3x15 descriptions of digipaks

1. A2 ARTIST ANALYSIS
By Daniel Soto-Llano

3. The front is very basic, using a
Polaroid picture (very common
in the 1980s) over a white
background. The writing on the
cover is handwritten, and this
emphasizes on the basic style
that she wants to employ, since
the cover is called 1989.
The white background could connote
peace, in addition to the doves on her
shirt. The filter used is vintage, and this
can connote that this cover is old-style.
Her youthful looks, red lip-stick and
her face powdered (almost blending in
with the background) shows that this
album is targeted to teenagers and
young adults
She is centered in the middle of the photo, and this shows
she is the main focus, so rather than talking about a
certain topic, the songs are most likely to be about her.

4. As with the front, the back is also white (and as mentioned before), white connotes peace. The colour scheme is very
minimalistic, having a white border, a white-silver main frame and black handwritten text. This adds simplicity, and this
goes with the theme of the 80s, when CD cover were simplistic and not as flashy as today’s. The numbers in the margin
are handwritten, and this allows it to be personal to the buyer.
In the picture, she is
centred in the middle
foreground, with her lips
and her body cut off,
showing only her eyes. The
vibrant gold colour of her
hairs, and her eyes being
visible (her face blending
with the background)
could suggest a sexual
stare. Her youthful looks
further suggest that this
cover is aimed towards
young adults and teens,
however, she is not posing
in a revealing dress, or
doing a sexual pose, so this
connotes innocence.
The typography looks like
Impact, the letters are all
capitals, joined with
handwritten text which is
significantly bigger than
the typed text, and this
diverts your attention to
the numbers

5. As with the front and back cover
of Swift’s album cover, it uses a
very calm colour scheme, opting
for light blue, pure white, blended
in the middle to give an ethereal
effect of purity. Doves connote
peace and purity, and in both
Christianity and Judaism,
symbolises love. As soon as we see
the image, we can instantly know
what genre the music is, due to
the peacefulness of the CD cover.
There is no main typed words
on the CD cover (the border not
included). Instead, the title of
the CD is handwritten, and so is
the artist name (T.S. = Taylor
Swift, D.L.X = Deluxe) and this
makes it personal to the buyer,
as if the CD was homemade and
was given to them as a present.
Since it adds a personal element
to the album, it makes it more
memorable to the user, and
therefore they will be more
likely to listen to the CD.

6. Bruno Mars
(Doo-Wops And Hooligans)

7. Front cover
Instantly, at first glance, it
gives the sense of nature
(natural world). Many objects
and animals are yellow, such
as bananas, bees, sunflowers,
lemons and obviously, the Sun.
It could show that the artist is
down-to-earth, since yellow is
the most luminous colour in
the spectrum. This gives the
audience a feeling that he’s
easy going, and well-
mannered, therefore a person
is more likely to listen his CD.
The layout is very simple, using
a two-coloured scheme of
yellow and yellowish white. The
typography is very 60s, and very
retro. This also gives the idea
that he’s a very retro artist,
being a very different artist who
is not generic.
The figure of him, wearing his trademark fedora, is very miniscule. In the background, you can see a rocket flying,
and Mars is embarking on a journey of walking towards that rocket. His figure is shadowed, and you cannot see any
prominent features, showing a sense of independence. The colour scheme of yellow shows that there isn’t a specific
gender he is targeting, meaning that it appeals to both genders

8. Back cover
Trying to keep the retro style in
his album cover, the back cover is
also yellow. The main circle being
a yellowish white colour, with the
name of the songs included. There
are no capital letters in any song
name, and the font is bold, but not
sharp, giving a sense of calmness
and also that it’s laid back.
The titles are not numbered,
instead, it is one song under
the next and this makes it
very simple. There is no need
to see what song is what
number, instead, the listener
will listen to all the songs.

9. CD
The CD resembles that of an
old-fashioned vinyl CD. It is
plain, with the figure of Bruno
Mars as a miniature figure.
This is because he is a
prominent singer, and
therefore the audience will
already know who he is. The
layout is very simple, with no
text and this keeps it basic.

