CONTENTS
Friday, 25 March 2016
Thursday, 24 March 2016
REBEL MAGAZINE COVER
My preference for the cover of Rebel
Alternative cover - using convention with the image of someone looking out at you.
REBEL MAGAZINE: CONSTRUCTION & EVALUATION
1.) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
I have chosen to create a magazine for the rap/hip hop and culture genre - specifically focusing on the up and coming artists rather than mainstream acts.
I looked at rap magazines for inspiration online and noticed they were very similar in their colour use (red, black and white). Also they are very male focused as you can see from the top image search for rap magazine covers. It is a very male oriented industry, often representing a culture of sexism and violence. With my rap magazine, I want to take a different approach and “rebel” against some of the mainstream conventions.
I have chosen a square format for my magazine like a vinyl LP (a coveted thing) – not like regular magazines. This gives it a musical vibe straight away, also makes it stand out from the rest of the magazines which will attract interest from an audience who are looking for something fresh and different.
I have created two different versions of my cover, one with a more arty visual of a man standing against a graffitied wall and another with a face staring out at you provocatively.
The cover with the face fits convention, probably because it sells magazines. It's the face of a man that clearly sells magazines in this genre. Personally I prefer the cover on the right because it is different and subverts the norm. I put the headline in 'Who is Matty B?" so that the reader will be curious to open the magazine to look inside.
The font of the coverlines is called Impact which says it all. I chose this font because it gives impact to the words. Also I decided to keep the font of the writing not too over the top just to make it easy for the reader to quickly skim through the words without difficulty which may encourage more readers to look at my magazine because they can quickly assume it won't take long for them to read what's on the cover and decide whether the magazine is for them.
The masthead has been deliberately cropped to look as if it is too big for the magazine. My aim is to make the Rebel bigger and to jump off the page - an act of rebellion!
The image I used for my first cover idea (top right) I believe is a perfect representation of what this magazine is about and is a good cover for the first issue of Rebel; I love this image because there are clear acts of "rebellion" occurring in the image so the title and image compliment each other. First act of rebellion, the person is flipping us the bird, secondly his head is down and he's wearing a cap to hide his face from us instead of looking us in the eye (leaves the reader intrigued), also the huge graffiti art piece behind him may be seen as an act of vandalism (rebellion) but some people may see this as pure art (my target audience).
This image challenges the normal convention (someone's face staring out at you). To use this image was a risk but I believe it would attract my target audience as it is more arty and rebellious which they would find unique. I like the way that most of the space is taken up by a brick wall which has art on it itself than me having to edit it, also there is plenty of room for text and title without complications of covering up too much of the image.
Lastly, what made me want to use this image was that it was an original photograph straight from the camera. No effects or being tampered with which I thought suited my magazine cover because it's old school, it's original, it's arty, it's real, it's what my target audience know.
For the contents page I looked at culture and rap magazines (the examples below).
I thought of using a more challenging style, I liked the example of the album cover of Culture Shock, below, which has a more hand drawn (unexpected) style. I rejected this because it is difficult to read. The point of the contents page is to pull you in and make you intrigued to buy the magazine because you like the look of what's inside.
For my contents page, I wanted to have an arresting image (street style) and couple this with a type writer font to make it look more hand crafted. The title has been fitted to the image to look like it's sitting in the window rather than overlaid on the page.
For the double page spread, I analysed four different feature articles from The Source magazine. I liked the really powerful full bleed images, they're very striking and easy to look at. The layout example from The Source (below), where the image crosses the centre fold, makes it a much bigger canvas which has a lot of impact; you feel closer to the person in the picture.
Not every layout I looked at included pull quotes but I used one because it is a good way of showing the most interesting part of the article and encourages the reader to read the rest of the piece.
The example below shows a design element where they make a feature of the first letter of the article which is big, semi transparent and in colour, it breaks up the uniform columns of text and it helps to draw the eye. I used this in my double page spread to liven up the page.
