By Nicole C

‘English Rain’ is a mixture of heartbreak and desire composed around mellow modern pop beats with a great folk influence. Aplin’sdebut studio album features emotive acoustic sounds which alongside her lyrics; capture her free spirit and young mind.

This digipak reflects the strong dreamy vibe of her music. The grey scale backdrop implies a gloomy state of mind, but has also been used as a reference to the typical ‘English’ dull weather. This emotionless moody grey has been juxtaposed with a long shot of Aplinswinging a multi-coloured umbrella which has been used to signify the range of emotions present in her lyrics whist also mirroring Gabrielle Aplin positive outlook on unfortunate situations.

There is a clear grey scale theme present throughout this digipak which provides an old fashioned feel. The continuity of the albums design is very concise and sophisticated whilst the use of rainbow coloured umbrellas and bright balloons inside the digipak relates to the dreamy vibe of Gabrielle Aplin’s album

As seen in all digipaks, there is a barcode at the bottom of the back cover. The countryside landscape featured on the front and back cover of this digipak, is a conventional setting used within the singer/songwriter genre as it reflects the rustic origins of this type of music. The rural setting transfers within the overall monotone colour scheme whist the hand-writing style of font acts as a personal imprint from the artist.

Singer/songwriter Tom Odell depicts reckless young love in his debut studio album ‘Long Way Down’. Odell’s intense lyrics illustrate contemporary relationship situations, some which he has experienced himself. This album is a combination of great authentic ballads with strong piano compositions and melodies which reflect his innermost emotions.

This digipack keeps within the conventions of the singer/songwriter genre, with its authentic rustic look and urban street vibe. The location for the front cover creates a lonely atmosphere which is also connoted by the medium shot of the artist Tom Odell looking absent-minded; whilst his clothing reflects the indie/alternative genre of his music.

The mid-action image which features on the back of the digipak, shows only part of the artist climbing some stairs, this action draws the audience’s attention to the song list which is written in capitals. The typography used is simple and consistent. The artist name has been made distinctly black whilst the rest of the writing within the digipak is white.

There is an overall dull colour scheme present throughout. The ordinary everyday setting of the images continues on the inside of the digipak which features more cobbles and a gritty metropolitan backdrop.

Artist name & track list –The artist’s name and track list are an essential part of the digipack. The track list is a complete run down of all the songs as well as their position on the album/ep, which ultimately helps the listener to identify their favourite songs.

Artist name & Album Title –Music artist tend to place their name within the digipak’s spine for display purposes. The album/ep’s title is also placed here so that buyers can see what they are buying.

Record label company –In the spine of the digipak features ‘Big Machine Records’, this is the name of the record company which distributed this album. The name of the record company is often found at the back of the digipak as an indication of production rights.

UPC (Universal Product Code) code numbers –This bar code allows retail companies to track their products and sales.

Copyright notes – © [year] [artist name] – indicates the

copyright of the lyrics and music on the album.

℗ [year] [artist name or record label] –indicates the copyright of the sound recordings.

Copyright of the artwork featured must be indicated by © [Artwork or Photographs] [year] [artist]

Additional codes – UPC bar code – allows the distributors to

track the sales of the album/ep/single. Publishing information. “All rights reserved. Unauthorized

duplication is a violation of applicable laws.”

The information found on the digipak are often referred to as liner notes. Liner notes contain information about the record, i.e. recording credits, record label ,copyright information, and sometimes, song lyrics and provide fans with background information about the music. Due to the rise of digital downloads liner notes have become less important, however are sometimes available as a digital booklet.

EP stands for Extended Play.

EP’s consist of 4 to 6 songs and

normally contain 30 mins of music.

An EP can be sold both in physical

format and as a digital download.

EP’s are mainly used as a promotional

tool - for new artist and bands.

Recorded extended play (EPs) records contain a collection of songs, usually more than just the single but as a whole does not qualify as a full album. Originally deprived from specific types of vinyl records , the term EP is now applied to compact discs as well as music downloads. In today’s modern era EPs have been classified as 4 to 6 songs.

Sasha Keable’s ‘Black Book’ surpasses the standard amount of songs and length (at 8 songs and 30 minutes long) for an EP released in the UK. Our artist singer -songwriter Melina will release a free EP consisting of 4 original songs. Sasha Keable’s EP was only available via online download from her website, Melina’s EP will be used for promotional purposes and will be available on SoundCloud(an ‘online audio distribution platform’).

1. Daydreamer

2. Asking for More

3. Careless Over You

4. You Got Me

5. Nice Side

6. Spoke to Myself

7. Tempting As You Are

8. Lights

EP Design Ideas

Extreme long shot of our filming location which could be edited in black and white to create an atmospheric mood, as low light black and white editing is greatly effective

in creating dramatic edgy photographs.

Long shot of our artist standing alone in a field.

A graphic design which incorporates a symbol/ object mentioned in the song .

Medium shot of our artist looking towards

the camera , positioned in front of a plain

background.