Digipak analysis

Lower than Atlantis-Digipak analysis

I have chosen to look into Lower than Atlantis' digipak as the band belong to the same genre as my chosen song.

Each side of the digipak has different elements on it:

Front-Image of the band and logo/their name

Inside left-Name of band members and credits for album and lyric booklet 

Inside right- disk

Back- song names

The main colour used on the entire digipak is pink which is an unusual colour to choose for a band in the rock genre as it is usually associated with girly and young imagery. however through the use of this colour, it says a lot about their image; they are different, bold and brave/adventurous. 

The strong use of pink complements they way in which the faces of the band members have been edited. they have quite bluish tones to their skin which is complemented my the pink, also it presents a contrast between cold and cute because as well as the blue tones to their skin, the band show no emotion or expression on their faces which adds to the cold feel, but this is balanced by the pink which typically symbolises calm and creativity. 

The album is self titled and so the only text on the cover is the name of the band. This helps them stand out and the typography used acts as their logo as it is used everywhere (the disk, the cover and on their drum kit during concerts) and so it is instantly recognisable. In addition, the fonts used for the title make the cover eye catching as two different fonts are used. This is effective as it provides more for the eye to look at as the cover is very simple, also, it sells the band really well as the final word of their name is emphasised and so people are more likely to remember their name.

In terms of the band members, the cover uses direct more of address which gives the feeling that they are connecting with the viewer. This makes the cover more personal and appealing to a consumer as they feel that it is directed at them.

The clothing of the band is very simple; plain black clothing make them really stand out against the light pink background, however the attire is still very simple so not to draw too much attention to their appearance. This reflects the genre as British rock bands are not focused on selling their appearance and image, its more about the brand they have established through their music.

Using Photoshop

As I will be using Photoshop to create my digipak, I practised using all of the essential tools on the programme found on the tool bar. 

I was already familiar with the concept of layers and so I knew to put a new image or shape onto a new layer to avoid confusion and also to enable me to edit the piece of work more efficiently.

I am able to use the magic select tool as well as the polygon lasso to cut out images/select a specific area to use in an image. 

Also, I have practised using the text tool to create different styles of text on Photoshop as this will also be crucial in the production of the digipak.

In making this piece of work, I also experimented with using the shape tools to create the rectangles, as well as using the opacity bar to alter the opacity of the shapes.

Furthermore, I am able to use the colour swatch tools as well as the eraser tools to alter the style and effect of my work. 

Most importantly, I practised transforming images and shapes to change their size and rotation. This tool is perhaps the most important as it is used for every image and object that is placed onto the layers.

Digipak mood board

By researching bands within the rock and indie genre and their album covers, I have identified typical iconography that is specific to the genre. 
Firstly, almost all bands in contemporary rock music have a logo. For example, Metallica and Fall Out Boy and this greatly helps the artists to become more easily recognisable to consumers as they have a simple symbol that represents the band. As a result, I have decided to create my own logo for The Crookes as an extra marketing tool to develop the brand of the band. 
Also, I have realised that albums tend to have limited colour palettes, therefore they are simple and aesthetically pleasing, potentially making them more successful in terms of selling the artist. 
Additionally, font is a very important aspect of creating a brand for the artists as often fonts end up being associated with a musical for example the 1920's/art deco font used by Paloma Faith. 

By creating this moodboard of images that are related to my genre, I have gained a better understanding of what is included in a digipak, as well as how to create a distinctive image for a band. 

Digipak research

What is a digipak?
A digipak is a type of packaging for CD singles or special edition of CD's and typically are made up of a book-style holding the CD inside. The digipak is used to give an idea about the artist and the genre and the theme of the album. This is to gain the artist popularity and to highlight the image of the artist as well as promote them to consumers, thus encouraging sales of the music.

Digipak analysis:

NIRVANA

• The cover is making a political statement about anti-capitalism
• It is one of the most memorable album covers as it is instantly shocking
• It is also a popular cover as it is unique and different which reflects the genre
• There is no image of the band, which suggests that they are not promoting or selling their imageThey are more concerned with the music and not the superficial side of the music industry

 MICHAEL JACKSON

•         The cover is a close up of the artist so the focus is all on the artist
•         The colour palette is very monochrome which makes him stand out more
•        His pose emanates slight sex appeal-making him more desirable to his audience
•        The lighting also makes him look slightly angelic as he is back-lit which creates a positive, empowered brand image for him
•        He is looking at the viewer-direct mode of address which engages the viewer and makes them more likely to pick up the digipak
•        The cover is very disco influenced which reflects and highlights the pop genre

THE BEATLES

•       The cover is a colourful collage by Peter Blake which makes it unique and different from every other album at the time
•       The composition is very busy (spot the icons), it seems as though they are trying to sell themselves as icons as well
•       It is very influenced by the hippie/peace movement as shown in the flowers and the bright colours
•       The artist are featured on the cover, however they are not the main focus which suggests that they are not trying to sell themselves
•       The name attracts the most attention so that the band  and their album are immediately recognisable

BEYONCE

•         The white background makes her stand out
•         Her fur clothing and messy hair presents a wild and powerful image
•        The image of the artist is overlapping the name which highlights that she is popular enough to sell material off of her image
•          She is looking away from the camera so she doesn’t really connect with the viewer, this combined with the fact that the camera is angled up makes her look more powerful and superior to the consumer
•         Also she has lots of skin on show, in particular, her chest which supports the ‘sex sells’ idea and also appeals to the idea of the male gaze

Word it out - Summary of brand image based on feedback and research

Final shot sheet

LOCATION	SHOT
Against plain wall	Close up of lip syncing whole song
	Mid shot of lip syncing whole song
	Low angle shot of lip syncing
	High angle shot of lip syncing
	Lip syncing on sofa-to look casual and relaxed

For our final piece of filming, we will be filming the lip syncing sequences as we finally found a guy willing and confident enough to lip sync. I have planned to film from several different angles as the song is fast paced and when I come to edit, I will have enough footage to match the fast pace. Additionally, it allows me to focus more on advertising the artist as I can cut between many shot of him, to emphasis his role to the audience.