This is the research and development of the digipak for component 3. This was all done by me (Cassie).
⋆｡˚ʚ ୨ Digipak Research ৎ ɞ˚｡⋆
Cassie’s Media Dictionary 📖 𓂃🪶
Definition by Oxford Languages
DIGIPAK
/ˈdijēˌpak/
noun | TRADEMARK
a type of packaging for CDs or DVDs, typically made from cardboard with an internal plastic holder for one or more discs.
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What is a DIGIPAK and what’s it purpose?
From my research, we found out there are two different types of digipaks: a regular digipak and a jewel case digipak. A regular digipak is a form of card-based packaging used for CDs and DVDs. It’s made out of hard cardboard to hold its shape, and a plastic structure inside to keep the CD/DVDs in place. The outer cardboard is custom printed, usually used as an album cover for artists who release physical copies of their songs. A jewel case digipak uses a plastic outer covering, in which the album cover is in the form of a booklet and slipped into the plastic packaging. The jewel case digipak also holds CDs and DVDs with an internal plastic structure. Digipaks are usually a form of advertisement or branding for the artists, to promote their new releases and enhance their visual identity.
In this case, we have to create a 4-panel digipak for our artist, ELLIE COLLINS, on her new album, POV.
4 PANEL DIGIPAK includes:
❀ Front Cover - Album cover, usually shows artist direction and their visual branding for their album. This is what people first see on the digipak. Sometimes it is just a photo, while other times they have the artist name and album name too.
❀ Back Cover - Contains copyright information and record label/company. Sometimes track lists and runtimes are shown too, and the design usually matches the front cover. It also has a barcode known as a UPC (Universal Product Code), is a 12-digit code that allows retailers to access information about the album for sales reporting and inventory management. This could also be a EAN (European Article Number), which is a 13-digit code.
❀ Spine - The spine holds the front and back together. It usually displays the artist’s name, the album name, and the catalogue number to make it easily findable when the cover isn’t visible e.g. in CD stores.
❀ Inside Panels (2) - One side has space for track lists, graphics, lyrics or QR. Usually a lyric booklet is kept on this side. The other side is where the CD is kept.
❀ CD - The CD is the physical release of the album. Since the CD can only be read on one side, there is no side A/side B like a vinyl record. The top of the CD’s usually come with designs that align with the album’s overall theme and design.
❀ Others - Sometimes artists add other things into their digipak thats not included in the standard digipak. This could be photo cards, folded posters, lyric sheets, stickers, etc.
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CONVENTIONS of RNB Digipaks
Newer RNB albums vs Older RNB albums
❀ Front Cover:
Front covers tend to be solo shots of the artist, especially the older RNB albums. In the older albums, warmed tones are more common. Even though orange and warmer tones are still common in newer albums, theres also albums that are more cool and have blue (e.g SOS - SZA). Older albums have the artist name and album names on the cover, while newer albums don’t. In the older albums, they usually contain close-up shots of the artist, making us feel closer. However, newer albums have a mix of close-ups and long shots, depending on the themes of the album. The fashion used in RNB albums is very broad and varied. Some albums utilize simple styling, using single-color tank tops, while others use very detailed and elaborate clothing.
Newer RNB albums vs Older RNB albums
❀ Back Cover:
Almost all back covers have the track lists of the albums. Sometimes, the rundown time is also included. In older albums, the back covers is mostly always a photo of the artist in the same or similar outfits as the cover. Most of the time, it is a medium shot, showing artist from thigh and up. In newer albums, it’s coming more and more common to make the back cover a photo of the set used in the cover (e.g. Ctrl - SZA) or using graphics with solid color backgrounds. Most back covers contain copyright information and the record label stated. It is an industry standard to have a UPC/EAN barcode at the back along with all other technical information.
❀ Spine:
Finding the spine designs of RNB albums was very challenging, but thankfully I found an RNB digipak collector on Pinterest (@irfani6622), where I searched through his account to find this photo. The spines usually are single color backgrounds, with the album, artist and record label names on them. The center is usually reserved for either the artist name or album name, or even both. They also have the catalogue numbers on them, usually pushed to the side, just like the record label. Spine conventions have not changed much over the years. The spines usually follow the cohesive theme of the album.
Left panel vs Right panel with CD vs Right panel with no CD
❀ Inside Panels (2):
Finding the inside designs of a digipak was extremely difficult. However, I found that watching unboxing videos of digipaks was the best way to see the design inside. Thankfully, I was able to find the designs of RNB albums through @CDGalor on YouTube. The left panel usually has a photo of the artist, graphics or institutional information. The right panel can either be another photo of the artist, graphics, or background photos that fit the cohesive theme. Photos of the artist are usually from the same photoshoot, having the same outfits and styling. The cover and the left panel is usually made into a booklet, with lyrics inside of it.
