Katy Perry: Teenage Dream (Digipak Analysis)

Front Cover

The main text illustrating the artist's name and the album title is placed near enough the top and bottom of the cover, done this way so that the image of the artist is kept in a sandwich layout and, therefore, portrays her as the most significant icon within the design. This is a good style to use as its layout encourages the audience to look from top-to-bottom and ultimately provides a recurring theme for the album, the idea of Katy's "teenage dream" having nudity, candy floss clouds and sweet-related items. The font additionally emphasises this, having been made of a decorative sweet pattern such as candy canes and liquorice. After researching the album, it's made clear that this theme is a recurrence through her music video's such as California Gurls - the first single from the album.  The image of the artist provides a new alternative to the meaning of "teenage dream", the artist suggesting that a modern teenager's desires involve nudity, however, the use of the colour pink does connote sweetness and innocence to the title; encouraging the audience to take a further look within the digipak. The background of the cover is the artist seductively laying upon pink clouds - likely to be candy floss - which mostly focuses upon the artist's image and how she's portraying herself to her audience, being her first hit album and her breakthrough into the music industry as a worldwide artist. It's made clear that the album contains some suggestions of sexuality intertwined with the idea of a teenager's dreams of love, further indicating that she is using this theme to appeal to her young audience to help boost her career.

Back Cover
This continues to follow through with the sweet theme, although kept clear of the artist's image, as shown through the font used to name the track titles. The font is the bold colour red which allows to keep the consistency of the candy cane theme and helps the text stand out against the fluffy, pink clouds. Additionally, the text is stocky and has a sweet-related connotation that continuously connects with the overall theme. A small portion of the text is presented very differently against the red text in a bright blue (a similiar colour to the sky pictured in the top third of the design) and is positioned differently so it is eye-catching to the audience. Its importance is that is promotes the extra CD as part of the packaging that provides extra tracks for the audience, something that will appeal to them as consumers.

CD Design
The design is a continuation of the sweet theme, although is far more visually plain; kept as the designs of a doughnut and candy cane. However, the candy cane design is a clear repetition throughout the digipak's design so this makes it clear which is the main CD and which is the bonus CD. The design's do merge within the overall scheme of the digipak and continues to broaden a strong image of a "teenage dream" thoroughly.

Inside Design
Again, the sweet theme thrives as a main factor to the album's design although does involve the artist's image more; following Goodwin's Principles of keeping the artist's face in full view of the audience. In one image, there is a closer shot of the artist laying on her back on the pink candy floss cloud. She is still visibly naked and this emphasises the idea of sexuality playing a significant role alongside innocence and sweet things within her music; also portraying the artist's confidence with herself which will encourage consumers to further look at the digipak. Additionally, the leaflet left inside sees her wearing clothing but in a more princess-like manner which presents a contrast with the artist's vision for the album. Wearing a sweet tiara and pink puffed-up dress and surrounded by sweet things further presents the album's theme and suggests the artist wants to emphasise that she is portraying her version of a "teenage dream".