With the images, whilst I liked the idea of laying out the image across the two pages, this wouldn't work with my own image as it's centred and you'd either lose part of the face as it crosses the fold or it would come out distorted. I used the background colour of the main image (black) to create continuity across the double spread.
2.) How does your media product represent a particular social group?
Rebel magazine represents a young, rebellious mindset. Rebel features young up and coming rappers, musicians and other artists. It aims to inform young rap fans about the newest and latest talent on the scene. The magazine would appeal to those people featured in its pages (up-and-coming talent) as well as those interested in their music. Amateur rap artists will aspire to be in the magazine!
3.) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
This magazine is rebellious in name and its nature. It is unlikely to appeal to mainstream outlets, unless they want to look cool by association with this edgy magazine.
The magazine would be wary of being seen to “sell out” by being part of large corporate culture. It would want to keep the image of being independent. A fanzine approach may seem more appropriate. An example of this is the collective from Peckham in South East London called ‘Born ‘n’ Bread’. They produce and publish their fanzine themselves and sell it locally through cafes and music venues. According to them, their magazine has become a collectable item – a limited edition. They number their magazines and never reprint an issue.
4.) Who would be the audience for your media product?
This presentation outlines the types of reader that Rebel would aim to attract.
I would attract my audience by showcasing exclusive content not found anywhere else, and by championing a new kind of rap scene – one not tainted by mainstream rap culture. The magazine centre on the music itself, the lyrics and their meanings and the poetry behind it, the gossip in the music industry which a lot of readers crave. It would give readers and understanding of the new, the old and the global.
Colour palette and fonts - I have used bright bold colours and the headline font, Impact, as well as typewriter font (Courier) for the main copy. I chose Courier because it looks less digital, more hand-crafted and from the streets.
For my photos I used images from the streets - a backdrop of graffiti, a derelict house, the darkness of night. All these images will appeal to my audience - these are artists who grew up on the streets. My audience can relate to the people and images depicted as that's where the audience come from too.
6.) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have used Photoshop to manipulate the images and to layout the magazine pages. It might have been better to use Publisher to layout text for the article, but I found it easier to use Photoshop for things like cutting out the head of the main image on the cover page and layer over the top of the masthead. The fact that I can put layers in means I can take some away to see what works and doesn't work.
I used Prezi to present my ideas on my target audience as it is simple to use and understand. I can also focus on separate profiles instead of looking at the whole thing. I chose this specific Prezi theme of social network because it represents a community which is how I see my target audience.
I built the Prezi presentation as if I was going to use it to attract people who might fund or distribute the magazine. This layout gives me the opportunity to focus on each member of the target audience, when presenting, and then to pull back to show them as a community.
As required I have presented my designs and evaluation on this blog. This was good because I could add links and images and videos etc to it. I don't find it great way of presenting my designs, they would be best presented as a physical object i.e a magazine; it's difficult to see the impact as a whole which I have tried to make across with my layout and font etc, due to it being small on the blog.
7.) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel I have learnt a lot since designing the cover and contents page for the school magazine. For the school magazine I used Powerpoint which was very basic in what I could do with it. I took a few photographs which I didn't edit or crop. I took inspiration from other school magazines online but none were of high standard so I knew to look at professional magazines for inspiration for my music magazine e.g. Dazed and The Source. For my next magazine about music,
I progressed to use Photoshop for my music magazine. I used a crop tool to make my image a perfect fit for my square magazine cover. I also boosted the contrast and brightness of my images to make them stand out and make the colours more striking. Using layers in Photoshop was also a great help for making my magazine as it allowed me to see different things on the magazine to see if they'd work or not and I could easily take them away by hiding or deleting the layer.
If I did this task again I would try using Publisher which would make it easier to manipulate columns of text etc. It is also a well used tool in the publishing industry so to use it would definitely broaden my skillset. Personally I am more interested in the photography and graphics side; I wanted Rebel to look aesthetically pleasing and beautiful to the eye and I spent more time on that anything else.
I have chosen to create a magazine for the rap/hip hop and culture genre - specifically focusing on the up and coming artists rather than mainstream acts.