❀ CD:
The CD is usually once again either has a solid color background, or it keeps the holographic material of the CD, with added graphics on top. Usually, the name of the artist and album would be on the CD, along with record label and other copyright information. Usually, the CD matches the overall aesthetic of the album, however some albums (e.g. SOS - SZA) make the CD the thing that stands out the most by using colors, fonts, etc.
❀ Others:
It is rare for RNB albums to include extras such as posters in their digipaks. This is more common in pop, especially K-pop albums, where it has become an industry standard. However, our song POV comes from a RNB and Pop album, where both genres collide. Positions, the album POV originates from, has a deluxe addition that contains posters, stickers and some polaroid pictures. Even though this is not the norm for RNB albums, we want to have similar inclusions to make our digipak seem more complete.
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RESEARCH of RNB Digipaks
1. Bird’s Eye - RAVYN LENAE (2024)
Technical Elements:
Ravyn Lenae has been a big inspiration for our group ever since we created Ellie Collins. Her vintage aesthetic and simplicity were big factors that we liked in this digipak. Her album cover uses a medium shot, and stands out from the rest of the digipak as they all use a single color background with little variation. This makes the album look very cohesive and clean. She almost looks isolated in the, as the rest of the digipak uses dark colors. This makes her look alone, making audiences assume the album has a more vulnerable vibe to it (dominant reading). The star, Ravyn Lenae, looks to the distance and has a sad facial expression on her face, making the album look gloomy. The cover also uses lowkey lighting, making it look more mysterious and dramatic.
Reflection on Artist’s Persona:
This album shows Ravyn Lenae’s unique persona. Her persona is not very flashy, and almost feels dream-like. The digipak is simple, showing her calm and reflective identity. She stays true to herself, not needing to conform to RNB artists’ conventions. The music in this album covers topics like love, discovery and growth, all very personal and introspective topics that show vulnerability. Her vulnerability is shown through the sad expression, dark colours, dim lighting and the lack of eye contact.
Logos:
Ravyn Lenae does not really have a logo. However, there is typography and symbols that represent Ravyn Lenae and her identity as an artist.
This vintage/olden style typography with her initials works as some sort of logo. This logo can represent her, specifically for this era of her music career. It shows off her vintage aesthetic, and works well with the theme of her album. These are not common in RNB albums, however Ravyn Lenae is known for pushing boundaries in the RNB genre, so this matches her perfectly.
What I will take from this album:
I really like the overall layout of this album. The back cover’s layout in particular allows more photos and variation, while having enough space for information and track lists. Having a photo as the back cover will make it difficult to add text that doesn’t clash with the background, so I plan to make it a solid color too. I also love the use of the vintage/olden style typography as a logo, which can help our artist’s branding.
2. Still Over It - SUMMER WALKER (2021)
DIGIPAK
ALBUM COVER
Technical Elements:
In the digipak, Summer Walker uses a medium shot, allowing us to see the surroundings. She holds a baby, a phone, and theres baby bottles and formula on the table. This makes her look like an overworked mother. In the back cover, she’s shown in a long shot, making her feel distant as she seems to be doing paperwork. The CD design (track list) looks like it’s been drawn by black marker, making it look like a grocery/to do list. However, her official album cover, which does not have a digipak, looks completely different. She looks like a celebrity caught by paparazzi, as she reaches out to cover the camera. She’s using glasses, making her look busy or uninterested. It is a close shot, making it feel like an invasion of privacy. The flash and polaroid/film effect makes it look like a paparazzi photo. In both of the albums, the only thing consistent is the font and typography of the album title, which is a handwritten cursive font, which looks like an autograph, which feels more personal.
Reflection on Artist’s Persona:
Summer Walker is known for her honest and raw style in RNB. In the digipak, she represents the struggle of mothers, especially busy or single mothers. She is quite open and unfiltered, embracing her sexuality and speaking her mind. The digipak design could very well be a criticism on absent fathers or it could show how strong women are for dealing with these issues. Her sound is quite intimate and sensual, which I feel fits more with the official album cover which uses dark colours that feel more intimate. These covers clearly show her persona and her stardom, becoming key parts in her artistic identity. However, I personally don't understand why the concepts between digipak and official album cover are so different.
What I will take from this album:
I really like the thin cursive font, as it looks like handwriting, making it more personal, which I feel matches with our artist. Since my artist is starting small, the more personal vibe will support our initially small fanbase. It also appeals to the “ordinariness” aspect of stardom. I also like the polaroid/film effect used in the official album cover, which looks more vintage rather than modern and professional. The flash is too harsh in my opinion for my artist, so I would rather use soft flash to brighten up the picture to match the happy vibe of her album.
