10 Digipak Analyses for A2 Media Coursework.

2. 1. 50 Cent - Curtis
The black and white colour
scheme promotes a sombre
tone, perhaps suggesting that
this album will be darker.
The closeness of the face and
the use of the real name
converts an openness to the
album and suggesting that it is a
personal piece of work.
He is looking at us through
direct mode of address, and his
frown lines on his head perhaps
convey worry and anxiety.
The font of the album title
replicates that of tattoo font and
perhaps graffiti, this could be
hinting at the genre of hip-hop/
rap
A convention of the genre is lots
of money and accessories, which
we can see on the edge of the
cover, which is also showing part
of his name so it has a degree of
personal tailoring to it.
Interestingly, the album name is
the only piece of text we see, no
artist name. Clearly, if we see
the image of the artist, we know
who it is.
Under the album name, there is
a small crown which is
interesting as it is merely subtly
showing that he is the king of
rap.

3. 2. Chris Brown – F.A.M.E
Abstract and Colourful Artwork;
eye-catching.
The main, largest image of Chris
Brown dominates the album
cover, furthermore, he is looking
directly at the consumer
through direct mode of address,
The background is made up of
several different images of the
artist himself, which makes his
personal image unescapable.
This is combined with images of
cartoon images which reflects a
perhaps the light-hearted,
travail tone to the album.
The bottom of the main image which grabs our attention.
looks like dripping paint and
alongside the font of the text
showing the artist’s name and
the title of the album, looks like
graffiti - a convention of the hip-hop/
rap genre. This also is
perhaps something that he
enjoys doing himself (street art).
The whole digipak cover shows
more of the artist rather than
hinting at the tone of the album.
Through the direct mode of
address and the font scheme,
we can see hints to the genre,
but it is clear that he has
prioritised to promote himself
rather than the title of the
album - even though the album
name is the largest text we see
on the front cover.
There is a certain degree of
symmetry, which is more
aesthetically pleasing to look at
as everything is central
It is interesting that Chris Brown
relies on his image rather than
his name on the album, i.e. he is
clearly very well known in the
hip-hop/rap genre and we only
need to see his face to know
who he is.

4. 3. Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d City
The main image is cut in
polaroid fashion, which
promotes the idea of originality.
The album promotes a more personal theme.
Through the use of the average family car, parked in
an ordinary neighbourhood could be the artist
showing the audience where he grew up, which could
tell us that the album is also personal.
The use of the worn-white and
the fake crinkles at the top of
the image shows a degree of
wear and tear, which could be
sued to hint at perhaps an
unsettling album.
The background is a worn-white
colour, which makes everything
that has been layered on top of
it stand out even more.
The text is written in graffiti-like
style, which hints at a hip-hop/
rap genre. It is written fairly
small compared with the main
image but the font colour makes
it stand out.

5. 4. Lady Gaga - ARTPOP
The use of bright, striking
colours makes the album
extremely eye-catching and will
make the album stand out to
consumers.
The text is very striking, written
directly across the cover, it is
interesting that the artist name does
not cover the image of the artists,
perhaps converting how she is already
extremely famous and only needs her
face to be shown to be recognised.
The main image is a statue of
the artist Lady Gaga, which was
made by the very famous artist
Jeff Koons, which parallels the
apparent theme of art. The
statue is also looking at the
consumers through direct mode
of address, which draws people
in.
The album cover also has a near
symmetrical layout which also
makes it easier and more
aesthetically pleasing.
The interesting thing with this
cover is the blend of new and old
forms of art, which shows that
she wants to convey to the
audience that her music
incorporates all forms of art.
The background is made up of
different pieces of famous art,
which again strengthens this
focal theme of art.
The entire colour scheme and
design is almost very
‘information overload’ esq.

