Looking back at the preliminary task I definitely think I have progressed and learnt so much more about the forms and conventions of magazines. For the preliminary task we where only given a short amount of time to complete our front covers and contents pages for our college magazine, this was hard to get it to the level that I wanted it to be because I had never used the programmes Photoshop and Indesign which meant I did not no how to use any of the features, so I had to learn quickly and was not able to create some of the effects I would have liked to, which made it hard to create a professional looking product. My main image was very random and basically taken on the spot, I did not have much time to capture the image I was hoping for which made my front cover look unprofessional. The fonts I used where very basic and where not very nice to look at, I wanted my magazine to be modern and classy but i definitely did not have the skills to do this.
From doing this preliminary task I have without a doubt learnt a lot of skills that I needed to make my magazine look more professional as possible and to have that classy and modern look I wanted to create.I found that getting a good high quality image was a very important factor to front cover as this s the main part of the magazine that attracts the consumer, if you have a tacky image that does not really link to the genre of your magazine it is likely to not be very successful, therefore the main image must be eye catching and bold to grab peoples interest. Another important factor is the title, I learnt this because I was not happy with the font on my preliminary task, I wanted my magazine to be modern and classy. The masthead is very important as this is how most people will remember the magazine name, which means that it must be easy on the eye to look at and re-memorable so that people will not forget it and it relates to the genre, this is also the magazines logo, so you must make the masthead aesthetically pleasing to attract as manyconsumers as possible.
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Contents Page
The image below is an XXL contents page, as you can see its very simple and modern with hardly any text. The reason i wanted to copy this particular contents page is because the artist on the right is Nicki Minaj who 
is a new hip-hop artist and is very popular at the moment.
is a new hip-hop artist and is very popular at the moment.I asked my friend Natasha if she would pose like Nicki for my own contents page. I used a black skirt, belt and top similar to hers to get the clear link. I used my own cannon camera to capture my images, I also searched on YouTube to find a Nicki Minaj based makeup video which i used on Natasha, I searched other images of Nicki Minaj so that i could get a wide range of poses to choose from, I also edited a lot of my pictures so that i had a wide range to choose from, the link below shows my own images.
Once I had chosen my main image for my contents page I uploaded it into Photoshop and selected the pen tool so that I could select around the edge of my image, allowing me to save it into its own layer. I then opened Indesign and opened a rectangle frame tool and placed the layer image of Natasha within the box allowing me to place her into the right place, i wanted to keep her in the third column on the right so i could fit the text in neatly.
I edited my image of Natasha on my laptop at home, i basically moved the colour temperature up and the brightness to give her that airbrushed look, i also turned up the contrast to give it an edgy and sharp result.
I edited my image of Natasha on my laptop at home, i basically moved the colour temperature up and the brightness to give her that airbrushed look, i also turned up the contrast to give it an edgy and sharp result.
For my head mast 'contents' I wanted to copy the original magazine XXL and create the mirrored effect. To create this I used a similar font in Indesign and adjusted the letters so they sat on top of each other as you can see below, to create the mirrored design i had to upload the text into Photoshop and flip the writing, once I did this i saved the back to front image into it's own layer and turned the gradient down making it identical to the contents page I copied.
Once I had saved the mirrored image into its own layer and in a jpeg format i opened the rectangle frame tool in Indesign and placed the layer within the box which then allowed me to move the image to wherever it looked best.
For the information on the contents page i used the font, Lucinda Calligraphy which looked very similar to the magazine i was copying. i adjusted the width and length of the letters making it just right. In the right hand corner there is a text box which tell you where and how much the outfit Natasha is wearing, this is to create the whole magazine effect.
The image below is my Final Result ...
The image below is my Final Result ...
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
Yes, I have definitely learnt a lot about the following programmes: Photoshop and Indesign, before starting this coursework I had never used either of these programs before, so they were both very new too me. At the start I struggled a lot with using these programmes, I found that I did not understand fully how to use most of the features on both programs so I could not do the things I wanted to do which was frustrating. It all seemed very complicated because we where using Apple Mac's instead of the normal computers that I am you'st to.
