Digipak Analysis: Paramore 'Riot!' (Standard Jewel Case)

The name of the artist is Paramore meaning 'secret lover' which connotes a pop/alternative band as most pop tracks are to do with love and the name is very individual giving the band an edgy portrayal.

The font on the front cover is best described as sketchbook scribble like. Most of it is in black and white. The title of the album is the biggest scribble highlighted in orange surrounded by little black scribbles. This dominates the album title making it stand out more. This type of font connotes an edgy, punky style for the band. The physical appearance of the band in the central image is quite casual yet punky, the men have rock star haircuts and as the female lead singer Hayley is wearing jeans just like the other band members it shows that she is an atypical female artist. The high angle shot of the band shows the two in the middle smiling at the camera with a direct mode of address inviting the audience for a personal relationship, the other two do not seem to look up into the camera. This could mean that the middle band members are meant to stand out more as they are the lead singer and guitarist, as the female is positioned at the front we know she is the lead singer.

The most dominant image on the album cover is the album title, this suggests that their image has been developed enough for them to be known simply through a picture as this is their second album. The title of the album is Riot! This suggests a punk rock image for the band and their music as the term is often used for group violence. The Riot! scribble theme continues on the back cover with the tracks highlighted in orange. The image of the band here has a direct mode of adress as all band members are smiling into the camera. They are all huddled together suggesting that they are close as a band. This image takes a central position on the lower half of the cover looking directly at the listener. The back cover also features the barcode, record label addresses and copyright information.

The dominant colours on the CD are black, white and orange. This reflects the punk/emo genre which the band are from. This is also signified by the bands dress sense and album title. The bands record label is Fueled By Ramen, this reaches towards the punk/emo audience as this label are well known for bands of this genre.

The albums insert carries on the scribble scketchbook theme seen in the two panels on the right. Images of the lead singer and guitarist are featured here, this is clearly a recurrent theme and these band members are again highlighted to show their importance in the band. Two popular tracks from the album are also highlighted with their lyrics featured on the panels. Sketchbook doodles and scribbles are also shown which is a feature I would like to use on my digipak considering my songs school theme. This style is consistent with the rest of the album package.

The album package as a whole gives a sense of anger and frustration with the scribbles and rough hand writing, this reflects the punk genre and the songs on the album such as 'misery business' which is has a theme of anger. This theme of the album is clear to the listener as it is reflected through the album package aswell as the music. As the theme of anger and frustration is the same in my video's song I will use similar artwork on my digipak.

The contrasting colours, the bands clothing in the images and the text style reflect the punk/emo genre which makes the album package successful in reaching its targeted audience. The bands fashion is recognisable to this audience and as the majority of this audience are students the sketchbook theme relates to them.