Digipak Analysis- 'Too weird to live, too rare to die' Panic! at the Disco
Panic! at the Disco is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004. Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! is the fourth studio album by Panic! At The Disco, and was released on October 8, 2013 on Decaydance and Fueled by Ramen.
The Cover
The cover of this album is very creative, as it is predominantly black and white, but the smoke from the cigarette is in a multi-coloured edit. This automatically gives off an edgy feel, and automatically draws attention to this aspect. This could signify the vibrancy and energetic tracks which are featured on the album, as well as being creative and different, which is the image the band portray. The 'live' and 'die' are in a black serif font, and both this words are oxymoronic as they contrast each other. The ' Too weird to' is in a sans serif black font. This therefore extenuates the 'live' and 'die'. The Panic! at the Disco is also in a black serif font. I really like the positioning of the title on the top left hand corner, as it draws more emphasis onto the image. This is very effective photography and designing.
The Middle Slides
The first of the middle slides consists of both image and text. The left hand side, consists of the first two tracks on the album 'This is Gospel' and 'Miss Jackson'. Underneath the titles of the songs, which are presented in a red serif font, the lyrics of the songs are presented. I think this feature is very effective, as it represents how the band want their audience to know the lyrics so that perhaps at concerts, they will feel much more connected to their fans if they are singing all of the words. As well as this, a small image of the band is presented so the audience can place a face with the music they listen to. On the right hand side, a image of the main singer is shown, he is dressed in a blue suit holding a briefcase. This could represent how seriously he takes his role as a member of a well known band, treating it as a serious business. The image is also in a faded, sepia effect giving the album a retro feel. This image is in colour, which differs from the front cover. This could link back to the cover, as a cigarette looks boring from the outside, but when some people smoke it, they feel benefits from it, and so this could be a metaphor for the excitement inside the album.
The second page spread is similar to that of the first, showing a image this time on the left hand side, of one of the other band members, this time pictures inside a bedroom, staring out through the door. The door is blue, which relates back to the colour of the lead singers suit. Furthermore, the vibrant colour of the carpet relates back to the front of the album cover with the smoke trail which is multi-coloured. Consistency is shown here, as there are 3 more song titles with the lyrics placed below. Again, the tiles are in a red serif font, with the lyrics in a black sans serif font. This is effective because like on the front of the album cover, the 'Too weird to' is in the same black sans serif font, but then the 'Live' is shown in the same serif font as the song titles. This is effective because all of the aspects of the album feel as though they link, and so it feel as though the album is one unit, which is very effective.
The next double page spread has a larger photo, covering about 3/4 of the two pages. This shows the three band members stood on the top of a building, with palm trees and a motel sign, advertising hotel rooms. This could explain as to why the previous photo shows a band member stood in what looks like a hotel room. Again, this is edited with a green tint, giving the image a definite retro feel. The members are again dressed in smart attire, which is effective as they look serious about their business. On the far right hand side, two song titles with the lyrics are included, in the same layout and fonts as mentioned in the previous slides, to which the consistency is effective. In addition, the continued theme of blue is shown here, as the band are stood on a blue platform.
The final of the middle page spreads consists of a photo of another of the band members, this time sat on the bed of the hotel room pictured on one of the previous spreads. Again, the blue theme is carried through to this spread as well, as a different shot of the blue door is shown. On the right hand page, 3 more songs with the lyrics are presented, with two small photos of the band, again the blue theme is noticeable with the blue skies.
The Back Slides
The back page of the digipak consists of an image of the lead singer, again the photo is edited to a blue effect. The singer (Brendon) is photographed again, smoking a cigarette, similar to the album cover. This depicts a indie/alternative look, even though this band are mainly pop/alternative pop, but they definitely touch on the indie genre through their image but also their videos too. On the right hand side, there is text showing who helped to write and produce their music. This text is very small, in order to fit all of the important information on. The audience may not necessarily read this, but it shows the album is legitimate. The most important aspects of the test are in the red serif font, which really highlights this aspect and is a repeat of how the tracks throughout the digipak are in this font.
The CD Disk
The CD disk is very simplistic, presenting the same skyline of the city as the front cover, which is very effective and aesthetically pleasing. This again, shows continuity throughout the album. The same font used for the album title and name of the band used on the front cover of the album is used on the CD, but this time it is centred in the middle, as well as information about the record company and who the album was produced by.
The Back Cover
The theme of city life is used throughout the digipak. A nice way to finish is the back cover, and this is again, in black and white and is a over the shoulder shot of the lead singer, in a open top car. Something I think is effective is how the sun cuts over the top of the car, so the lighting in this shot is very effective. On top of this, I like how there is the use of direct address, as if you look carefully, in the car mirror you can see Brendon's eyes.
Conclusion
I like how their album cover, CD and back cover are in black and white, but the inside is very colourful and vibrant. I really like the overall theme of this digipak, as the use of colour and editing, the use of location and light is very effective and professional. Even though this isn't a indie band, they definitely hold typical conventions of a indie band. I think that this album will act as a good model for what I would like to produce.
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