Passenger - Whispers // Digipak Analysis

Digipak Analysis of "Whispers"

Whispers is Passenger's 5th studio album and its digipak is created in a old vintage styled booklet, the use of the colours, texture and down to the font calls a harmonious style. It reminds of old vintage children's books.   

The genre of contemporary folk is clear throughout the design of the digipak. Other artists like Iron & Wine and Bright Eyes have done similar styles presented through their album, as you can see below:

Examples of other contemporary folk album designs

The colours are similar throughout the design of the album, the green and blues being the boldest of them all. They have been used in order to present the positivity that this album has brought in comparison to some of his previous albums such as 'Wide Eyes Blind Love' which featured what seemed to be a dead crow stuck in a mesh.

The album seems to overall excel in its form of storytelling and it is clear when presented with the booklet, using the water colour painting style that is reminiscent of vintage children's books, such as with the example you can see below:

This style and design choice links directly back to the storytelling lyrics and themes that are presented the whole way through the album, especially through songs like Riding to New York:

Well, I met him in Minnesota

He was dark and overcast

With long, grey hair and eyes that stared

Through me like I was glass

I asked "Where are you going to?"

He said, "I'm the wind I'm just blowing through."

He lit up a cigarette and began to talk

The CD has a blank style that is conventional to the rest of the digipak. It has a textured design, that gives off the impression of a vintage and used item, a like a children's story book.

The design is fairly straight forward, with very little actual in the way of icons present on the disc, except for the record companies logo (the black crow).

This gives off impressions that conform to the genre, that it is very organic and unlike other genres such as Electronic music where a lot of enhancements are made, most Folk music is recorded straight from a studio, therefore this idea of 'organic' music is presented throughout the entire design of the digipak and other artists within the genre such as Iron & Wine, Bright Eyes and Elliott Smith.