A2 Digipak: Fireworks CS4

To make the digipak, I will be using the programme Fireworks CS4. It is a bitmap and vector graphics editor. This means I will able to create my able art with the many features it has. For example, there are cut tools, gradient adjusters and much much more.

Here is a screenshot of what the programme looks like:

A2 Digipak: Possible Images

For the inner panels, I have planned the collage/fabric effect with photographs. Because I want to keep the exterior looking as professional as possible, I thought it would be nice to include a personal feel for the inside. This is similar to existing products where bands/artists will include photgraphs of them with friends, family or during shoots. I thought that this idea could work very well so Freddie and I took some photos that we could both use in our digipaks.

Below are photographs of us working very hard! :) We hope that adding a few of these will make the digipak more personal but also maintaining a professional feel. I will also add the photo of Chris that is in the character/cast blog entry. I think it will be nice to give Chris some recognition for his hard work as without it, we would not have a music video.

A2 Digipak: Final Ideas

I am really keen on the fabric idea for my digipak. After I have a more detailed design, I can then plan what will go on the other panels. Existing digipaks usually keep a theme so having my initial CD cover, will help me develop the other panels. As you can see, I have kept with the theme of the colourful fabric and stitching. I feel that this is a successful idea because of the boldness, and the colourful theme will draw attention to it. Especially if it is amongst dull products. Although a conventional digipak consists of a track list and artists photos, I feel that these pages will keep the digipak looking more professional on the exterior.

Front Cover Plan:
Back Cover Plan: Although a typical convention for a digipak is the track list on the back, I have written the contents of my coursework CD. This represents a track list.

CD Slot:

Inside Center:

I am really pleased with these mock up CD covers, I will be using the programme Fireworks CS4 to create this digipak.

A2 Digipak: Digipak Ideas

The three images below are my initial Digiak Ideas. I haven't used free images for these, it was just get create a mock up of what the ideas could look like. I don't like them very much as they are quite plain and look very unprofessional. I think that I am going to pursue the collage/fabric idea.

The collage idea related quite well to my music video, I don't want a strong relation between the two. This is because existing digipkas do not usually represent just one video that an artist has made.

A2 Digipak: Front Cover Ideas

The image below is my first idea for a CD cover. I have decided that I don't want to use a photograph of a band/artist. This is because we didn't use any in our music video but we also do not have any people available to us. Also, when i was researching existing digipaks, I was most drawn to the covers that had used album art instead of photographs. The images below are simple basic ideas. The first one is White background with multi-coloured font, and a black border. I liked the use of bright colour. This along with the contrasting backgrounds would create a bold digipak that would stand out.

This next rough design is of a suit and tie. Again, I have tried use bright colours and bold lines to help make the CD cover stand out. This idea is more related to our music video, however, existing products never relate to just one promo video so it is unlikely that I will use this one.


Similarly to my first idea, I decided to use a white pen on a black background for contrast. This would make the album cover stand out. Although the cartoon-like woman isn't really relevant.


This is my favourite design so far. It is supposed to represent a compilation of several colourful fabrics with "Vampire Weekend" stitched on. Because I am not relating my digipak too much to the promo video, I think that this will be more of a challenge but also present a high result.

The one feature all CD covers have in common is that they include the artist and stand out. This is why I have tried to do this.

A2 Digipak: Template

I know that I would like to create a digipak with six panels. To help me out, I decided to look online for some templates. I came across a website called DiskWizards where I was able to get a free template:

A2 Digipak: What goes on each panel?

After looking at a few CD covers, I decided to have a look how a digipak is broken down. The examples below are six panel digipaks, the reason I have looked at these is because I have decided that I want to do the same.

The layouts of these digipak are pretty similar. I will use these digipaks as a guideline to help me decide what to design for each panel.

A2 Digipak: Existing Album Art

The front cover of a Digipak is the most crucial component. This is for several reasons. Firstly, it is what a potential buyer will see first. It needs to draw attention as it would be placed among many other albums. Secondly, the album art will give a potential buyer the preconceived idea of what the artist will be like from the art. I have decided to deconstruct a few album covers in order to understand what makes them successful.

My favourite CD cover from this selection is the fourth one down. This is because it is very colourful and busy. Creating an album cover that won't use a photo of an artist, I feel, would be more successful for me. This is because the music video doesn't contain an artist and it would seem inappropriate to take a picture of someone different at this stage.

A2 Digipak: About Digipak

Our brief was to make a promotional video/music video as well as two ancillary products. One of which is Digipak. A digipak is more than just a CD case with a CD. It is a packaged CD case capable of holding one and more CD's or booklets, photo etc.. They are usually used for special edition CD's or for having a CD, DVD combination.

From looking at these, I have discovered the typical Digipak Conventions:

Each Digipak includes the artist name: I already know that this is "vampire Weekend."

The album name: Contra, although, I may not include this on my digipak as it will only include the music video for the song "Cousins."

Images: Because I haven't used the real artist (or any artist at all) for the music video, I am thinking of including photo relevant to the course. For example, images of us working and filming etc..

Record label information: XL Recordings.

I have also noticed that the majority of Digipaks are usually made u using six panels.