What is a digipak/Digipak Analysis

Digipaks typically consist of a ‘book-style’ paperboard or card outer casing with one or more plastic trays holding the CD inside. Digipaks were the first alternative to ‘jewel cases’ used by major record companies. This style of packaging is often used for CD singles or special editions of CD albums e.g. an extended album. The packaging is less resistant to markings and scratches so the case could get marked much easier than a jewel case however some big companies use a UV coating to protect it. Digipak style cases grew in popularity among record labels and recording artists in the early 2000s.

Katy Perry: Teenage Dream
This digipak is very typical of Katy Perry and fits in with all of her music and overall style. It clearly shows the genre of pop and follows the conventions and connotations of it; every colour is extrememly bright, even the actual CDs have a design on them. I think this is a good digipak as it really stands out and obviously has had a lot of work put into it to get the look it has. Katy Perry's dark hair and dark eyes stand out as they contrast with the bright colours of the overall cover and the light pink background of clouds. It includes everything needed such as eye catching pictures and the song list on the back of the digipak. The main reason why I like this digipak is because it actually fits in with Katy Perry's style and resembles the California Girls video so it has a relevance rather than random images that have no meaning.

Rihanna: Loud
This is very similar to Katy Perry's digipak in the way that it is created based on the pictures, overall layout and CDs. Likewise, the images are based upon the 'Girl in the World' video so again it has a relevance. The images all look very tranquil and calm through the use of roses that Rihanna is laying on. She is wearing a floaty, cream dress that again creates a look of innocence in compared to the 'norm' that Rihanna is photographed as being like. This also contrasts with Rihanna's 2009 release, Rated R, which featured a prominently foreboding and angry tone with dark themes and incorporated elements of hip hop, rock, and dubstep music genresThe colour is scheme is very basic and is mainly made up of different shades of cream and red; hair, lips and roses. This stands out and makes a very effective looking digipak.