Digipak analysis - Miss Miller.

The purpose of a digipak is to give the target audience and fans a further insight into the music artist. The digipak provides the fans with detailed information about the artist and album itself, this can include how the album was made and also the lyrics to some of the songs. A digipak is seen of being a much more exclusive product than a usual jeweled CD case as it provides the audience with a greater insight into the artist. Giving the audience the option to purchase a digipak allows them to feel although they are buying into the lifestyle of the artist. I have chosen to analyse David Guetta's digipak as I could not find one for Sub Focus. I chose David Guetta as he is from the same genre as my artist and I can therefore apply his digipak to my artist. 

In this digipak David Guetta is being represented as a cool artist. This representation is created through him wearing sunglasses, this portrays him as being an artist who is up to date with the latest fashion trends, making him appealing to the target audience. Furthermore the image of him on the front cover depicts to the audience that he is laid back as he does not look like he is posing for the picture. The artist isn't facing the camera in the image which shows he is mid action, and trying to leave some aspects of his image hidden from the audience, urging the audience to purchase the product so that he can reveal himself more. He is also being represented as a stereotypical DJ as DJ's often wear sunglasses when they do their sets to protect their eyes from the strobe lights, this allows the target audience to clearly see that the artist and product is from the dance genre and it will therefore attract fans of the genre. As already established there is only one image on the digipak, this is quite unconventional for any artist as digipaks often come with the advantage of displaying the artist through more and better quality images. However, here there is only one image which could be seen as a disadvantage, but some would argue that is shows that the artist does not want to be mainstream by over populating his digipak with images to show himself off.  The choice of clothing worn by the artist are very basic and simple; a basic t-shirt and glasses makes it easy and simple for the target audience and fans to imitate the look of the artist and dress like him themselves. This also will appeal to the target audience as it shows that the artist is very much alike them so they can therefore relate to him more. The image of the artist is in the colour grey, again this means that he is hiding some of his identity to the audience which urges them to find out more about him. 

The connotations of this digipak is that the artist is making happy and upbeat music. This is connoted through the use of bright colours such as red and yellow which are related to happiness. This connotation is likely to persuade the audience to purchase the album as the feel good factor is a strong convention of the dance genre. Furthermore the black and white colouring surrounding the artist connotes that David Guetta is attempting to be original. The colour gold used on the front cover also connotes the sense of being rich or wealthy, suggesting that the artist is successful and their music will be enjoyable because of his success as an artist; these connotations encourage audiences to purchase the product as to see what would be on the album. Again this connotation makes the artist appealing to the target audience as they can aspire to be as successful and wealthy as him. Furthermore the digipak includes two discs which is unusual as they normally include one. From this the audience can connote a number of things, such as the artist is so successful that he needs two discs to put his songs on. It also allows the audience to feel although they are getting more for their money.

The layout of the digipak is simple, as it includes the basic content of a digipak and is not cluttered with information. There is the front cover, the disc holders and a track list for both CDs on the back. This implies a form of sophistication which would appeal to an older audience. The layout is fun and bright due to the use of colours but it doesn't come across as childish because of its simple, stylish layout. The product also stays conventional by including a track list on the back of the digipak, providing the audience with a list of songs which will be on the album. The tracklist is clear and easily recognisable on this digipak which is important as it is what will persuade the audience to purchase the digipak. Also we can see that the artist is not positioned centrally on the front cover of this digipak, this is not what you would expect to see. This shows that the artist is going against the conventions and attempting to be different, Futhermore this shows that the artist does not want to be the main focal point of the cover and would rather let his music take the main stage.

The typography used in a digipak plays a very important role in attracting people to purchase the product. The typography used in this digipak consists of the artists name and album name. For the artists name we can see that he has used a recogniasable font that is often related to himself, this makes it more recognisable for the audience and they can easily see that the digipak belongs to him. The font he has used for his name is also somewhat diverse as the "A" is missing the arch. This informs the audience that the artist is attempting to be diverse and therefore means that he is conforming to the dance genre which will attract dance fans. The other typography is evident in the title of the album. The choice of font here matches the dance music genre, it is writing in a graffiti style which also matches the artist image on the digipak which is meant to be 'cool', this encourages buyers of the product as they will feel they own a cool product ultimately making themselves slightly 'cooler' by listening to the album and consuming the artist's products. Futhermore it also allows a potential consumer to identify that the album belongs to the dance genre. 

The digipak that I have analysed does not belong to the artist that I have based my project around, however analysing it has helped me develop my understanding of digipaks and how they attract an audience. I will take inspiration from the artist image that has been created within this digipak, attempting to create a cool image surrounding my artists through the use of imagery. In this digipak its also clear that the dance music genre keeps a lot a mystery from the target audience to encourage them to buy the product. If the artist does unconventionally feature on the digipak, I will use dark colours, glasses or positioning to make sure not too much is revealed and keep the audience wanting to find out more.