The main purpose a digipak serves is to entice a consumer to buy into a product the artist is associated with. This therefore benefits the artist as it increases audience size listening to their created art form and are also engaging with photographs of them. It also allows the artist to be represented in a certain manner in aim to appeal to a particular target audience. Most digipaks are very personal to the artist themselves and often can consist of a lyric booklet which can also provide more artist photos (due to the demands of the record label) in addition to maybe personal stories from the artists point of view as well as 'thank you's' to family members, friends and fans, all of which can inspire them to produce music.
Overall, a digipak allows the audience to feel more connected with their favoured artist and in turn enjoy their music more so because they can relate to it.
Overall, a digipak allows the audience to feel more connected with their favoured artist and in turn enjoy their music more so because they can relate to it.
Primarily, a digipak differs to a CD album due to the vast amount of additional images we as a consumer are provided with.
Traditionally, a digipak has 6 slides and we as a group will echo this and produce a digipak of similar style, consisting of 6 slides (including the front cover, back cover, _______)
Unfortunately, I was unable to discover a digipak with 6 slides by an artist of the Indie genre, therefore, I had to settle with analysing just 4 slides. To confirm, we as a group will be creating a 6 slide digipak in aim to engage audiences with a visual experience in addition to the audio they will be enjoying simultaneously.
Representation of the music artist is a crucial contribution towards a successful digipak. On the inside cover, we are presented with an image of the artist holding a guitar, the central instrument to his music in addition to his soft medolic vocals; typical of the Indie genre. This therefore conforms to what audiences would expect from an Indie artist digipak as it uses clear examples of conventions throughout, specifically the use of a guitar as iconography which is highly recognisable within the genre. This image takes up 3/4 of the frame whilst the other 1/4 consists of the ongoing rural theme of leaves which acts as the digipak motif. Whilst this space allows the artist to be visible by audiences who chose to purchase the album/digipak, conventions of the Indie genre are still enforced by the naturalistic images of leaves. After conducting research on digipaks, I can confirm that it is conventional for an Indie artist to appear throughout in addition to various rural locations. Jack Johnson appears clearly just once, therefore breaking conventions. Despite this, the focus is mainly drawn upon the motif of leaves and trees shown in black which presents a stark contrast with the vibrant yellow which is involved within all 4 slides. These particular design and layout choices suggest that the artist does not believe it is necessary to follow conventions of his genre, hence why his physical exterior is minimally stated rather subtly. On the other hand, artists of the Pop genre, (Jessie J for example) involve large images of themselves through their digipaks which could suggest that they are selling themselves as a commodity rather than selling the art form they create and perform (evident in Dyer's Star theory) Overall, Jack Johnson is represented as a possibly inferred shy character with a hidden personality which could be a reason as to why audiences choose to buy his product in aim to get to know the ways in which he expresses his emotions: through his chosen art form of music of the Indie genre.
Colours used within the Jack Johnson digipak break conventions of a traditional digipak of the Indie genre. Although another male Indie artist Ed Sheeran uses the motif of bright orange due to his ginger hair throughout his digipak, female Indie artists such as Ellie Goulding use much softer/calmer colours such as white/cream, greys and other pale/pastel colours. Yellow connotes sunshine and happiness which are both explored throughout the lyrics of his most-respected song Better Together which tells a love story (hence the title) However, this brightness is darkened with the harsh, bold black used for the font throughout. This therefore presents a juxtaposition of colours therefore emotions too, suggesting good times aren't all that they seem with rough patches to come, lined in black ink. Black is also used to create the sihlouette image of what could be inferred to be the artist reaching up to a single tree which takes over a majority of the front cover, acting as the central focus. Black generally connotes mystery, grief and power and with those themes combined, creates an almost dramatic effect throughout the digipak whilst serving the purpose of contrasting the vibrancy of the bright yellow background. As the album is entitled In Between Dreams, the lexis 'In Between' could relate to the colour black as it holds negative connotations whilst 'Dreams' could suggest the colour yellow as both the colour and imagery of 'Dreams' are hopeful therefore positive. A dark green is also incorporated which hints masculine vibes which therefore provides the audience with a personal touch from the artist. This dark green harmonises effectively with the yellow. The CD itself is a slightly darker yellow (almost light orange) which makes it stand out from the remaining digipak elements.
The overall design/layout of the Jack Johnson digipak harmonise with the choice of images that the product consists of. Whilst the front cover consists of a silhouette image of a man picking off a leaf, it could potentially be the artist reaching for his dreams, finally grasping that final thing he needs to succeed off of the tree which could sutbtly symbolise the music industry as a whole. This image, though simple is effective as it shows the passion the artist has for nature and all things natural, also relating to the Indie genre as the music is meaningful, medolic and therefore natural as it is powerfully truthful, highlighting topics as conventional to personal emotions to the way in which society behaves, expects and judges.
