This album matches the genre of the musician - Stenbeck - whose focus is experimental/industrial music which has a hypnotic, dreamy feel which matches the blurred background of the digipak. The blurred background also fits with the name of the album 'Sonnambula' which means the sleepwalker (and is actually an opera) and this is also shown through the smokey grey colours. The dark red highlighted petals against the muted background connote an eerie, mysterious feel which is simplistic and yet is an interesting design that I could use in my digipak as it would fit with a 'darker fairy tale/children stories' feel. The in focus images of thin branches and the grey clouds in the background all relate to the mysterious genre of the music and the idea of sleep walking - sonnambula. The digipak does not include an image of the main musician however, this is expected with this genre of music since Stenbeck is not the main point of the music, yet for my digipak I would need to include the band as they are a focus point for the audience. The text used in the digipak is small and white which allows the audience to focus more on the background however there are no lyrics printed on the panels since the music doesn't include lyrics but this is a feature I would like to include.
The genre of this band is gothic melodic and has a dark feel to it which is represented in the digipak with the images used. The extreme close ups and close ups of the hands with blood fit the genre and are also quite eye catching for the audience whilst making them feel uncomfortable. The name of the band is 'Distorture' in which 'distortion' means a change for the worse which would match with the images of blood as if something is bleeding things have generally gotten worse. This is also emphasised by the strong colour scheme of red and white, which, whilst simplistic, stands out against other digipaks which can be too 'full' of images and colour. The black text is also extremely effective as it stands out on the red background as well as the white. When mixed with the red text for the track list on the white background it is also effective. The disk itself isn't the main focus of the digipak and so it is just coloured red. This fits with the colour scheme and general simplistic style and looks effective. This digipak does not include any pictures of band members a common theme among alternative melodic genres of music.
The band of this digipak, 'the Fayre' are an indie band and their digipak connotes this. The digipak is very heavily based around the band members with the inside panels as mid-long shots of the band playing, making the audience focus on their musical skill as well as their looks, and an extreme close up of a guitar - an instrument commonly associated with indie artists. The inside panels are all black and white which is a simple effect - black and white or the sepia effect are commonly used with independent artists as it makes them seem more 'vintage' or 'retro.' The outside panels of the digipak are of the lead singer in typical working class locations. On the back panel he is on the steps of a house an on the spare panel he is sat on a bench surrounded by signs saying 'Baker Street' which is a reference to those who have knowledge about the band. The front panel of the digipak is a subway tunnel with the faint shadow of someone at the far end - these locations have been specifically chosen so to relate to the working class target audience and simple locations are often an indie trait. The outside panels are in colour and a soft effect has been added over the top to make them less harsher. The text for the track list is very simple and is laid out as if it is on the side of the building. On the front panel the name of the band 'The Fayre' and the album name 'Rose Queen' looks as if they are signatures which adds a personal touch to the digipak. The fact they look handwritten can also connote the band's indie traits as they aren't just a printed mainstream band but are more individual and have their own style.
As I am not sure of who this band are I can't specifically say their genre however this is a good time for an example of how a digipak can represent their genre. The main focus of the digipak is the band as each band member gets an individual panel to themselves. The close up of their face and the specific colour for each member highlights their individuality. The fact that the digipak is focused on the band is quite a mainstream concept however the dark backgrounds and simplicity connote a more individual style and the idea that they are separated from the main genre. Due to this I would probably say the band was of an alternative genre maybe alternative rock like the Kaiser Chiefs, the Hoosiers and Kings of Leon. The title of the album is 'Wonder' and this is represented in the directions the band members are looking as they all seem to be thinking about something. The fact that they are all looking in different directions as well as their specific colour hues emphasises their individuality however, the middle panel is a zebra style pattern including all of their individual colours which connotes their strength and connection as a band. On the panels we can see there is no text whatsoever, however on the disk there is all the formal copyright information in plain white text. The background of the disk is a very 'space' themed design with what seems to be a picture of a galaxy or something similar which fits with the theme of 'wonder.' This digipak follows a different design to the other packs, it is a 10 panel design called a maltese-cross design which whilst interesting is a design I probably won't be using.
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