CD Digipak

A digipak is a type of CD packaging - it usually consists if 4-8 panels which contain various amount of images and very little extra information where as, a regular CD case usually has more text and fewer images. Ocassionally digipaks have an extra section that has a pocket inside which can contain a leaflet - however this isn't used as much anymore as companies want their digipaks to be more simple. The elements of a digipak consist of;

• The front cover: normally has the main image, artist name and song title
• Inside cover: sometimes contains a booklet with all the songs inside and their lyrics. Once the booklet is removed there is usually a background image.
• Spine: this has the least effort, as it simply has the artist name, song/album title, however it is still important as the audience can use the spine the quickly recognise what the cd pack contains. 
• The back cover: this part has the track list and it usually has the record company and production names on it and the barcode.
• Inside back cover: this is where the cd is actually placed - if it is a double CD the second one will either be opposite, or they sometimes have a flip up holder. Once the CD is removed there is usually an image or symbol that represents the artist.

Here are some examples of Digipaks;

This is a Digipak of Katy Perry - Teenage Dream.

The digipak instantly relates to her music and her style as it reflects her most recent music videos, singles and her 'California Dreams Tour' - which are all mainly based around this fun, candy theme. The two Cd's in the pack are designed so they they like sweet treats, this makes it more unique and interesting - this also being the main theme in the 'California Girls' single and her in her tour. As she has many young fans, this candy theme will really relate to her younger target audience. 

The leaflet inside the digipak carries out the pink candyfloss cloud which follows this theme throughout the rest of the - its very bright and vibrant, which relates to her pop genre. The font on the leaflet inside the digipak is a candy red and white spiral which is very similar to sweets; it is also written in a balloon/bubble like font which is very youthful and fun.

The two images in the digipak can be seen as very provocative as it appears that she is naked - only being covered by candy floss. This would go against her younger audience, however she does have an older target audience where she is seen as sex symbol - so it can instantly start to increase sales.

 The image inside the digipak is of the Katy dressed up as a prom queen wearing a tiara; this is because going to the prom and becoming a prom queen can be any girls 'Teenage Dream'

This is the digipack for Rihanna Greatest Hits - this is a special digipak as it is a Platinum edition with only 500 copies released world wide. 

The front cover (shown on the left) of the digipak is a complete contrast to what we see inside- on the front she looks very innocent and happy, where as the images shown inside are completely different. Rihanna's digipak is filled with images of her, as she is the main focus, rather than the writing. Inside the digipak, we see images of the artist wearing very revealing clothing, these images may be seen as provocative, however her target audience being an older group will appreciate these.  In the pictures we can see her bikini, this can be seen as an important element, the white carries on the innocence and pureness from the front cover and the actual zebra print brings an exoticness to it - this can also help her to appear to be a sexy and appealing. These are things that reflect her as a person and artist as she is known for being quite provocative in her music video's and she is from Barbados which is a very exotic country. On the flap of the digipak there is a lot of writing - mainly about Rihanna and her music. There is also smaller images of some of her album covers - this can be a way to promote her music and also shows some of her accomplishments as an artist. Finally, the colours inside are different tones of brown - these are a good mix to use as brown can be seen as a warm, welcoming colour. With the golds used it looks more richer; reflecting back to her R'n'B genre - where wealth is an important part of the lifestyle.

• CONVENTIONS of a CD digipak:

• artist/band name
• song/album name
• tracklist
• visual images that relate to the song/album
• booklet containing information on the songs and the lyrics
• record label name and logo