Digipak Analysis

1. Digipak Analysis

2. Graduation

3. Here you can see the bear that
features on many of Kanye West’s
albums, this is an iconic symbol
that tells the audience whose
Digipak they are buying.
The bling and the
classic type of
clothing suggests
what genre this
music will be.
Commonly bling
and the type of
shoes and
clothing will
convey a hip-hop/
rap genre.
The image of the sky and the sun dawning highlights a positive
tone for the Digipak and enforces this idea of progression.
Moreover, it could be argued that it represents the dawning of
Kanye West’s new album, making it more of a collectable. This
is further reinforced with the bear, as it represents his Kanye’s
work, making it more appealing.
Here we can see a
bunch of people
who are graduating,
and celebrating,
this not only gives
off a good feeling to
the Digipack, but
also relates directly
to the album name
‘Graduation’, which
helps promote the
album even more
and increase its
profit.
The vast array of colours and shapes appeals to the audience and makes it stand out much more, and
gives it a more psychedelic feel. In addition to this, the use of having a cartoon on the front cover
makes it more interesting for the audience, as it is more unconventional and different to the usual
covers you see in this type of genre, of the artist as the central focus of the image and it being more
dark and mysterious

4. American Gangster

5. The use of the light in the background creates this sense that
Jay Z (who we can assume is the centre image) is almost this
Godly figure, and creates almost this hopeful tone, that he is
there. In addition to this, having Jay Z as the centre image adds
resonance to his image, and signifies him as the most important
thing in the frame.
The chairs on the tables in
the background suggest
that he is in a closed
restaurant or bar. It could
therefore be argued that
this creates almost a
sinister tone, and that Jay
Z may be hiding his real
character from the world.
The fact that he is
somewhere after closing
implies that he is hiding in
the night, and that he has a
secret to keep, possibly his
false character, and that he
is in fact this criminal, or
an American Gangster,
hence the title of the
album.
The use of the
smoke in the
background seems
to imply that either
there is more people
there, and that Jay
Z is about to
confront them, or
that Jay Z is
creating the smoke,
creating this sense
of rebellion, and that
he is encouraging
his fans to be
rebellious.
The use of the Parental
Advisory badge also shows
that there is ‘explicit
content’, keeping with the
effect of the Digipak cover.
The use of the suit
that Jay Z is wearing
could be interpreted
to highlight this sense
of class to the album.
However, it could in
fact be interpreted as
this stereotypical
gangster in America,
similar to the mafia,
who also constantly
wear suits.

6. Alright Still

7. The album name Alright Still is easily recognisable, due to its bold red and white colour,
which stands out in the grey colour of the album. However, the option to put it in the
background of the frame, adds resonance to the artists name in the top left. It would
seem that this is of a greater importance in the picture, suggesting that the album is
more about Lily Allen herself, than the music. Furthermore, the font used is very bold
emphasising this
point further.
The use of the speaker
pouring out music
suggests Lily Allen’s love
for it. Also you get the
sense that her music will
be almost comical, as it
is a cartoon that is
coming out of the
speaker. Furthermore,
the use of what we can
assume to be someone’s
hand doing a rock hand
gesture, suggests that
the music on the album
is enjoyable, and will
make you happy.
The direct mode of
address is usually
done from the solo
artist straight on,
however, here you can
see that Lily Allen is
angled to the side.
This makes the direct
mode of address more
subtle, which could be
argued to be more
appealing to the
viewer.
Here you can see that Lily Allen is wearing much jewellery. This is done to promote
wealth, and possibly Lily Allen’s wealth. In addition to this, it could be argued that the
jewellery is bling. It is not common to see a women promote this type of trend, it is mostly
seen from male artists, however, the style of the music and the artist suits this fashion
very well, further emphasised by the use of the parental advisory label, sticking to the
trend of that particular genre and her image.

8. Discovery

9. The idea to have Tinie Tempah as the centre image highlights him as the most important
thing on the album. In addition to this, the use of the light shining down on the artist
again reinforces this idea that he is the most important thing in the image, and also
could be argued to give off this almost holy feel to the album.
The use of the stars in
the background of the
centre image relates to
the title of the album
well. It implies that the
artist has been
discovering the
universe, and the use
of the purple in the
frame endorses a
happy tone, whilst
relating to the colours
in the vast universe.
You can also see Tinie Tempah’s use of bling as well, which fits in
to his genre of rap well, bling and expensive jewellery is a common
element used in the frames of rap artists. The use of the sun
glasses in the frame also relates to this idea of bling, yet it also
could be argued that he needs them to see, as there is a strong
light coming from around him.
Also in the centre
image is what seems
to be a city that the
artist is holding. The
use of the light that is
in the city makes it
seem as though it is
glowing, implying that
it has much power
strength.
Furthermore, the fact
that Tinie Tempah is
holding the city,
suggests that he has
discovered it, on the
other hand, it could
be argued that Tine
Tempah is a part of
the city, due to them
both covered in the
light.

10. Relapse

11. The album name is listed in
the bottom left of the frame,
and is meant to represent a
prescription of drugs given
by a doctor, who is Dr Dre.
This relates very much to
the title and purpose of the
album, which is related to
drugs and Eminem’s
recovery after his time in
rehab. In addition to this,
you can see that there is a 3
instead E at the end of the
album title. This maintains
the personality and the
image of Eminem, as he
always puts an 3 toward the
end of his name. This keeps
in place the same image that
we have of Eminem. In
addition to this, we can see
that it is prescribed to
Marshall Mather's, who
Eminem goes by the name of
in this album, again
maintaining Eminem’s
image, as he changes his
name for every album.
The idea to use pills to make up the image of Eminem
implies that pills have taken over Eminem, and they now
make him who he is. The use of the different colours which
are mostly red could be argued to represent the pills as a
deadly substance. We can also
see that
Eminem is the
centre image
of the frame,
which is
commonly
seen on rap
albums, as
they wish to be
the main
focus. Also
there is almost
a harsh look
from Eminem,
and a direct
mode of
address, which
makes the
album more
personal to the
his fans.
The idea to have a black background implies
that there is almost a dark tone to this
album. Furthermore it could be argued that
this resembles Eminem’s emergence from
darkness and rehab.