Digipak Research

Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside.
Since Digipaks were among the first alternatives to jewel cases to be used by major record companies, and because there is no other common name for Digipak-style packaging made by other companies, the term digipak or Digi-Pak is often used generically, even when the media holder is a hub or "Soft Spot" rather than a full plastic tray.

For further research into Digipaks, I decided to research different bands and artists Digipaks across different Genre's and why they all stand out specifically for each artist.

My first example is the Electronica band "SBTRKT":



As you can see this Digipak is very distinctive, it stand out from the crowd because of the artwork used on the front. It works well because this is the bands logo, and is unlike anything else on the market, the consumer if looking for this particular album will be able to spot it from a shelf in a store with ease. Helping this band, and the genre stay distinctive. Also the use of distinctive colours such as the yellow, and the black against the white, all adding to the uniqueness of this digipak.



Here is the digipak for the rock band of the 70's "Led Zeppelin". I have chose this because it is a band from a completely different genre and completely different time period. But yet has the same basic conventions. Its stands out from the crowd with bold colours that attract the attention of any consumer, and the use of the "Zeppelin" on the front cover clearly shows the audience that this is a Led Zeppelin digipak without having to look into any detail. Hence why the name on the front of the digipak doesnt have to be in massive bold writing.




Finally I have selected the Digipak for "Lady Gaga" I thought this shows a good representation of what sort of digipak is being produced in mainstream music. As you can see thing remain very simple, but still bold and outlandish, with the use of black and white, not as extravagant as the previous two example but still very unique in its design. Showing that from sub-genres, to rock legends, to mainstream pop artists, the convention for digipaks are much the same, in the way they all have the same unique identity to make them stand out from the competition.