Digipak Analysis

Indie-Rock Website Research.

Walk Off the Earth:

http://www.walkofftheearth.com/

The Walk Off the Earth website focuses on presenting the group in a subdued and friendly manner through using almost water-colour style effects and a picture of the group on the main page. In this picture the band are represented as a close-knit friendship and thus it is a welcoming image to present to consumers when they first go onto the website.

There are links to Walk Off the Earth’s social networking pages such as on Facebook and Instagram, and there are also links to places where the music can be listened to, including Spotify, iTunes and Amazon Music. Not only does this make the group more accessible, but it also undoubtedly aids them in the distribution of their music.

The predominantly white background not only coordinates well with the image, but it also makes the type font stand out more making the page seem rigid and easy to follow (much unlike that of Gorillaz’s web page). Included in the links to other parts of the website are: News, About, Tour, Music, Videos, Promos, Contact, Store, Gear and Sign-up. It is here where you can learn more about Walk Off the Earth and buy any related apparel as well as tickets. There is also a section where you can scroll through pictures both on and off stage. This allows a consumer to have a better understanding of the personality of the band in a more holistic focus.

AWOLNATION:

http://awolnationmusic.com/home/

The initial contrast that strikes between Walk off the Earth and AWOLNATION upon visiting their website, is that AWOLNATION orientate much more around darker colours and focus more on advertising apparel and tour dates than Walk off the Earth do. There is much more of an attribution to the rock genre, however a key similarity between these two websites is that they both clearly present links to their social networking sites (on AWOLNATION’s main page, the links are shown on the top right corner).

The background image for AWOLNATION shows six undomesticated horses running in the wild. Metaphorically this signifies that AWOLNATION themselves are attributed to being free and careless; hence the website successfully represents the band symbolically through the use of its images, similar to that of Walk off the Earth. 

Links to other parts of the website include: Photos, Tour, News, Merch, Buy Album and their hashtag, #IAMAWOLNATION. Another similarity that is apparent between these two websites is that they both have capital letters as the links to the other parts of the website; perhaps these have been used to make these subtitles bolder and reflects the clear-definition and rigidity of the websites

ARTIC MONKEYS:

http://www.arcticmonkeys.com/

Another similar genre band to Walk of the Earth is the Artic Monkeys. Their website consists of solely black and white; this corresponds with their logo. This black and white colour scheme means everything is very clearly set out and creates a rigid structure. When you scroll down the web page, the upper subtitles, as well as the logo, scroll down with it- this keeps it easily accessible.

Rather than an image, unlike the previous two web pages, Artic Monkeys have a link to their most recently released video (in this case it is AM- South America 2014). They also have a featured section on the main page including most recent news, such as ‘MTV VMA Nomination’ published on 21.07.15. Updating their main web page with news  allows them to present consumers information which they may not otherwise be interested in clicking on- e.g. as a consumer interested in buying from their ‘Store’, I would not necessarily click on their news section of their website, so, to avoid this incident they simply put the news on their main page. This is opposite to the ways Walk off the Earth and AWOLNATION present their news.

Another comparison to draw out from these websites is the use of colloquial language which suit their stereotypical representation. So, for instance, where AWOLNATION and Walk off the Earth use the term ‘Tour’ to reference any performances they may be doing, the Artic Monkeys have used ‘Gigs’. This demonstrates the more informal tone which flows throughout their website and is perhaps done to appeal more to their target demographic of young people rather than AWOLNATION whom aim to target more older students at a university level and so, arguably, could be slightly more sophisticated.

THE KILLERS:

http://www.thekillersmusic.com/

The Killers, described as an American indie-rock band, use a blue/purple sort of colour scheme throughout their website. This forms both an attractive and unique representation of the group, yet also entices more people to explore their website through the appealing factor of this colour.

More similar to the Artic Monkeys, The Killers use an embedded YouTube video as their predominant focus when going to the homepage of the website. This video takes up quite literally the whole of the screen when you first visit, and further down the page visitors will be able to read about News and ‘Live Tweets’ that are happening. On top of this, regards this main video on the homepage, they have developed a way of cycling through various images and videos, using arrow keys to do so; this also occurs simultaneously upon visiting the website.

Another trait on the website to note, is that the band’s logo is the main focus of the top border. It has been emphasised by using a black on white foreground and background so that it stands out more. Similar to all of the other web pages, it quite clearly key to a bands website to display links to their social media accounts- this allows consumers to explore more about the artists and also means they can develop a more personal connection with them.

In summary, it is quite clear that to construct an effective website, there are a few key traits and qualities to include. First off, the need for an appealing welcome to the website- this is particularly relatable to Walk off the Earth’s current webpage. Secondly, links to their social networking pages are key for consumers- they have to be clearly visible and simple to use, and thirdly, perhaps including videos, or if not, images, of the group(s) is an effective way to develop a representation of the band that reaches the consumers when they visit the web page. A final note would be the inclusion of colloquial language that suits the personality of the group; this could be like ‘The Killers’ whom use ‘Sweet Talk’ to reference their forum chat.

OTHER SIMILAR BANDS…

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