Rock Magazine Advert Analysis

Artist: Green Day
Subject: Advertising new album with three singles.
Fonts: Artist name is in the trademark Green Day font style, different font for Wake Me Up When September Ends to attract audiences eye and to compliment the meaning behind the song. Bold text for the information advertising and explaining products available.
Colours: Dominantly White, black and red. Skin tone used for the the leaders singers face which is the background for the top half of the advert.
Layout: Title of the artist at the top of the advert, products such as the album and singles, legal information, places of purchase and information about what is available and when is all strategically placed at the bottom of the advert.  
Editing Edited to show performance, lead singer is looking up to the sky this could reference the track also advertised on the advert Wake Me Up When September ends.

Artist: The Stone Roses 

Subject: Advertising the 20th anniversary of the original album by releasing a remastered version. 

Fonts: Bold fonts used to grab the audiences attention, reviews are in bold text to take pride of place and make audience members see how respected and thought of they and the new album are. 

Colours: Blue, red and white all trademark British and Stone Roses colours. 

Layout: The album and reviews are at the top of the advert, underneath is a wrap around from the album itself and then at the bottom of the advert is information and what is available and where from. 

Editing: Edited so that album is the main focus of the advert surrounded by reviews and ratings praising it. Album wrap is there so that audiences can relate the album cover to the advert and the album itself. Information about what is available is placed at the bottom discreetly to ensure audience members are aware of where they can purchase the product. 

Artist: Blink 182
Subject: Advertising new album Neighborhoods
Fonts: Distinctive font used throughout the entire advert to attract audience and also similar to text seen within the Digipack of the actual album which audiences will relate to.
Colours: Black and White
Layout: Album is centre focus of the advert, the name of the album, artist and when it is available is underneath. Bands website and legal information as well as trademark logo are all situated at the bottom of the advert. 
Editing:  Album is once again the main focus of the advert, the title of the artist can been seen within the album front cover so fans and audiences will be able to relate to this. All necessary information such as when the album is released and the the bands website is strategically placed underneath so to inform the audience whilst maintaining what the actual advert is trying to promote.

Artist: Fall Out Boy 
Subject: Advertising new Greatest Hits album
Fonts: Bold fonts to grab the audiences attention
Colours: Blue, white and black all colours which are seen on the front cover of the Greatest Hits album
Layout: The album cover is the entire background of the advert, title of the album and artist can be seen at the top and the release date and as well as whats included within the album itself can be seen at the bottom.
Editing: Simple editing with the album clearly the main focus being the background. The use of skeletons plays reference to "Believers Never Die" seen on the album front cover. Bold text is used to attract the audience and the use of short simple text easily and quickly informs audience members what they are looking at.







As a result of this analysis it is clear that the majority of Rock magazine adverts are based around an artists or bands album rather than a live performance and the album is usually situated at the top or centre of the advert with release dates, product information and legal necessities found at the bottom. We will look back at the analysis when we come to creating our advert to ensure we stick to the typical Rock Magazine advert conventions and create and authentic and professional product.

Analysis Rock Digipack Back Covers

I also did some Analysis of Rock Digipack Back Covers;

Artist: Foo Fighters
Album Name: Greatest Hits
Subject: Another section of the aeroplane, image enforced by the bombs at the bottom of the back cover.
Fonts: All track names in capitals like the text on the front cover. Possible bonus tracks represented with a black bomb next to them where as other tracks have an RAF roundel next to them.
Colours: Silver, black, red and blue. White for the barcode.
Composition: Bombs at the bottom of the cover could be used to signify something such as band albums, number one, tours.

Artist: Green Day
Album Name: American Idiot
Subject: Black image with track list, pin from a grenade links to the front cover of a bleeding heart shaped grenade.
Fonts: Same font used for the title of the band on the front cover.
Colours: Black, red and white.
Composition: Parental advisory expresses that the band are sticking to the Rock conventions of being rebellious, free will and for doing as they please. The grenade pin could be seen as a

Artist: The Killers 

Album Name: Hot Fuss 

Subject: Black background with track list and legal information at the bottom of the cover. 

Fonts: Small white font for the track list, each track numbered. Smaller text for legal information however 'FBI' warning is in slightly bigger black text next to barcode.