11. The scenery in this image is
busy, having lots of objects such
as buildings, bricks, and
obviously, the singer. The
typography is Impact, having all
capital letters and this
emphasises on the text, making
it stand out, especially as it has
a high contrast from white to
brown.
The top left frame is a shot
of a building, possibly
making it seem local and
urban looking. The bottom
right frame is of Harris,
looking away from the
camera and seemingly
busy as he plays with his
hands. The title of the
album, and his pose signify
a sense of mystery. 18
months of what? This
intrigues the audience and
therefore they would want
to find out.
The use of brown signifies a very busy life. Construction workers work on sites, which is typically working on bricks
and placing them until they make a wall. The unfinished wall could possibly represent something about his life, that
his life is hit a stop.

12. The image used for
the back cover is very
similar to the one in
the front. This shows
that there is a
recurring theme of
isolation, especially
since a wide shot is
used, and he’s the
only one in it. The
numbers in the
margin are the same
font as the song
titles, and this shows
that the songs are
most likely to be
similar in tone

13. The high contrast of black
and white make it very
easy to look at, and
distinguish the artist
name. The typography is
Impact, meaning that all
the letters are capitals,
this gives a sense of power
as all the letters are rigid
and bold.
The simple font
make it very
distinguishable,
and since it covers
the whole CD, it is
very ‘in-your-face’
while also being
simple.

14. AVICII (TRUE)

15. FRONT
The colour scheme is a
very basic, but the highest
contrasting colours in the
spectrum, having white
text on a black
background, which makes
it very easy to see, and the
text is very big and bold
His shadow is in the centre, in all
grounds. The artists name is in small
letters right under the title, and
therefore it won’t be easily read as
the title. His use of his shadow as
the main subject could emphasise
on his popularity, since he doesn’t
need his name covering the
album to say who he is.

16. BACK COVER
As with the front cover,
the back sticks to the
colour scheme of black
and white. It could be
very useful to visually
impaired people, and
the layout will look
simple, but bold, and this
use of contrast can show
that it appeals to all
audiences
Instead of the usual
number in the margin,
Avicii’s album shows
how long the song’s
duration is. This could
be helpful to some as
they can see which
songs they can finish
quicker if they have
somewhere to go.

17. CD
As Avicii is a DJ, he
makes the quirky
element of making
the CD for the
album reminiscent
of a vinyl CD, which
DJs scratch on
when using a
turntable. This can
make it humorous
and make the
audience feel as if
they too can be
DJs.
The simple
typography, in
addition with the
high contrast of black
on white can make it
memorable to the
audience. The simple
touch of the CD
looking like a vinyl
DJs’ use, it can make
it personal to the
listener.

19. The most, and probably the
only focus in the image if
the picture of a tiger roaring
violently. The colours blend
well with the typography,
which looks like Impact,
but hollowed out, allowing
the tiger’s fur colour to fill
the gap. The banner of the
band’s name and album
name covers the tiger’s eyes,
which could connote
violence and, the fact that it
says ‘This Is War’, could
show that it is attacking.
The use of the tiger could
mean that the music that
the band make could be
‘ferocious’
The figure of the tiger
covers all grounds, and this
shows that it is the main
theme of the album.
Although it doesn’t feature
any songs about tigers, the
theme is about strength,
courage and fierce.

20. As mentioned with
Avicii’s album, it has
a very high contrast
between colours.
This album has black
text on a white
background, and the
most prominent
figure is the triangle,
which is the band’s
icon. This can show
that they only need a
simple picture and
they are immediately
recognised.
The typography
underneath the
icon is subtle, and
very neatly typed.
The numbers are
put just before the
title, and the song
names are not in a
vertical list, but
instead, right next
to each other. This
makes it simple
for the audience to
view.

21. As shown in the back cover
of the album, it uses the
band’s icon as the main
image. Around the borders
show the band name, and
the top vertex points
straight to their name, and
this can show the audience
who they are, without
needing the write the whole
band name in big, bold
letters. This shows that they
are not too focused on
making people know who
they are, but the audience
can find out for themselves.
The triangle is a dark
blue against a white
background. The
colour blue signifies
loyalty, responsibility
and trust, and this
gives an idea to the
audience about who
they are, and how
they behave. Since
they are not a loud,
annoying rock band,
the audience may
respect them for their
integrity.