The language combined with effective typography used throughout the Jack Johnson is very important as it informs the target audience. The typography throughout the Jack Johnson digipak is standard and appears visually simple in a rounded style. Due to it's mere simplicity, it is very conventional to the indie genre and therefore attracts the audience rather than distracting their attention from the images and vibrant use of unconventional colour throughout. By using a simple typography style, it suggests that the artist relies on his musical talent alone to express his emotions which become poignant and relatable to fans, further addressing the genre. Although the colour yellow is used throughout, the typography throughout is mainly black and white. This simple colour scheme is reliable to read efficiently and also follows the rest of the colour scheme, therefore it appears visually professional and stimulating, which may determine whether audiences chose to buy into the product or not. It is also important to highlight the fact that the entire digipak flows throughout and is not sectioned, it almost looks as if it is one final product rather than 4 singular slides acting individually. The style of language also serves the purpose of informing the audience of the artist and the Indie genre but also achieves the central purpose of persuading audiences to buy the product which comes along with the digipak. 'In Between Dreams' is what the album is entitled, which has a combination of positive and negative imagery with 'In Between' having implications of not quite gaining success whilst 'Dreams' suggests happiness and hope restored. This could symbolise the artists journey of how he ventured into the industry, with the 'Dreams' of him being in a good position to create and distribute his artistic work successfully. Other examples of complulsary information in addition to the album title is the artists name and the song titles involved within what the audience could potentially consider purchasing. The words 'SPECIAL EDITION' may excite audiences and make them feel like their experience as a consumer is exclusive and special and unlike the original edition. The somewhat 'SPECIAL' edition may also be more expensive, furthering the audiences almost 'V.I.P'/exclusive experience but this also allows the audience the freedom of choice to question whether they want the original/special edition (which may be determined by how big of a fan they are as an ultimate consumer being the prime factor of the artists success within the competitive industry) By incorporating simple, informative (carefully thought out) language therefore means that potential fans will spend minimal time reading information regarding the digipak, and in turn the audience are less likely to feel disengaged. This may also assist in persuading them to purchase the digipak.
How does the digipak promote the music genre?
Jack Johnson is an Indie artist of which digipak I have analysed in depth regarding the elements which combine to create recognisable conventions of the genre. The artists digipak promotes not only JJ as an artist but the genre of which he is associated with also. This is promotion is inserted through encouraging the audience to engage within his music and images relating to the thematical link of nature. Naturalistic images are enforced to present the simplicity of the Indie genre as they are loosely based upon realistic events of the artists life and experiences he as a person has endured which have shaped him and most imperatively to audiences; the music he creates too. This digipak particularly highlights the Indie genre as it is true to life; no over-complications are presented to the audience regarding 'fancy'/elaborate editing, despite the animated silohette which appears simplistic. This simplistity runs through the route of the use of real instuments; guitar and vocals as opposed to artificial/manufactured music created within the Pop genre which also includes synthesisers. Therefore, this digipak successfully promotes the Indie music genre as it offers a variety of elements in which conform to the audiences expectations which they can chose to fundamentally to engage with.
How does the digipak attract an audience?
This digipak of Jack Johnson's, an Indie artist who appeals to a niche audience, much like our chosen artist Nina Nesbitt initially attracts an audience via the vibrant yellow colour which is a motif throughout. If an audience member was in HMV or another CD distributing shop, this digipak would catch their eye due to the vibrancy; the yellow is pretty hard to ignore! Therefore, they may pick the copy up, look through the song list and make the desicesion whether to purchase the product or not... This digipak attracts audiences in two main ways. Firstly, it gives the audience a small representation of the artist as a conventional Indie artist and therefore, the audience then become familiar with her style, representation and overall image. Secondly, it attracts an audience through the vibrant colours and youthfulness of the design. It's simplistity is attractive because audiences are not bombarded with too much typography as the main focus is the eye-catching yellow in addition to the naturalistic images of leaves.
Although the artist is only briefly introduced/pictured, it follows conventions because the sole purpose of the artist and their priority should be to sell their music for people to enjoy rather than sell themselves through other sources of Media. All elements embedded within this digipak are conventional which allows the artist to be seen as appealing within the Indie genre. Although many may not have heard of this small Indie artist, many may know of his hit/ballard Better Together which may attract other audiences to become a fan of other of his songs and therefore, he will develop a loyal fan base and may become a larger and more recognisable Indie figure like Ed Sheeran, James Blunt or James Morrison.
The research I have conducted into the Jack Johnson digipak will help me when it comes to creating a digipak for my chosen artist. Not only has it provided me with a greater knowledge into digipaks as a whole, promotional tool, I have also learnt the high importance of the individual components needed to create a successful digipak for the Indie genre, with Jack Johnson's being a good example as it chooses to follow certain genre characteristics but break some boundaries too. By researching into digipaks, it has hopefully increased my chances of creating one for my artist successfully because I now know what to include and how particular elements will have profound effect on my target audience. The most important aspect to creating a successful digipak is ensuring it is easy for the audience targeted to understand the content and make it appealing so that they are persuaded to buy the product.
This post demonstrates an excellent understanding of what the purpose of a digipak is. You have analysed your chosen text in an excellent way and you have included a variety of examples, to support the points that you have made. You have also considered the purpose of the conventions and the role of the audience well.
ReplyDeleteWithin your summary, you need to consider what ideas/inspirations you have and how you visualise your own digipak to look like