Digipak conventions

Digipaks are a form of CD packaging, usually made of thin card, which are less common than standard plastic casing but very frequently used, especially by independent acts that wish for the 'authenticity' of card instead of plastic. CDs are still the dominate form of physical music distribution, as vinyl's are the only truly viable alternative and those are expensive to produce, cumbersome and only cater to a niche market.

Front cover

Image:

     Album art is first and foremost the most important thing, other than the name of the artist, that an album can be sold on. A fan will buy the album for the artist, but to widen an audience and further sales the album must be visually appealing, and as the most prominent part, this means good album art. Bad album art can put people off buying an album entirely, whilst appealing art will draw a potential listener in and gain their interest. Since electronic music rarely features much of a human element (other than potentially a singer) its art more often than not will reflect this. Abstract art, non organic imagery and machinery are all commonly used by artists in the genre to reflect the style of their music.

Colour:

     The lack of substantial, recognisable imagery means that colour is vitally important in properly constructing a good piece of album art. Especially with such minimalistic designs, colour is what will draw attention, and increase chances of selling the album. Even ambient, melancholic or contemplative music can feature album art with vibrant colours, especially primary colours, and many employ contrasting or unusual colour schemes to show the experimental, independent nature of the music and to stand out. These powerful colour schemes compensate for minimalistic, abstract design by providing an alternate source of interest in the art than the shapes and form.

Text:

Naturally the name of the artist is an important part of the promotion of an album. Although some albums do not have the name of the artist on them, it is incredibly uncommon as it limits that albums sales as people may not recognise who it is, especially to a casual fan. However in the digital age this may become more popular, as most people buy their music online rather than physically, where the artists name is displayed automatically. Album names are also important for the same reason and help to identify the album from others.

Back cover

Image:

the back of an album will almost always link to the image on the front. this creates an aesthetic consistency most people find appealing, as well as help to identify the album if seen from behind. Rarely would it be identical, and it is most common for the artist to use a similar but altered design that continues the mood and colour scheme of the album.

Colour:

    Track listing is the norm for most albums. People want to know what songs are on the album, so they can see if any they like are on it. It also helps to identify song whilst listening to them, as many cd players do not have the functionality to display track names. Lists are the simplest way to do this, and are easily understood by the listener. These lists are also chronological, and sometimes have numbers, although in the sake of a minimalistic design this can often be left out. Font and style will match the rest of the digipak, as to maintain style and consistency. However, once again, with digital platforms overtaking physical sales, it has become increasingly popular not to include anything on the back, as digital albums rarely have a back. even with the physical releases some artist choose to simply leave the back blank.

Production details:

     

Not an important detail for fans, this information tends to be below the main text, in small, undisrupted font, as not to detract from the overall appearance of the digipak. it is necessary legal information, so unless the album is self produced (not uncommon for independent artists) it has to be included somewhere. Few artists have the freedom to not include this information.