DIGIPACK RESEARCH

Adnan Karim

Front cover The shot type is of extreme long range showing the artist confined within glass cube presumably representing his living room consisting of a Sofa, (which the artist is casually sitting on watching television) a TV. On top of a desk connected to some speakers. Behind him stands a complex of skyscrapers almost peering over him. The shot shows the artist living ordinarily while confined in a box unaware of the external world around him and the tall buildings gives the impression that people higher than the artist In social order is watching the artist , stripping the freedom of privacy.

The title of his album is placed on the top right of the cover in large bold white print and is iconic due to the letter o signifying a logo associated with health. (applied to the letter o) The combination of red and white contrasts the background of the cover epitomizing the theme for which the album is based on, that is the path to recovery from issues that the artist faced such as depression, drug-related problems and so forth.

Front cover Generic features of a back cover is apparent such as the barcode, track name and numbers as well as the associated groups to the artist. The long range shot is a closer inspection of Eminem in the glass cube, sitting on the sofa with a TV remote in hand. He is looking directly at the audience and his bodily language seems weary as if we are suspect to whatever is bothering him. Behind the artist is a vague image of an extra terrestrial entity , possibly what is described in the track Not afraid (Im standing up gotta face my demons) is demons .

inside The insert described those involved in producing the album with the executive producer in bold at the top. It also features a symbol of the recovery logo on the left of the insert. In addition is an image paying respect to the artists best friend who had passed away. Interestingly is a quote placed at the bottom of the page in bold saying THIS ALBUM IS DEDICATED 2 ANYONE WHOS IN A DARK PLACE TRYIN 2 GET OUT. KEEP YOUR HEAD UP IT DOES GET BETTER. This summarises the purpose of the album and provides a motivational message to the audience.

 The idea of a long range shot which features the artist and the background having significant importance also is one which we could use. It gets the audience thinking and asking questions on the mysteriousness of the shot. Also, the prominent mark in the name of the album recovery is one which could use, in refining the style of font we use and how effective it is in capturing the audiences attention.

The front cover features a close up of the artist Nasir Jones aka Nas, a stale face staring directly at the audience. In the background shows blocks of Queens bridge (New York), signifying the grimy block of which the artist grew up in. The foreground image of Nas as a child is overlayed over the background also reinforces the ethics behind the mixtape.

A combination of white and black text is used as well as red to grab the attention of the audience and the artists name is placed to the right of the cover in large type. The font somewhat looks like graffiti and this typifies the type of music the audience is buying as well as reinforcing the strong culture which coincides with hip hop, that is gang related symbology such as tagging turfs using graffiti. The title of the mix tape is unusually placed on the bottom left of the cover and the word ill contrasts with the rest of the letters. The effect is that the colloquial term Ill meaning exceptional in standard English stands out and instantly attracts the audience giving a sense of excitement to look forward to hearing the tape.

Front cover

Back cover

The tracks are listed in white text and the track Halftime cleverly sits at track 5. The barcode features on the top right of the back cover and the record label is placed on the bottom left. Interestingly a sepia tone is used projecting a gloomy atmosphere and personifying the background image. The background image shows clusters of rubbing dumped in the background and further shows the strong cultural link which nas exposes between his music and the poverty for which he lives in.

 Although this is a simplistic cover compared to the modern one of hip hop albums, the small attention to detail creates a significant effect. We could replicate the style of how ill is written and thus get the audiences attention and emphasise the superlatives or emotional language used.

Front cover The front cover shows the artist Tupac Shakur amongst black males with hoods on. However the contrasting attire for which Tupac wears really makes him stand out and this instantly gets my attention. Another captivating feature is the contrasting colours used in the title of the album, where the artists stage name is boldly filled with blue opposed to the rest , really capturing my attention. The sepia tone once more is exemplified, possibly a popular attribute to a front cover, as the previous mixtape of NAS has the same feature. Another generic feature is the parental advisory indication which many rap/hip-hop covers had, as strong language and reference to drugs/sex is a common practice in its respected culture.

Back cover The back cover has a background of flames which puts the tracks into context. The debut studio album raises political issues such as poverty and crime, it also portrays the life many young black males. The tracks are listed on the right hand side and the barcode features on the left. The simplistic style makes it easy for the audience to read.

inside

The inside part of the digipack has the artists stage name placed in a silhouette of a gun placed on some sort of surface. The large silhouette and bold letters give a powerful image and instantly attracted me to it. It suggests that the artist 2pac is a weapon and can be used to challenge the political issues raised in this album.

 The back cover comes to my attention. We could use a back cover that is relative to the track and detailed enough to tell a story of its own and the thought process behind the track.

Magazine advert analysis

Wretch 32 Eminem

Images: The image shows a medium close up shot of the hip hop artist Wretch 32, where direct gaze is the method of communication between the artist and the reader. The direct gaze method (direct mode of address) establishes a better and more personal relationship between the reader and the artist hence making it more engaging. Furthermore, Wretch 32 (the artist featured on the page) is in black and white and relates to the main cover line Wretch 32 in black and white which is an upcoming second album from Wretch 32. The image is central to the front cover and relatively large, this instantly attracts customers as they can tell which celebrity is featured at the front cover, giving the incentive to buy the magazine. Wretch 32 also appears to be covering one eye, which could insinuate that he is timid or humbled about his current success, or link to symbolism and conspiracy concerning the music industry. The artist featured is wearing casual clothing, opposed to the urban type attire (such as hats, lots of jewellery etc.) which exists within the hip-hop industry today. This could show his humble attitude towards his recent success. The artists skin is without blemishes and his hair is neat, giving the perfect image of a modern celebrity, making it even more attractive for the customer to buy.

