Digipak Analysis- The 1975s

 The 1975s Digipak

The 1975 are an English alternative rock band formed in Wilmslow, Cheshire. This self titled album. The 1975 is the self-titled debut studio album by English alternative rock band The 1975. It was released on 2 September 2013 through Dirty Hit and Polydor.

The Cover

I really like the front cover of this album, because the dark colours represent the theme of the album, whilst also portraying the genre of their music, which is indie-rock. The black and white also mimics the videos created by the band from the album, which are also edited to a black and white theme. These intertexual references give the band an identity of being an indie band. Songs which have been turned into music videos of this album include 'Chocolate' and 'Sex'. 'The 1975' text isn't overly clear, but adds to the indie feel of the album. Furthermore, this is pictured to the centre of what appears to be a photo frame or black board, which has been illuminated from behind using a light. This creates effective shadows and draws attention to the illuminated self title. The simplistic use of colour and shapes, and also the absence of the band members on the front of the album, mirrors the fact that their videos are often narratives and so the meaning of their lyrics is far more important than their actual image.

The inside slide

The inside cover, unsurprisingly is minimalistic just like the front cover. The text dominates the slide, as there aren't any images of the band presented. On top of this, many logos are used as well, also pictured below the information about who helped to produce the album. I personality don't really like the entire text look, even though it is simplistic, but I feel that this isn't creative and doesn't really represent the band very effectively. It kind of hides their identity. However, that being said, it provides the essential information the audience require and the black and white sans serif font fits with the rest of the theme of the album.

The CD Disk

The theme of the CD follows on from the cover, in all grey and the band name is portrayed in a much darker shade of black. The theme throughout is clearly black and white, which ties the whole album together nicely and perhaps is portraying a darker side to the album. Again, it is very simplistic and doesn't give any clues about what the overall theme of the album may be. On top of this, a retro theme is presented throughout the digipak, as this CD resembles that of a vinyl record. This strongly suggests their alternative indie approach to their music, and that their aren't your typical boy-band producing pop songs.

 

The Back Cover

The back cover is similar to the front as the colour scheme is similar; being dark black and also having the same chalkboard which again, like the front cover, is illuminated by lights. The same sans-serif white font is used again, on a reverse block background, like the front cover of the album but this time to portray the song tracks. Again, the band aren't pictured on the back cover either, but this is a typical convention of a indie music video, as the emphasis is on the music rather than the band image itself. Typically, the barcode and information about the producers of the album are on the back of the album. The name of the record label is also present, to make the audience aware of which label this band belong to.

What I have learnt...

From analysing this digipak, I have learnt that sometimes, too simplistic isn't effective. I don't feel as though the colour schemes sell the band well, nor does it attract and captivate the audience and make them want to buy and listen to the album. I feel as though it lacks creativity. However, I do like the consistency and the fact that their is a clear monochromic colour scheme throughout.