Digipak and Magazine Advertisement

I created a short vlog with the hard copies of both my completed Digipak and completed Magazine Advertisement. The vlog provides an outline of how they have followed the forms and conventions of real media products as well as denoting the limitations of each product and how I might improve such limitations if I were to redo this task.

Regarding Digipak

I have recently edited and finalised my Digipak design and from my first draft to the final draft, several things have been altered. I have altered the colouring of certain images to ensure that the words written on top of the image can be seen with a bit more ease. I have also added a spine as this was missed from my original design and is crucial to the general template of a Digipak. With my final Digipak I have decided not to have any writing on the front cover, this will, i hope, create a sense of curiosity for the buyer and improve its overall sales rates.

This inspiration came from the CD packaging of alt-J's album An Awesome Wave;

They too have decided not to put any text on to their album cover, which again i find enticing and draws me personally to buy this particular album.

Digipak Final

Since making my presentation i have tweaked a few things about my final digipak design, such include adding a spine and using new dimensions for its production size.
Here is the final digipak design;

Final DigiPak by MeganSouthern

By looking at the dimensions of my final designs, it is obvious that they do not all match equally, and i have done this purposely. In creating these specific dimensions i am able to create a very individual and unique type of digipak. With these dimensions i am able to fold the packaging in a specific way allowing the next page to be seen as well as the current page (like this);

Digipak Presentation

I have created a small presentation within prezi, out linning all the qualities of my chosen digipak. The presentation also consists of a printed off version of the digipak as well as how the digipak would look folded. On looking at my design you may be wondering why i have not created a spine for my digipak, this is because of the type of digipak i am creating. Due to the 6 panels and fact that if it goes into production it will be made out of cardboard, or a similar material, and therefore there will be no need for a spine. In doing this i also enable myself to have more space for the front and back panels of the digipak.


 

Digipaks complete

I have completed my two digipaks and have chosen the preferred one out of the two that i will be using as my final piece. Both have their own pros and cons however i have weighed the two out and have decided that the second of the two shown in the document below is my preferred out of the two. There are several reasons as to why i have come to this decision, one is that this digipak has an overall more sophisticated and professional feel to it, it all also has our symbol, our album title, our bands name and our track list.

Digipak Complete by Megan Southern

Digipak Photos

I have chosen the 12 photos that i will be using for my two sample digipak mock ups. I have edited the photos below on iPhoto, and created a small collage of each of the two digipak samples.


Digipak Idea One

                                                             
Digipak Idea Two

I have chosen to edit the photos on iPhoto because it allows me to play with the colours, the composition, the focus and the orientation of the image. However to put all the photos together in the form of a digipak i will most probably be using microsoft word, as i can use text boxes and images to compose the exact digipak i want.

Digipak Mock Ups

I have created a short vlog detailing my ideas for my digipak. I have created two mock up versions of my digipak, by hand, that allow you to see what i hope my overall/final digipak will look like once completed. I have therefore, instead of posting images, have created a vlog in order to describe the two digipak mock ups:

 

Digipak Progress

I have made some progress with my digipak research as i have now decided that as oppose to the common 4 pannel ones, i will be making mine into a 6 paneled one. This gives me more space to be creative with my designs and will also enable me to stand out from other digipaks that are and have been produced. The following image is the basic net that i will be basing my ideas and designs on:

Digipak Mindmap

Over the christmas holiday we will be further working on our own, individual, digipaks for our bands. In preparation I have created a mini mind-map of ideas, which will be included on the final product designed.

DigiPak examples

I have created a small prexi, giving more example of CD packs that i quite like and that fit into the genre/style of music that we are using for our music video.

Untitled Prezi on Prezi

Digipak research

Definition of Digipak:
Digipaks are a type of CD packaging made out of card stock or other heavy paper/cardboard material. Digipaks can flip open like a book, or it can have three parts, so that one portion of the packaging opens to the right and one to the left, with the CD in the center portion. Usually, the portion of the digipak that hold the CD is made of plastic like a traditional jewel case CD - the plastic part is simply attached to the paper background.
There are several types of digipaks available, with a range of different number of panels in each. The usual type consists of 4 panels but this can quite easily become either 6 or even 8 panels per pack.

I have a couple examples of them at home, with a four panel and a 6 panel one. The 4 panel Coldplay - Viva la Vida digipak has several signifiers, the first and most obvious being the use of a foreign language in the title of their album. This signifies a cultural variety to the band, and the signified font gives the cover a messy yet artistic feel to it. The dark colours signify gloomy and difficult times, where as the splash of colour signified on the flag creates a juxtaposition of colours.

Another example i have is The Maccabees "Given To The Wild", which is a 6 panel case, larger than the previous digipak. The obvious signifier is the fire across the wild grass, this signifies a sense of wildness to the cover, thus tying in with the album's title of "Given To The Wild". There is also a mysterious object in the centre third of the cover, thus signifying an abstract side to the band, through the randomly placed, unknown object.

Originally a digipak is made of 300gsm card with either a glossy or matt finish. It can have a variety of colours, with different finishing effects such as spot varnish, lamination and embossing. Based on a standard four panel digipak, the dimensions are 139.5mm x 6mm x 125.5mm, and the number of panels within the pack can vary from 4, 6 or 8. This type of packaging is usually for mainstream or leading artists, however more recently it has been used for upcoming artists and alternative/indie styles of music. Which is why this sort of packaging is perfect for our band, as we are produce alternative/indie music. They are also priced at a reasonable rate and are an extremely versatile type of packaging and it can be made to accommodate a booklet of information if wanted by the artist.