Kanye West - MBDTF
This is the digipak for Kanye West's album 'MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY' as you can see it is very minimalist, however it uses a strong red colour and a painted picture which is done by George Condo, who actually painted 5 alternative pictures for the album. In this version it shows a picture of a ballerina who evidently has a moustache and is holding a wine glass. This picture shows the ballerina toasting, and the full meaning of this cover relates to one of the songs on the album called 'Runaway' the video for this track includes many ballerinas. One of the lyrics from the song is 'Let's toast to the scumbags' which links with the picture as the ballerina is toasting with the wine glass.
This is what is included inside the digipak, it is Kanye Wests's name which is created along the four panels using different objects and in a gold colour, this is extremely arty and high class which could link to Kanye Wests interests and personality. I feel it does do this as Kanye West is certainly an aesthete and looks up to fashion and art.
A deluxe edition of the album digipak was also released which included three 12 inch records, this is something that isnt done regularly by artists, so you can see that Kanye West went through extreme effort to create something which fans of his music would be happy with. Kanye has feature 5 different posters which can be slotted in the front of the album cover they all relate to different music videos created within the song also. This also allows for fans to customise the album. The use of red is very emphasised throughout the digipak which connotes strength and power a very recurring theme within the digipak.
The XX - Coexist
This is the digipak for an album created by The XX who are an indie music group who create electronic and minimalist music, as you can see it is a very simple digipak as you fold the cover when the booklet is removed the 'X' is revealed, the 'X' happens to be the main focal point which is a consistent theme for The XX as it is also included on their old albums.However it is very unique but basic which overall reflects the bands vibe as they make unique music which is very simple and creative. There are no images of the group on the digipak which I feel could be to do with the type of music they create which is indie, most indie artists want to remain as unseen as possible and let the beautiful music paint a picture. Furthermore, The XX are signed to XL recording which itself are an independent record label allowing artists to create how they want to create and are not advised on how to promote their image, this can be another factor as to why the group may have not included their image.
The colour used for the digipak are very simple colours black and white however the iridescent oil spill is also included inside. This idea could actually relate to the name of the album 'Coexist' which means to exist at the same time in the same place. The simple colours can tell you a lot about the term 'Coexist' as black and white is a colour used in Yin and Yang which links to coexisting, then you have the iridescent oil spill inside also so this could represent complexity, where as white and black is simple. Furthermore, this also represents society aswell because everyone is different.
The Weeknd - TRILOGY
This is the cover for The Weeknd's album 'TRILOGY' the main focus is the artist himself looking away from the camera perhaps at the string of a balloon. He is also looking at the balloon string with regret. The balloon is a recurring theme with the artist The Weeknd, as it is included in some of his artwork and one of his songs is called 'House of Balloons' in this picture in the Mise en scene, I think the balloon represents a party and The Weeknd's body language suggests he is in regret also he is looking at it with regret as he may have done something he wish he didn't do, this links with the female hugging him from behind meaning he regrets being with her. Black is really emphasised on the cover this represents the darkness of the music on the album, the picture is also in black and white which coincides with the album being dark, so the design of the digipak definitely reflects the style of the music and the artist himself. The use of low key lighting in the photo also has a relationship with the type of music The Weeknd creates, which is very often sexual. The use of Mise en scene definitely depicts a sexual atmosphere which is very often seen in the genre of music he creates.
There are 3 CDs included within the digipak all of which is a seperate collection of songs and all have a different name made by The Weeknd, which form the trilogy.Each CD has a different booklet to go with it which fit the theme of each CD. The booklets all slot into the compartments under the CD and you are able to fold the digipak together.This function allows for the consumer to easily navigate through the digipak and navigate their way through it clearly with direction and understanding of the music and artist.
alt-J - An Awesome Wave
This is the digipak for alt-J's album An Awesome Wave, the image on the front is actually a zoomed in image of the ganges river delta, this also links with the name of the band alt-J which when you type onto a keyboard makes a delta sign.There is a lack of any text on the cover art which is quite a recurring theme for indie artists as they may feel the music should be the most important thing and fans should focus on that rather than the image of the artists, also its a very distinctive album art so fans will definitely recognise it in the stores. As you can see there is a delta sign on the inner of the digipak once it is open, this reflects the band once again as delta is essentially the idea of the band name. The CD slots inside the compartment and it also provides a 3D effect which displays extra creativity on the design on the product.
XXYYXX - Self titled.
This is the cover for XXYYX self titled album, it is a CD cover rather than a digipak but I wanted to use this as research because what you can see is very interesting. The Triangle with the eye (all seeing eye) in the middle is a very controversial image that is used to relate to the 'Illuminati' this is a conspiracy theory that many people have used to talk about in the music industry and certain artists are said to actually belong to the 'Illuminati'. It is said they create music that is often not created by themselves, but by another source which enforce artists to create music in a certain way. The main focal point is this image of the triangle with the eye, however it is shown with a tear drop pouring out of the eye. I feel that the artist is kind of aware of the conspiracy surrounding it and is poking fun at the idea by using a tear drop pouring out, which could mean the content of the artists music is not pleasing to the 'Illuminati' as it is very underground and not mainstream music. The artist has clearly shown their name in bold and in very big writing to perhaps state that their presence is quite important, it is also very easy to take in and a minimalist design, the use of very simple pastel colours supports the minimalism. Furthermore, going back to the idea that the music is more important then flashy album artwork. This idea is very important to our group,and that we should create something of importance and significant meaning, rather than appealing to the mass audience in the mainstream we opt for a niche audience who understand conscious music.