The masthead is large and captivating. The typography is similar to a serif font which most magazines use as a standard font for mastheads. The masthead is prominent and bold and the rewind sign featuring on the masthead instantly gives recognition to the audience, that this is a music magazine. The masthead is recognisable and definitely unique; the bold black font colour makes it stand out from competitors. Cover lines are aligned to the left of the page (restrained within the margins). The main headings of cover lines are in white and slightly bigger than the additional information underneath which is in dark grey. This all links in with the specific theme of black and white. Furthermore the white headings instantly grab my attention and make me want to read the information underneath. The main cover line is relatively large compared to the other cover lines and shows the main feature within the magazine, and the artists name is the larger than the other words, hinting who the celebrity is on the front cover. Love vs Lust is also written in a more distinguishable font (from competitors) next to the artist. This is one of the main new features within this issue and is a unique selling point. The house style features the main colours of; black, white and dark grey. This all relates to the main story of Wretch 32 in black and white.

Language used: The tone used is formal. Third person is also used to present cover lines. chinos, cargo and check represent alliteration which makes the words roll off the tongue in a melodic tone, making it more interesting for the reader to engage in. Audience: The audience seem to be the teenagers of today or those who listen to urban music; as Wretch 32 is a current artist and is a household name within the underground industry. The magazine usually features information or stories on hip hop, garage, RNB, and generally urban music.

Images: The shot type is a medium shot. The front cover features an image of two artists who work collaboratively, Eminem and Dr Dre. They both appear wearing lab coats where Dr Dre (right) is holding a syringe and Eminem wearing Dr Dre beat headphones holding musical notes with tongs. Beneath them in the image is a desk with some science related machines and a notepad along with a few lose sheets of paper. On top of the paper lays scattered Cds and vinyls. The image is in a dark setting; notice how Dr Dre has a logo on his pocket of his lab coat which represents a scale of balance. His white lab coat contrasts to the dark background the logo could suggest the balance between dark and light, evil/good. Also a microphone is apparent within the image. The main cover line correlates to the image and provides anchorage and also highlights the meaning of the image. (Roland Barthes theory) reinforces the context of an image, the cover line reads what are Eminem and Dr Dre cooking up. The common phrase used in the urban scene is back to the lab when albums or any form of music is produced in hip hop or rap. Also the theme of science refers to the Dr in Dre. Lastly, The headphones which appear to be on Eminem (left) are Dr Dre beat headphones, this could be used as an advertising tool to attract customers to by the set of headphones because Eminem is wearing it.

Page layout: The masthead appears in Bold, yellow writing, saying vibe. The large masthead instantly captivates the customer. Housetyle colours consisting of yellow, white and black. Opposed to the other magazine the margins are much finer, using majority of the page with images and text. On the top of the page also shows other features involved in the magazine (this is in a bold yellow font) and beneath that says 15th anniversary juice issue in white. A text box appears on the left hand side of the front cover which is filled in yellow and black text appears in it. The cover line is under the textbox, Darkside is in bold white text and larger than the rest of the text to attract the reader. Artists and celebrity figures that are included on the magazine are shown on the left hand side in yellow. The barcode features on the left hand side, on top of it says vibes website and beneath the barcode says the issue date. There is another textbox at the bottom of the page with black text . The number 42 also is written in a larger font and is dark and yellow instantly grabbing the attention of the reader. Fine margins are apparent and only the edge of the page is left without text. The main cover line is in a large font, in yellow and white, where the yellow is used on the artists name; Dre and Eminem respectively. Also the E is reflected in Eminem. The artists names are much larger in the main cover line than the other words which go with it. This is to captivate the audience, as the first thing that they will see is the artists name, giving them the incentive to buy the magazine. The colour yellow is also used to contrast with the dark background and further try grab the readers attention. The backwards E actually means exists in symbolic logic, so its possible that Eminem has been told this (hes had the E for a long time) and this line means smack them with existence, meaning hit them with the truth The reversed E means exist or to exist in the language of symbolism. The reversed E has been a distinguishable trademark of the artist for a long time. The physicality of the reversed E was actually placed in a lyric in Eminems track my darling. And smack 'em with the backwards E on the Eminem emblem This means to hit with *Eminems+ existence hence meaning to hit *them+ with the truth.

Language used:
Alliteration is used power players, this makes it catchy for the audience to say and engages the reader more. A rhetorical question is used to make the reader think, and may give them the incentive to buy the magazine to discover the answer to the question. Third person is also used. The structure is formal in most cases but cookinup could be described as the colloquial term meaning making in literal terms. Audience: Generally speaking the Vibe magazine covers rap, hip hop and rnb, so the target audience would be anyone interested in the culture of hip hop, or into the urban scene. Demographics denote that teenagers are mostly into hip hop, rap and rnb so they would be a prime example for the target audience.