Colours: Black and white for the text, red for the spine of the album as the title "Hot Fuss" is in red. 

Composition: Simplistic design, to the point. "Previously unreleased in the US" entices audience members to purchase a sense of hidden identity and mystery is also created through the basic layout of the back cover. 

Artist: Nickleback
Album Name: All The Right Reasons
Subject: Band sitting in around car, links to the car on the front cover of the album. Track names of the right hand side of the back cover, separated
Fonts: Trademark font for spine, band name and artist album. Same font is used on the back cover for the track names, however, some of the tracks are in slightly bigger fonts. This could represent the importance or success of the song.
Colours: Blue, yellow, green, black and white as well as some red.
Composition: Reference to the front cover, could represent a 'journey' band have been on together. Lead singer is seen at the front of the image with a yellow top on making him stand out from the other band members.

From this analysis it is clear that the majority of Rock Digipack Back Covers are simple in the sense that they usually just contain the track names for the respective album, however, all keep to a similar theme to that on the front cover, most notably with the grenade pin on the back cover which displays a clear link to the grenade on the front cover. All have legal information and a barcode at the bottom. Most have the track names to the left or right of the cover. This analysis will be useful to look and when it comes to creating our own Digipack as it will help with layout, concept and inspiration as well the ability to provide with the right knowledge to create an authentic and professional product.

Analysis of Rock Digipacks

I decided to do some more detailed analysis of Rock Digipacks. Here is what I came up with:

Artist: Green Day

Album: American Idiot 

Subject: A fist holding a bleeding grenade shaped like a heart. 

Colours: White and black text, dark black background. The colours make the text and imagery stand out, they also provide an element of destruction and violence as the red blood can be seen dripping from the grenade, this is a common theme represented within the Rock genre. 

Font: Big bold fonts that stand out and grab the audiences attention. "american idiot" being the title of the album in lower case compared to 'GREEN DAY" being all in capitals to draw greater focus. 

Editing: The colours have been edited so that they stand out and enforce the imagery that is being shown, for example the heart shaped grenade being the main focus of the cover has been edited to give the effect it is bleeding to enforce the impression upon the audience that it is a heart, a heart can represent both life and death, with the heart bleeding and a common theme within Rock being death and and rebellion it is relatable to the genre. 

Symbolism: Destruction and violence shown via the bleeding grenade, rebellious towards "american" way of life. Rebelling against the norm. 

Composition: The text is on the left hand side of the image with the main focus being the hand and grenade just off centre. 

Props: Heart shaped grenade used to represent life and death. 

Artist: Foo Fighters 

Album: Greatest Hits

Subject: The bands logo, centre frame on what could be the side of an aeroplane which could have reference to the track Learn To Fly.
Location: Side of an aeroplane. 

Colours: Black and red, trademark Foo Fighter colour theme. Also use of silver as the background colour to bring out the black and red of album title and band name.
Font: Font stands out and grabs the attention of the audience, distinctive font for the logo that fans will easily recognise and be able to relate to.
Editing: Edited so the logo looks like it's on the side of an aeroplane and is a form of identity and could represent relationship between pilot and passengers (band and audience members)
Symbolism: Band fans will quickly identify with the bands logo. Logo creates artist image or identity.
Composition: Foo Fighters logo centre frame with band name at the top of the image and the title of the album at the bottom. Simple design as the band are already well established and fans and audience members will easily be able to relate to them and the type of product they produce or have produced in the past to form the greatest hits album. 

Artist: Nickelback 

Album: All The Right Reasons

Subject: Car driving down what appears to be a never ending road with either the sun setting or a storm in the background.
Location: Long endless road, during storm or whilst sun sets. 

Colours: Mixture of black for the road and white for the title of the album and also in the sky well as blue for the a dark blue for the side of the road and then orange for the sunset. Subtle colours used, nothing to overpowering. Mostly dark colours which fits into the typical Rock convention of dark clothing and a darkened image.
Font: Trademark Nickelback font that bands fans and audience members will easily relate to. Bigger font for the title of the band and smaller font for the album. All capitals, draws in audience.
Editing: The sides of the image have been edited to draw focus to the car. Looks like car is driving at some speed, time looks like it is passing which could represent how much time the band have spent on the album.
Composition: The car could play reference to the track Follow You Home on the album.
Props: The band are not seen on the front cover, creates a sense of hidden and identity, entices the audience to find out more about the artist and it's product.

