Digipak analysis

A digipak is a often used for a special edition CD packaging. They are typically in a style of a book. Majority of the time, a digipak will be a paperback CD. A digipak is beneficial for a indie artists because it is cheaper to produce.

From my analysis of this digipak I have identified the typical codes and conventions such as a bar code, parental advisory sticker and a promotional sticker in the top right hand corner.

In Katy Perry's digipak there are close up, high angle medium shot and a long shot. The close up portrays Katy to appear seductive to the audience as she is wrapped up in candy floss whilst naked and is wearing red lipstick which is seen to be a passionate loving colour. In the high angle medium shot it makes Katy look less powerful but this is contrasted by her resting on the props which are cakes, this suggests she is more powerful than she looks because she has the capability of using the cakes to hoist her up. The long shot has Katy Perry on the same level as the audience, this emphasises her normality to her fans as she believes she can be on the same level as them, this may be because of her childhood as she lived a normal life with strict Christian parents which may make her feel like she can relate to her fans.

She has two CDs in this digipak, one which is pictured to be a donut and the other one to be a spiral of candy canes. This links in with the candy floss flowing throughout the packaging. This emphasises the sweetness of Katy Perry. However, this is juxtaposed by the parental advisory in the corner as this outlines that her music is explicit and Katy isn't as sweet as she makes out to be.

From my analysis of Rihanna's digipak, I have recognised typical codes and conventions which are a main image, an album name and the artists name. In this digipak, Rihanna's looking down in the extreme close up which could suggest that she is in a dream or emphasise that her music has a powerful meaning behind them. In the high angle panoramic shot it displays how Rihanna is spread across a bed of roses which highlights her power as roses are flowers which are covered in spikes but she seems fearless of the fact that they may be able to hurt her. The roses are seen as delicate and fragile which can show that Rihanna isn't as strong as she makes herself out to be. She is wearing a white dress which illustrates that she is pure and angel-like.

The artist's name "Rihanna" is at the top of her album to show her importance because if it was portrayed in a hierarchy, she would be the most powerful. The album is called 'LOUD' which suggests that she has outgoing music that everybody can join in with. If 'LOUD' was also put into a hierarchy it would be at the bottom which is the element that everybody should have in their life which emphasises that Rihanna believes everybody should have her album 'LOUD'.

The main colours used are pink red and white. The denotation of the colours pink and red both suggest she is feminine and passionate. The denotation of the colour white represents purity and honest.  The colour red is used continuously over the digipak. For example her hair, lips and roses are all red. This could highlight that Rihanna is aiming to be seductive to the audience as red is seen as a seductive colour.

This digipak is of Avril Lavigne's album. Throughout the digipak I instantly realise typical codes and conventions of a digipak. For example, the use of a structured colour scheme, the folding covers like a book and mini images which promote something else within the digipak. She uses the colours black and pink through out. These are both very bold, outstanding colours. The denotation of black is danger and fierceness whereas this contrasts with the denotation of pink as it is a very girly, loving colour. This could suggest that she is an easy person to love as well as loving her music but you don't want to cross her bad side. This links to the use of a skull and cross bones within a heart which highlights the elements of love and danger. The skull and cross bones are used throughout the digipak which could suggest that she is trying to get the message across that she loves being dangerous. In the first section of the digipak, Avril is looking down and it is taken from a low angle which expresses her power over the audience. Her hands are positioned on the top of her head to show that she is positive as her arms are open which emphasises her loving side. In the right image, Avril has her arm spread up to her head again which illustrates the positivity being carried through the digipak and her music. It is a close up angle which is taken at a high angle to show that she is trying to be seductive to the audience. The CD is designed to resemble a record which highlights that she is into dated music and not recent music.