Digipack - The Strokes - Is This It

'Is This It' was released July 30, 2001 in Australia, with RCA Records as the primary label. The record entered the UK Albums Chart at number two and peaked at number 33 on the U.S. Billboard 200, going on to achieve platinum status in several markets. "Hard to Explain", "Last Nite", and "Someday" were released as singles.
The record is considered crucial in the development of other alternative bands and of the post-millennial music industry. It has featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of the 2000s and of all time.

I am going to deconstruct the digipack to retrieve certain conventions so that I can successfully create my own.

The Front:

Is This It - The Strokes - 2001

The front of the CD cover is significantly simplistic, the white background helps emphasise the name of the band and the album name; the red on white encapsulates the importance of the name. It draws more attention to the text as the words Is This It are the only thing in red as appose to black and white. Immediately we are given an idea of the target audience from the front cover, the explicit image of a naked, presumably female, body; this suggests they are targeting the male population. This bold image also portrays their rebellious nature as a band as the latex glove adds a bit of edge to the photograph, the band have used voyeurism to appeal to the male audience. It could be said that the album title connotes the album cover, the image doesn't offer too much information as it is quite plain and simple, therefore the title could be the audiences response. 

The Back:

Is This It - The Strokes - 2001

Finally, the audience have a more personal feel to the digipack as they include an image of the band on a bridge. They look laid back and chilled, which portrays their persona; the photo is also in black and white which gives it an indie feel. The track list is written over the image and placed in the top right hand corner, this could've been so that it is easier to read against the white sky in the photograph. The positioning of the band seems to imply a sense of carelessness, 1 out of 5 members of the band are looking at the camera making it seem like a candid shot; one of the men are squatting, suggesting they don't particularly care and they don't obey the rules. There is also a barcode, credits, and a tracklist which are all conventions of CD digipaks. The band's name and album title are repeated on the spine against a red strip.

The CD:

Is This It - The Strokes - 2001

The CD portrays a lot about the band, the font is particularly indie and suggests they are a striking, bold band. The off horizontal angle gives a sense of carelessness and edge as it slants to the side; i also find it interesting how they have replaced the 'O' in the middle to fit the hole in the CD; it is clever and recognisable for the audience.