Analysis Of Digipaks

'Celebration' is the third greatest hits album released in 2009 by Madonna, this compilation album was released on many different platforms including a one-disc edition and also a deluxe double disc. The album raised to the top of the charts in different countries like Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Madonna became tied with Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most number one albums in the UK. In the States, it debuted in the top ten of the 'Billboard 200' at seven.


The reason that I really liked this particular album cover is the use of influences taken from Andy Warhol's pop art style. Through this artwork, you can clearly see the influence taken from the iconic Marilyn Monroe Portrait created by Warhol. In my personal opinion, I think that the reason why Madonna chose to compare herself to Marilyn Monroe was that she wanted the audience to know who she is, she is an icon, she is iconic, without her, the music industry would not be where it is today.

 The image chosen for this particular cover is very emotive, although you may not see it at first glance, but when you take a closer look at her eyes, you see the rest of her face and you get a sense of how she is feeling. When I look at her, I feel like she's trying to say how she is feeling to the audience.

The Layout of the this cover is pretty simple, there isn't too much going on with words or pictures. The only thing that gives it life is the use of colours, it's clear and simple which makes it easier for the audience to see it. The font used on here is also very clear and easy to read, also by using just capitals it also draws more attention from the people looking at it.

Another reason why I like this album cover in particular is the way it draws attention to itself with the use of colour, if you were to be walking past a CD shelf and you saw this on there, it would definitely catch your eye and make you look at it whether if you're a fan of hers or not. But royal Madonna fans would expect this from such an icon, her stage presence is very much of a show, what you get with Madonna is not what you would get with any normal singer. She is very much about the theatrical elements of it and this has been portrayed through her album artwork.

The overall design of the album is very effective in my opinion, I really liked the use of colours and the influences taken from Andy Warhol which makes it more attractive and grabs your attention immediately once you see it.

'21' is the second studio album released from the singer/ songwriter Adele. Like her first album '19', it was named after the age she was when she wrote the album. This album was released in 2011, first to the UK
and Europe in January and North America in February. The album explores subjects of heartbreak, anger and revenge, forgiveness and self examination. When it was released, it attracted critical praise for its vintage originality and the depth of the lyrics as
well as Adele's vocal abilities on the album. 'Rolling In The Deep' became her first official singer released from the abum which
went to number one worldwide, '21' sold 208,000 copies in the first week of sales and peaked to number one in over nineteen countries including Australia, Germany, Ireland and Canada. In the States, the album debuted straight to number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling an astonishing 352,000 copies in its first week.

The image used to this CD cover is a mid/ close up shot of Adele's face with her hand in her hair. She is looking down and you are unable to see her eyes, I think that this is really effective as she shows the emotions of her album. As it's based on a break-up with a serious partner, through the picture you can get a clear sense of how she is feeling and what emotions are running through her mind.

The Layout of the cover is very simple, there is nothing to distract you from the singer. I think this style of photography is also very effective because it shows a lot more emotion than most of the other albums do. You really connect with th singer and it automically grabs your attention when you see it.

The colour scheme used is very simple again, only two colours for the font are used for this cover. White and Green, by just using two colours for the text, it keeps the overall appearance of the cover simple and clean. There isn't too much going on to distract the viewer from the photo of the cover which is the main feature as it identifies who the album belongs to.

By making the picture Black & White, it makes the cover more simple. Unlike the Madonna one, with it's use of colours and theatrics. This album is just about the singing, Adele isn't about the show. All she does is sing, there are no false elements.

Overall, in my personal opinion I think that the design of this CD Album is very effective. Its very simple, but I think that this is one of the reasons why I like it so much. I also like the picture of Adele, when I'm looking at it, I feel as though I can see the emotions of the album portrayed through her facial expression and the hand gesture in her hair.

'4' is the fourth album recorded by Beyonce Knowles released in 2011 by Columbia Records. In 2010, Beyonce took some time off from her hectic career and spotlight to enjoy some time away with herself and her family.

While on her leave from her busy lifestyle, she had the chance to do some everyday things in life and travel to the different places in the world, which gave her the creativity and became the source of inspiration for her album. For this album, she also drew inspiration from Fela Kuti, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lionel Richie and with additional influences from The Jackson 5, New Edition, Adele and many others.

 The picture chosen to go on the cover of this album is a mid shot of Beyonce with her arms over her head, I think that this is effective as she is a strong woman who is an inspiration to many other women around the world. Looking back at her past albums, you can also see that she has had a style makeover, on this album, the pictures released to gather press and publicity seem to convey her as high fashion celebrity. She has started to wear more clothes that show more flesh unlike in her previous albums, another reason for this is the split between her father who was managing her from her first debut album. But now that they have parted ways, she has started to become more Gaga-esque.

The colour scheme used for this cover is very simple, she stands on a blank peppermint background. I think that this is very effective as she is the only thing on the cover excluding the text. Even though the colour isn't that bright, if you were to be looking at a CD shelf in a shop, I would think that this would still grab your attention in a nojn invasive way.

The font used for the cover is very simple again, its clear and easy to read. This is very important as her fans need to recognise the album straight away so they can buy it. The colour of the font is the same colour as the garment she is wearing, this again is very effective as it doesn't distract you from her.

The overall design of the digipack is very good, its simple, it doesn't take anything away from the artist, and it features Beyonce and the image that she wants to promote.

In conclusion, looking at these three digipaks. I think that the thing that these have in common is that the artist is featured in a very obvious way on the cover. I think that this has been done because they want instant recognition from their fans and also create an image of how they would like to be seen by people. For example, in Madonna's Celebration, she is clearly using Warhol's portrait of Marilyn Monroe as a base. So by doing this, you could say that she is comparing herself to Monroe as an icon, something to be remembered.