Katy Perry Digipak Analysis

This digipak contain many typical codes and conventions, the front cover shows the main artist, artist name and album name, the back cover contain a barcode, song list, and copyright and distribution information and the CD has images on it which link to the songs and the digipak theme. The digipak also contain a poster of the artist, which is also very typical convention.

The front of the digipak is simply an image of Katy Perry lying naked on a cloud of candyfloss. This image stands out and will catch the eye of perspective buyers; it also links to the artists single ‘California girls’, the music video involves Katy Perry in a candy land with the image of her lying on candyfloss clouds. Fans of Katy Perry and the song will recognise this image and it will again draw them into the product. The fact that this is a quite an explicit image suggest that the album is aimed at an older audience however the pink candyfloss theme implies that she is aiming her album and her overall image at a younger audience. The pink, red and blue colour scheme on the album is also very typical of a pop artist; people who are unaware of the Katy Perry will be able to relate to this and identify the album and the artist as pop and may buy into the ‘brand’. The artists name is in a bold font which is a very typical convention of a digipak; the jelly font used also makes the artist seem unique while still linking to the theme of the digipak. Similarly a candy cane font has been use for the album name ‘Teenage Dream’, this album name relates to her single teenage dream and will again attract her target audience and others who are familiar with the song.

The back of the digipak is in keeping with the candy theme, the candy floss clouds used for the background makes it easily identifiable that the album links with Katy Perry again as it refers to her single ‘California girls’. The font used for the song list also links with the candy theme, the majority of the font is similar to the font used for the artist name with a jelly font being used and the o’s are a similar font to the album name with a candy cane font being used. This said using a constant font makes the digipak look more professional and more appealing to a fan or perspective buyer. Again the candy font makes the artist seem unique while still relating to her single, making Katy Perry as a brand very recognizable and appealing to buy into. Finally the back of the digipak also contains a barcode and copyright and distribution information, which is a common convention of a digipak.

The middle section of the digipak shows a picture of Katy Perry lying on a cloud, this again links with the front of the digipak. The positioning of her body is very suggestive which again implies that the album is aimed at an older audience however the candyfloss clouds once again brings her target audience back down to a younger teenage demographic. The digipak also comes with a poster of the artist where we can see Katy Perry sitting with giant cakes; this compliments the front and middle sections of the digipak as it is in keeping with the candy theme. It also implies that the artist is aimed at a younger audience this contrasts with her facial expression and her body language, which is again quite suggestive, and appeals to a male audience. Finally the CDs in in the digipak have images of a sweet and a doughnut on it, which again links to the candy theme and gives Katy Perry as a ‘brand’ a unique image, which is distinctive to her.

Rihanna Digipak Analysis

For the front cover Rihanna has used a medium shot of her face and used a black and white filter suggesting a newspaper theme linking to the title ‘Talk That Talk’ which could be seen as a newspaper headline.  Rihanna has posed for this image with her mouth slightly ajar, creating a provocative vibe, which Rihanna is well known for. The lighting darkens her hair and emphasizes her face and neck and defining her features producing a glamorous and attractive image which would appeal to audience especially the male demographic. Rihanna has used a cool and urban styed image which links to the style of hip-pop she produces. They have also placed the title of the CD in small grey writing in the bottom of the screen, although this is atypical to have the writing so small, it could suggest that Rihanna just wants this CD to be identified by the main image as it is very strong.  The R in the top left corner emphasizes Rihanna’s brand, as it is a well-known icon in the font style that is linked to her.  

The back uses an image of Rihanna slightly slouched smoking creating what is seen as a ‘cool’ look. Her outfit consists of an adapted version of a suite and tie, however she has adapted it to a more relaxed and provocative look.  The animalistic zebra print could suggest a wild side to the album and to Rihanna. Atypically the name of the songs is printed in small font making it harder to read, however you can still tell they are the names of the songs due to the bright red colour of the font. It also contains the distribution and copyright information on the left side of the section next to the barcode, this is typical as theses two parts are normally small on the bottom of the cover.

The digipack also contains two posters of Rihanna; the first one on the left side is a black and white image of her posing in a once again provocative pose. This suggests she is appealing to the demographic that might see her as a sexual object. Her retro hair and outfit could suggest she is imitating the 1920’s pinup girl creating a desirable image. The second poster is a newspaper style with a headline and main image, it is the same image used on the front of the digipack and as the main image. The disc is also uses the image also follows the theme of the newspaper style, however it does not contain an image but the title and the song names.           

Britney Spears Digipak Analysis

The codes and conventions on the front cover of Britney Spears digipak are the artist name, album name and a photo of the artist. The artist name and album name are small and white and are in the top left hand corner, the colour white could be a representation of the artist’s purity. Additionally white is a colour which means starting a fresh, this could be associated with the artist as it is a greatest hits album to leave her released songs in the past before going on to future releases. The main focus of the front cover is the image of Britney where she is wearing black bra, a black leather jacket with a feathered collar and a pair of black hot pants, her costume contrasts with the text as they create the illusion of the artist being more dangerous and sexy. The contrast could be a representation of the change from old to new Britney in which she is leaving behind her childhood and venturing into adulthood. The image of Britney is on a mirrored silver background, the colour silver signals a time of reflection and a change of direction as it illuminates the way forward. This again relates to the idea of Britney growing older and reflecting on her past music releases.

On the back cover the codes and conventions are the song names, a barcode and the distribution information.  The back cover has white writing on a silver background, this would have been done for consistency with the front cover, this is to help ensure the product looks professional and gives the company behind it a good name.

The middle section of the digipak contains pictures of the single covers for all of the songs on the album. This may have been done to help the listener identify the songs they are listening to. Alternatively it may have been done to link with the idea of Britney reminiscing on the past.

The digipak contains two discs, one has the album name in white and a plain grey background, the other disc has the same writing and additionally ‘limited edition remix bonus disc’ but this time the background is grey and has images of Britney single covers on it. These images are the same as those on the middle section. The discs having different backgrounds would have been done to help differentiate the discs and therefore what the person is listening to. 

The front cover of the insert has the same image as the digipak front cover however this time the background is a matte grey as apposed to shiny silver. Grey is a colour, which is a transition between two non-colours, and this again is a representation of Britney’s transition between life stages.