3. i hope you see this - THUY (2021)
Normal Version vs Deluxe Version
Technical Elements:
It is a shame that this album does not have a physical digipak, as the cover was a big inspiration for us. The original album cover uses a long shot and high-angle which makes it look like we’re peeking into her room, especially due to the soft lighting from above. Her room is messy with all sorts of patterns and decorations, showing it belongs to a teenager or someone younger. The setting itself being in a childhood bedroom is very personal and close. There seems to be some sort of effect that makes it look dream-like or nostalgic. The font and typography looks like handwriting and doodles, making it look youthful and creative. It also adds a youthful touch to the whole album cover. In the deluxe cover, the subject looks much younger, while the font looks bold and simple, giving a more serious vibe. This shows how kids may want to grow up faster.
Reflection on Artist’s Persona:
Her persona is warm and gentle, which we can clearly capture in these album covers. They use warm colors like red and orange which makes us feel comfortable and warm. Theres less heartbreak in her albums, so the warm colors also show happiness, which match her persona. Her music is sincere with airy vocals that make us feel relaxed. Thuy doesn’t have that edgy touch or revealing styling that most RNB artists now do, but rather sticks to a soft and minimal persona. This makes her seem very sweet, and it’s supported by her album which is very dreamy and warm.
What I will take from this album:
I really like the bedroom concept and how it makes it feel very personal and heartfelt. However, I do not like the long shot because it actually makes us feel more distant, when I want my own album cover to show closeness as it’s about love. I like the soft lighting and the dream effect too because it makes it very soft, showing the artist is sweet and almost angelic. The typography is also cute as it also seems very personal, as if that’s thuy’s own handwriting. I plan to do something similar for my artist. The styling is quite simple but fits well for a bedroom concept.
4. Love is a Kingdom - TEMS (2025)
Technical Elements:
This album also does not have a physical release unfortunately, however the album cover itself was something I was drawn too immediately. Tems is shown in a close up shot, making us feel close and personal with the artist, making it intimate. The colors used are very warm, which could connote passion. The blur effect gives off an intimate, and connotes that something is moving fast e.g. love. Her makeup is very sparkling, shiny and glossy, making it feel glamorous and might be influenced by the retro club scene, which makes it slightly vintage.
Reflection on Artist’s Persona:
Tems has a very confident persona, focused on her independence and strength. Her very flashy makeup in this album and her lack of clothes could show her confidence in herself. She is also very proud of her culture, usually rocking afros or braids, and she has a very afrocentric style. Her music sometimes contains afrobeats influences along with RNB, which represents her style well. She’s also quite calm, radiating quiet confidence and power.
What I will take from this album:
I really like the blur effect that shot because it feels more raw and real, almost unintentional, than a photo that is taken during a photoshoot. It sets a more personal and moody environment, especially for songs about love. I also love the warm colors because it connotes love, comfort, and passion, which are themes that are in my chosen song. However, the glamorous styling is something I’d like to avoid for now for my artist as it seems too professional and “celeb-like” when my artist is supposed to be her real “ordinary” self.
5. Ctrl - SZA (2017)
Technical Elements:
Even though this album is from 2017, the conventions of RNB digipaks aren’t too different from now. This album uses a long shot, allowing us to see SZA herself but also the unique background. Shes outside during the day time, which makes the album seem brighter and happier. The use of old vintage computers make’s the album cover sort of unsettling as it’s unusual, however it adds a vintage vibe. Green usually connotes nature or growth, or some sort of spiritual connection. The digipak design itself is quite simple, with minimal CD and inside panel designs besides plain single color backgrounds and simple graphics on the CD. The front and back cover uses a different type of film/polaroid that leans more into the vintage vibe, which perhaps alludes to the fact SZA is an “old soul”. SZA makes eye contact with the camera even though she’s quite far, making the audience feel seen which creates more emotional connection.
Reflection on Artist’s Persona:
SZA is very unbothered, unapologetically herself, and is quite spiritual. Being outside in the nature on her album cover could reflect on her spiritual side. The film/polaroid effect looks rather dreamy, which matches with the usually introspective and reflective themes of her songs. The lyrics shes sings are very personal and talk about her growth, which matches the nature setting. The long shot can connote loneliness or isolation, which once again matches well with her songs showcasing her vulnerability. She’s very open on social media about her beliefs (e.g. spiritual beliefs, astrology, etc.) and her struggles, which is what gives her this persona.
What I will take from this album:
I really like the plain solid color inside as it would be easy to add information without text color clashing with the background. However, maybe I’d prefer if there was more picture variety, so maybe the solid color backgrounds could be at the back cover and spine instead. I also like the dreamy effect of the film and polaroid-like filter, which makes it more nostalgic and also vintage. I like how the track list on the back cover is very small, bringing focus to the beautiful set design. While I love the overall set design, I fear it would be too difficult for us to recreate and take inspiration from.