Artist: Nirvana

Album: Nirvana

Subject: Title and name of the album on a black background. 

Colours: Silver text on a black background makes the text stand out to the audience.
Font: Trademark Nirvana font for the band and album name. However audience members may not be able to relate to this all that easily as it's one of the bands early products, by using this font they are created an image or insignia that if used again audiences will be able to relate to easier.
Editing: Simple design, sense of mystery created, audience members want to find out more about the band. 

Composition: One of the bands first albums, people won't know who they are so by creating a simple front cover it encourages audience members to want to find out more and by purchasing the album they get to do just that by seeing the inlays within the Digipack and listening to the bands music.

From this analysis that the majority of the Rock album front covers contain a form of band logo, artist name and album title. As a result of this, these factors will be looked a closely in preparation for creating our Rock Digipack. 

Velvet Revolver Digipack Analysis

Today I did some Digipack Analysis on Velvet Revolvers Contraband, here is what I came up with: 

This will be useful when it comes to designing our own Digipack as I now understand symbols and meaning behind certain uses of images and text within a Digipack. I feel comfortable with understanding the concepts behind Rock Digipacks also.

Rock Video Performance

In order to understand better the performance aspects of Rock music videos which after some initial research I have come to understand is a huge part of Rock video conventions, I decided I would analyze a video that is purely performance to gain some inspiration as we have decided that our video will definitely contain performance aspects from Raided By Waves such as the performance of the song through instruments such as drums, guitar and vocals. I decided I would look at The Rolling Stones It's Only Rock N' Roll (But I like It) here is what I found:

Throughout the video there is use of instruments and the band can be seen performing to the camera within a studio, I have come to understand that this is a common theme within Rock music videos and is often used to compliment a variety of conventions. The setup within the video is something we are looking at closely and seriously considering using for our own video as we feel It is a good way to capture the band and also good for creating a narrative around as well as the ability to create a more professional video with the resources we have. The camera shots used within the video vary, however, there is a great emphasis on the band playing their instruments such as guitar and bass via the use of both standard and extreme close ups. There is also heavy focus on the body language and facial expressions of individual band members and the lead singer is seen moving around a lot whilst singing the lyrics into the camera adding a more personal connection with the audience. The video is all performance, however, towards the end of the video the studio is filled with bubbles while the band are performing this adds a more interesting aspect to the video which is designed to entertain the audience further. As a result of this the video is exciting to watch throughout and the use of lighting, mise en scene and delivery of vocals all help to keep the audience engaged.

This is useful to look at and understand as It will help greatly when it comes to finally deciding on how best to execute performance within our own video. This video in particular is useful as it contains a similar layout and performance aspects that we are considering using. In conclusion to this it will be extremely helpful to look back at when deciding on a final decision for our own Rock music video.

Rock Video Narrative

Narrative within the Rock genre is usually either closely linked to the performance or shot in a completely separate location. The narrative usually relates to lyrics of the song and features a personal issue such as a relationship between father and daughter, this is usually so that the audience can easily relate to the video as well as the lyrics within the song. In order to gain a better idea of concept behind narrative story lines within Rock videos and to understand better how to portray a story line to an audience I decided to look at Nickleback's How You Remind Me as this is a great example of narrative within a Rock video.

The narrative within the video is the relationship between the lead singer of the band and a girl, most likely an ex girlfriend. There are a series of flashbacks or memories throughout the video in which the lead singer is seen remembering the girl and imagines seeing or being with her which links reference to the connection between narrative, lyrics and title of the song "how you remind me". In one particular memory the girl is seen to be extremely flirtatious with the lead singer which is the sort of relationship we are thinking of portraying within our own video. The color between the memories and reality has been edited so that what is being shown in the present time is  that of warm colors almost a shade of yellow and presents a positive vibe where as the memories are  more of a cold blue/grey that give the impression they are seen as more negative. There are also several lyric's that relate to the narrative such as "i said i love you and i swear i still do" as well as "how you remind me, of what I really am" as he is seen within one of the memories or flashbacks remembering the girl. Towards the end of the video, the narrative meets the performance in the sense that the studio or building that the performance had been filmed in, the girl is now seen in the same room with the lead singer and then the audience however the story changes when the lead singer pushes back the girl and walks away from her during one of the memories giving the impression he is done with her reminding him of what he used to be. This ending is interesting as we are thinking about a similar ending where a girl gets left behind. The overall impression of the video is a relationship gone sour and the lead singer is remember old memories and how he "used to be" when in the relationship with the girl.

