Codes and Conventions of a Digi Pack

I have researched into album digi packs and analysed what codes and conventions are important and effective to use in my work. This is the first time I have ever created a digi pack, therefore research was important as it is new to me. I shall take these codes and convention into consideration and incorporate them into my final digi pack. Digi packs consist of a cd case, cd, lyric booklet and a tray card.

1st Digi Pack

2nd Digi Pack

3rd Draft

Main Conventions of a Digi Pack:

1. Barcode
2. Logo
3. Copyright
4. Sponsors
5. Graphics
6. Solo shots
7. Song lryics
8. Credits
9. Cd Case
10. Booklet
11. Lyrics
12. Tray card
13. Cd
14. Masthead
15. Price
16. Lyric Subheadings
17. Duration Of Songs
18. Record Label Logo

Booklet: The booklet is what goes in the front of the cd case, therefore the front cover is the front of the booklet. The front cover normally has the name of the album which is a song within the album and also contains the band/singers name, these act as the masthead therefore generally large in size so the audience know who it is. The image on the front cover could be illustrated, graphics or a photography shot, that establishes the genre, the theme and the artist themselves. The front cover is the most important element as it is what an audience sees first when going to buy it, if it doesn't stand out then they won't even notice it. Inside the booklet will contain song lyrics to each song on the album, followed by subheadings of the song lyrics and sometimes the producer or feature artists are mentioned. As well as this the duration of the songs are sometimes shown to give the audience an insight into the properties of the song. The interior of the booklet normally includes many images followed by some graphics to decorate the pages. Gaze theory is important with these shots as it will lure the audience in, mise en scene, poses, location of shots and levels are also important to think about when taking the shots. Not only are the shots used to fill up blank spots if the lyrics are too short but they can also be used a long a double page spread if it is a landscape image. The background of the interior normally matches that of the front cover so that it creates a theme and consistency for the audience making it look professional and less messy. 

CD: The CD normally matches the theme throughout the digi pack. For instance the Katy Perry album has the theme of candy and therefore uses the pattern on a candy cane as the image she uses on her cd, this candy cane is a common motif throughout the album as it is used as a border and there are many images of her with it. The CD will normally include the artists name and the album name in the same typeface on the front cover to create a house style. The Cd doesn't necessarily have to include a graphic or just be a plain background, it could include a band/solo shot or include a small motif, however using a band shot could be difficult as there is a whole in the middle of the cd. The Cd also includes the record company logo, as well as sponsors and the copyright text which is generally centre in very small font at the bottom so it doesn't distract the audience from the cd. 

Tray Card: The tray card normally follows the same theme as throughout the booklet this means the same background, fonts and colours to make it come together as one promotional package. Codes and conventions used on a tray card are the song names, which could be listed with bullet points, numbers or a small graphic on the left of each one, or without one. The songs are generally listed from the left or centre, right is not normally conventional for this. They can sometimes contain the duration of the song next to each name. At the bottom is normally a footer including the bar code, copyright and the record label logo. It is important to include the bands logo as well to use as an identity of the band. The side of the cd case should have the same background and include the bands name and album name.