Ancillary task analysis (digipaks)

Along with analysing album covers I also examined digipaks. I chose to do these sections separately because I couldn’t get any images of genre specific digipaks and so used genre specified CD covers and a separate section for digipaks. The digipaks I have looked at are for various genres of music and as such each has different generic conventions as far as colours, images and so on are concerned. But equally they do all have something in common; they use generic conventions of digipaks, which I will analyse below.

The first pack uses the colour scheme of black and red/orange in a fire type combination. The images used through the panels are also of a very similar nature, using what looks like a light bulb and also using fire.  

As you can see each image has a set of specific images and colour schemes, as well as ongoing themes in terms of shapes and fonts used. In each though, these ideas are kept a continuous theme, carried on through inside and outside panels to create a sense of flowing style. For example the ‘Vendetta’ digipak uses the same colour scheme of grey, blue and black through all the panels of the pack. It also keeps the idea of an egg timer consistent, using one on the original album art and one as the body shape for the text on the inside. Also, the frames used around the images have a very similar style.

This pack uses similar consistencies of style, with an ongoing colour scheme of yellows and browns, with photos of the musicians through the pack, on the cover, and through the inside panels. Also, the frames used around the images have a very similar style.

This Metallica digipak is an example of a digipak whose genre is closer to that of my project. It still obeys all the conventions of a digipak, but in an interesting way. While keeping with all the other ideas, such as similar colour schemes of creamy colour, silvery grey and black and images of a graffiti’d flight case (because it’s a live CD) it also creates a sense of flow by using the writing spread from the outside front panel and finishes on an inside one.

So, having looked into digipaks and CD covers of the genre which my product will be a part of in depth I have concluded that:

• The overall product should have a consistent colour scheme
• A consistent image set or set of ideas (skulls are a very popular idea among metal covers)
• A sense of flowing
• A potential concept to flow through the whole design

 

Similar media texts

For my first ancillary task I will be doing the album cover and insert for a new album. The album will be by a made up artist, and will be of the metalcore music genre. For this, I will look at similar media texts in the form of other inserts from metalcore albums.

·        The cover features mainly dimmer colours, which are less striking and sharp

·        The main shape of the cover art is a skull

·        The text used for the artist is large, central and serif but basic

·        The album name is smaller, above the artist and in a more wispy font

·        The cover again features mainly dimmer, darker colours, less striking and sharp

·        Also the main shape again is of a skeletal style, using a sketchier design style

·        The use of a boat and wave style effects have a relation to the album title ‘The Tide And It’s Takers’

·        The artist text is again large, white and in a serif font, but is basic at the same time

·        The album name is kept with the artist name, but is smaller, but this time is in a similar font to the artist name

·        The artwork itself is using dimmer, less sharp, but this time even darker colours

·        The main feature of the artwork is skulls, like the other 2 examples

·        The artist text is again larger, and in a pale colour, but this time in a more sans serif text

·        The album text is smaller, but this time away from the artist name

·        This artwork uses a more bright set of colours, using a variety of blues as well as darker colours

·        The main feature of the artwork is, like the others, a skeletal figure

·        The artist text, like all the others, is large, but in a very serif text, in this case though it is because the artist has a specific font used on all their products

·        The album text is smaller, and also in a serif font, although a less serif one than the artist title, and is again just below the artist title

·        The art itself has a relation to the album title, with the skeletal figure with a scythe being incinuated as the ‘grim reaper’ and the album being titled ‘Follow The Reaper’

·        This artwork uses the same ideas of darker, dimmer colours, although the red is arguably bright in comparison with the other artworks

·        The main subject of the art this time is not of anything skeletal, but still has somewhat dark connotations

·        The artist text is much more arty and stylised, but again this is because the band uses it as their band logo to appear on other products

·        The album text is attached to the artist text, but does still stay close to the artist name and use a less serif text, and is in smaller proportion to the artist name