I looked at rap magazines for inspiration online and noticed they were very similar in their colour use (red, black and white). Also they are very male focused as you can see from the top image search for rap magazine covers. It is a very male oriented industry, often representing a culture of sexism and violence. With my rap magazine, I want to take a different approach and “rebel” against some of the mainstream conventions.
Almost every magazine cover has a face staring out at you, as you can see from the examples below. They are very striking and the face on the cover draws you in more than anything else so it is commonly used for magazines. Not only is this method so successful because the people chosen are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, for example Garage's cover, the woman has defined cheekbones and beautifully clear skin which most people find attractive in this era, but the person is looking directly into the lens as if they are looking at you so instantly there is a connection made between reader and magazine (as strange as it seems). Looking at The Source, (judging it as if I were seeing it for the first time on the rack in a magazine store) in my opinion, the man looking at me has a wise and experienced look on his face which tells a story in itself and makes me curious to learn more about him from the magazine. The way he takes over most of the page and overlays the masthead makes him the centre of attention. This simple use of image layout can make such a difference/impact.
The cover with the face fits convention, probably because it sells magazines. It's the face of a man that clearly sells magazines in this genre. Personally I prefer the cover on the right because it is different and subverts the norm. I put the headline in 'Who is Matty B?" so that the reader will be curious to open the magazine to look inside.
The font of the coverlines is called Impact which says it all. I chose this font because it gives impact to the words. Also I decided to keep the font of the writing not too over the top just to make it easy for the reader to quickly skim through the words without difficulty which may encourage more readers to look at my magazine because they can quickly assume it won't take long for them to read what's on the cover and decide whether the magazine is for them.
The masthead has been deliberately cropped to look as if it is too big for the magazine. My aim is to make the Rebel bigger and to jump off the page - an act of rebellion!
The image I used for my first cover idea (top right) I believe is a perfect representation of what this magazine is about and is a good cover for the first issue of Rebel; I love this image because there are clear acts of "rebellion" occurring in the image so the title and image compliment each other. First act of rebellion, the person is flipping us the bird, secondly his head is down and he's wearing a cap to hide his face from us instead of looking us in the eye (leaves the reader intrigued), also the huge graffiti art piece behind him may be seen as an act of vandalism (rebellion) but some people may see this as pure art (my target audience).
This image challenges the normal convention (someone's face staring out at you). To use this image was a risk but I believe it would attract my target audience as it is more arty and rebellious which they would find unique. I like the way that most of the space is taken up by a brick wall which has art on it itself than me having to edit it, also there is plenty of room for text and title without complications of covering up too much of the image.
Lastly, what made me want to use this image was that it was an original photograph straight from the camera. No effects or being tampered with which I thought suited my magazine cover because it's old school, it's original, it's arty, it's real, it's what my target audience know.
For the contents page I looked at culture and rap magazines (the examples below).
Little White Lies - a magazine dedicated to film
Act Three: Contents
The Source, hip hop magazine
Garage, fashion and culture magazine
Dazed and Confused
Rebel magazine contents page
For the double page spread, I analysed four different feature articles from The Source magazine. I liked the really powerful full bleed images, they're very striking and easy to look at. The layout example from The Source (below), where the image crosses the centre fold, makes it a much bigger canvas which has a lot of impact; you feel closer to the person in the picture.
Not every layout I looked at included pull quotes but I used one because it is a good way of showing the most interesting part of the article and encourages the reader to read the rest of the piece.
The Source - example layouts for double page features
The example below shows a design element where they make a feature of the first letter of the article which is big, semi transparent and in colour, it breaks up the uniform columns of text and it helps to draw the eye. I used this in my double page spread to liven up the page.
Rebel - my magazine double page spread
2.) How does your media product represent a particular social group?
Rebel magazine represents a young, rebellious mindset. Rebel features young up and coming rappers, musicians and other artists. It aims to inform young rap fans about the newest and latest talent on the scene. The magazine would appeal to those people featured in its pages (up-and-coming talent) as well as those interested in their music. Amateur rap artists will aspire to be in the magazine!
