digipak research

Digipak

While we had a bit of spare time we decided to use it constructively and began research on the digipak part of our coursework. So before we can even begin to think up ideas and designs we need to understand the conventions of a digipak and how they are targeted at their audiences. This required intensive research on the topic .

So what is a digipak?

A form of jewel case, for holding one or more CDs or DVDs, in which the outer cover is of card rather than plastic.Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside.

Digipaks are not only used for CD covers but as mentioned also DVD's. However it is important that in order for our case to look professional we must use the correct sizing which is used normally. We found this information out from a website called www.4bmartinvest.co.uk which distributes the "Flexi trays" used in digipaks.

The information we found out was that the typical size of a CD tray is 135mm x 125 mm. Now that we know the correct size of the tray this enables us to make correct sizing of our images on photoshop etc.

The word digipak is really just a fancy way of saying what we would call a CD case. In modern society with an increasing competitive market in the music industry and the competition from downloading online, the digipak has become increasingly more important to the success of the single/album being sold. The CD cover is the thing which makes a CD stand out on the rack, it is the thing that makes you remember it on a TV advert or you simply see your favourite artist featured and you go out and buy it. This puts a huge importance on the design and layout of the digipak. However this also varies according to the market you are trying to appeal to. Here are some examples of a variety of genre digipaks:

Rhianna: Loud

Seen in the photograph above is Rhianna's latest album "loud", and is a particular favourite of mine. What I feel works really well about this digi-pak is its use of color and also its simplicity. The delicacy of the layout makes this a strong and powerful image and creates a very feminine look, which is the main target audience of Rhianna. This particular album also links to Rhianna's latest music video "only girl in the world" which makes it instantly identifiable to those who have watched this video. The images have clearly been manipulated and desaturated slightly which works well as it creates a softness to the photos which could otherwise be too bright and over powering. The CD itself also follows the style of the digi-pak and shows a great attention to detail. This digi-pak is not only designed for its purpose but it is also been designed for the user to enjoy is and be ascetically pleased by it.