6. 5. Skepta – Doin’ It Again
The whole artist’s image is
extremely important here as his
entire body is on the cover,
dressed in stereotypical hip-hip/
rap style, clothing, low
jeans, high shoes and a
snapback cap. Again, he is
looking at the consumer
through direct mode of address
which shows how he is drawing-in
the album cover.
The background is plain white,
which makes the title, and
artists stand out even more.
The wear of the cover and the
way the artist is dressed could
perhaps hint at the tone and
genre of the album, both being
normally associated to the hip-hop/
rap genre.
The title is written in white on a
black strip which makes the title
and the artist’s name stand out.
The simplicity of the album
makes it stand out (contrasting
to very busy covers such as
ARTPOP).

7. 6. Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday…Roman Reloaded
The cover is very vibrant with
lots of colour splashes, which
could hint at a fun and lively
album to follow.
Interestingly, the image of the
artists does not look through
direct mode of address, but
slightly off of the camera.
The artist takes up a very large
part of the album cover, again
presenting the star image on the
cover of the music.
The overall colour scheme on
top of a plain white background
suggests that this could be an
upbeat, dance album but also
being slightly edgy through the
use of the artist’s pose.
The text is located at the top
and the bottom of the cover -
the album name is in different
font to that of the arts is as it is
larger and bolder. This could
mean that the artist wants to
promote the music as well as
herself.

8. 8. A$AP Rocky – LONG.LIVE.A$AP
Interestingly, the artist is not a
completely shown, as the artist
is cut in half and then placed
juxtaposed on the top and
bottom of the album.
The album has lots of symmetry,
with the artist placed directly in
the middle of the shot.
The album looks very hazy and
trippy, which perhaps a more
complex music scheme will be
used.
However, the album completely
in black and white, which
perhaps suggests the album is
darker and has a more sinister
side.
The fuzziness represents a more
rough side to the artwork which
suggests a more ‘hoodlike’
album of the hip-hop/rap genre.
Unlike normal hip-hop/rap
albums, the artist is not looking
at the consumer through direct
mode of address as the artist is
looking down, perhaps
reflecting a more sombre tone
to the album.

9. 7. Bastille – All This Bad Blood
The car overlooks a very
monochrome valley, with white
hills, contrasting to the car
which makes it stand out. The
whole image promotes mystery
and raises a lot of questions.
The album cover reflects that of
a movie DVD cover, perhaps
showing that this album perhaps
tells a story.
The main image is of a retro car
that is scuffed and looks like it
has been battered in some way.
The font of the album name and
the band name is very bold and
eye catching. It is also of note
that all the production and
almost credits of the album are
on the front of the cover.

10. 9. M.I.A - Mantangi
The main effect of the cover is
the fact that several filters and
digital effects have been used to
alter the colour, saturation and
overall tone of the original
picture. All this editing could
perhaps suggest that the album
is more electronic.
The direct mode of address is
very apparent with only the
head being seen in the entire
cover, the artist become
inescapable and also draws our
attention in through the deep
gaze.
Interestingly, there is no album
title or even artist name on the
cover, merely a face and a
symbol in the bottom right
corner. This adds mystery as well
as helps the face to lure us in.
This album cover looks rather
simplistic but actually can carry
a lot messages though very
subtle features.

11. 10. Beyonce - 4
Furthermore, the artist’s image
is actually layered on top of the
text which means the actual
sight of her is more stunning
and important than the name
itself.
The outfit the artist is wearing is
unconventional and minimal.
This could perhaps suggest that
she is ‘stripped’ down and this
album could be more open and
personal.
The artist’s name is put in bold
font and colour at the very top
of the album, promoting the
artist the most.
The title of the album is at the
bottom right corner which
again, makes the image of the
artist stand out and also
suggests that the artist is more
important than the album
name, having confidence that
by seeing the artist, you would
want to buy the album.
The simplicity of the plain
background makes everything
else stand out even more as we
pay more attention to the artist
and the text.
This album cover really does
present the ‘star image’ of the
artist using the low angle shot of
the artist. The cover looks up at
her, making her look powerful
and important.