Contents Page

The Contents Page gave me an opportunity to use a large photo as the backdrop as there is not a great deal of writing involved other than a brief description of each editorial and its page number. I tilted the picture on its side to make a space for the title and the text. This gave the image the appearance of being in motion making it more dynamic. The picture also falls into a triangular point directing the reader to turn over to the next page

I used the fill tool to fill in areas of the picture in black which gave it a unique camouflage
style look, I avoided using it near the rapper's face so it was still easy to recognize. I also used the fill tool to fill in the corners of the page in black so the picture blended with the whole page. The picture had more of the rapper’s body in, than on the front page, as there was more room on this page. I also changed the pose of the rapper to keep it fresh and varied. I put a thin white border around the outside of the page as it contrasted well with the mass of black; this made the function of the page more apparent and contained the information.

I put the title of the page, here being “contents”, and the date in the top right corner so it did not overlap on the picture as it would have been harder to read. People naturally look to the top of the page to see what the page is about, so it made sense to put it here. It was in white so it again contrasted with the black background to make it easier to read and more prominent. At one point the border went through the text and as they were both white it looked like they joined together which looked stylish,however I thought It could look like a miss print so in the final cut it was removed.

I put the main body of text in the bottom right corner where it would not intrude over the picture too much, but still be an appropriate size to attract the reader’s attention. I followed the contours of the picture as the space got wider, this allowed more room for text and made the whole image flow naturally. Again most of the text was in white which contrasted with the black background to make it stand out. However the page numbers where in a grey colour so it was easy to identify what was the page numbers and what was the description. I put the name of the rapper in the picture, and the page number he was on, to the left of his photo in the corner which made sense as readers would associate this information with the picture. 

Double page

For the double page spread I again went for the graphic and striking black and white colour scheme that was a running theme throughout the magazine. Expanding on this scheme I used a zebra pattern in the background to fill up any empty space, using this animal pattern made the page visually exciting.

Again I used a picture of the rapper the article was about so that people would both recognize him and be drawn to the article. I used a posterize layer to convert from a continuous gradation of tone to several regions of fewer tones. I did this because it looked more interesting and fitted much better with the rest of the page because a full colour picture looked out of place in the middle of the black and white scheme.

The picture I chose was of the rapper leaning to one side, this created an interesting space on the page to use for the title and other text as well as giving the rapper the appearance of being in motion or dancing. It also draws the eye across the page from left to right making the whole article of equal importance. I used the rapper’s stage name in the top right of the page as a title for the editorial, this would encourage people recognising his name or face to read the article. 

I put a brief description of what the interview was about in the top left of the page. People could read the interview highlights and be drawn into reading the entire article. I used my standard font type of Arial and in black to contrast with the white background so it was easy to read. The Stage name 'Iron-Stu' is a strong name so the choice of font needed to be relivant. The word Iron has certain conotations so I looked at how the font had been used on the film 'Iron Man' (2008) and chose a font with similar vertical strength for the title of my article.

I put the beginning of the text under the title but the article would continue over the following pages. I put a black and white arrow in the bottom right under the text to indicate that the article continued onto the next page, the black and white fitted with the zebra pattern. I used a grey text when the interviewer was talking and a black text for when the rapper was talking. This would enable the reader to visually identify the interviewer and interviewee. It also made it stronger visually as using just black and white may have merged with the zebra pattern. 

Front Cover

I decided to make the ‘G’ on the front cover large and striking, giving it a strong graphic impact and a recognizable identity from the start. This strong black and white image would be repeated each month as the backdrop for different features and cover stars, which would introduce changing colours. Cover stars would be famous enough to be easily recognised by the target audience when they saw the magazine on the shelf. The magazine would capitalise on their fame to further advertise the magazine. In order to make the ‘G’ striking and as large as possible I fitted ‘The’ into the interior space of the ‘G’, which I thought worked well visually and allowed maximum space for the large G. I also used the shape of the G to frame the persons head and focus the viewers eye on looking at the rap star who holds their eye contact.

When looking at other magazines front covers they often used grimy urban colours such as black, steel and red. I decided to conform with this convention when designing the front cover. I was inspired by the film Sin City (2005) Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriquez. They transformed the original graphic qualities of a comic book into a film using powerful black and white images. Throughout the film there are certain features coloured red which is used to symbolise power. I feel the influence of this film is evident when looking at the front cover I have produced. I hope that the striking black and white image with subtle highlights of colour will attract my target audience and make it stand out from other products on the shelf.



