Existing Digipak analysis

5 Seconds Of Summer (2014)The cover of this album contains conventions which are typical of albums released today.

There is an image of the band central to the front cover. This means that the album is easily recognisable as theirs, and also associates faces to the name of the

band.

The vast majority of albums also include the name of the band/ artist, and this album is no different. 5 Seconds Of Summer is written in a font that has become more like a logo for the band, and below that is their other logo; yet again conforming to a convention typical of album covers.The spine of the album yet

again includes the band’s name, and as this album is self titled, that is all. It is in the same font as the one of the front cover, which gives the cover a sense of continuity and professionalism.

The band’s clothing is relevant to the genre that they are considered to be. Many believe that the band are from the pop-punk genre, and many artists in that genre wear casual clothes, such as black skinny jeans and checkered shirts. Their footwear is also typical of they style, as they are wearing boots, vans, and converse, adding to the ‘rockstar’ appearance.

As this is the deluxe version of the album, there are doodles surrounding the band to distinguish between the deluxe and standard editions. These doodles were drawn by the band themselves.

5 Seconds Of Summer (2014)

This side of the digipak highlights the fact that the band think that they are considered a Rock band, as there is an image of one of the members doing what is considered the rock symbol. The way it is placed, with the red over it, makes me think of a rock concert, as all the members of the band have a set list, which is stuck to the stage with coloured tape.

Another convention that this digipak includes is the record labels being printed on the back. This is seen on almost every album that is made, as it shows that the band are signed to a record label. 5 Seconds Of Summer are signed to their own label, Hi Or Hey records, and also Capitol,records, with bands signed such as The Beatles, and Good Charlotte.

The track list is also included on the back of the album, another typical convention for albums. The way they are presented may be considered not stereotypical, as they are not in a list, but seem to be doodled, linking back to the front cover.

Along with the record label’s logos being on show, there is also the band’s website printed. This gives fans easier accessibility to the website, where there will be more information about the band.

5 Seconds Of Summer (2014)The CD is held in place with a plastic case, however when the band released their previous EPs they were either cardboard or plastic cases. This suggests that because the band are popular now, their label can afford to use more expensive materials for their CD packaging. Along with the Cd being in the plastic case, the CD is red, which links back to the front cover and the cross that is ‘sprayed’ across the band. The CD also includes the titles of the songs, along with doodles, which yet again links back to the front and back covers of the album. This give the whole digipak a sense of continuity, and everything is a similar style and colour.

Throughout the inside of the packaging, there are many photos of the band, most of which have been taken by themselves, including some from their first concert and from school. This gives fans a more personal feel because it suggests that you, as a fan, have been involved in their journey from starting the band to releasing their debut album. Some of the images have been outlined and drawn on with red, which links to the CD’s colour, and the red cross on the front of the cover. There is an equal amount of images of each member of the band, therefore this rejects Andrew Goodwin’s theory of the focus being on the lead singer.

Variant coversThe cover that we analysed was the deluxe UK edition, however across the world many different covers were released. This was so that the fans felt like it was more personal for their country, along with many other reasons. One of the reasons for the different colours is that the CDs all have different songs on them, so having different types of cover, the variants of the album are easily noticeable. it also gives fans something to collect, and since the different covers are in different countries, it could also help fans find friends from across the world who like the same band as them.

UK standard

Aus and NZ

Fanzine(web only)

Target deluxe

UK standardAmazon editions

US standard

I would say that the UK got more editions than the rest of the world, but this may well be for a number of reasons. Firstly, as there were four variant covers from Amazon, Amazon may have contacted the band and asked them to do this. It would then create more business for both Amazon and the band’s management. Another reason may be that it is very common for standard edition albums and deluxe edition albums to have slightly different covers, this is so that the audience can easily distinguish which is the standard edition and which is the regular edition.

You could also say that the red cross on the UK edition could represent the cross on the Union Jack, yet again giving UK fans a feel of a personal cover for their country. You could also suggest the same for the standard US edition, as the blue cross could represent the blue in the US flag.

On the other hand, the Australia and New Zealand version of this cover does not follow that pattern, as the Australia and New Zealand flags do not contain the two colours as shown on the album.