After a few lessons went by and with the help of others in the my class that new how to use both programs I gradually began to pick up the skills quite quickly, I soon started to understand how to use the different features within the programme and could make my magazine look how I wanted it to. I took all my own images at home and made sure each of the backgrounds were white making it easier for myself to edit the pictures. After I had taken my images, I choose the best ones from the bunch and edited them on my laptop at home, for example making the contrast darker, turning the brightness up etc, I was comfortable using my own editing programmes at home.
Photoshop allowed me to remove any marks or objects on the wall, for example for my front cover image there was a lamp on the wall behind the models, I used the stamp tool which allowed me to select a patch of the background and basically colour over the lamp, as you can see in the image below.
The stamp tool helped me to create an overall more professional image which I wanted. I also learnt how to place images into a rectangle frame text box which was used a lot in the programme Indesign. I also used text boxes for my headlines and headmast for my front cover design. To give my front cover a more professional look I edited the headlines on the left hand side by adding a shadow to the writing.
For my contents page I wanted to copy the exact design of the headmast, I did this by writing out the text "contents" I then dropped the opacity and uploaded it into Photoshop and used the free transform tool and changed the direction of text I then saved this as a layer and posted it into indesign, the images below show the original writing and he effect I created.
After a few lessons went by and with the help of others in the my class that new how to use both programs I gradually began to pick up the skills quite quickly, I soon started to understand how to use the different features within the programme and could make my magazine look how I wanted it to. I took all my own images at home and made sure each of the backgrounds were white making it easier for myself to edit the pictures. After I had taken my images, I choose the best ones from the bunch and edited them on my laptop at home, for example making the contrast darker, turning the brightness up etc, I was comfortable using my own editing programmes at home.
Photoshop allowed me to remove any marks or objects on the wall, for example for my front cover image there was a lamp on the wall behind the models, I used the stamp tool which allowed me to select a patch of the background and basically colour over the lamp, as you can see in the image below.
For my contents page I wanted to copy the exact design of the headmast, I did this by writing out the text "contents" I then dropped the opacity and uploaded it into Photoshop and used the free transform tool and changed the direction of text I then saved this as a layer and posted it into indesign, the images below show the original writing and he effect I created.
Also with Indesign I learnt how to layout my cover and found out how to use layers in the creation of ym product such as using a different layer for my image and my masthead to allow me to edit them separatly. I also was taught how to use transparency in colours which helped me to create a more professional look, I got taught how to change the gradient of the background and how to feather it also.
Who would be the audience for your media product and how wold you attract them,?
The audience for my magazine "SWAG" is for people who are involved or enjoy the more modern side of hip-hop, as my magazine is specific to the more modern side, which is shown through the artists I have Incorporated in my magazine for example, Soulja Boy, 50 Cent and Nicki Minaj. As you can see for my magazine I used new artists which are new to the hip-hop scene, which I believe will appeal to the more younger generation. I think my magazine appeals to both genders, one of the reasons is because of the colour scheme I used red, white and back which are neutral colours and appeal to both genders.
As you can see from the image above both of my models are male and this may be seen as only focused on on gender, but for my contents page I used a female model to balance any gender issues out, which attracts a wider a larger audience.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
XXL magazine was founded by former Source staffers and Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own hip-hop music and culture magazine using the model developed by the founders of The Source. Datwon Thomas resigned from XXL and executive editor Vanessa Satten was named the new Editor-in-Chief. In December 2006, XXL took over the struggling Hip-Hop producer and DJ magazine Scratch (another publication owned by Harris Publications), re-branding it as "XXL Presents Scratch Magazine". Scratch shut down in September 2007. Other titles with limited runs have been launched under the XXL brand, including Hip-Hop Soul, Eye Candy and Shade 45. XXL has released other exclusive projects such as tour programs, mixtapes and DVDs. XXL also maintains a popular website, which provides daily hip-hop news, original content and content from the magazine. Harris Publications is based in New York and publishes over 75 titles such as:
- XXL
- Antenna
- Juicy
- Rides
- King
- Combat Handguns
- Special Weapons for Military & Police
- Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement
- Tactical Knives
- Tactical Weapons
- Guns of the Old West
- New Pioneer
- PC How-To Guide
- Quilt
- Quick Quilts
- Quilt Almanac
- Romantic Country
- Mopar Action
- Drag Racing Action
- Dog News
- Who's Who in Baseball
- Small Business Opportunities
- Start Your Own Business
- Harris Farmers' Almanac'
- Exercise & Health
- Men's Workout
- Bridal Star Hairstyles
- Celebrity Hairstyles
The Source Magazine
The Source Magazine was found in 1988 and was originally a newsletter and eventually progressed into a full magazine, it was the second longest running magazine behind the UK magazine "hip-hop connection. The Source magazine is very highly regarded within the hip-hop culture and community, it has even been talked about as being "the hip-hop bible" The magazine is remembered for it's rating system of one to five Mics and a few albums have succeeded and got full five mics such as Nas Illmatic and Jay Z's The Blueprint.
