Digipak Analysis: Avril Lavigne - Goodbye Lullaby

Front:

Codes:

Text:
Main Text: Very much like 'Made Up Stories' the only text on the front cover of 'Goodbye Lullaby' the only text is Avril Lavigne with the name of the album.
Font: The font and style used on this front cover is an indication of the style of music that this album is. Normally, Avril would be associated with music that could be classed under pop-rock but this album is very much just pop, which is shown by this more sophisticated font in the style of handwriting. Surprisingly, the title of the album is written in a fairly small font, and is not very eye-catching at all. This is the exact opposite to the albums of McFly and Go:Audio. One can only assume that because

Avril is so well known, the designers are confident that she and the album will be recognised by the picture instead of by the name.

Layout:

Main Layout: Along with the size of the text, the positioning is also rather unusual. By being placed in the top right hand corner it does not take up the main focus point of the centre. Instead, the picture of Avril takes up this prime position as well as the remainder of the cover. However, the placing of Avril's head right next to the two titles does attract the buyers attention to the information needed.
Additional Features: The use of flowers as type of border once again adds to the sophistication of this CD, which very much sets it apart from the style of her previous digipaks.

Colour:

The colours used on this front cover are carried on right the way through the digipak. The majority of the background is black, making Avril and her blonde hair and white dress stand out and attract the buyers attention. Amongst this, there are also a few hints of green, including the album title, which stand out from the dark background, acting as an indicator for the buyer that this is key information. The green also makes the digipak more appealing and exciting to look at, opposed to just a simple black and white front.

Conventions:

Images:

Main Image: An image of Avril takes up the whole cover. Whilst the front cover of Go:Audio's album indicates what their songs might be about, by having Avril sitting on a grand piano (main prop), her album cover subtly suggests the style of music that the album might include. Laura Mulvery might also say that this picture follows her Male Gaze Theory as it is a full body picture, which is likely to be appealing to a male audience.
Additional Image: The only other image on the front is the age certificate suggesting that this digipak will not be suitable for children under the age of 12.

Costume: Her costume is also telling of the style as she is wearing a rather sophisticated dress, opposed to the ripped trousers that she has previously worn for her other album covers. That being said, she still has her heavy eye make-up on making her recognisable to her target audience and existing fans.

Back:

Codes:

Text:

Main Text: As expected the back of this CD contains the track list and Bonus DVD contents as well as the copyright details. Anymore information than this would be wasted on a buyer as it simply would not interest them. Any additional information should be found in the lyric booklet inside the digipak.

Layout:

Main Layout: Following the conventions of a standard digipak back cover, the track listings are placed on the right had side. All of the other information is placed at the bottom in a smaller font which suggests that it is less important, but also so the designers can fit everything on that they need.

Colour:

The colour scheme on the back is carried on from the front cover so maintain the house throughout. This means that if a buyer once only saw the front cover and then another time saw the back cover, they would recognise that it is the same digipak. It is also not very appealing to have one design on the front and a completely different one on the back as it can confuse the style of the CD and artist.

Conventions:

Images:

Main Image: Images on the back include, a similar picture of Avril to the one on the front which takes up the majority of the back cover along with the track listings.
Additional Images: Aside from this there is the logos for the record companies, a barcode and an age certificate. This age certificate is important if there is any offensive music on the CD,
and a record company is therefore obliged to warn a buyer about this.

Inside:

Codes:

Text:

The only text used on the inside of this digipak is the name of the artist and album on the CD along with the

record companies logo.

Layout:
Main Layout: The layout is very simple inside. Taking on the conventional style with the CD holder on the left hand side and space for the back of the removable leaflet on the left. This keeps in line with conventions and is an aspect that I will aim to replicate in my own digipak.

Colour:

As expected, the colour scheme used on the inside of the digipak mirrors that of the rest of the pack. Along with the similar images this ensures a continuity and house style throughout. The use of greens, whites and blacks also indicates the style of music as their duller qualities suggest a more sophisticated pop sound opposed to bright reds, oranges and pinks which would suggest a more upbeat pop style.

Conventions:

Images:
Main Image: Images from the same photoshoot that are used on the front and back are also used inside. This helps maintain a house style throughout.
Stock Character: Once again Avril is the centre of the picture so that the buyer cannot be mistaken as to who the album is for.

Representation:

All codes and conventions mentioned have been used to create a representation of the album 'Goodbye Lullaby'. This rather significant change in style from her previous digipaks suggests a new sophistication to her music that has developed as she got older. Therefore, one could also say that this digipak represents her desired audience as her original fans have also matured and grown up with her. Overall, these features establish the genre of the album so that the target audience can build an idea of what to expect when buying the digipak.