SZA original digipak
These are examples of SZA's digipaks (the artist of the song we chose). The codes and conventions of R&B are adhered as well as subverted for various reasons, such as the mise en scene. There seem to be a lot of pink and purple tones which reflect the gender of the artist as well as appealing to a more female audience. This adheres to the alternative R&B genre. Interestingly, SZA does not feature herself on this digipak which is quite unconventional. She may have chosen to do this to take the attention away from her and her 'beauty, which most female R&B singers tend to do, and keep it more focused on the music and the art of it. This may be something we chose to do, as it fits in more with this 'alternative' genre giving off an edgy vibe. the actual album cover itself is meant to be a beer label with the name 'Suburban Lager' which is interesting as it does not fit in with the normal conventions. It gives off this sense of individuality of the artist and uniqueness that her fans can aspire to achieve. This theme of individuality can also be seen in her EP that features Arabic writing. This reflects her personal background being from a Muslim family which could appeal to an audience of cultural background as well as inspiring fans of how she takes pride in where she comes from. The font style on the album cover is quite old-fashioned, reflecting the beer label theme which could be seen as artistic. Another one of her EP's has this 'bling' 'S' necklace on it which adheres to the R&B genre which glorifies the idea of owning such extravagant jewellery. This would appeal to the target audience of both R&B and alternative R&B. Lastly, the back of the CD cover has some sort of pink water/lightening look which could symbolise purity and innocence, which are contiunuous themes throughout the songs on this album. This reflection of the artist as music itself correlates well to the audience.
Frank Ocean Album cover
Frank Ocean's album cover features a rectangular picture of himself with a white border. This fits in with the R&B genre especially the sub genre of alternative R&B creating an artistic look. The font for the album title 'Blonde' is in italics and is very simplistic which is something we may choose to go for. This creates a clean look which is appealing to the target audience for our genre. The colours used here are less saturated and therefore comply with the stereotype of a male R&B singer.
Lana Del Rey Digipak
For Lana Del Rey's digipak, there is a running colour scheme of pastel blue with bold font. This gives off a classy feminine impression which represents her alternative genre. Her stance is quite powerful as the shot is slightly low angle which portrays her to be a strong independent woman and artist. The rest of the digipak is very simplistic with the only other image inside is of roses.
Magazine
