A2 Digipack research - Adnan Karim

Adnan Karim

DIGIPACK RESEARCH

The title of his album is placed on the top right of the cover in large bold white print and is iconic due to the letter ‘o’ signifying a logo associated with health. (applied to the letter ‘o’) The combination of red and white contrasts the background of the cover epitomizing the theme for which the album is based on, that is the path to recovery from issues that the artist faced such as depression, drug-related problems and so forth.

The shot type is of extreme long range showing the artist confined within glass cube presumably representing his living room consisting of a Sofa, (which the artist is casually sitting on watching television) a TV. On top of a desk connected to some speakers. Behind him stands a complex of skyscrapers almost peering over him. The shot shows the artist living ordinarily while confined in a box unaware of the external world around him and the tall buildings gives the impression that people higher than the artist In social order is watching the artist , stripping the freedom of privacy.

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The long range shot is a closer inspection of Eminem in the glass cube, sitting on the sofa with a TV remote in hand. He is looking directly at the audience and his bodily language seems weary as if we are suspect to whatever is bothering him. Behind the artist is a vague image of an extra terrestrial entity , possibly what is described in the track ‘Not afraid’ (“I’m standing up gotta’ face my demons”) is demons .

Generic features of a back cover is apparent such as the barcode, track name and numbers as well as the associated groups to the artist.

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The insert described those involved in producing the album with the executive producer in bold at the top. It also features a symbol of the ‘recovery’ logo on the left of the insert. In addition is an image paying respect to the artist’s best friend who had passed away. Interestingly is a quote placed at the bottom of the page in bold saying “THIS ALBUM IS DEDICATED 2 ANYONE WHO’S IN A DARK PLACE TRYIN’ 2 GET OUT. KEEP YOUR HEAD UP… IT DOES GET BETTER.” This summarises the purpose of the album and provides a motivational message to the audience.

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The idea of a long range shot which features the artist and the background having significant importance also is one which we could use. It gets the audience thinking and asking questions on the mysteriousness of the shot.

Also, the prominent mark in the name of the album “recovery” is one which could use, in refining the style of font we use and how effective it is in capturing the audiences attention.

The front cover features a close up of the artist Nasir Jones aka ‘Nas’, a stale face staring directly at the audience. In the background shows blocks of Queens bridge (New York), signifying the grimy block of which the artist grew up in. The foreground image of Nas as a child is overlayed over the background also reinforces the ethics behind the mixtape.

A combination of white and black text is used as well as red to grab the attention of the audience and the artists name is placed to the right of the cover in large type. The font somewhat looks like graffiti and this typifies the type of music the audience is buying as well as reinforcing the strong culture which coincides with hip hop, that is gang related symbology such as ‘tagging turfs’ using graffiti. The title of the mix tape is unusually placed on the bottom left of the cover and the word ill contrasts with the rest of the letters. The effect is that the colloquial term ‘Ill’ meaning exceptional in standard English stands out and instantly attracts the audience giving a sense of excitement to look forward to hearing the tape.

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The tracks are listed in white text and the track ‘Halftime’ cleverly sits at track 5. The barcode features on the top right of the back cover and the record label is placed on the bottom left. Interestingly a sepia tone is used projecting a gloomy atmosphere and personifying the background image. The background image shows clusters of rubbing dumped in the background and further shows the strong cultural link which nas exposes between his music and the poverty for which he lives in.

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Although this is a simplistic cover compared to the modern one of hip hop albums, the small attention to detail creates a significant effect. We could replicate the style of how ‘ill’ is written and thus get the audiences attention and emphasise the superlatives or emotional language used.

The front cover shows the artist Tupac Shakur amongst black males with hoods on. However the contrasting attire for which Tupac wears really makes him stand out and this instantly gets my attention. Another captivating feature is the contrasting colours used in the title of the album, where the artists stage name is boldly filled with blue opposed to the rest , really capturing my attention. The sepia tone once more is exemplified, possibly a popular attribute to a front cover, as the previous mixtape of NAS has the same feature. Another generic feature is the parental advisory indication which many rap/hip-hop covers had, as strong language and reference to drugs/sex is a common practice in its respected culture.

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The back cover has a background of flames which puts the tracks into context. The debut studio album raises political issues such as poverty and crime, it also portrays the life many young black males. The tracks are listed on the right hand side and the barcode features on the left. The simplistic style makes it easy for the audience to read.

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The inside part of the digipack has the artists stage name placed in a silhouette of a gun placed on some sort of surface. The large silhouette and bold letters give a powerful image and instantly attracted me to it. It suggests that the artist “2pac” is a weapon and can be used to challenge the political issues raised in this album.

• The back cover comes to my attention. We could use a back cover that is relative to the track and detailed enough to tell a story of its own and the thought process behind the track.

Magazine advert 1

Artist placed centrally with urban attire representing the culture of the industry he is in. (rap/hip hop)Large white text showing the artists name as well as the font of his mixtape name being larger and more emphasised than the rest of the text

Generic conventions such as associated groups involved in making the mixtape shown

Magazine advert 2

The artists name is in a gold gradient, bold and embossed making it stand out contrasting to the background, the house style is consistent throughout, consisting of white and gold text.

The artists image is the largest on the advert and shows his hand reaching out towards the audience

The name of the album is large and compared to the text beneath it , standing out from the rest of the text

The album itself is shown itself as well as the date it is to be released

Associated companies are also shown on the top right hand side of the advert

Magazine advert 3

The artist is placed centrally shown with a gold and silver medallion, he is also smoking typifying the hip hop culture.

The artists name is in large font, with a gold/brown outline filled with white, it contrasts to the background it is placed in, giving emphasis

The artists record label is shown on the top left hand side Although the album

name is not announced, ‘ALBUM COMING SOON’ is shown in large white text

The associated companies working with Def Jam and the artist is shown on the bottom right

Mock up of front cover

Artist name and album name on the left hand side, where the artist name is in large bold text

A large image features on the right on hand of the cover of the artist

Parental advisory label features due to strong language content

Background image

Mock up of back cover

Track names listed with contrasting colours for the track number and track name, respectively.

Barcode features

Associated groups also feature

Background image