The Source magazine will mainly target the fans of hip-hop and rap music because the audience of this publication is based around the genre of this music. This magazine is mainly targeted towards the younger generation as hip-hop and rap music has been very successful, on the other hand hip-hop music has been around for a long time and may attract some of the older generation as well.
Harris Publications may distribute my media product because it links with the same genre of two of there most successful magazines, for example "XXL" and "The Source" these both are based on the genre of "hip-hop" and have been a success on behalf of Harris Publications, my magazine also links with the forms and conventions of both magazines.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
For my Front Cover design I focused on representing the genre of hip-hop. Hip-hop is definately more of an American social group but is rapidly moving over to the UK. Soulja Boy and 50 Cent who feature on the Front Cover of XXL are big American hip-hop artists and often rap about the word "swag" which basically means the way you dress and your attitude, for example Soulja Boy has a well known song called "turn my swag on". My hip-hop magazine is based on this word "swag" as I used it for my title and thought that it would definately attract the particular social group I was aiming for.
The image below shows how I tried to incorporate the hip-hop style into my own magazine,
I brought some gold necklaces from Primark to add to the hip-hop stereotype, I got my ideas of what the hip-hop stereotype looked like, by watching music videos on YouTube and searching artists such as Soulja Boy on google. Below is an image that helped to inspire the overall look along side the XXL front cover.
As you can see in the image above Soulja Boy has tattoos and flat cap and bling. I focused on these three things for my mise-en-scene and hopefully pulled it off.
Throughout my whole magazine I kept to the same stereotype, for my Contents page I had to copy the American hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj who is also very well known at the moment. She has recently been worldwide and her number of fans is constantly increasing. I asked my friend Natasha to copy a few different Nicki Minaj poses which we found online so that she could get into the role. Here's a few examples...
I personally thought that my model had a similar look to Nicki Minaj and fitted the part very well, this image was also not used for my front cover design but was just to show the different experiments I tried out.
This image above is to show that to create the whole female hip-hop stereotype I searched on YouTube a Nicki Minaj styled makeup video and followed it step by step to create this look. I did the makeup myself, using different eyeshadows and fake eyelashes. This represents the female side of hip-hop and how the makeup is very over the top and heavy.
The image below is a picture of the contents page I copied and my copy. As you can see I dressed my model in a similar outfit again and have her posing with the same sort of attitude.
I personally think that my hip-hop magazine "SWAG" represents young adults from around about teens to early 20s as the image on my front cover depicts two young men, one with a cap on, tattoos and some "bling" and the other a tank top and some "bling" and this style is very popular among hip-hop/rap fans. It also represents people who are and have been part of hip-hop culture meaning they follow the music, lifestyle and fashion of this genre..
The image below shows how I tried to incorporate the hip-hop style into my own magazine,
As you can see I asked my models Anthony and Ali to pose in basically the exact same pose as 50 Cent and Soulja Boy. I asked Anthony and Ali to pose with a serious look to pull of the whole hip-hop style, you can also see that I dressed them in similar outfits to fit the mise-en-scene, for example I drew a Superman tattoo on Anthony to show the link between him and Soulja Boy, tattoos are becoming a big craze in America and within the hip-hop stereotype. As you can see Anthony is wearing a red NY flat cap which is also part of the hip-hop stereotype, many males and females wear NY flat caps, for example the image below.
These NY hats are brought and personalised by some American hip-hop artists, as you can see there are plenty of designs and colours to choose from. I decided to include the hat in my image because I believe it gave it more of a hip-hop stereotype, I was going the image without the hat but in the end I thought the image with the hat gave my front cover that extra something. Here is the two images below..