It is important to understand narrative concepts with Rock videos as it will be useful when designing and creating our own, it also important to look at this particular video as it portrays a similar narrative to the one we are thinking about using. This will be good to look back on nevertheless for future reference.

Secret Sin Lyrics Analysis

Here is some initial analysis of the lyrics for Secret Sin:

It if useful to analyse these lyrics as it helps with the planning of our video for example we can plan out certain shots relating to particular parts of the song or lyrics mentioned. This will helpful when it comes to creating our detailed shot list and storyboard for the video.

Ed Sheeran - Small Bump Analysis

For our Preliminary Task we were put into groups and given the task of re-creating the opening minute of a music video shot for shot. We chose to re-create the opening minute of Ed Sheeran's Small Bump, we decided we would create up to 1:03 seconds of the video as It was a good place to end the video both lyrically and shot wise. I decided I would analyse create a post about the opening minute of the video:

Ed Sheeran was born 17th February 1991 and is a indie singer songwriter.  Therefore the genre of this  video is both indie and that of singer songwriter. Throughout the duration of the video there is only a total of five shots. We will be re-creating all five of these. The video starts with a four shot montage of a hospital ward, including close ups of a clock, empty hospital bed and medical waste bin as well as a close up shot through a window of an x-ray projection. These shots are used to set the scene of the video, they also help set the tone, the song is about a miscarriage and therefore is something very serious and personal to be singing about. The cutting rate is quick during the opening four shots, this could be linked to the seriousness of the video and by quickly showing the audience that the video is set in a hospital it portrays the severity effectively. The fifth shot which is seen during the remainder of the opening minute and the rest of video is a moving shot of Ed sitting in a hospital waiting room tracking him as he sings the lyrics to the video, this gives the audience the impression he is waiting for some news or waiting to be seen himself. The Mise en Scene displayed within the video is very simple and portrays great realism, Ed can be seen wearing a hoodie, jeans and trainers an average set of clothes for someone his age, he's facial expressions are full or meaning and concern reinforcing the realism within the video for example he is not seen wearing expensive clothing or smiling. He is also seen with a beard and his trademark scruffy ginger hair, this gives the impression he may be stressed or anxious Other patients can be seen in the background of the video that are also wearing simple clothing and are also portrayed as looking anxious, there is also a doctor who is seen wearing a stereotypical doctors uniform, again enforcing severity and realism. The lighting also helps reinforce the realism with video, the lighting is high key and represents the type lighting that you would expect to see in a hospital waiting room. Ed can be seen singing every lyric during the opening minute however as the camera gets closer to him there is more emphasis on the lyrics "I'll give you nothing but truth" and "I'll put my future in you" these lyrics are quite personal and create the impression of great meaning within the video. 

By analysing the opening minute in which I will have to re-create with my group I now have a much better understanding of the concept of the video. I now know the type of shots, the mise en scene, the lyrics and as well lighting and location. This will be extremely helpful when it comes to re-creating the opening minute shot for shot. 

Chase & Status - Time ft. Deliah Analysis

Following on from my analysis of The Killers - Somebody Told Me, I decided to Analyse the video Time by Chase & Status. I felt I should try looking at analysing a variety of videos from different genres to see how each genre differs and how their approach to videos changes as well as the different conventions they portray. 

