2. KANYE WEST - GRADUATION
Graduation is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist and producer
Kanye West. It was released on September 11, 2007.
The digipak conforms to most of the codes and convention of digipak. It has the artist’s
record label it has the name of the artist and the album. However it doesn’t have a image
of the artist which contradicts Goodwin’s Theory that the artist’s face would be present
because of demands of the label. The back does however stay to the theme of the front
which is common with most digipaks . The track list is also on the back.
3. FRONT COVER- the illustration shows a mascot being blown into the air
after his graduation by a machine. The mascot is wearing what Kanye
would normally wear, this indicates that the bear is Kanye. This could
symbolise growing up and being forced into the world, clearly targeting a
young audience. The sky looks like sunrise which could also indicate fresh
start and new beginnings
BACK COVER - It shows the same image but from a
different angle, which adds a cool almost 3D effect to the
digipak. The composition of the tracklist is also
interesting because it's right at the center and it's not in a
straight line.
The digipak foldout shows the mascot wearing his graduation cap and gown and he has landed onto the ground
after being blasted out of the machine. This could show he has found his feet in the world, he has a determined
on his face and hid gown blends in with the background showing he fits in with the outside world.
4. This foldout shows several different scenes. One of which the mascot is
running away from some sort of monster who looks like it's about to eat
him. This could represent Kanye himself running away from his demons
and the next image of the graduation represents a new beginning. So
perhaps the whole graduation theme might not actually have anything to
do with education at all. It could symbolise people graduating from
certain aspects of their lives and moving on.
5. TAYLOR SWIFT -
1989
The imagery used on the front cover
of the digipak conveys a sense of
aging. The album title ‘1989’ implies
these polaroid-like images have faded
and aged over time. It features a
polaroid photograph of Taylor Swift,
which has then been handwritten on.
As this artist is extremely well known,
the imagery used will attract an
already built up fan base. The title
‘1989’ which is the artists birth year
which could mean the songs are
about her life.
Again on the back cover the text on
this cover has been placed around her
so as to make it more legible To
enhance the idea of ‘old fashioned’
technology which is evident in this
cover, (old polaroid effect images), a
typewriter-like font has been used to
list the song names. The fonts used will
appeal to a wide target audience as
they are aimed neither specifically
toward a male or female audience
member.
6. There is also a booklet inside the 1989 digipak,
which includes an introduction to the album from
the artist, as well as lyrics to each song. These
are accompanied by more polaroid style photos of
the artist, conveying a clear sense of continuity
throughout each element of the digipak product.
The colours used within this booklet are primarily
pale blue tones alongside polaroid images.
Typically, polaroid images are somewhat faded
and desaturated in tone. This is mirrored in the
pale, light tone of blue which has been used
behind the lyric guides.
8. Rihanna's front cover is eye catching as the colours
used are bold and compliment each other well. The
red connotes passion and seductiveness which
could link to the lyrics of some of the songs. The use
of red objectifies Rihanna, due to the red lipstick that
she is wearing which portrays her as a sexual
object. It makes her subject to the male gaze. The
cover compliments the typography as it says 'Loud'
and the image supports this as red is a loud colour
and the tone of her hair, red lips and blushed cheeks
fill the image. Rihanna has not included her name
on the cover, however I believe that her star
persona is so strong that she does not need to.
Typography is simple and white to stand out among
the bold background colours.
The CD follows a floral theme which is first seen in the backdrop of the CD with Rihanna
leaning across a red rose bush. The pale pink colour contrasts the bold red back drop which
could signify another side to Rihanna and her music, a softer more gentle side. The CD
contrasts Rihanna's front cover image especially as the pale colours on the CD vary from the
10. The front cover has a vintage feel which ties in
with most of her songs and her audience as her
music appeals to indie/vintage young adults.
The simplicity of the design allows us as the
audience to focus on Lana’s vintage style seen
within her outfit, hair and makeup. Lana’s wavy
hair, nude lipstick and pout is a common feature
seen with her albums, posters and adverts. It
has allowed her to create a visual style which is
a high demand seen within the record label and
allows her target audience to recognize her for
her stylish vintage image.
On the back of the cover it displays the
track listing and the same simple style font
is used which again creates a visual style
An entropic feature seen within the back
cover is the change of the colour scheme.
The front cover displayed fresh and young
colours whereas the back displays
dominant and bold colours. I feel the red
and white colour scheme could connote the
powerful emotions and themes heard within
the lyrics of the songs. The simplicity of the
11. The simplicity of white mainly
filling the cd makes the colour
of the roses become more
prominent from the background
and seem like an important
theme throughout the digipak.
The use of the roses could be
suggesting the idea of love
which could be a common
theme featured in her songs.
By placing the roses on a white
background could symbolise
the pure innocent love the artist
Inside the digipak contains a fold out with displays
the lyrics of each track listening. A type writer styled
font is used to display the lyrics which displays a
vintage and retro look. The simple styled front used
for the artist title has been used as the track names
which again creates a visual style for the artist.
Blood splatters have been placed around the page
which I feel could signify betrayal and how the
artist’s love has been destroyed.
