Similar Products - CD Digipaks

I have been researching designs for CD digipaks and I have been looking specifically at album artwork from similar artists of the same genre. I have been looking at these pieces of album artwork to get some inspiration for designs for my own album artwork. I would like the album artwork to reflect the star image of the artist as I believe that this is important so that fans can get an idea as to what the artist is like. 

ALBUM ARTWORK 1

The album artwork that I have been looking at firstly is TapeFive's album artwork for their most recent album,Circus Maximus. The album artwork shows a man sitting on a smart chair pointing towards the camera and he looks as though he is high in authority. I like the use of this imagery as I believe that it grabs the audience's attention and makes them curious as to what the artist/album is like. I also like the use of the font for the album title as the font is slanted and almost of a calligraphy style which contrasts the harsh, bold letters for the band name that are placed vertically down the side. I like the use of the neutral colours as I think that this adds to the element of mystery which ties in nicely with the name of the album. 

In addition, I also like the 1920's style that come across through the use of the top hat, cane and fancy chair as I believe that this reflects an older era which is something that I am considering for our album artwork as this will reflect the 1920's element in our music video. I think that this style of album artwork would be good as the imagery is strong and conveys a strong and clear message to the audience, however it is also ambiguous as you are not sure who the man is on the chair and whether he is the artist or just used for the imagery. I believe that the album artwork reflects the star image that is shown within the website as the same imagery and colour scheme is used and both the album artwork and the website portray the fact that the artist is successful, powerful, independent, has success against the odds and is both extraordinary and ordinary and this shown through the strong pose that the person on the album artwork is doing. 

 I would like the take some inspiration from this album artwork such as the use of neutral colours as I believe that this would work for our album artwork as it would reflect the time period that we used within our music video and therefore would tie the parts of the campaign together. 

 

ALBUM ARTWORK 2

The second piece of album artwork that I have been looking at is PostModern Jukebox's album artwork for The Essentials. I really like this artwork as it is simplistic, clear and ties in nicely with the website for the band. I particularly like the fact that the same imagery is used in the website and the artwork as this ties the different parts of the campaign together as well as the fact that it means that there is common theme and therefore the star image is shown in all of the different parts of the campaign. 

I really like the fact that the band are not featured on the artwork as it gives them an organic look which is what i want to create for my album artwork. Another thing that I really like about this album artwork is the 1920's style that is created through the boarder and the font as well as the colour scheme which makes it appear very upper class and posh. I like the use of the imagery of the microphone as this reflects the the 1920's era and a classic vibe as well as being reflective of the genre of elector-swing. 

I believe that this album artwork reflects the same star image that is reflected in the website for this band which is along the lines of successful, powerful, creative, original as well as being organic in their nature and this is reflected in the fact that they are not featured on the album artwork. 

I was very inspired by this album artwork as I was drawn to the colour scheme which is very smart and clear to the audience. I think that this colour scheme would work very effectively for my artist as it would look very classic and stand out for an audience. I also like the imagery of the microphone as I believe that it reflects the genre well and it would work well for my album artwork. 

ALBUM ARTWORK 3

This is the final piece of album artwork that I had a look at during my research process which is Parov Stelar's album cover for The Demon Diaries. I don't really like this album artwork as I don't believe that it reflects the genre of elector-swing or gives the right impression as to what the star image is for the artist.

I think that the use of the washed out, crackled background effect makes it appear as though it is of an indie genre and the use of the imagery of the crow and the person looking are very ambiguous and could be confusing for the audience. That being said there is similar imagery used on the artist's website and so it could be argued that the star image is carried across the different products. I think that the star image of the artists reflects the fact that they are successful, creative and original. However I believe that this album artwork suggests that they have success against the odds and that they are weak and their music is sad and slow rather than upbeat and funky. 

I like the use of the font in this album artwork as I believe that it is clear and strong and therefore easy on the eye for the audience, however on my album artwork I would like the font to be a lot larger than this so that it stand out for the audience. 

Overall, I'm not particularly fond of this album artwork as I think that it doesn't reflect the genre of music that the artist produces and I think that it is too ambiguous and doesn't reflect the star image of the artist. The only thing that I like about this album artwork and that I was inspired by and would like to carry forward when designing my own album artwork for my artist would be the font that they used as it is strong and powerful and therefore would reflect the star image of my artist. 

From this research into CD Digipaks it has helped me to identify the conventions that are used as well as the typical fonts that are utilised for these products. I have realised that I am  able to link the image and design for the front cover with the intentions and themes for the music publicity campaign as well as presenting the star image of the artist through the CD Digipak due to the fact that this is a way of marketing the product. This research has also helped me identify the fact that the CD album is the product that is to be sold to the audience and therefore it has to be visually striking as well as intriguing for the viewer/audience.