Kasabian Digipak

Kasabian - Empire 

Kasbian is an indie rock band and this is clearly reflected in the design of their digipak which sticks to the common grungy themes of this genre, created by the clear contrast of styles in the primary image. The image itself looks like a painting, emulating the style of renaissance artwork through the use of muted colours and soft edges which is heavily contrasted with the text which sits directly through the middle.

The font is that of the band's own logo and is sans-serif, immediately contrasting with the elegant, artistic picture in the background, instead being harsher and more futuristic. The black text colour also contrast with the lighter and softer tones in the rest of the image, causing the band's name to appear more stark and noticeable in the images with the black font. This makes the name stand out so it isn't overpowered by the image on the front and makes it very clear who the album is by in the absence of any actual pictures of the band. However, on the very front panel they have decided to use a more golden tone for the text colour which creates a more cohesive and unified image which is initially presented to it's audience. 

The name of the album is written on a ribbon across the image in a font typical to renaissance literature. This connotes that the image on the front is directly related to themes and songs in the album, bringing the two clearly contrasting ideas together. The look of the ribbon around the picture along with it's soft edges are also comparable to stereotypical tattoos, especially with the colours used on the cover which resemble ink on skin. This further adds to the edginess of this album cover, appealing to their target audience and creating an easily recognisable image, making the album more memorable. 

There is a clear contrast being made here between new and old, most obviously with the old image and new font, but also within the wider look of medieval imagery contrasted against this relatively modern band. It definitely makes for an edgy, memorable look which will help with the promotion of the music as people will be more aware of the album as they're more likely to notice the cover. The off-white colouring of the album itself also adds to the grungy feel of the digipak and avoids the connotations of purity and innocence presented by white, instead creating a more unfinished, well used effect which is commonly seen in the rock genre. 

The 'K' signs in the top left and bottom right corner are denoted to be symbols from playing cards by the club signs underneath. The card 'king of clubs' could relate to the band's album name - Empire - through it's suggestion of power and ruling whilst also linking to the band's own name with the 'K' possibly standing for Kasabian. The use of playing card imagery also links to the edgy feel of the album as cards are linked with gambling which has negative connotations, inevitably making it attractive to those who want to defy social standards. The king is also the best card in the pack, connoting winning and success which further link to the album name 'Empire'. 

The band themselves are not on the cover of the digipak which suggests that the band wanted to avoid the idea of star status, instead focussing the cover on their music and the tone of their songs. This sends a positive message to fans as it suggests the members of the band are not in it for fame, but instead to do what they love by making the music.

On the inside panels there are hand-drawn images of the band members faces, carrying through the theme of tradition. It also makes it feel more personal as the image looks as though it could've been drawn by a band member, putting a personal stamp on the album and making it special for fans. They have continued the use of very minimal colour through to the inner panels which creates a cohesion throughout the digipak so it looks like a complete unit. This also adds to the simplicity of the inner design and the hand-drawn feel that's created. 

Overall this is very in-keeping with the rock genre, sharing the typical 'grungy' and 'edgy' looks seen across other bands in this genre but staying unique through their unconventional use of white rather than darker base colours. This album is made to stand out through the use of the renaissance style painting but keeps relevant through the blazon depiction of the band name in the comparatively modern font, ensuring it still appeals to their target audience.