Analysis of a Digipak

Rihanna Talk That Talk Digipak

Artist logo

Spine title Image of artist

Track listing (sticker)

Album name

Photo booklet

CD

Image of artist On the front cover, the artist is looking straight ahead at the camera, with her mouth half open and smoke coming out of it. The way that she looks straight at the camera shows her fearlessness, rather than being shied away from the camera or posing, it focuses solely on her face, which is also why there is no other text on the front with the exception of the album name and her logo. Her shoulders are exposed and her hair is left curly and full of volume come of it falling into her face. Her hair being done so wildly shows her brand, of being wild and out of control connoting that her music must also push boundaries.

The back cover is a totally different image that disorientates the viewer. Her being upside down again supports her representation of being out of control and being unconventional. Her costume is also an unconventional combination, tuxedo top and shorts. She also wears sunglasses and holds a cigarette between her lips. The use of the sunglasses creates a mysterious element about her brand, possibly connoting there is more than meets the eye about her. The cigarette connotes that she is a rebel and a tough woman as cigarettes weaken in the long run but she doesn’t care, she’ll do what she wants. The zebra pattern that she’s lying on is signifies that she’s is wild as an animal and will not change.

The album name is done in capitals using a serif font that makes it look formal. It looks soft and light in comparison to the main image and acts as a message to her audience, as if to say that she doesn’t care what her audience think or say about her.

barcode

Recording info

Record label Distributors etc.

This sticker sums up the bonus for the deluxe edition that would appeal to her dedicated fans. It says that it includes a 16 page booklet, with exclusive trading cards. As well as featuring the popular songs to her passive audience that want the main songs and not so much her other material.

In this album there is a theme of newspapers that is strongly recurring in this media product. This connotes that she wants to be, or rather will be, the centre of attention with her brand that shows her range of abilities.

The whole effect that has been used in the photo manipulation also creates a strong contrast and the whole album is predominantly black and white. By doing this it shows that the artist doesn’t want to rely on colours to represent her but rather her own face/being to represent her to her fans and audience.

The Katy Perry digipak is full of colour, mostly pink, which is how she builds up her representation and brand as being feminine and a bubbly character while in this media text Rihanna is seen to be a fierce, rebellious character.

If ever she does wish to have a colour to associate her with it is red (see sticker, spine title), a colour that connotes vitality and danger, amongst others, but these two words is something that suits her brand.

Inside of digipak Credit: http://encartes.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/encarterihanna-talk-that-talkdeluxe.html