Digipak - CD Booklet Template

Above is a free download of a CD Digipak Booklet from the Internet. It simply consists of two panels which represent each page. There is no set rule for how many pages a booklet needs to contain for a Digipak, but they typically have the same number of pages as there are songs on the album (1 page for every song) plus the front and back covers, and either one or two pages for the musician's 'thank-you's' and the credits. There may also be additional spare pages within to show off photography or other artwork. Some artists may even squeeze two or more songs onto each page in order to save paper, production times and costs. For the album that I am making, '+' by Ed Sheeran, there are 16 songs as it is a Deluxe Edition. That would mean at least 16 panels, plus 2 for the front and back, 1 for the thank you's and credits, which in total makes 19, but there needs to be an even number, so then I have one free for a picture.

Below is an image of a quick mock-up sketch I have drawn to show what content will be on each panel, as the printing process and putting-together of the final piece will be very difficult, as usually these booklets are printed double-sided and then stapled together in the center:

As we do not have the printing facilies available to us to ensure accurate double-sided printing, I am more likely to construct my booklet with four panels to each section. The top two panels will then fold over and be glued in place, so the design will have to be created upside down to the adjacent two panels.

The mock up...

I used the template I published initially and my mock-up layout to then place the lyrics to all of the different songs. It took some time as I had to frequently print them off and cut them out to test out that my layout worked, as sometimes the text was coming out upside-down and in the wrong order. I have now resolved the problem and saved each 'setcion' as a new template for myself. All that is left for me to do now is to drop in pictures behind the text and also add in the credits on the last page. Then I will progress to remove the pink 'fold' lines as they will no longer be needed and re-size the final product so that it fits inside the Digipak casing I have created. 

Website Skeleton Layouts

Digipak Skeleton Layouts

My song by Ed Sheeran, 'Autumn Leaves', comes from the deluxe edition of his album '+' so I have decided on the basic idea that I want to incorporate two disc trays or pouches into my Digipak, one for the standard songs, and one for the additional audio files. In order for me to create some mock-ups for my Digipak, I have started with some research into basic Digipak templates which are available online.

With the above Digipak template, I like how it includes two trays for the discs, as this is useful for my 'deluxe' edition of the album'. However, I don't personally want to use trays in my Digipak as the plastic often can't be recycled and the are prone to shattering, which can result in the discs being damaged, therefore I want to use card pouches which I picked up on in my Digipak textual analysis. With this template also, it is made so that the two trays lie in the middle panel and the panel to the right of it, leaving the front panel open. What I want for my design is the two discs to be on the front and the back inside panels so that the design is better balanced and symmetrical.

Digipak Dimensions (three interior panels):

Closed Dimensions = 140mm x 125mm x 7mm
Open Dimensions = 434mm x 250mm
Each individual panel = 140mm x 125mm

This is a quick skeleton layout/template I made for my Digipak. The dimensions are important for me to know as this will ensure the complete layout is correct to real products and all the compartments will fit together properly. I will now take this template which I created in Photoshop and section-by-section I will create a skeleton layout to more specifically show where the images and text will be presented in the design. 

I have now created a much more detailed skeleton layout for the Digipak. I used Powerpoint and the original layout (above) and applied shapes to identify where certain images and textual pieces will be placed on each section of the Digipak. I will now go on to create a skeleton layout for the lyric booklet which makes up a vital part of the Digipak and also a mock-up of the entire thing using existing images to ensure that my design is going to work and will look as effective as I want it to.