Chase & Status produce electronic music such as Dubstep and they are originally from London. The band was formed in 2003 and since then they have produced two studio albums. Time is taken from their second studio album titled "No More Idols" and features british singer songwriter Deliah. The story within the video is about a teenage daughter who witnesses her mother being abused by her father. As the video progresses and as the abuse gets worse it effects the daughter more and more until she eventually takes action to protect her mother by phoning the police and having her own father arrested. The beginning of the video starts off with an a close up shot of the girl texting with a worried look on her face, however this is quickly contrasted by establishing shot of the family, you are given the impression that the family are happy as through a variety of medium and close up shots the family can be seen smiling and playing together. There is use of high key lighting to bring out brighter colours within the opening few shots and the Mise en Scene also gives the impression that the family are happy or content, all members of the family are seen to be wearing average clothes implying that they aren't short of money and live comfortably. Having said this the older daughters hair is quite messy, giving the impression she may be stressed or concerned about something. The mother is seen to be wearing a yellow jumper, yellow being a warm colour giving the opposite impression in that she is happy. As the video progresses the mood of the video changes, the lighting as well as the Mise en Scene suddenly become much darker this is to coincide with the escalation of abuse. The older daughter can be seen wearing very old and and scruffy clothes, bruises appear on the mothers face and the father is portrayed as being very aggressive. All this is shown through a variety of shots such as close ups, long and medium shots as well as high and low angles shots also giving the video great diversity with it's angles from which to display the action effectively. The cutting rate between the scenes of abuse is fast this compliments the fact a fierce confrontation involving violence is taking place, in contrast to this the scenes in which the there is no abuse taking place such as when the family are sitting down for breakfast the cutting rate is much slower representing a feeling of calm, the lighting and Mise en Scene also brighten up, brighter clothing can be seen again. All through the video their is younger daughter who is made out to be oblivious as to what is taking place, this could represent the fact that no-one knows about the domestic violence taking place. There are three locations within the video, one is the family home and the other is a prison. The third is a series of shot's In which the audience see Delilah singing the lyrics to the song, this is the performance aspect of the song and Is shown through mainly close ups and medium shots. There is emphasis on certain lines such as "I will wait for you, if thats all you need" this maybe because certain lyrics relate to certain parts of the video. An example of this is when the father is portrayed as an alcoholic and the mother always seems to forgive him for what he does to her, the lyric could represent the fact that the mother believes the father needs help and is willing to wait for him to change if that will make things better. At the end of the video, the father is seen being carried into a jail cell, there is a birds eye view of him within the cell and this gives the audience the impression that he feels isolated in prison, this could represent how the mother would have felt, trapped in his world of hurt and abuse.

As previously mention I believe that It is important to gain an understanding of how music videos work and what the difference in genre can mean a difference In a music video, the video seen above is very different to the rock performance In the desert by The Killers and I will take this into consideration. Analysing a variety of videos such as this one will be hugely beneficial when it comes to creating my own.

Tenacious D Rise of the Fenix Digipack Analysis

I decided to post a picture of some Digipack analysis I did for the album Rise of the Fenix by Tenacious D. Here is my analysis: 

It is important to analyse a variety of different Digipacks to gain a wider range of knowledge about how various signs and symbols within them and what they can be interpreted as meaning. Not only this but learning how genre effects the style and conventions of a Digipack will also be important when it comes to designing my own. 

Nirvana Smells Like Teen Spirit Analysis

In the video "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana is set in a school gym and given a sepia filter effect throughout, what this does is help the audience link to the lyrics to the actual location and setting of the video, the stereotypical view of teenagers being rebellious or unclean. The genre of which this video and Nirvana come from is Rock and the rebellious attitudes shown in this video symbolise stereotypical conventions from the rock genre such as crow surfing and mosh pits, heavy focus on drums, a guitar solo and the destroying of instruments. Not only this but the Mise en Scene of the video also draws focus to Rock Genre with the instruments in which the band are playing such as drums, guitar and bass. As well as this, the costumes featured in the video represent that of Rock but also have a clear link to the actual title of the song and that lyrics as the majority of people in the video are "teenagers" they are seen to be wearing jeans and t-shirts, something that was very popular within the genre at the time this video was released. Not only this but there also a group of cheerleaders that can be seen in the video wearing stereotypical costume, this helps to emphasise the location of the video being at a school or high school. As a result of this also, the target audience for this particular artist and the song it's self would be between 16-24,  both "teenagers" and students. The cutting rate in this video is that of a typical rock video, cutting between the performance of the band and the crowd moshing throughout the majority of the video. The image of the band in this video is one that agains fits into the title and the lyrics of the song, with them looking similar to the teenage crowd and with the band acting rebellious by causing destruction in the schools gym this could be seen as very stereotypical both within Rock itself with it's destructive reputation but also with rebellious teenagers within school. Both the band and crowd are seen to also be wearing quite dark clothing as well which fits in with the setting of the video. The performance the band give throughout the video again is that of a typical Rock concert, whereby after each chorus the band gets the crowd moving more and more until eventually the song ends and the band destroy there instruments, something which again may appeal more to teenagers. Throughout the video I believe that the band whilst causing destruction are also portrayed as very likeable and respected people especially within the world of Rock with the close up shots of the crowd moshing and the band playing there instruments. Kurt Cobain can be seen singing into the camera as well during the video, making the video feel more personal as if he is singing to not just the audience in the video but and audience watching the video. The video contains a fast cutting rate with a variety of different shots, such as close ups, long shots and also high angle shots and a panning shot at the start of of the video to set the scene which keeps the audience interested in the video. There is also a variety of shots that show a cleaner dancing to the music, he is very much older than anyone else in the video, what this may represent is an older generation reminiscing or wanting to re-discover there youth.