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DEVELOPMENT of DIGIPAK
After conducting research, I finally feel confident enough to start on my digipak development. First, I sketched out my ideas on my drawing app called IbisPaint X. I took inspiration mostly from 500 Days of Summer, a rom-com movie with a very vintage aesthetic. However, I wanted to explore my options outside a movie lens and more of a music lens, so it would still look recognizable as a digipak, rather than a movie poster.
MY DRAWING LAYERS
From these 5 sketches, I told my team and we started taking the pictures for these designs during our filming days, which was always easy because we always brought 3 types of cameras (including our phones), so we could choose which camera looked best for the vibe we were trying to achieve. I decided to make drafts of all these designs, just so it would be easier to visualize which one looked best as the sketches were not doing my ideas justice. By this time, I already collected all the photos from a shared google drive we have (which is very neatly organized), so it was not difficult to design at all. I created the drafts on Canva after buying Canva pro to get the best results.
OUR GOOGLE DRIVE
DRAFTS
I asked input from my group on which digipak design, mostly just based on the photos, look the best to them. However they all had differing answers which made voting very split and also made me very conflicted. So, I decided the best way was to make a google form and send it out to people within our target audience. However, I had to first briefly describe our project and what we are trying to achieve, so people vote based on what we are looking for too, instead of solely on personal preference.
So, I created a google form. I gave them a brief description of our project, our artist, her persona, out song, etc. I then asked them to choose which album cover looks best and suits the theme and concept. Option 1 is slide 1 in the drafts Canva slide, and so on. I allowed them to choose minimum 1 choice and at most 2 choices. I sent these out to teenagers in relationships, hopeless romantics, and other students.
RESULTS OF GOOGLE FORM
As you can see from the picture below, out of 24 responses, option 1 and 7 got the most votes, making up 37.5% of the votes each, which gave me a good idea on what our target audience likes. However, this actually made me more confused because I wasn’t sure which option to pick, and I didn’t want a tie breaker vote to go to a clueless person, as my group was also still split. So, I decided to ask my media teacher instead, as he knows better and may have feedback for my design while we’re at it.
Before I did that though, I decided to use the collage I made earlier of newer RNB albums compared to older ones. I figured that if I put our possible album covers in a sea of other RNB albums, I could see if it fits or stands out.
Option 1 in new RNB albums vs Option 1 in old RNB albums
Option 7 in new RNB albums vs Option 7 in old RNB albums
As you can see, visually and color wise, both options match well in both old and new RNB albums. However, one very notable difference is the use of solo shots. Almost every single album in the collage I made uses a solo shot, and rarely has any other people in the cover. I thought that if we used option 1, we would subvert too much from RNB conventions and it would no longer fit. I asked my media teacher as well, and he agreed with me, saying that it would be easier to connect option 7 with the other RNB albums. I also feel like the 7th option feels more personal and shows who Ellie really is beyond a love interest.
So, I started the actual designing process of the digipak.
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FINAL DIGIPAK
REFLECTION:
It’s been so nice to see the progress I’ve made and the final product of the digipak. I did this all by myself, my role being the sole researcher and designer, but I often asked for feedback from my group mates and my friends. Making this digipak felt so rewarding after all the research and designs I made, because this one of our final products. One problem I faced was that I was extremely fatigued and tired of working on this blog. I had to alternate between researching, writing the blog, designing, getting feedback, etc. I also faced problems with Canva being extremely laggy since I had many slides and designs with many elements. It was hard to add more elements and textures because it would show me loading screens that never ended, or just lagged so bad. Sometimes elements i already added would be replaced with question marks. My solution to my fatigue problem was proper rest days. I still gave myself time to enjoy my personal time outside media studies, so I wouldn’t feel too demotivated. I also made sure to take breaks in between “media grinding” times, to refresh my mind and to make sure I wouldn’t get bored too quickly. My solution to my lag would vary. If I was in school, I’d switch to my personal hotspot instead of using school wifi, as it could be slow and make my software slow too. If that didn’t work, I would just restart the app whenever it would lag out. However, that took too long and it became repetitive. Through troubleshooting I then found out that if I zoom out, it would get rid of the question marks, meaning I could actually see my work. I also found out that I could just reimport photos I needed to apply textures to instead of restarting the app in order to save time. Next time, I will give myself more time to work on a huge blog like this. I underestimated the workload and gave myself little time to finish it all before the deadline my media teacher gave. This led to rushed work, which could reduce the quality of it. Making an early start on a blog, even if it’s just the layout or just one research will save me time and save a future stressed version of myself from doing more work. However, I still think I worked well under pressure, and that the end product ended up great.
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