For this issue I put the name of the major artists in this magazine at the top of the magazine in large, red font. This clearly showed the artists featured in the magazine at a glance. Fans would recognize these artists and be immediately interested in the magazine. The red font stands out as it is the brightest colour present on this page so you would focus on it. It is at the top of the page so when the magazine was stacked on a magazine stand these names would show over the top of the magazine underneath it so they would still be visible. These font colours and styles could be changed each month to give variety.

I put a picture of the most famous rapper featured in this month’s magazine on the front. His fame would help to sell the magazine as the target audience would want to buy the magazine in order to read about him. I went for a shot of his head and torso so he was easier to recognize as his head would be larger than a full body shot. I tried just a shot of his head but it looked odd. I turned the colours of his image to just black and white to blend aesthetically with the rest of the front cover. By doing this his outfit didn’t distract from the information on the cover. This also made the rapper continue the shape of the ‘G’ rather than simply covering it up keeping the ‘G’ easily recognizable.

 

I next put splatter paint all over the front cover to give it a feel of graffiti which is popular in the hip hop/rap culture, further associating the magazine with the target audience as well as making the magazine look less bland and instead much more aestetically pleasing.

I then put the magazine’s slogan sideways on the right hand side of the page on the ‘G’. The slogan is important to the magazine’s identity but I didn’t feel it was essential to make it too obvious. As a slogan it will appear on every cover, and the audience will become used to its format after a while. I didn’t want people reading this instead of the features in the magazine. Printing it sideways made it less readable and attracted the eye less, but gave an interesting alternative perspective, again reflecting a graffiti style. In the final stages of post production I decided to remove this slogan all together as I did not like the visual format of the page while it was included and removing it made room for more important imformation about the magazines content.

Other features I included on the front cover was the give away of two free cd's with the magazine. This is relivant to the target audience as it is a music magazine and the consumer is likely to want to hear this genre of music. Many of the magazines I looked at in research used 'freebies' to attract the buyer.

Another 'Pull' technique I use is putting an outrageous quote on the cover. This draws peoples to purchase the product as they find that quote alone interesting and want to find out what it is about. I have chosen to put the word 'you' in larger bold font as it speaks directly and personally to the audience.

I also included the internet adress for the Magazine which allowes an alternative media for viewing the publication. A recent change in the way magazines are viewed is E-magazines which allow consumers to purchase and view magazines online. Websites can also be used to advertise a product such as links posted on social networking sites allowing fans to discuss the latest issue and further the magazines recognition. Mainly young people use applications such as facebook so it is a modern way of targetting the ideal consumer.

Taking photos

Today I took Photos of people who I cast to be my famous rap stars and celebrities. I took the pictures whilst the individual was in a variety of different poses and with a range of expressions. These expressions and poses were based on the images from front covers I analysed in research. I took the photos in different locations linked with the hip hop culture such as urban terrains. Some of the shots where outside in the woods which I thought would juxtapose the solid stance of the rap star.Others where shot inside our school in different rooms experimenting with the composition of images by using a variety of shots. these included long shots down corridors or wide shots showing the scape of the room. Sometimes I thought that the background didn't matter too much because I will probably edit it in post production. I discovered in research many front covers of magazines have simple white backgrounds in order to focus the viewers attention on the title, celebrity image and article text being shown.

Deciding on the Genre and Name

I researched several contemporary magazines before deciding there was a gap in the market for a stylish Rap and Hip Hop magazine aimed at 13 to 30 year olds with an interest in this music and culture surrounding it. I chose Rap and Hip Hop as a theme because it has its own very specific identity and culture which I find very interesting. The magazine will focus on successful and emerging rappers in the music industry who members of this culture group can look up to and aspire to be. The target audience would buy the magazine to keep up to date with the activities of their favourite rappers. The magazine will include new album releases, interviews with the artists, gig dates, fashion trends, and any major news about the rap and hip hop scene. These features will attract the intrests of my target audience providing them with information they want to hear about.

I decided the name for my magazine would be “The G”. G is a common street term used in this culture to refer to various things. It is a common form of rapper greeting, for example “what’s up g?” The g used here is short for gangster; you often hear rappers in the media referring to each other as gangsters. It can mean £1,000, ‘a grand’ is slang for a thousand pounds, rappers are keen to display their wealth, as a sign of their success. Finally it can be short for grin. This name will clearly relate the magazine to the target audience it wishes to sell to.

