Tuesday 22 September 2015

Digipak Analysis: Lana Del Ray

Lana Del Ray's 2012 indie pop album could appeal to teenagers and young adults who enjoy her 60s/vintage like image and music style.



The front cover of her album, 'Born To Die', features a medium close up of Del Ray of which only her face and upper body is shown. It can be suggested this use of a close up is an example of Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze, as the artist's costume consists of a white shirt suggesting the artist is simple yet a red bra can also be seen underneath- this could connote a sexy image of Del Ray. In addition, the artist is framed in the centre of the shot, our eyes are immediately drawn to her as she is the focus of the audience's attention. Her minimalistic makeup, hair and outfit could reflect upon her simplistic yet vintage style, also her solemn expression could reflect on her music and could also create a visual style to which her audience will recognise her for.

Lana Del Ray has been pictured outside which could be a typical feature within the indie genre. The use of setting could display her as exploring the world through her music and encountering experiences which shape her to be the artist she is. The colour scheme of the image is bright and fresh which could reflect upon 'Born To Die' being her first album release and target her young audience.

The album uses simple, block typography for her artist and album title. This style is also seem throughout her other proceeding albums and adverts which enables a wider audience to recognise her brand. The artist title is noticeable bigger than the album title which could reflect upon this album being her first therefore it is more important for an audience to see Del Ray's name in order for more exposure. Furthermore, the album title is placed at the bottom, under the artist's chest which further sexualises the artist. A similar colour to her lips is used for the album title which could draw the audience's attention as the bright colour used is vibrant against the soft background.




The back of the album displays the track listings which is- similar to the front of the album- simplistic. This further connotes the simplicity of Lana Del Ray's album. A noticeable feature within the back cover is the drastic change of colour scheme which went from the use of the soft, bright and fresh colours to more bolder colours. The use of a red background could connote Del Ray's femininity- it's colour scheme could also reflect upon the albums emotional themes and lyrics. As the artist's face is not shown on the back of the album, it can be suggested this was used in order for the audience to focus solely on the tracks listed.




The inside of the digipak features a similar image of Del Ray seen on the front cover of the album. A  mid close up is used which allows the audience to focus on the artist's image and body language. This image is displayed through the use of two windows which could show the artist's importance in her image along with her music. Similarly to the front cover, the front cover uses young and soft colours which could connote a natural atmosphere. This contrasts with the boldness of the back cover which could suggest Del Ray is more than what is shown on the front cover and she will continue to show her audience the different sides to her musical image.



Additionally, the inside of the digipak also contains a fold out which consists of the lyrics to each song. A type writer styled typography is used to display the lyrics- this creates a vintage and retro look which could refer to Lana Del Ray's vintage visual image. The paper is also shown to be worn out which further reflects upon the artist's image. Blood splatters are also shown on the lyric pages which could symbolise the artist's relationships and love dying. This use of blood could be compared to the back of the album which is also dark and blood. This could also mark the artist's emotional turbulences in her life.




The CD is simple which follows the simplistic image of the overall album- the use of three roses on a white background makes the vibrancy of the red more prominent and catches the audience's attention. The roses could symbolise the themes of love which could be heavily referred to through Del Ray's music. It's colour scheme of red on white could suggest a sense of innocence and could also refer to innocent love to which Del Ray could have encountered previously.




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