The Killers - Somebody Told Me Analysis

One of the most common ways In which artists are portrayed or represented is through their music videos so I decided to analyse some as I will eventually have to create my very own music video for my coursework. I decide to analyse The Killers - Somebody Told Me: 

The video is set in desert in which the band can be seen playing into the early morning. There is only one location throughout the video and the Mise en scene remains the same for the duration of the song. The Mise en Scene is mix of classic rock with jeans and t-shirts and more 21st century rock in the sense there are also members of the band wearing blazers, cardigans and a polo shirt. The majority of the video is purely the band performing with the main focus on the lead singer. However there are cuts to silhouettes of women dancing in-front of a screen lit up by the bands name, this occurs mainly in the chorus. This could represent a link to the lyrics when it says "I had a girlfriend" connecting the song to the women in the video, the placement of these women and their actions will also appeal to male viewers as It implies sex appeal, where as the band themselves may appeal more towards a female audience. There is a very fast cutting rate at the start of the video before the lyrics begin and before the lead singer has properly been introduced, this could be done to create suspense and excitement for the audience as they will be eager to the performance to begin. The band can also been seen as silhouettes at the start of the video, this could be linked to the silhouettes of the women later on and could portray that they are similar linking In with the lyric "you had a boyfriend that looked like a girlfriend". In the background of the video there Is a footage of the band playing to the song In the day time as well as a "Killers" light-show, this could imply that the band having been playing although the day and are playing into the night, not only this but the "Killers" imagery could be in place to make sure people know who they are by the end of the video if they didn't already. The images of the band playing during the day creates the impression that the band are hardworking or even "hardcore" a classic convention of the rock genre, which will appeal to their audience greatly. The performance is very lively from the lead singers point of view, he is seen to be moving around a lot during the video this could be emphasise that he is the lead and the attention should be drawn to him. Their is also heavy focus on the drummer, another classic rock convention. The band look at the camera on several occasions throughout the performance giving the video a more personal feel. The lighting used in the video appears to be low lit spotlighting this is a clever way of drawing focus to certain aspects of the performance. The positioning of the band is also that of a classic Rock band with the drummer at the back, lead in the middle and the two guitarist either side, The true rock audience will be able to relate to this. Throughout the video there are a range of different shots such as close ups, long and medium shots as well as low and high angle shows also, what this does is create a more interesting and enjoyable performance via a variety of different aspects. When the video reaches the end and the band finish performing it gives the impression they have just finished a concert, this could be to try and encourage the audience to see them live as the type of performance seen in the video is how they will perform live at a concert. Overall I believe the video works well, although the video is more Pop Rock than true Rock it is still a very clever and successful use of lyrics, performance, editing, Mise en Scene and sound. 

It is useful to look at music videos, to understand more about artists and how they are portrayed through their own videos. This will be very helpful for me when it comes to creating my own music video, I will look to videos such as this one If I were to choose the genre of Rock. 

