Digipak Analysis- Florence and the Machine 'Lungs'

Digipak analysis- Florence and the Machine

Florence and the Machine are an English indie rock band that formed in London in 2007. The album 'Lungs' was released on 3 July 2009 by Island Records.

The Cover

The front cover displays Florence portrayed in a almost mystical way. The cover portrays her wearing a pair of lungs, pictured on the outside of her body which is tied with a ribbon around her neck which is a iconic image. This represents the title of the CD. Behind her, is a back drop of what appears to be a tapestry, with wild flowers and birds, which could represent the purity of nature and the importance of the countryside, so pure air for her lungs. Furthermore, Florence's hair is also styled into a loose pony tail, which presents the indie rock look, which is the genre of this album and so this differs from the mainstream look that other pop stars may go for. On top of this, the mid shot of Florence represents how she is the focal point of the album, as the text doesn't overwhelm the photo and so the audience's attention is drawn to her. The typography is on a reverse block background, with 'Florence and the Machine' is a serif white font, at the very top of the cover. The title of the album 'Lungs' is placed at the bottom centre of the cover, in a sans serif font, different to the name of the band. The simple fonts don't distract away from the very effective and creative image placed on the cover, which initially draws the audience in.

 

The Middle Slides

The middle slides of the digipak display a number of different images of Florence, with elements of song lyrics on each page, which all rhyme and almost tell a story. The fact that all of the images are just of Florence, represents how the main focus is her throughout the album, as she is the voice of the band. All the images are in a cinematic, retro/sepia effect or black and white. I really like this style as it portrays the indie-rock feel nicely.
The first double page spread are two images of Florence. The first, is a shower screen which is steamed over. This is effective imagery because the audience can still tell who the artist is, and can also see her expression. This however, could be down to the male gaze as suggested by Laura Mulvey, because the expression on Florence's face could suggest that she is being objectified. On the second page of the first spread, Florence is photographed looking away from the camera. This is effective because it presents the artist as having a shy side. On top of this, the effects used here are effective because they are orange/sepia toned which is a common convention of the indie-rock genre.

The second spread consists of two different images. The first being black and white, again with the lyrics presented on the page in a white sans serif font, which is used for the lyric extracts throughout. This image presents Florence wearing just a pair of lungs. Under this, it appears as though she isn't wearing anything else. In a way, this is voyeurism. The image is effective because it portrays the natural and stripped back version of the artist, to which the naturalistic approach by Negus can be applied. The other image on the right of this spread is an image of Florence, holding a white bunny rabbit. She is sat on a vintage box, with unusual wallpaper displayed behind her. Here, she is revealing much of her legs, again this could be associated with voyeurism. The effect on this image is slightly faded, which is effective because it shows a consistent approach to the indie image.

 

On the third spread of images, the same sepia/orange tint is used on this photos, making all the images consistent which ties the album together nicely. The first image, Florence again, avoids eye contact with the camera. In a way, the expression on her face could be interpreted as being ashamed. The image on the right depicts a sexual image, as her facial expression conveys this, as well as the positioning of her hands. Furthermore, the lyrics on this spread read 'I slipped my hand under her shirt, I said don't worry it's not going to hurt'. This acts as image-text cohesion, as the text therefore may reinforce as a euphemism what the image is attempting to subtly convey.

 

The forth page spread consists of one image, spread over the two pages. Florence is pictured onto the right hand side, again not looking directly looking into the camera, so there isn't a direct address with the audience. On the left hand side, a retro television with Pineapple and fruit on the bed. This is an unusual image to go for, but this confirms the individuality, reinforcing the indie look as this is definitely creative and different, and not the image you would find on a pop artists' digipak.

 

The fifth page spread appears different to the previous page spreads. This is because a close up shot is used on the left hand side, and then an extreme close up on the right hand side. This is effective because the image on the right hand side is direct address, and so the artist is looking directly at the audience, as well as this, the image appears to have a white smudge over the top of the image. This is effective because it gives the image a distinctive look.

 

The Back Slides

The back slides present the audience with a message to her fans, and then this follows with a 2 page spread of who produced and wrote the songs. This information is written in a sans serif white font, on a reverse block. This is effective because the theme towards the back slides is black and white, and so this matches the images inside the CD booklet too. One page is a collage of different images of the band, in black and white, showing images of them drinking and playing their instruments.

The final image on the very back of the booklet presents Florence crowd surfing over fans. You can't see her face, or the fans faces which almost presents a sense of a loss of identity, perhaps suggesting that all her fans are of equal importance.

 

The CD Disk

The CD is very effective, because it is a image of human lungs, which ties the album together nicely, mirroring the title, front cover and back cover. This has been created using graphics, as two hands are seen to be holding the lungs, perhaps suggesting how important they are to human life. As well as this, the title of the album 'Lungs' is centre to the CD, in a white sans serif font. This is exactly the same font used on the front of the album cover.

 

The Back Cover

The back cover also mirrors the front cover but also the name of the album. This back cover is especially effective because each part of the lung is annotated with a number. Then, below the names of the tracks are shown, with numbers next to them, suggesting that each part of the lung has been named with a song title. The text is on a reverse block background, in a sans serif white font. This is effective because the text is consistent the entire way through the album, so it makes the album feel as one unit.

 

What I have learnt...

This digipak is effective because it is consistent throughout. This makes the album feel as one unit, and as though a lot of thought has gone into the design to see how it would best reflect the title of the album. As well as this, I think the usage of photography is especially effective throughout the middle slides, as this is creative and portrays the indie image. The effects on the photos are also really effective, and this is something I would like to include on my own digipak.