There is a section of the rap/hip hop subculture which is moving towards a more enlightened way of thinking. This is part of a global youth trend, rejecting the establishment/the government. Lyrics are becoming more political, more inclusive and positive about gender difference and sexuality. My magazine would tap into this new mentality and attract those who want a new kind of rap scene.
3.) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
This magazine is rebellious in name and its nature. It is unlikely to appeal to mainstream outlets, unless they want to look cool by association with this edgy magazine.
The magazine would be wary of being seen to “sell out” by being part of large corporate culture. It would want to keep the image of being independent. A fanzine approach may seem more appropriate. An example of this is the collective from Peckham in South East London called ‘Born ‘n’ Bread’. They produce and publish their fanzine themselves and sell it locally through cafes and music venues. According to them, their magazine has become a collectable item – a limited edition. They number their magazines and never reprint an issue.
An independent publisher/distributor would be Dazed Group who publish the successful culture magazine Dazed and Confused (see above). A more up market style of Rebel would be suited to this kind of independent distributor. Dazed and Confused is well known for setting the trends rather than following them. This would be Rebel’s aim in the world of rap music.Having a sweet day at #thestory2016 ! @bornnbread_UK your talk brought me back to schooltimes- June <3 Gloss pic.twitter.com/WXgUdibvaL— Tasha island (@tasha_island) February 19, 2016
4.) Who would be the audience for your media product?
This presentation outlines the types of reader that Rebel would aim to attract.
I would attract my audience by showcasing exclusive content not found anywhere else, and by championing a new kind of rap scene – one not tainted by mainstream rap culture. The magazine centre on the music itself, the lyrics and their meanings and the poetry behind it, the gossip in the music industry which a lot of readers crave. It would give readers and understanding of the new, the old and the global.
Colour palette and fonts - I have used bright bold colours and the headline font, Impact, as well as typewriter font (Courier) for the main copy. I chose Courier because it looks less digital, more hand-crafted and from the streets.
For my photos I used images from the streets - a backdrop of graffiti, a derelict house, the darkness of night. All these images will appeal to my audience - these are artists who grew up on the streets. My audience can relate to the people and images depicted as that's where the audience come from too.
6.) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
I have used Photoshop to manipulate the images and to layout the magazine pages. It might have been better to use Publisher to layout text for the article, but I found it easier to use Photoshop for things like cutting out the head of the main image on the cover page and layer over the top of the masthead. The fact that I can put layers in means I can take some away to see what works and doesn't work.
I used Prezi to present my ideas on my target audience as it is simple to use and understand. I can also focus on separate profiles instead of looking at the whole thing. I chose this specific Prezi theme of social network because it represents a community which is how I see my target audience.
I built the Prezi presentation as if I was going to use it to attract people who might fund or distribute the magazine. This layout gives me the opportunity to focus on each member of the target audience, when presenting, and then to pull back to show them as a community.
As required I have presented my designs and evaluation on this blog. This was good because I could add links and images and videos etc to it. I don't find it great way of presenting my designs, they would be best presented as a physical object i.e a magazine; it's difficult to see the impact as a whole which I have tried to make across with my layout and font etc, due to it being small on the blog.
7.) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
I feel I have learnt a lot since designing the cover and contents page for the school magazine. For the school magazine I used Powerpoint which was very basic in what I could do with it. I took a few photographs which I didn't edit or crop. I took inspiration from other school magazines online but none were of high standard so I knew to look at professional magazines for inspiration for my music magazine e.g. Dazed and The Source. For my next magazine about music,
I progressed to use Photoshop for my music magazine. I used a crop tool to make my image a perfect fit for my square magazine cover. I also boosted the contrast and brightness of my images to make them stand out and make the colours more striking. Using layers in Photoshop was also a great help for making my magazine as it allowed me to see different things on the magazine to see if they'd work or not and I could easily take them away by hiding or deleting the layer.
