Digipack Research

What is a Digipack?

A digipack is the form of packing that a CD might come in, and is a patented style (under the name of 'digipak') and is a registered trademark of AGI-Shorewood. Typically it they are made from cardboard and have a plastic holder for one or more CDs. Traditionally digipacks are used for CD singles or special editions of previously released in a plastic hinged packaging.

Digipacks resemble the theme and conventions of the artist genres. Brand images and motifs are often incorporated to connect the pack to the artist. If also may emphasise lyrics and tones of the songs in the album, EP or single.

Below is a template of a single disk digipack. It shows the way a digipack is made and how many sides are needed to make two panels.




Sourced from cdmakers.com

Folds of a digipack

Digipacks are typically folded to fit a square. They can fold in many different ways and can have many panels. The front is like the front of a book or a DVD. It is used to promote and identify the album so therefore consists of features such as:

• Large eye-catching picture
• The title of the album, EP or single
• Items relating to the artist/band such as a picture 
• The name of the artist/band

The back is also used to promote and identify the album but is consists of different features such as:

• The track list
• The record label
• Bar code
• Some credits
• Album artwork
• And sometimes also the name of the name of the artist/band or the album title. 

The inside panels are subtler than the front and back with less information on them. They consist of:

• Other album artwork that has not featured on the front or back
• Information about the discs
• Personal thanks for the artists/bands
• Lyric quotations from songs on the album.

Some digipacks contain a booklet containing extra information, lyrics and words from the artist/band. In this example from the 'What We Saw From the Cheap Seats' album by Regina Spektor. In the booklet it features:

• Extra album artwork
• Lyrics of songs on the album
• Illustrations
• A list of featured musicians
• Legal information such as credits to companies that worked on the album
• A special thanks from the artist / 'This album is dedicated to...'

(Include images of booklet lyrics, dedicate page, credit page, artwork/illustration)

Digipacks have a lot of creative space in making a booklet which means that they are all rather varied. Some digipacks will include a lot of information whereas some will be purely artwork. Below are some examples of digipacks and what they include in their booklets. 

Examples of Digipacks

'Loud' - Rihanna (2010)

'Bad Blood' - Bastille (2013)

Sourced from wikipedia.com

Front Cover: The front cover includes the title of the album and the name of the band, both in large block print to stand out. The name of the band is featured at the top of the cover as a way of identifying the band and to associate it with Bastille. The front cover also includes a short list of credits that list the most important people who worked on the album as well as the artists and company that produced it, in this case it is Virgin Records.  The artwork is a synonymous visual that is associated with the band. It is dark in tone but features a bright light in the middle of the piece.

Sourced from amazon.com

Booklet Back Cover: The back cover of the booklet features a simple image of a crowd and it lacks any information. Most of the information is found on the plastic covering back cover so therefore no information is needed on the booklet back-cover.

Packaging Back Cover: The back cover on the packaging includes the track list for the album. It is in a similar font to the title on the front cover to create unanimity. It also features the timings for each song which is a rather uncommon feature. Other information includes the company that produced the album, the bar code, copyright information and band information such as their website.

Sourced from coverlib.com

Inside the Booklet: The inside of the booklet features items such as lyrics to the songs included in the album, additional album artwork, special thanks from the band and additional credits. All the artwork instill the same tone and theme. They all use a degraded and faded aesthetic which makes the images look old and worn. The lyrics are printed over top in a black block font. Throughout the booklet and packaging any 'a's are replaced with a triangle which is part of the band's image  which is part of the band's image. Above the lyrics, information on instruments and musicians can be found. On the last two pages it includes information on the album's production as well as a special thank you written by Dan Smith, the lead singer.

Sourced from absolutepunk.com

'Folie a Deux' - Fall Out Boy (2008) 

Front Cover: The front cover is printed on the booklet insert and features the title and the name of the band. The two pieces of text are similar in font and size however the name of the album is in yellow rather than in white like the name of the band. The middle word of each test is smaller and not bold unlike the other two words. The cover also features an illustration of a grizzly bear carried by a man in a bear suit, which has become synonymous with this particular album. The tone of the cover is red which is continued throughout the rest of the album.


Booklet Back Cover: The back cover of the booklet is completely blank, only feature the red gradient of the front cover. There is no need for for anything on the back cover as all the information is either on the back cover of the packaging or in the booklet itself.

Sourced from amazon.com

Inside the Booklet: Unlike most booklets, the 'Folie á Deux' booklet does not feature any lyrics or additional information on the main pages. Instead it features photos of the band members with their name and a blank place for signatures on the other side. The photo is half-covered with bright colourful illustrations of random items. On the last two pages it features all the information on the album including legal information, companies who worked on the album, a list of additional musicians and band information such as the band's website and ways to unlock additional art and music. On the last page there is a thank you written by the band. It says "Thank you to all our, friends and loves."

Sourced from
trololoblogg.blogspot.com

Packaging Back Cover: The back cover on the plastic package it features the track list of all songs that feature on the album including the bonus track. It is written in yellow bold font and unusually is written backwards. The back cover also features artist label information and the bar code. Any other information is written in white and is in a smaller font.