Double Page Spread analysis

This is a double page spread from NME.

• The first thing that the eye is drawn towards is the full page photo of the 3 member of the band and the title "THE TEENAGERS". The whole of the title uses capital letters to attract attention and is situated centrally at the top of the page.
• The other page is full of text and provides the "bread and butter" of the article.
• It has a need to know box which includes some short punchy facts about the band. This makes filling in the background of the band fast and easy for the reader to digest. 
• I like the use of the blue colour scheme which is used to highlight important text such as titles and quotes.
• A certain part of the main text has been enlarged and highlighted to draw attention. This is often used when someone says something interesting or outrageous to attract the reader toward the article rather than skipping it to the next page.

Contents page Analysis

This page has followed the usual conventions of a contents page which are to include:

• Heading - So that people know that it is the contents page
• A list of feature - The purpose of this page is to provide the locations of where to look to find the article you want and to provide a small taster of what the article is about so you know if you are interested or not.
• The date of the Issue - In the top left of the contents page it states December 2008.
• A large or number of small images - Which relate to one or a number of the articles in the magazine.

Indepth analysis of a front cover

This is another article of XXL magazine.The Main attraction of this week is Ludacris. This is why he is the main image on the front cover and his name is large and easy to read. It is in fact even large then the name of the magazine.

As I said earlier magazines often use slang words and abbreviations to attract their audience. Here the words "Ludacris Will shoot yo' ass" is a perfect example of that.

The masthead is not that big and some of it is hidden behind Ludacris's head. This is done to allow the main image to take up a larger space  on the page. It also shows that the magazine is well known and would still be recognised with a few of the letters missing.

Research on front covers

From the research I have done on front covers I have found:

• The language used in music magazines is mainly informal, words are sometimes shortened and punctuation is often missed out. This is done to appeal to the audience it is aimed at as it uses slang that that audience would know. For example Hip Hop magazines  use lots of informal language to attract the teenagers that use this language and are into their hip hop music.
• The main image used on a music magazine is usually a person or group of people who are famous from that genre of music. These images used are done in a range of camera shots from close - ups to long shots. Close ups are normally used if it is an individual so they are easier to recognize and a wide shot may be used so the whole of a band could fit into the frame.
  
• Often the masthead of a music magazine contradicts that of the main stream magazine. Normally the masthead is used to attract an individual and encourage them to buy the magazine so it would be large and easy to read. A music magazine's masthead is often covered up in order to get the main image of the page to be larger.
• The headlines and sub-headings are used to get the possible reader interested in the magazine. These are often a synopsis of an article or perhaps a interesting quote that an individual has given.

 

Initial Research

I began by researching lots of different music magazines. Some of the magazines I looked at are:

• Kerrang!
• Q magazine
• Mojo
• Rap-Up
• Vibe

From this research I determined the what things to consider in creating my piece of media.

Choosing my Brief

For my As coursework in media studies I have decided to choose the option of working within the media of print. The brief requires me to complete a front page, a contents page and a double page spread of a new music magazine.

I chose this topic because I am extremely interested in the production of newspapers and magazines. At school I have access to programs and image manipulation software to create a magazine. I find the design and creation of a piece of media like this to be fascinating.

Poole Grammar Magazine

Over the past few weeks I have been working on the media studies preliminary coursework assignment.

First I designed a questionnaire to find out what students wanted in their school magazine. I then got the questionnaire filled in by a number of students. I then had a better idea of what students would like to see in the magazine i was designing.

I then went out and took pictures of the school and of what the magazine would be covering and uploaded them onto the computer.

I then started designing the front cover. I made this in publisher as I am familiar with the software and it had everything I would need to create my cover. As with most magazines i had a large picture advertising the main story in the magazine which took up most of the page, I thought this worked well because it drew readers in. Around the picture was text about what else was in the magazine. The magazine title and Poole grammar logo where at the top of the page. Overall i thought my front cover came out quite well but could have been better.

My contents page was next and I did this in Microsoft word. I chose word because I am very familiar with it and the contents page would mainly be text with a few pictures which would not be edited except have a border. I made the list of contents and next to the list put the pictures which were associated with them.

Overall I felt this project went fairly well but I didn’t do anything that really stretched my skills. In the future I hope to use more complicated and intricate software such as Photoshop in order to create a better looking magazine and fully realize my potential for the project.