Yr 13 OCR Media Studies

CD/Digipak Analysis

Learning Objectives:
1. To identify CD/Digipak conventions
2. To explore the use of CD/Digipaks
as a promotional tool
 …and a Digipak is?
• Digipacks are a type of CD packaging made out of card stock or
other heavy paper/cardboard material.

• Digipacks 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
digipack that hold the CD is made of plastic like a traditional jewel
case CD - the plastic part is simply attached to the paper
background.

• Digipacks were first created by MeadWestvaco, and their product,

called Digi-Pak, is trademarked. However, as the format became
more popular and began to be used by more manufacturers, the
generic "digipack" came to be used to describe all soft CD
packaging.
 CD Cover Conventions
• In pairs, each complete
a worksheet

ALERT!
There are certain
conventions all CD
covers have, how
they are designed
will vary
 Who is the
CD Cover Analysis
target
audience? How
does this cover
attract them?
How would
you expect
the music Fonts/Colour/
video and Images?
homepage How is
to look? Iconography
created?
 Now That’s What I Call The
00s
• Compilation Album
• Mixed music styles, Pop/ R ‘n’ B/ Rock
• Bright colours would make it stand out on a shelf
• Target Audience would be popular music fans and
teenagers
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ev6D72lSI
 The Editors
• Indie Band
• Students and 20+ young adults
• The band are not on the front cover of the
sleeve, this is very common with Indie bands
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nRVd7yGz3wM
 UB40: Labour of Love
• Pop/ Reggae music style
• Target audience 16-40
• Unusual Image
• The band are not on the front cover and so are
represented by the images which are very abstract and
demand attention
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT1Sa91N75E
 Pink Floyd: Dark side of the
Moon
• Rock Band
• Cool, off beat and abstract Image
• The band is not on the cover, which is quite common with
rock bands
• Target audience is mainly men
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d78K4rCEfAo
 JLS:JLS
• Pop Boy Band
• Sexy/ Smoldering image, the band are not smiling which
shows they are serious about their music
• The Band ARE the music, which is shown in the album
title ‘JLS’
• Target audience, young girls 7+
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJJEZdYQR_s
 All Angels
• Classical Music
• A very pure, dreamy and ‘Angelic’ Image
• Target audience: young girls, mothers,
grandmothers and older gentlemen
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ni60RiUxVY
 CD Cover Analysis
TASK: Choose 3 music promotion CD covers to analyse
and annotate:
1. What is the genre of music?
2. Who is the target audience? How are they targeted?
3. How successful is iconography used to promote the artist?

Record your analysis on your blog.