If I did this task again I would try using Publisher which would make it easier to manipulate columns of text etc. It is also a well used tool in the publishing industry so to use it would definitely broaden my skillset. Personally I am more interested in the photography and graphics side; I wanted Rebel to look aesthetically pleasing and beautiful to the eye and I spent more time on that anything else.
Friday, 4 March 2016
PHOTO ANALYSIS
Front Cover
Experimentation of Photoshop effects
I chose this specific image because it is a clear act of rebellion, not only is the person flipping us the bird but his head is down, covered by a cap so you can't see his face, also the huge graffiti art piece behind him may be seen as an act of vandalism (rebellion) but some people may see this as pure art (my target audience).
This image is definitely different from your usual magazine cover which is typically of someone's face staring out at you (which is the most successful way of attracting a reader). So to use this image was a risk but I believe it would attract my target audience as it is more arty and rebellious which they can relate to themselves and find attractive.
I also like the way that most of the space is taken up by a brick wall which has art on it itself than me having to edit it, also there is plenty of room for text and title without complications of covering up too much of the image. The image below is what I settled for. The others above worked but I thought a complete original photograph without any effects or being tampered with was a perfect idea for my magazine cover because it's old school, it's original, it's real, it's what my target audience know.
Contents page image
Before and after
The original photograph is blurred to give it an effect of it being different and as if it's moving - it has an energy about it.
I used Photoshop to manipulate the image to make it quite cartoon-like, very bold with shocking colours as it has more impact and stands out more. It is a clear visual of someone commonly known who is in the magazine, so will attract her fan base, also my target audience whom are interested in arty styles. They pay more attention to aesthetics than lots of text.
Double page spread images
Before
After
I chose to use these images as they have a lot of space around the person so that it can be used for text in the layout.
The images are of a young male in all black with a cigarette which could be seen as typical for someone who is into rap culture, however I think that rap culture is cherished by a huge variation of people these days.
I have manipulated them and changed the colour to black and white as it makes them stand out more. I have blacked out the backgrounds so that all the readers focus is on the person. As you can see in the original photos, there are other objects in the background which at first I liked because it showed a scene. I rejected this idea as it would be less striking and the text within the page layout is a lot more aesthetically pleasing to read with a plain dark background.
Experimentation of Photoshop effects
I chose this specific image because it is a clear act of rebellion, not only is the person flipping us the bird but his head is down, covered by a cap so you can't see his face, also the huge graffiti art piece behind him may be seen as an act of vandalism (rebellion) but some people may see this as pure art (my target audience).
This image is definitely different from your usual magazine cover which is typically of someone's face staring out at you (which is the most successful way of attracting a reader). So to use this image was a risk but I believe it would attract my target audience as it is more arty and rebellious which they can relate to themselves and find attractive.
I also like the way that most of the space is taken up by a brick wall which has art on it itself than me having to edit it, also there is plenty of room for text and title without complications of covering up too much of the image. The image below is what I settled for. The others above worked but I thought a complete original photograph without any effects or being tampered with was a perfect idea for my magazine cover because it's old school, it's original, it's real, it's what my target audience know.
Contents page image
Before and after
The original photograph is blurred to give it an effect of it being different and as if it's moving - it has an energy about it.
I used Photoshop to manipulate the image to make it quite cartoon-like, very bold with shocking colours as it has more impact and stands out more. It is a clear visual of someone commonly known who is in the magazine, so will attract her fan base, also my target audience whom are interested in arty styles. They pay more attention to aesthetics than lots of text.
Double page spread images
Before
After
I chose to use these images as they have a lot of space around the person so that it can be used for text in the layout.
The images are of a young male in all black with a cigarette which could be seen as typical for someone who is into rap culture, however I think that rap culture is cherished by a huge variation of people these days.
I have manipulated them and changed the colour to black and white as it makes them stand out more. I have blacked out the backgrounds so that all the readers focus is on the person. As you can see in the original photos, there are other objects in the background which at first I liked because it showed a scene. I rejected this idea as it would be less striking and the text within the page layout is a lot more aesthetically pleasing to read with a plain dark background.
