Digipak Research - part 11

Jessie J - Who you are:

What strikes me about this advert is  the urban and youthful appeal that is created due to the graphically designed title. The gold effect that has been added to the title and also the over exaggerated font style provides many connotations of modern day youth with all of their 'bling'. The gradual fading of the gold colour grabs the audiences attention and funnels it into the centre of the advert where the album cover is placed. I love the basic font that has been used for the text 'OUT MONDAY' as it reinforces the urban theme with its graffiti style and the black provides a strong link back to the artist. The artists appearance has a vivid appeal towards the youthful generation with her gothic styling (black nails and lips) and the close up photograph simply showcases the artist.

Digipak Research - part 10

Beyonce '4' album:

This is the advert which accompanies Beyonce's most recent album '4'. For me this is a very striking poster as it is simple yet very powerful with the prominent image that is central to the layout. The overlay of the image on top of the artist's name gives the advert much more of a contemporary and professional appearance. The pose that the female artist is in is very high fashion and exudes femininity which is strongly linked with her unique outfit. The best aspect I find of this advert is its simplistic design - it isn't over crowded and this therefore enhances the visual impact upon the viewer. The 'out now' text stands is the first thing that hits you as it is in a vivid white colour which contrasts with the rich, black tone of her outfit. I also like the text used as it seems quite formal and yet provides a great contrast with the rest of the advert - the formal and controlled nature clashes with the ferocity and uncontrollable appearance of the female artist.

Digipak Research - part 9

Who The Hell Are You - Madison Avenue:

What I love about this booklet is the storytelling nature that it portrays through its high amount of photograhs that have been incorporated into its design. The front cover now emphasises the male DJ of the band as he is the most predominant aspect of the front cover photograph, the fact that he is looking directly at the viewer therefore draws you in and immediately captures your attention. The setting of the photograph (in a back of a car) provides us with connotations of the city - urban, industrial, modern and this setting I feel represents the bands unique style of music. The heavy use of the colour blue throughout the digipak enforces the more masculine nature of this CD, whereas with their first single the design of the booklet was more feminine with the pink and purple shades. The title of the song and band's name is much more noticeable in this particular design with the basic font style but in a crisp, white which contrasts well with the dark blue background. For the rest of the digipak we see a wide variety of photographs showcasing the band in a more slightly sexual manner and the cold blue and black theme is occassionally incorporated into the photo itself.

Digipak Research - part 8

Everything You Need - Madison Avenue:
What Not To Do

I don't really like this digipak simply because it looks rather cheap and slightly bizarre. What immediately sttikes me about it is the weird and in my opinion slightly disgusting pciture which has been used as the front cover. The female singer is in a tight, sequin outfit whereas the main in the background is standing there in a a plain blakc outfit. From this the two individuals do not look like a band at all, this I feel is also reinforced by the fact that there is more predominant lighting upon the female than there is the male - and this was the one major confusion with the band was that everyone thought that Cheyne Coates was a solo artist with a back up musician. The pose that she is in also makes her seem quite futile and may be considered as sexest as she is portrayed lower than he is - whereas in there first song 'Don't Call Me Baby' they are sitting side by side. The background of the photograph I think looks very cheap and 'tacky' as it doesn't suit the band's style and it just mkaes the quality of the cover look pretty bad. The one positive point which I have to say about this digipak is the font which is used throughout the enitre booklet - it follows the same concept as before, simple yet effective and especially as it is in this gold colour which makes contrast well with the white background.

Digipak Research - part 7

Don't Call Me Baby - Madison Avenue:

This is the album cover to the song that I am going to use for my music video. When I initially saw it I thought that it was a bit too plain and boring however as I look at it more I start to think that it maybe boring but it is also effective and is direct towards the viewer. In the centre of the cover we see the two band members in quite a normal looking photograph, allowing us to see what they look like. Then the rest of the cover is yet again simple - the text and font style resembles the normal 'Arial' or 'Candara' font on a word document but the dark colours used help make the wording stand out more for the viewer. The dusky pink colour used as a border for the photograph provides strong links with the female singer as she is wearing clothing in the shame shades of colour - connotation of femininity. For the rest of the digipak this colour theme is carried on with the pink and purple tones being used for the lyrics  however on the very last page there features a striking photograph of the lead female singer in a skin tight costume which reinforces the contemporary nature of the band but also emphasises her importance within the band as she seems to be the more predominant character. What I love about this digipak is its simple yet practical design - it may not be as creatively inspiring as more modern CD booklets however it does 'get the job done'.  

Digipak Research part 6

Madison Avenue - The Polyester Embassy:

The first thing that strikes me about this album cover is the unusual and heavily masculine background for the front cover image. The heavy use of metal for this image provides many urban and industrial connotations which contrast well with the high amount of femininity which is being exuded from the lead female singer. The simple, black costumes allow the band to be easily identifiable but it also unifies both of the characters representing them as one group. I love the font style used for the front cover as it reflects the urban theme of the background - the bands name at the top is bold with it being in the black banner and simple with the straight forward font style whereas the title of the album has a much bigger visual impact upon the viewer because of its placement, its size and its more contemporary font. The colour theme of black and beige are carried on throughout the entire booklet and this allows the pages to merge well together. The rest of the booklet is used mainly for the lyrics to their songs, therefore showing us that it is more practical than visual - this allows me to see the progression from earlier to later digipaks as now, in modern society, they are used more for promotion of the artist with the inclusion of many photographs of that band/artist. Overall I think this is a very good digipak, especially for this particular band as it strongly reflects them and what their music is about - the unusual and 'funky' design relate to the band's up tempo, hip hop and urban style of music.

Digipak Research part 5

Crazy Love - Michael Buble:

The first thing that strikes me about this album cover is the artists vivid glare directly at you. This immediately draws you in and captures our attention with the bright highlighting of specific areas of his face. The two yellow bars at the edge of the album help frame the central image and also funnel your attention into the centre of the page (which is the artist). The incorporation of his hands into the front image adds an element of surprise and yet again funnels our attention to the artist. Throughout the rest of the booklet we see a wide variety of photographs showcasing the artist but also showing off his unique and humourous personality. The font style also reflects the artist with it being contemporary but also quite 'relaxed' in appearance as it looks slightly like handwriting therefore reinforcing the simple nature of the design. The grey background keeps everything simple and yet clean, crisp and professional whilst also creating more focus for the text and photographs. In my opinion this is one of my favourite digipaks simply because it doesnt just show pictures of the artist, but it attempts to show the artist normally - without having to do extravagent photographs or include eccentric colours and fonts. As the artist is so 'down to earth' then this is what I feel they are tring to portray with this CD booklet.