Digipak deconstruction

Birdy-Digipak

Front Panel

The most important panel of the digipak is the front panel as it is the image which will represent the artist's album and is the panel which will draw the audience to buy the album.

As this was Birdy's first release it was crucial to capture star image to boost sales of recognition, this has been done by;

• Album title - The title of the album is located top left in a thin delicate font which is well suited for her genre Indie-pop as it's very subtle.  The album has been named after the singers stage name 'Birdy' which has purposely been done to promote her name. 
• Positioning - To remind us of star image Birdy is located center of the panel. As her legs are crossed her body language suggests she is shy and uncomfortable.
• Costume - Similarly to the music video 'Skinny love' Birdy is also wearing a very childlike costume which reflects her lack of control.
• Hair and makeup - Her face makeup looks very natural and untouched however like in the music video 'Skinny love' her identity is hidden through her hair.
• Setting - The setting of the panel looks like a wall in an old house.

When researching location I found a photo of the backdrop used from the shoot.

The minimalistic theme runs throughout newer release of Birdy's work.

Birdys typical font:

Inside panel 1

• over exposed close up of Birdy
• Black and white filter
• Long wavy hair covering the right corner of her eye 
• No makeup
• Setting - Outdoors against fence
• Copyright information
• Current Record label

The inside panel is a bit different from the front as it is apparent that she is now outdoors. The continuation of the vintage theme has been carried on through the grainy black and white filter applied to the original image. Her youth is also shown through the over exposed photo as we now see no flaws in her face.
Releasing an album should be happy moment for an artist however the expression on her doesn't show this, in fact the mystery as to why she looks miserable and upset all the time continues the enigma.

Inside Panel 2
Technically speaking the C.D isn't a panel however I decided to consider it as an inside panel as it still has an image on the disc which fits with the theme of her album.
The Album consists of these elements;

• Copyright information
• Record label 
• Album title
• Artist's logo
• Background image

The photo on the C.D follows the vintage theme as I think the image is an extreme close up of the damaged wallpaper from one of the wall of her music videos in the album.
The C.D itself has had a number of conventional features superimposed on to it. The artists logo and the title of the album take precedence. As is customary, the logo of the artists current record label. Copyright information is visible around the perimeter of the C.D; the design of the legal information is unobtrusive, so it does no detract from the main image on the C.D.

Back Panel and Side Panel

(Back Panel)

• Barcode
• Background image
• Track list
• Record label

The design for the back panel of the digipak is very minimalistic; it could be described as 'no nonsense'. The panel has carried the extreme close up of the wallpaper from the C.D, however it is a different section of the print. The back panel includes all of the conventional features: the track list, the record labels' logos, and the barcode.

(Side Panel)

• Artist logo
• Album title
• Record label

Side panels are typically minimalistic, consisting merely of the artists logo, the title of the album, and the record label's logo. It is important for the side panel not to be too 'busy' so that it does not obscure the key information.