Digipak AnalysisThe Weeknd ‘Starboy’

Front Cover: The colours used in this digipak is mostly yellow and pink which contrasts with each other as they aren’t a common combination. The pink colour connotes calmness and compassion whereas the yellow colour connotes enlightenment and joy. These representations do not link the artists picture on the front cover as he looks serious. A mid shot of The Weeknd is used with his eyes rolled towards us. This shows his body language.He has his hands on his head which suggests that he in a defensive state and he seems frustrated. This therefore makes us assume his songs must be about his frustration and disappointment.

Back Cover: The back cover colour scheme is exactly the same as the front cover. The font is the same as well and the songs name is a larger font so it is evident to the audience that these are the songs. The cover is also simple compared to other albums digipak. The target audience for this album are male teens and adults as the songs relate to The Weeknd’s life. The colour combination blue and pink supports this as well.

CD: The actual CD is also very simple with only 3 objects and no relevant text. The objects include two thunderbolt like images and a cross which is also seen around The Weeknd’s neck. The thunderbolt connotes lightning and danger whilst the cross suggests religion and The Weeknd's beliefs.. They are just placed on the CD and also they could be related to the music he created. The objects are the centre of attention as it is placed in the middle with nothing around it.

Front Cover: The colour of The Weeknd’s picture is dark blue which makes his stand out.The front cover is simple with the necessary conventions such as the main image and text. The ‘STARBOY’ text connotes boldness. His attire seems rich as the cross necklace he is wearing may signify he is a christian and may have some relevance with the music he created.

Camera shots::The main image for this poster is a medium shot of the artist, The Weeknd. He is shown sitting down with his arms next to each other. The background image is just a darker pink colour with the edges being darker than the middle. The body language of the artist connotes he may be depressed as the image of himself is low light along with his surroundings. How his mouth is open and his hands are on top of each other suggests he must be dejected and must be singing as his mouth is open as if he’s singing. The low light use suggests his songs may be slow as most R&B songs that are slow use dark images.

Typography: The font of the title is big and seems jaunty. It is a yellow colour which is part of the colour scheme for this album. The font is shining which may be used so it is the focus of this poster and to grab the audience's attention straight away. Above that is the sentence ‘The Weeknd Presents’ which is in small font. Behind the text, a faded star is placed which is in relation with the title of the album ‘Starboy’. It helps to identify the album and the artist.

Text positioning::The poster advertises one of the hit singles in the album on the top right hand corner. The name of the song is the same as the album name. The advertisement helps to attract the audience and inform them that the hit song is in this album. ‘Daft Funk’, one of the singers in the song are also mentioned and alongside this, his name is written the same way his artist logo is which helps the audience to identify him straight away when looking at the name.

Generic Conventions: The Weeknd is wearing a leather jacket and hand jewelry suggesting he cares for his appearance and fashion which is a convention of R&B. The songs in his album are about himself and the way the artist is sitting suggesting he could be narrating possibly his life -also another convention of R&B. He is looking towards the audience which gains their attention and his facial expressions makes the audience wonder why the artist is like this.

Magazine AnalysisDrake ‘Views’ & Wretch 32 ‘Wretchrospective’

Front Cover: :The front cover is just mainly the background image with no title. There is a view of a building which could explain why the album is called ‘Views’. The colour scheme is grey and white which connotes a ghostly atmosphere. The sky colour extends this idea as the colours are also grey. If closely looked at, the artist Drake, is sitting near to the top of the building connoting that he is at the top of the world as the building is really tall. The building is actually in the area where the artist was born which could suggest the album is about his life. There is little text on the cover so the image should be the focus. The light colours are significant to the songs in this album as it suggests his life which could be dull as the grey colour represents this. The cover is in greyscale which is a convention of R&B as it adds a sensual tone to the imagery in the video.

Back cover::The back cover displays the title and the list of songs in the album. The title ‘Views’ is placed on the back cover rather than the front as the front cover would look less attractive if the title was there. The font is plain although the way the text was typed e.g block capitals makes it seem classy. The generic conventions are included as the record labels and barcode are at the bottom of the cover. The colour of the back cover is grey while the front cover is grey,black and white colour scheme.. Parts of the grey colour is lighter than the other which also helps contrast with the front cover as the colours are different throughout the front cover.

CD: The actual CD is also quite basic. The colour scheme is still being used. The font of the title ‘VIEWS’ is big and thick. The font is laid out in the middle of the CD in a font that is different to the rest of the album cover. Within the title, there are little eyes which could contrast with the word ‘view’ as it includes viewing something which is only possible with your eyes. It suits the target audience male teens and adults as it is simple and not too creative.

Unfortunately, I could not find the

magazine poster for this album however I

found another poster for a different album

from another artist that has the same

genre and would be significant to analyse

as well.

Generic Conventions::The generic conventions are used in this poster. The title, release date, main image, artist name etc. are used. Unlike The Weeknd’s Starboy poster, this poster has more conventions which helps to educate its target audience more about the album. The target audience for this album is purely male young adults - this is evident due to the clothing of Wretch 32. His trousers, armband and the necklace is something these ages would wear.

Camera shots :The artist is centered in the middle attracting the audience's attention. A mid shot is used to show the artist and through this we can examine his body language which is suggesting coolness and chill. The artist has his head turned left with a ‘chilled’ face. The way he is standing and how his arms are positioned suggests he is stylish and maybe full of himself. The background image of the sky and buildings positioned behind the artist connotes that the artist is ahead of the world. The artist's name is positioned beside his head in a thin font giving recognition to the artist informing the audience who it is.

Colours::The colours mostly used in this poster are blue, white & black. The background colour of the text is black while the background is blue and white. The connotations of blue and white are calmness and peace. This suggests that the songs within this album must be regarding the artist's life. The poster gives away the style of music expected in the album. The clothes worn by the artist suggest he is into fashion which is a convention of R&B as artists usually are wearing casual clothing.

Text positioning: There are music stations listed at the bottom right of the poster. Stores such as hmv.com are also shown which informs the audience where the album is purchasable. The title ‘WRETCHROSPECTIVE’ includes the title ‘’prospective’ which means something that could happen in the future. Adding ‘WRETCH’ in front of it suggests something might happen to this artist afterwards. The release date is listed and the guest appearances are as well informing the audience what they should expect.