Digipak Analysis: Paramore

Paramore's 2008 album, 'Riot!' features the American rock band surrounded by the word 'riot'. It can be suggested the layout of the words creates a disturbance for the audience as it is placed unevenly around the sides of the album. The placement of the band in the middle could also suggest they are the people creating the 'riot'. A high angle shot is used, this could connote the audience looking down upon Paramore. This could further emphasis society looking down upon rebellion but the band does not show any sign of caring which is shown through their body language. The lead singer, Hayley Williams, is shown with her hand behind her back smiling at the camera, also the male members are shown with their hands in their pockets nonchalantly as if they do not care. Hayley William's is framed to be slightly in front of the other members, suggesting to the audience that she is more important.

In addition, the band is also in black and white with the only thing shown in colour is the album title which suggests the audience's attention should be solely focused on the title instead of the band. The typography is presented to look as if it is graffiti- this further emphasises the idea of rioting and rebelling. Around the cover, merged with the word 'riot' is information about the band and CD. For example, on the right hand side near the exclamation mark of 'Riot!' the text refers to the members of Paramore. This use of incorporating the different texts with the same typography could make an impact as it is almost hidden within the 'riot' which could further emphasise the destruction the band is going to cause.

Throughout the album, there is a clear colour scheme of orange, black and orange used. This is effective as the orange clearly stands out against black and white and the audience's attention is able to be immediately grabbed with the vibrant colour. The use of orange could also reflect Paramore's image of being a fun, rock band.

The back of the album is similar to the front as it shows repetition of the word 'riot' across the back. The image of the band is once again in black and white yet they are positioned to grab the audience's attention as there is a noticeable contrast between Paramore and the repetitive words in the background. The important text- the track listing- is presented in orange which also catches the audiences attention. The barcode of the album is positioned on the top right corner to which the text also surrounds which could further emphasise the idea of rebelling as there is no blank spaces between the barcode and the text.

The style of the CD is similar to the front and back images of the album which presents the albums use of continuity. 'Riot!' is once again sprawled over the CD repeatedly with the album title displayed in the largest type in orange- this catches the audience's attention as it stands out against the black and white.

Furthermore, the colour scheme is also followed inside the digipak. The lyrics page is solely black and white which further emphasises their  rock/emo image as, stereotypically, black is normally associated with 'emos'. The layout of the lyrics in each song is different, some lyric sections are sideways and some are upright- this could add to the 'riot' of the album and add a sense of chaos. Featuring two of the members on the page, the contrast between the image and text draws the audience's attention on the two members instead of the lyrics. A handwritten, scratched like type is used for the lyrics which could further refer to their genre of music- rock- as this type of text could be seen as threatening and aggressive. 

A special thanks page is also in the album, immediately the audience is left confused at what to look at which adds to the 'riot' of the album and may also create a sense of chaos in the audience's mind. The text is wrapped around each other leaving no empty spaces which may suggest the audience is unable to escape the riot themselves. Orange font is again used to highlight  the important text- such as 'special thanks' - which also gives us a sense of direction as it could serve as a guide on where the audience should look.

The poster for Paramore's 'Riot' follows the same style as the album with the use of black and white images and type with the exception of the orange typography of the album name 'RIOT!'. Similarly, the band is surrounded by the word 'riot' constantly repeating itself across the whole poster- this again creates a sense of chaos as the words are randomly placed on the poster.