Rihanna Loud Digipack Analysis

Following on from my previous Digipack analysis, I decided to another analysis of Rihanna's - Loud album:

Loud is Rihanna's 5th studio album and was released by Def Jam records on November 12th 2010. The  Digipack appeals to both Rihanna's female and male audience members but in different ways. The album cover Is extremely feminine. Rihanna's face is the focus, her hair, make up and facial expressions  all represent great beauty, however they also ooze sex appeal. For example, Rihanna's bright red lipstick could be seen as a sign of beauty or innocence, however it could also be seen as sex appeal to some certain parts of her audience, this is further developed with the showing of her bare shoulder  this combined with both her red hair and lipstick create a sense of sexual interest and this is something which will appeal greatly to her male audience members. However her female audience members will also appreciate these features of Rihanna displayed on the front as they will instead interpret it as a sign or symbol or Rihanna's beauty. The same could be said for Rihanna's facial expression, It could be seen as quite a shy or innocent expression where as it could also be seen as a more sexual expression, her line of sight is not in contact with the camera instead she appears to be drawing focus on her bare shoulder which as previously mentioned could be seen as a representation of sexual interest again appealing to her male audience. The text is very simple, it's bold to grab the audiences attention, the white stands out well against the pink and the colour of Rihanna's skin and it effective way of making sure they audience know the title of the album. Rihanna has left her name off the front cover, this is risky but is relying on the fact that people already know who she is. There is some symbolism of wealth through the ear ring that can be seen behind her hair, this gives the impression she has money to spend on jewellery and that she values jewellery. This and the tattoo on her neck add a more personal touch to the cover as tattoos and jewellery are quite personal, this will appeal more to her female audience members. Having said this I believe that her front cover appeals more to her male audience as it is quite sexual having said this will also appeal to her female audience as they will connect with Rihanna's longing to look sexy and desirable, they will also relate to Rihanna as looking both beautiful and innocent through the image presented.

The Inside cover of the album is very similar to that of the front however more of Rihanna is exposed, she can been wearing a dress and laying in a field of red flowers, continuing the red or pink colour seen which can again be represented as beauty and very feminine. However she can be seen wearing a low cut top which again makes reference to sex appeal. The CD covers themselves are that also of pink flowers which can be seen as both personal and feminine, appealing to her female audience members. 

The back cover is very different to the front. Rihanna can be seen In a different outfit, this time you can see her whole body and she is looking directly at the camera. She can be seen striking quite a sexual pose and there is more skin on show, what this shows is that the sex appeal is very much still there. The fact that Rihanna is looking at the camera means that It's more personal this could be linked the song list to the left of the back cover, implying the personal side to some of her songs. The songlist and text on the back cover is very subtle, very simple. It's very obvious that the back cover is focused very much on Rihanna and less so about her songs. The legal documentation, websites on how to contact Rihanna and a barcode are visible on the back cover also as would be expected. 

I believe that It is important for to understand as much as I can about Digipacks so I can best prepare myself for when I have to create my own. I feel by analysing Digipacks such as this one I will benefit with my understanding of the meaning behind certain elements within a front or back cover and this will really help when it comes to planning and designing my own Digipack. 

Digipack Analysis

Following on from my previous post about Digipacks, I decided to do some Digipack Analysis. Here is what I came up with:

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

The background for this Digipack is that of clouds, this could signify that Katy is an "angel". She is seen to be wearing no clothes and her bottom is covered by merely a cloud, what this portrays is sex appeal. Although Katy's primary target audience is young teenage girls, she also appeals to a male audience as well. Her red lipstick also signifies sex appeal, however it also gives the impression that she may be a princess something she likes to portray herself as to appeal to her target audience of young teenage girls who look up to her as a role model. The text used on the front cover of the album is made to look like sweets or candy with cartoonist designs again appealing to her target audience. Teenage Dream the name of the album is located underneath Katy and portrays that of a lollipop design grabbing the audiences attention. Katy is looking straight at the camera this makes it more personal, her facial expression could be seen as both seductive and also happy appealing to both her male and female audience member. Overall I believe the album image is one in which Katy is trying to portray herself as a princess or angel in a bright and vibrant way, however she has produced a degree of sex appeal also so not to alienate her male viewers. 

