What is a Digipak?
Digipak is a physical package invented in 1974 by a Dutch company Philips that changed the way CDs were packaged and sold. The original package, the jewel case was designed by Peter Doodson, who named it the jewel case because light from certain angles when it is picked up.
This new cardboard design replaced the old Jewel cases as it provides better stability and more environmentally friendly materials. It holds the CD with an internal plastic holder which significantly reduces plastic usage in this new design. A digipak can come in different numbers of panels incorporating various panels and booklets such as 4, 6, or 8-panel sleeves that can hold multiple discs.
PURPOSE OF A DIGIPAK?
The purpose of a digipak is more than physical packaging. The design combines functionality, aesthetics, and environmental considerations to enhance the overall experience of physical media consumption.
1. Aesthetics:
- The design features the artist and serves an engaging visual purpose. This not only promotes an artist’s image but also showcases the diverse style they can portray. This may appeal to and intrigue their targeted audience and as a result, create a stronger connection between artists and the audience.
2. Supplementary items
Often digipaks come with supplementary items such as booklets, inserts, and lyric sheets that provide information about the music’s creation process and background. These items would be considered collections for fans which further enhance the immersive and interactive experience fans have with the artists.
3. marketing & promotion
Digipaks are physical copies that are sold in-store with distinctive designs that provide a new experience for audiences. This is an alternative approach for music lovers who like to make collections and enjoy gathering additional small artwork items from their favorite artists. This essentially is an additional way to generate more profit not only from online streaming.
4. Eco-friendly
As people are more aware of sustainability, digipaks serve practical benefits. Compared to the previous jewel cases, cupboard designs use biodegradable materials which minimises the pollution created. Additionally, the structural design of Digipaks saves and maximises space usage by introducing multiple folds and panels.
CODES AND CONVENTIONS
A digipak usually contains 4-6 panels with a front cover, back cover, spine, and disc impression. Images contained revolve around a shared theme that represents the artist and aligns with the song’s genre.
Digipack layout:
Front Cover
- picture of the artist that relates to the song
- the name of the album and the artist
- logo
Inside Left
- photos of the artist
- information about the artist
- sleeve with booklet and lyrics inside
Inside Right
• holds the disc
Back Cover
- Contains the lists of tracks
- Barcode
- Distributor information
- Band website
- Production credits
Spine
- Name of the record company and their logo
- Artist name
- Album name
- Serial Number
Genre specific example:
Billie Eilish's "Don't Smile At Me" is an EP released in 2017 and categorized as the Alternative genre. The cover photo establishes her unique visual identity which is portrayed in her music as well.
Camerawork
This is a Full Shot of Billie Eilish in a studio setting, fully displaying her character established. The camera captures an eye-level shot of her sitting in the center of the image, and at the bottom half of the frame creating balance.
Mise én scene
During a short interview, Billie mentioned that her inspiration for her album cover just came up with it without thinking of anything else.
“I was like ‘I wanna be in a yellow room, on a red ladder in a red outfit and a thousand chains. And so, I did it.”
There are no complex props or other elements in the image which displays a minimalist style that draws attention to her, creating a direct and personal connection with the audience.
The overall image is dominated by bright red and light yellow which makes her stand out from the image. The lighting is natural but bright enough that the details of the subject are captured.
- Red symbolizes strength, passion, and danger.
- Yellow symbolizes warmth, but also deception and caution.
Her costume is stylish which is indicated by her oversized clothing, leathered boots, and fishnet stockings that are often associated with being fashionable and sexy. This portrays her unique character and authenticity as a musician. Her choice of costume reflects her attitude towards life which probably inspired her fans to be bold and authentic as well.
The other distinctive colour in this image is her blonde hair, which is not her natural hair colour. Her decision to dye it blonde was inspired by an edited photo of her by a fan and she believed it ‘looked sick’ and went for it. This act displays her free-living personality. On the other hand, Dyer suggests the Paradox of the Star theory, that a star image simultaneously has two contradictory representations, and a star image is manufactured and artificial. For instance, in the case of Billie Eilish, she is not naturally blonde but dyed her hair which implies that her image is artificial.
The cover depicts Billie sitting underneath a ladder with her hands tangled in the gold chains around her neck. The colour gold represents purity, wealth, and prosperity. Gold chains therefore indicate people’s social status and power. Hence, by grabbing the gains in her hands, hints as if she has control and holds the power in her life. The idea of gold chains is also referenced in her song ‘Hostage’: “Gold chain beneath your shirt The shirt that you let me wear home.
Superstitiously, walking under a ladder is known to be bad luck. Therefore, this choice of positing props may reflect the misfortunes that take place throughout the duration of the EP. Furthermore, linking back to her album’s name: ‘Don’t Smile at Me’ is what she feels and wants to address to her audience.
She said “I hate smiling. It makes me feel weak and powerless and small.”
The theme throughout this album holds a sense that Billie is very mature for her age (16 when she released this album) and she has her choice and control over life as she puts her bold idea of pop as she debuted in the music industry. Overall, a moody, introspective, and unique atmosphere is established through her serious and careless facial expression which aligns with the theme of this EP, emotional complexity and independence. This portrays her youthful rebellion which made her targeted audience feel relatable mostly she targets teenage girls.
Typography & Language
All writings such as album title, song lyrics, production credits, and so on all written in San serif typeface which is considered to be more modern, direct, clean, and minimal which matches the overall style of the album.
Layout
The design of the digipak is simple and minimalistic. The overarching mood established is dreamy, depressing, enchanting, and haunting which made her music so retable to her audience as she portrayed her authentic self through it.
The front cover: photo of her underneath the ladder with a red sticker with both her and the album name introduced.
The back cover: shot in the same studio and costume but in an abstract pose on the ladder. Her face is covered by her hair and gold chains which reflects her unique way of showcasing her character.
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