James BayCD digipak analysis

Image on the front coverThe photo on the front cover is a picture taken of the artist himself.

It is a medium long shot which shows the majority of his body.

Costume- He is wearing is all black, which is common in rock and indie. Also he is known for his fedora and long hair.

Lighting- The lighting is quite dark which represents rock/indie, but is light in the middle which his face in front of and is quite natural

Acting- casual pose looking back at the camera which is quite natural and not posed which shows his image is pure.

Props- no props used apart from his hat

Setting- coming out of an old rustic building he could be standing on some stairs.

Image on the front coverThe colours used are quite dark the main colour difference is the light outside which is the direction in which he is headed, which suggest his music can bring you out of a dark place and into the light.

We are slightly looking down on him.

It looks like he is looking back at us which relates to him and his fans as he cares for them and appreciates the continuous support he is given.

He is not looking at the camera he is looking below which shows that for him it has never really been about the fame it is purely about the music and his love for singing.

Language on the front coverThe title of the CD is Chaos and the calm. This can represent his life as he got famous very quickly and his life has changed so quickly, also the album name is the only thing in colour which suggests the name is really important to him.

This can be linked to the image as the chaos could be the dark walls surrounding him, and the calm can be the outer surroundings, this could represent him finding his inner self and music. He is placed in front of the light which suggests he is coming out of a dark place or has had a dark past and now there is nothing stopping him from achieving everything he wants to.

Chaos and calm have two completely opposite meanings and by calm being at the end it shows how is now under control of his life as this was his debut album, this could be seen as alliteration as both words start with a C.

The font is quite edgy which represents his music genre, his name is the same size font as the title which shows both are equally important. The font is quite wide spaced and fills the line.

Music style and target audienceJames Bay’s music style is indie rock, this is clearly defined on the front cover as clothing pieces associated with rock are black clothes, leather jackets etc. We can see James Bay wearing a leather jacket and rock music can be seen as quite dark, and he is in a dark rustic environment.

This clearly links to his personal image as this doesn’t look posed or forced it is completely natural and his outfit is what he would wear on a daily basis, it is casual.

The target audience of this would be older teens and young adults, this is because his music is quite relatable and younger people wouldn’t be able to understand the things he talks about, however his music is not rude or explicit as we can see from the image shown it is appropriate so he might appeal to younger people as well.

Image on the backThe image on the back is of this old vintage well used arm chair, with his fedora placed on top. This looks like it was taken in an apartment or house.

The sofa represents how relaxed the album is as a sofa is for relaxing, also the fact it is an armchair for one person shows the album is quite personal, also shows its individual to everyone so the songs could have multiple meaning. It could also show how James Bay thinks he is an individual and could represent his individual struggle through his life.

The fedora represents James Bay and is quite a personal touch as he is always wearing it, and in this photo its alone which suggests he has taken it off which is a sign of respect to take your hat of which suggests he is thanking his fans for the support.

Language on the backThe same text from the front cover are placed on either side facing inward.

The names of all of the songs are in white and central above the sofa and with the hat underneath.

James also gives credit to who actually designed the cd cover for him underneath which shows how humble he is.

Cd image and language

There is no image on the cd it is just plain black which puts the focus solely on the music.

The font and colour scheme is the same on the cd and it says the same thing on the cd as it does on the front cover and back page: James Bay Chaos and the Calm.

One thing to note is that the font is all capitals which resembles rock as there is a lot of shouting associated with rock.

Inside

Inside of the CD cover there is a booklet with the lyrics and information of the song, the picture is simple of him lying down relaxing, this shows the genre of the mood. The lighting is dark and the only prop used is the bed he is lying on.