Tinie Tempah - Disc-overy

In this Digipack Tinie Tempah Disc-overy, the background seems to be that of space, this could symbolise that he is from another planet or "out of this world". The text found on the front cover is Tinie's trademark text that can be found on his single and EP releases, the audience will easily relate to this. The fact he is wearing sunglasses again is another trademark of Tinie's but also portrays hidden identify, perhaps wanting to hide away from the spotlight. His watch may symbolise his power in the music industry and wealth which will appeal to his audience or young males. The fact he seems to be clutching what appears to be a city may portray that he is in control or plans to or has taken over the world through his music. Tinie is centre frame drawing the audiences attention directly to him. The facial expression used gives the impression he is very focused. There is almost a spotlight surrounding him creating a glow which could portray that he is special or gifted, this again draws the audiences attentions towards him and will appeal to his audiences of both male and females, his masculinity within the cover will appeal to his female audience. The overall image I believe Tinie is trying to create is that of power and control, as he remains focused on succeeding in the music industry and becoming a global hit. 

50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'

The background for 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' Digipack is red, making 50 stand out against it drawing the audiences attention to him. There is what appears to be a bullet hole centre frame, grabbing the audiences attention and focusing it on a necklace of a cross. What all this symbolises is religion, power, wealth and strength all of which 50 Cent is heavily known for. His watch also symbolises this. 50 has his trademark logo in the top right of the cover, his audience will easily relate to this. The text for title of the album is different and is more of a "gangsta" style of writing, 50 Cent is known as a gangsta and with this style of text helps symbolise this. 50 is looking straight at the camera making the cover feel more personal as if he is looking at the audience, however his facial expression is fierce and aggressive and this could be seen as a warning or threat to his enemies, the fact his has no top on and his tattoos and muscular physique are on show could also symbolise this. The parental advisory sticker in the bottom left on the cover again symbolises power but also attitude and reputation. 50 is known for speaking his mind and not holding back, something his fans find hugely appealing. The overall image I believe this cover is trying to create is 50 showing off his power, his faith and his wealth and also showing aggression to his competitors or enemies. 

JLS - JLS

In this Digipack the background is a greyish white, the band are in a quartet formation centre frame with the use a mid body shot drawing the focus directly on them. The cover contains the bands trademark logo, with the only colour coming just under the logo with a different colour symbolising a different member of the group. The group are looking directly at the camera, giving a very personal portrayal which will appeal to their young female audience greatly. Each member of the group has a different hairstyle and each are wearing different outfits however all are dressed in black, this could symbolise the different in each member of the group and their variation in style however also there unity as a group again appealing to their target audience of young female girls. The facial expressions of the group also portray a sense of focus but also seduction, introducing a degree of sex appeal into the Digipack. JLS have self titled their album "JLS" this could be seen as a denotation of the group. I believe the overall image being created here is that of unity, style and masculinity all of which is designed to appeal to there audience.

Rita Ora - ORA

Rita Ora's Digipack titled ORA has a white background, this makes Rita stand out against it. There is little colour, with the only the text and border being gold. This could be to emphasise simply the artist and the title of the album. Rita is centre frame and looking directly at the camera drawing attention to herself and making the cover feel more personal. Rita's facial expression is that almost of surprise this could pose reference to her shock at how quickly she has risen to fame. She is covering one of her eyes with her, this could represent hidden identify and how she wants to shy away from some of the fame and attention she is receiving.  High key lighting is used to draw attention to Rita. Her watch could be seen as a symbol of wealth and power. The necklace she is seen wearing looks similar to a chain, this could represent how she is now locked into the music industry, no escaping the fame or spot light. Even though there is no colour in the actual image of Rita, it's clear that she is wearing a form or bright lipstick, this combined with the fact she doesn't appear to be wearing any clothes and is almost trying cover herself up creates sex appeal directed at her male audience members. Her wavy hair could be seen as a sign of beauty and passion, this will appeal to her female audience, especially young teenagers who look to her as a role model. Rita Ora has also self titled her album giving it a more personal feel, Ora also has a double meaning which is another reason why she has most likely done this. Overall I believe that the image that is being portrayed is that of a mixture of beauty and sex appeal as well as the shock at how quickly Rita has risen to fame and how successful she has become in such a short space of time. As a result of this symbolism relating to wealth is also visible. 

I believe that by looking at Digipacks and analysing them it will be hugely beneficial for when I come to design my own Digipack in the very near future. I will be able to relate to signs and imagery much easier, I will also understand the concepts of Digipacks as well as what they involve and how they work.