Digipak research

In order to get a better perspective of digipaks so that we can understand better how to prepare our own, I have researched and analysed different existing digipaks.

Digipak 1: Katy Perry- Teenage dream
Katy Perry produces pop music, which should have the following conventions of young, fun and happy upbeat music. This Album cover in fact presents these features and is therefore representing the pop genre. This is done by her use of baby pinks and blues which are associated with youth and young children. The actual CD is actually printed in a candy red and white spiral which again represents youth as it is similar to that of sweets, as is the giant candy floss looking cloud that she is laying on. Also her name is written in a balloon like font which again is very playful and fun.
The album title is teenage dream and this has been used as the theme for the Digipak. The fact she is laying on a cloud connotes the fact she is in a dream as does the red and white spiral of the CD. As well as looking like a piece of candy, it also looks similar to that of a hypnotist’s tool for making people sleep, which again is a visual image of the album title. The images inside the Digipak are of the artist dressed up as a prom queen wearing a tiara and a prom king wearing a crown. Going to the prom is culturally one of the biggest events that happen in a typical American teenage girl’s life. The narrative of the album cover can therefore be suggesting that a teenage girl’s dream is to go to the prom and become the queen.
The fact she is naked could suggest that she is trying to compare to that of a new born baby which represents herself as young and playful, as a child is. Young age is definitely represented in this cover due to the candy like feel of the colours used, the candy floss/cloud background, the candy looking CD and the images of the prom queen and king. Young people are stereotyped to love sweets and having fun. Going to the prom is also a major stereotype of teenagers and therefore the target audience of teenagers and younger children is highly reached.
Women usually try to dress and look young and babyish in order to attract men as there instinct is to protect women and their family. This is why a lot of woman buy teddy bears and sit on men’s laps as a baby would. Katy Perry’s album could give this different meaning and target men instead of young teenagers, due to the fact the album cover is young and fresh. Also the fact she is naked could give a sexual impression and so older people, especially men would become the target audience.