A deluxe edition of the album digipak was also released which included three 12 inch records, this is something that isnt done regularly by artists, so you can see that Kanye West went through extreme effort to create something which fans of his music would be happy with. Kanye has feature 5 different posters which can be slotted in the front of the album cover they all relate to different music videos created within the song also. This also allows for fans to customise the album. The use of red is very emphasised throughout the digipak which connotes strength and power a very recurring theme within the digipak.
The XX - Coexist
This is the digipak for an album created by The XX who are an indie music group who create electronic and minimalist music, as you can see it is a very simple digipak as you fold the cover when the booklet is removed the 'X' is revealed, the 'X' happens to be the main focal point which is a consistent theme for The XX as it is also included on their old albums.However it is very unique but basic which overall reflects the bands vibe as they make unique music which is very simple and creative. There are no images of the group on the digipak which I feel could be to do with the type of music they create which is indie, most indie artists want to remain as unseen as possible and let the beautiful music paint a picture. Furthermore, The XX are signed to XL recording which itself are an independent record label allowing artists to create how they want to create and are not advised on how to promote their image, this can be another factor as to why the group may have not included their image.
The colour used for the digipak are very simple colours black and white however the iridescent oil spill is also included inside. This idea could actually relate to the name of the album 'Coexist' which means to exist at the same time in the same place. The simple colours can tell you a lot about the term 'Coexist' as black and white is a colour used in Yin and Yang which links to coexisting, then you have the iridescent oil spill inside also so this could represent complexity, where as white and black is simple. Furthermore, this also represents society aswell because everyone is different.
The Weeknd - TRILOGY
This is the cover for The Weeknd's album 'TRILOGY' the main focus is the artist himself looking away from the camera perhaps at the string of a balloon. He is also looking at the balloon string with regret. The balloon is a recurring theme with the artist The Weeknd, as it is included in some of his artwork and one of his songs is called 'House of Balloons' in this picture in the Mise en scene, I think the balloon represents a party and The Weeknd's body language suggests he is in regret also he is looking at it with regret as he may have done something he wish he didn't do, this links with the female hugging him from behind meaning he regrets being with her. Black is really emphasised on the cover this represents the darkness of the music on the album, the picture is also in black and white which coincides with the album being dark, so the design of the digipak definitely reflects the style of the music and the artist himself. The use of low key lighting in the photo also has a relationship with the type of music The Weeknd creates, which is very often sexual. The use of Mise en scene definitely depicts a sexual atmosphere which is very often seen in the genre of music he creates.
There are 3 CDs included within the digipak all of which is a seperate collection of songs and all have a different name made by The Weeknd, which form the trilogy.Each CD has a different booklet to go with it which fit the theme of each CD. The booklets all slot into the compartments under the CD and you are able to fold the digipak together.This function allows for the consumer to easily navigate through the digipak and navigate their way through it clearly with direction and understanding of the music and artist.
alt-J - An Awesome Wave
This is the digipak for alt-J's album An Awesome Wave, the image on the front is actually a zoomed in image of the ganges river delta, this also links with the name of the band alt-J which when you type onto a keyboard makes a delta sign.There is a lack of any text on the cover art which is quite a recurring theme for indie artists as they may feel the music should be the most important thing and fans should focus on that rather than the image of the artists, also its a very distinctive album art so fans will definitely recognise it in the stores. As you can see there is a delta sign on the inner of the digipak once it is open, this reflects the band once again as delta is essentially the idea of the band name. The CD slots inside the compartment and it also provides a 3D effect which displays extra creativity on the design on the product.
XXYYXX - Self titled.
This is the cover for XXYYX self titled album, it is a CD cover rather than a digipak but I wanted to use this as research because what you can see is very interesting. The Triangle with the eye (all seeing eye) in the middle is a very controversial image that is used to relate to the 'Illuminati' this is a conspiracy theory that many people have used to talk about in the music industry and certain artists are said to actually belong to the 'Illuminati'. It is said they create music that is often not created by themselves, but by another source which enforce artists to create music in a certain way. The main focal point is this image of the triangle with the eye, however it is shown with a tear drop pouring out of the eye. I feel that the artist is kind of aware of the conspiracy surrounding it and is poking fun at the idea by using a tear drop pouring out, which could mean the content of the artists music is not pleasing to the 'Illuminati' as it is very underground and not mainstream music. The artist has clearly shown their name in bold and in very big writing to perhaps state that their presence is quite important, it is also very easy to take in and a minimalist design, the use of very simple pastel colours supports the minimalism. Furthermore, going back to the idea that the music is more important then flashy album artwork. This idea is very important to our group,and that we should create something of importance and significant meaning, rather than appealing to the mass audience in the mainstream we opt for a niche audience who understand conscious music.
