Digipak Analysis

As part of this assignment we must create a digipak that represents the concept we have created for the 'Tempered Tides' music video. As a result I have examined.

Coldplay - Viva La Vida (or Death and All His Friends)

This digipak for the Coldplay album Viva La Vida uses a style emulating its central theme of freedom and revolution. Taking the spanish title which translates to 'Live the Life", the front cover is an 1830 painting of the French revolution titled "Liberty Leading the People" by Eugene Delacroix, complete with the image of the figure Liberty facing a French flag in a battlefield. The title is painted over the top roughly and with other accompanying spatters of white paint, reflecting the rebellious theme further whilst also tying the historical elements to the 21st century.

The text and font on the back cover and one of the inside panels is a continuation of the theme, resembling gold engraving with an old-fashioned font and a formal, minimal design.

As the band don't appear on the front cover or other panels, one interior panel is dedicated to showing all 4 members of the band in performance on stage. The use of pictures of the band in performance befits the indie rock genre where the music is the key focus rather than the band members, so the grittier photos inside are more befitting than, say, a photoshoot image of the band.

Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions

This digipak breaks away from some of the norms of classic indie rock designs. For starters the colour scheme suggests more of a pop genre as it clears shows a strong focus on blue, red and green. This gives off a lighter tone whereas indie rock is often darker. However, once you take a closer look the image itself shows a darker message than first thought. To begin with, the sky is fairly dark therefore giving off a slightly negative tone which is often portrayed in indie music. This feeling is emphasised by the fire which can be seen in the background. This visual element links to the title of the album "Only Revolutions" which suggests violence and rebellion. Fire is therefore a stereotypical image of these acts. The bright colours I mentioned earlier are also shown to illustrate a divide. The two flags show a difference between the two pictured figures. This links to indie music because it creates an underlying theme of conflict which is also a common theme in indie music. Especially the conflict between partners.

The inner sides of the packaging also show this divide and conflict as each side shows one of the flags from the front cover. One shows the O from Only and the other the R from Revolutions. These letters therefore can symbolise two sides of this divide as they appear on separate sides of the album.
The font used on this digipak is an example of iconography for Biffy Clyro as they uses this font for all of their products and promotions. It is very minor however as it is very small and put at the very top of the case therefore suggesting it is insignificant and that the image itself represents the band and their meaning in a better way than the titles can.

 Kasabian - Empire

Kasbian is an indie rock band and this is clearly reflected in the design of their digipak which sticks to the common grungy themes of this genre, created by the clear contrast of styles in the primary image. The image itself looks like a painting, emulating the style of renaissance artwork through the use of muted colours and soft edges which is heavily contrasted with the text which sits directly through the middle.

The font is that of the band's own logo and is sans-serif, immediately contrasting with the elegant, artistic picture in the background, instead being harsher and more futuristic. The black text colour also contrast with the lighter and softer tones in the rest of the image, causing the band's name to appear more stark and noticeable in the images with the black font. This makes the name stand out so it isn't overpowered by the image on the front and makes it very clear who the album is by in the absence of any actual pictures of the band. However, on the very front panel they have decided to use a more golden tone for the text colour which creates a more cohesive and unified image which is initially presented to it's audience.

The name of the album is written on a ribbon across the image in a font typical to renaissance literature. This connotes that the image on the front is directly related to themes and songs in the album, bringing the two clearly contrasting ideas together. The look of the ribbon around the picture along with it's soft edges are also comparable to stereotypical tattoos, especially with the colours used on the cover which resemble ink on skin. This further adds to the edginess of this album cover, appealing to their target audience and creating an easily recognisable image, making the album more memorable.

There is a clear contrast being made here between new and old, most obviously with the old image and new font, but also within the wider look of medieval imagery contrasted against this relatively modern band. It definitely makes for an edgy, memorable look which will help with the promotion of the music as people will be more aware of the album as they're more likely to notice the cover. The off-white colouring of the album itself also adds to the grungy feel of the digipak and avoids the connotations of purity and innocence presented by white, instead creating a more unfinished, well used effect which is commonly seen in the rock genre.

The 'K' signs in the top left and bottom right corner are denoted to be symbols from playing cards by the club signs underneath. The card 'king of clubs' could relate to the band's album name - Empire - through it's suggestion of power and ruling whilst also linking to the band's own name with the 'K' possibly standing for Kasabian. The use of playing card imagery also links to the edgy feel of the album as cards are linked with gambling which has negative connotations, inevitably making it attractive to those who want to defy social standards. The king is also the best card in the pack, connoting winning and success which further link to the album name 'Empire'.

The band themselves are not on the cover of the digipak which suggests that the band wanted to avoid the idea of star status, instead focussing the cover on their music and the tone of their songs. This sends a positive message to fans as it suggests the members of the band are not in it for fame, but instead to do what they love by making the music.

On the inside panels there are hand-drawn images of the band members faces, carrying through the theme of tradition. It also makes it feel more personal as the image looks as though it could've been drawn by a band member, putting a personal stamp on the album and making it special for fans. They have continued the use of very minimal colour through to the inner panels which creates a cohesion throughout the digipak so it looks like a complete unit. This also adds to the simplicity of the inner design and the hand-drawn feel that's created.
Overall this is very in-keeping with the rock genre, sharing the typical 'grungy' and 'edgy' looks seen across other bands in this genre but staying unique through their unconventional use of white rather than darker base colours. This album is made to stand out through the use of the renaissance style painting but keeps relevant through the blazon depiction of the band name in the comparatively modern font, ensuring it still appeals to their target audience.