Digipak conventions

Digipaks come in various formats, that are chosen by the artist for their various purposes. They are as follows:

Four Panel

Four panel Digipaks are the most common form of Digipak utilized. This pak has two exterior panels, on interior panel which could be used for extra information or illustrations, and the CD tray on the fourth panel. It is the lightest variety of Digipak, therefore making it easier to ship.









Six Panel

Six Panel Digipaks boast both an extra internal and an extra external panel. What would be the front panel of a Four Panel Digipak is instead folded into the pak, therefore meaning that, when extended, the pak shows two interior panels, which can feature lots of information on things such as lyrical content, or a large illustration.





Eight Panel

An Eight Panel Digipak is essentially the same format as a Six Panel pak, but with an extra panel on the opposite. This means that, when first opened, the pak displays two panels, which could feature illustrations and information. The pak can then be folded out even further to reveal three internal panels and the disc tray. This format allows a larger amount of information to be included with the disc. However, it is the bulkiest form of Digipak out there, therefore making it harder to ship.



Conventions

To analyse the conventions of Digipaks, I looked at two digipaks that I had obtained access to, and looked over photographs of them:

 This Fleet Foxes album is encased within a Four Panel pak. This front face features a very intricate painting, with lots of activity going on in it. The amount of different things happening in this scene makes the piece extremely fascinating, therefore beckoning you to delve deeper into the picture.

 The inside panels of the Digipak possess an elegant, repeating pattern, which also is continued on the disc itself, though sans colour. This pattern is in keeping with the era portrayed in the painting - medieval. However, this means that the Digipak possesses no information about the band or the songs on the disc, adding mystery.

 The rear face of the packaging has a small continuation to the illustration, showing yet some more action occurring in the scene. However, a majority of the space here s taken up by the titles to the songs inside, printed in large text. At the bottom, information concerning publishers, the product code and the band's MySpace is shown. The barcode has been applied by the seller of this particular Digipak, showing that it originally didn't have one printed on. This could imply that Fleet Foxes largely sell their albums through the internet, and not in stores.

 The spine of the Fleet Foxes Digipak has some more of the cover illustration seeping through it, meaning that when the pak is fully extended, the front, spine and back form the full image. The spine also shows the name of the band, and the product code for the product.

This Spiers&Boden digipak is unlike the Fleet Foxes, as it is a six panelled design, as opposed to a four-panelled design.

The first two internal panels feature information on the individual songs, and what they are about. The third internal panel houses the disc.

The three external panels feature exterior photographs of the band in what is assumed to be their creative environment. The photos appear to have a slight sepia overlay, conveying a warm, rustic mood.

The front cover panel features the band name and the album name, 'Songs'.

The base panel (back cover) features the names of the songs on the CD, the postal address and web address for the band, the logo of the publisher, and a barcode. The spin contains the band's name, serial number and album name also.