Throughout my whole magazine I kept to the same stereotype, for my Contents page I had to copy the American hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj who is also very well known at the moment. She has recently been worldwide and her number of fans is constantly increasing. I asked my friend Natasha to copy a few different Nicki Minaj poses which we found online so that she could get into the role. Here's a few examples...
This image I did not use for my contents page as it didn't show a clear link at all, these images where literally to experiment with different poses giving me a wider range of images to choose from.
This image above is to show that to create the whole female hip-hop stereotype I searched on YouTube a Nicki Minaj styled makeup video and followed it step by step to create this look. I did the makeup myself, using different eyeshadows and fake eyelashes. This represents the female side of hip-hop and how the makeup is very over the top and heavy.
The image below is a picture of the contents page I copied and my copy. As you can see I dressed my model in a similar outfit again and have her posing with the same sort of attitude.
In what ways does your product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
For my music magazine "SWAG" I used a large amount of conventions of a real magazine called "XXL" because i wanted to make my magazine as realistic as I could. I added a barcode to the bottom left hand corner, I did this by cropping to original XXL barcode and then saving it as a jpeg, I then made a box in Indesign using the rectangle frame tool and placed the barcode within it, I did this to make my magazine look even more realistic. I got all my ideas from the magazine "XXL" to get the professional look, XXL magazine also helped me to convey the conventions of the hip-hop genre, which was the genre I choose for my music magazine.
The image below shows my image that I choose to use for my Front Cover,
As you can see I kept my Font very similar but gave it a unique twist, again I don't believe I challenged any forms and conventions concerning the masthead or any of my Front Cover Design, I basically kept my Front Cover simple like XXL but I added some little unique twists, such as different fonts and adding different props within my main Front Cover image.
This an image of my Front Cover Design,
For my Contents page I think I may have challenged the conventions of a hip-hop magazine because this genre of music is mainly seen as masculine and for my Contents page I used a female model taking on the role of a new hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj as you can see in the image below.
The image below shows my image that I choose to use for my Front Cover,
As I said earlier, I do not think I challenged any forms and conventions, my Front Cover image is quite similar to the XXL one, I drew on the Superman tattoo on Anthony to give it that extra link between images, I also brought a long some necklaces which could be used as "bling" showing another link between both images. As you can see the model on the left is wearing a cap which is a popular style that a lot of hip-hop artists use. The light in the top right corner I managed to remove in Photoshop by using a stamp tool.
The reason I choose to copy this XXL front cover is because it looks simple, tidy and modern. I kept my models in the left third of the magazine so that I could easily fit in my mast head SWAG and the headlines going down on the left hand side. The image below shows my link between my masthead SWAG and XXL.
As you can see I kept my Font very similar but gave it a unique twist, again I don't believe I challenged any forms and conventions concerning the masthead or any of my Front Cover Design, I basically kept my Front Cover simple like XXL but I added some little unique twists, such as different fonts and adding different props within my main Front Cover image.
This an image of my Front Cover Design,
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Secondary Research
What genre of music are you going to use?
The genre of music I am going to use is hip-hop, hip-hop music has developed as a part of hip-hop culture and first began in South Bronx of New York City around the 1970's. Hip-hop is easily related to rap, rap is more of a vocal style in which the Artists lyrically rhyme to a synthetic beat, the hip-hop culture has grown and grown across not only America but the World and influences a lot of people. The reason hip-hop is so successful is because the lyrics to a synthetic beat are usually about past experiences that many people can relate too, making it deep and personal to the listener. Hip-hop is not only seen as a culture but it influences the way many people across the world today, hip-hop could be seen as not only real music but as a fashion today.
What media currently exists for this genre?
Many media's today exist for this genre (hip-hop), for example many hip-hop artists are played on the following music channels, MTV, Chanel AKA, Starz, Flava etc... It can also be shown in many magazines like Hip-Hop, STASH, XXL and Giant. Hip-Hop is regularly on the radio as well and shown through medias that we don't even notice, there are many concerts and gigs that are advertised which shows hip-hop through the media.
The image below is the Front Cover i have decided to copy...
To recreate this cover of the magazine i would change the masthead from XXL and to SWAG with a similar font to keep the same style, i also want my models to be wearing lots of bling to link with the hip-hop stereotype and linking to the masthead SWAG.
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