Saturday, 12 December 2009

Analysis of two CD/DVD Digipaks


Analysis of the Album 'The Declaration' by Ashanti







The artist is being portrayed as very glamorous which can be seen through the crafted use of colour, image, photography, costume and font. The image of Ashanti is the thing that stands out the most when looking at the front cover and this is common in many album covers as the album has the sole purpose of promoting the artist and their music. She is posing as if she is on a catwalk being looked at by many people and has this ‘you can’t touch me’ type of persona to her. She has a direct mode of address, which could be interpreted as a way of welcoming her buyers and appealing to her fans. The dress she is wearing is also relevant as it shows that she is on sexual display. Her label/record company is trying to sell and promote her a sex symbol highlighted by her glamorous yet provocative clothing. It seems as if they are trying to not only sell her music to females but also trying to appeal to men through her image rather than music. This is typical of female Pop/ RnB singers today who sexualize their image to sell records.

The font used on the front cover is also quite feminine and glamorous, again linking to the image that is trying to be created for Ashanti. The images on the inside are also extremely provocative with one only leaving Ashanti to cover her modesty with a pink blanket. Again, it is an attempt to sexualize her image and sell her as a person - not only her music to audiences. Both images are close up’s highlighting her face. The use of a brown and gold colour scheme also adds to the glamorous warm feel of the album and also compliments her skin tone and costume. There is also an external leaflet promoting her tour.





Analysis of the Album 'Fear of Flying' by Mya









The artist is being portrayed as quite glamorous and pretty which can be seen through the crafted use of colour, image, photography, costume and font. The image of Mya is the thing that stands out the most when looking at the front cover and this is common in many album covers as the album has the sole purpose of promoting the artist and their music. Her pose is quite innocent and she oozes a ‘girl next door’ type of persona. She doesn’t seem to be playing up to her femininity or sexuality and has a direct mode of address, which is quite welcoming to audiences. The image is a close-up of her face which is significant as it shows that her label/record company is wants audiences to see her beauty and might be using this as a selling point. This is typical of female Pop/ RnB singers in today’s music industry who use their image to sell records. In the back image of the album however she does appear to be playing up to her sexuality but wearing a low cut top and pulling it open at one side - almost as if she is about to take it off. Her pose is also quite seductive again amplifying the fact that she is being sold not only on her music but on her image, as she wants to appeal not only to women but to a male audience also. There is a slight colour scheme of pink and blue but it does not seem to mesh well and the cover seems quite basic in design also. Maybe this was done intentionally to emphasise the sexy but innocent ‘girl next door’ image of Mya that is trying to be conveyed to audiences.


Conventions learned & What I will be including in my own Digipak:
  1. Both contained a booklet with images and lyrics relating to the album
  2. Both images for the CD cover had the artist in a direct mode of address
  3. Both albums have a clear colour scheme and house style
  4. Bar codes are placed clearly on the back of the album
  5. Tracks of the Album are listed clearly with numbers at the back of the album
  6. Additional information such as record label, websites, producers etc are all listed in small font at the back of the album or logos are used.
  7. The CD tends to be colourful, goes with the colour scheme of the album and only consists of the name of the artist and the album.

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