Text Positioning

The text positioning on the album cover is extremely simple, which I have found to be a conventional feature of Digipak’s. Both the album and artist is positioned towards the top left, meaning the rule of thirds has been applied. This positioning of text is appropriate for a Digipak as it is clear and easy to read. On the album back, the only text is the track listing, which is positioned on the right hand side and takes up a large proportion of the page, as it is the main focal point. Each song name is equally spaced out and are positioned vertically, making them easy to understand. In terms of the disk itself, it contains the artist and album name, as well as the track listing.

Imagery and Colours

The image used on the album cover is a mid-shot of the artist, Tom Odell. It is a relatively simple image and has a very amateur look to it, due to the mise en scene and costumes. This makes sense as it is Tom Odell’s debut album and at the time he would not have been known by a large audience. The clothing he is wearing in the images (denim shirt and bomber jacket), remains consistent throughout and reflects the indie/alternative genre of music he produces. The image used on the back of the Digipak does not feature the artist fully; it is a mid-action shot of him climbing some stairs. The main focus is the brick wall in the background (similar to the Mumford and Son’s Digipak), which provides an effective background for the track listing and other text. Similarly, to other digipak’s I have looked at, the disk itself does not include an image. Instead it is just a bold black background with line detailing; again this is similar to the Mumford and Son’s Digipak.

The overall colour scheme used for this Digipak is fairly dull and muted, with a slight blue tone added to the images. It is likely that this has been done to reflect the slower, more serious style of music that he produces.

Typography Design

The typography used on this Digipak is also extremely simple. A black and white font has been used on all components of the Digipak, which gives it as classic, timeless look. On the cover, the artist name, Tom Odell, is black and the album title, Long Way Down, is in white, therefore creating an effective contrast. This is a common feature of digipak’s. Also, a sans serif font has been used and all text is capitalised, making it even easier for consumers to read. Unlike the other digipak’s I have analysed the artist and album name on the cover do not differ in size to allow the artist name to stands out more. However, the contrast in font colour allows the artist name to stand out more than the album title.

Design Principles

The deign principle, rule of thirds has possibly been applied to the text on the album cover, as it is positioned in the top left corner (main focal point), meaning it is the first thing consumers will see. This is a conventional feature of digipak’s, as it is an effective marketing technique.

Research and PlanningAncillary Task 1: Digipak