label logo, and small print including copyright information. To make all text prominent, for example the track listings, it is framed within wonky boxes, all which are numbered to show the audiencethe number of the tracks.

Another example of a digi pak used is the Eminem Curtain Call album. In this case the conventions of a digi pak are all used. The image shows specific artist identity. This is because the name of the artist is consistent in all of the Eminem albums, where the name “Eminem” uses a backwards “E” which are used to establish the artist as a recognisable band and creating familiarity with its audience.

This means that fans who already own an album of Eminem’s’ will automatically be drawn to any other album. Another particular convention that is used within this digi pak, is the use of images, to reflect the tone of the music, in this case rap, as the connotations of the images portray this. For example the image of the artist holding a gun within the inside cover.

However, the front cover image subverts the genre of the artist as it shows a black tie event, and his face not shown to the audience. Another use of a typical convention used within this digi pak, is the consistent use of the theme. With the same font used, and consistent use of colours and limited amount of images. The back cover shows the track listings of the album, with also small print about the record label, which also follows stereotypical conventions of a digi pak.

Another example of a digi pak is Michael Jacksons Ultimate Collection.

This particular digi pak subverts typical conventions, this is because it contains 4 CD’s plus an additional DVD of all of Michael Jacksons songs, where digi paks usually contain one or 2 CD’s.

All of which having iconic images of Michael Jacksons’ dancing. In addition the front cover is totally plain, it only consists of the artist name and the name of the album “The Ultimate Collection”, on plain matt black colour. The only image used is a silhouette of Michael Jackson most Iconic Dance move, even on this image, no colour is used, just back with hint of shine to outline the artist. In addition to this, there is nothing on the back cover of the digi back, just plain matt black once again. In comparison to other digi paks that follow typical conventions, the track listings are usually shown in the back cover.

However in this case, the track listings are shown on the each of the CD and within a booklet, which came with the digi pak. Within this booklet comes more images of the artist during his performances. In addition to the track listings, the lyrics of each song are also within the booklet. As you can see from all the images, the digi pak uses a consistent house style where only black and gold is used. Within the inside cover, shows more mini images of the artist and his iconic dance moves on the spines.