Thursday, 3 March 2016
WHY DO ALL RAP MAGAZINES LOOK THE SAME?
Most rap magazines look remarkably similar. A simple image search brings up multiple images of covers featuring a man's face looking out at you, biceps bulging, and three main colours - red, white and black. Just take a look!
I wanted to challenge the mainstream style for rap music by looking at where artists are breaking with this tradition and creating their own idea of what rap means to them and how they express themselves.
Keith Ape - Japanese rap star.
Keith Ape is a rapper who started off in Japan and is an up and coming artist on his way to global success. He has a very different style to most rap artists in the US and UK but is having a big impact on the music scene, challenging the norms and conventions around rap music. His work looks different. It sounds different. It is clearly influenced by anime, a form of animated Japanese cartoon.
Many women rap artists shown on magazine covers look sexualised. They wear very revealing outfits which panders to a male dominated culture, and is less about their musical talent. The V cover featuring Missy Elliott was refreshing to see. She has attitude. She looks in control and is fully clothed (!). King magazine on the other hand is clearly marketing itself to an exclusively male audience, using stereotypes of women to sell their magazine. It feels very dated and not in line with the current view of women and their place in society - as equals, as musicians first and foremost.
I wanted to challenge the mainstream style for rap music by looking at where artists are breaking with this tradition and creating their own idea of what rap means to them and how they express themselves.
Keith Ape - Japanese rap star.
Keith Ape is a rapper who started off in Japan and is an up and coming artist on his way to global success. He has a very different style to most rap artists in the US and UK but is having a big impact on the music scene, challenging the norms and conventions around rap music. His work looks different. It sounds different. It is clearly influenced by anime, a form of animated Japanese cartoon.
Many women rap artists shown on magazine covers look sexualised. They wear very revealing outfits which panders to a male dominated culture, and is less about their musical talent. The V cover featuring Missy Elliott was refreshing to see. She has attitude. She looks in control and is fully clothed (!). King magazine on the other hand is clearly marketing itself to an exclusively male audience, using stereotypes of women to sell their magazine. It feels very dated and not in line with the current view of women and their place in society - as equals, as musicians first and foremost.
Thursday, 4 February 2016
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Language Analysis 2
This magazine’s main audience is musical and of all ages
but mainly ages between 18-30 due to it having quite formal language that
wouldn’t appeal to children. There is a variety of music this magazine looks at
which I can see from the language on the cover, for example, “Rolling Stones
exclusive, collaborating with Amy Winehouse.” The Rolling Stones is well known
in Rock and Amy Winehouse is well known in Jazz which will attract audiences
from both fan bases.
“I was worried the Monkeys...” Only people whom knew of Arctic Monkeys would understand this quote was talking about them. This shortened slang of their band name is a colloquial use of language to give the audience comfort in their reading as it is casual.
“Alex Turner & Miles Kane, first major interview as
The Last Shadow Puppets.” The use of
‘&’ shows the magazine isn’t completely formal but it gives it a sense of
style perhaps, given it is a music magazine which is all about different types
of styles.
However, there isn’t any serious colloquial language on
the cover apart from the quote which has clearly been spoken out loud at some
point during say an interview. Everything else which has been written is very
formal and clear to understand which is there for most ages to be able to read.
Language Analysis
The language on this magazine is very basic but very eye catching as its main
objective audience is children from ages 5-12.
This magazine uses words such as CRAZY! And PLUS! And
FREE! And UNIVERSE! Which have exclamation marks to excite the reader and entice them into the
magazine, this also works with the bright, shocking colours which people of a
young age would find appealing.
“Best Posters of the
Universe.” This is a metaphor which would interest children into the posters
more and it also links to Doctor Who, the main topic of the magazine. The use of things such as metaphors are an
easy way to attract a young audience because it gives them something to think
about and picture.
The language used doesn’t have much slang as it needs to
be understood by ages of young children whom are usually still learning their
first language and might not understand much slang.
Monday, 18 January 2016
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