DIGIPAK ANALYSIS
For You - Selena Gomez 2014
The images on the front cover and back of the album are of Selena which is very common among pop albums because her and her music are the main products that are being advertised to the audience. The image on the front cover is a side profile of Selena in which she looks down to the ground. Her body language portrays her to be in deep thought which could suggest that the album is a list of songs that reflect her thoughts or personal things that have happened to her.
The target audience are easy to recognise as the colours and the hairstyle of a messy bun on Selena represent stereotypes of girls and recent trends revolving around teenagers. However it could be argued that on the back of the album, the audience is broadened to boys aswell as the colour used the most is black which is stereotypically related to boys.
The image on the back of the album is placed alongside the song titles and features Selena gazing into the camera. This is considered the typical shot of the pop star where they are looking towards where the audience would be. This close up shot could also be used for the audience to understand who Selena is by seeing what she looks like. Also the direct address demonstrates a relationship and link between the artist and audience as they make eye contact furthering the idea that they feel like they understand and relate to each other.
The back of the album contains a barcode along with the record label's name which promotes Hollywood Records at the same time as their artist. Furthermore, the side of the album contains Selena's name and and the album name in the same font as the cover. This is effective as it makes the album look more formal and professional throughout the artwork.
The colours used most throughout the album are pink and black which together resemble a rock- chic persona as the contrasting colours convey different meanings. This could be considered a way Selena and her team challenged the conventions of a pop album. Furthermore, the font has been capitalised to possibly infer boldness and strength which relates to the lyrics in the album.
It could be argued that Selena is showing us her simple side as she has a simple hair and makeup design. Generally after girls go through a break up they tend to not be as glamorous as their image would portray. Here, Selena is telling a story through her look as the songs are generally about love and heartbreak. The effortless look she is wearing could resemble the position in her life of post breakup.
Prism - Katy Perry 2013
Prism is the fourth studio album by Katy Perry and was released by Capitol Records on October 18th, 2013. Prism includes the popular songs; Roar, Birthday, Unconditionally, Dark Horse and This Is How We Do.
The colour scheme includes mainly pinks and yellows which are stereotypically seen as female colours with the connotations of happiness and romance.
The back of the album consists of the song names being organised into a triangle shape to represent the idea of a prism. This makes the back of the album iconic as this is memorable and relates well to the title of the album.
Furthermore, the sun shining element in the background gives the impression that this album is very bright and cheerful due to the font of the title Prism which is very broad and strong but also quite elegant through the lines.
A challenge for the general conventions of pop is having the artist almost faded out in the photo as they are supposed to be the image that stands out the most. This is because, ultimately, they are what the record label is selling. However, Katy Perry is still visible which appeals to the target audience as they want to see Katy on the front of her album. This is one of the things that could make Katy's album different from a typical pop album, the idea that she isn't completely seen.
There appears to be rays of sunshine reflecting off of the shape of the prism which conforms and supports the idea of the prism. The reflection brings relevance to the album title. It also makes the back of the album look pretty and colourful.
The title is bigger that than Katy Perry's name which is uncommon among the genre of pop as the record label would presume that the majority of her audience buy the album as it is Katy Perry and they like her music. The majority would most likely not buy the album because they like the sound of the names of the songs and album.
Meet The Vamps - The Vamps 2014
The Meet The Vamps album includes mostly the colours red and blue. These are generally considered to be classed as male colours as the stereotype for a girls favourite colour is pink and purple. They may have used this colour scheme as pop widely has a feminine element to it so by choosing blue and red this supports the idea of males in pop.
This digipak is quite unique compared to other pop albums as they have chosen to have simple colours and a uncomplicated font. This contrasts with other pop albums who would normally choose flourescent colours and a elegant, lowercase font.
However this conforms to the stereotype of most pop boybands as they may consider what is stereotypically known as male colours e.g. blue and red to differentiate themselves from others. Also, as blue and red are considered male colours by society, this could suggest The Vamps want to make clear that they wish to appeal to a male target audience as well as female.
Furthermore, the order of the song list is set out into a centre organised column an making the album look neat for a pop album. This may be different to a punk album that would consist of a messier font scattered across the page in an unorganised manner to represent the possible nature of the artist.
The font is kept simple and corresponds with the colours on the album; red and white. The vamps band logo is one of the main sections on the front of the album as it lets the audience know who they are. Furthermore, the actual image of the Vamps is the biggest thing on the cover as they are the selling point. The audiences attention will most likely go straight to the image as they recognise them and would be looking for their faces.
The Vamps have been pictured outside of a beach on their front cover. This is seen commonly within the genre as it represents the band as free-spirited and bubbly as they are outdoors, enjoying the sunlight, reflecting a happy mood.