6. Evaluation

My music magazine fits the typical stereotype expected of a hip hop media text. The photo’s taken connote a degree of anarchy and demonstrate what would be expected of a hip hop media product through the brightly coloured and slightly un-conventional costume. It employs graffiti writing for the masthead which is again stereotypical of a rap magazine, but in contrast, uses plain font throughout the contents and article section of the magazine. This is used because as my research suggests, more standard fonts are expected in media texts. Also, large images partnered alongside the basic fonts which are typically off to one side of the page are common in hip hop magazines.

This can be seen here.

My media product represents a social group that follow the hip hop culture and do so by dressing accordingly. This is recognisable through bright, and particularly baggy clothes. Also, indexical references of thegenre, such as baseball caps connote the anarchistic and wild image I was trying to portray.
Anarchistic behaviour is typical of my target audience, as they try to follow the bahaviours of the hip hop artists they love. This can be seen starting from a young age, as kids begin to follow typical genre conventions. This can be seen in this clip from America's Got Talent as a young boy aspires to be a rap artist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrpMqhtH10g&feature=related

Harris Publications Inc. is an American consumer-magazine publisher  in New York, that publishes over 75 titles, including Juicy, XXL, King, and Dog News. This media institution is more likely to distribute my product than any other purely on the basis that it already publishes magazines which follow the general genre in which my hip hop magazine would fit. XXL is one of the largest hip hop magazines in America and if my magazine were to be taken on by Harris Publications, it would be under the same level of distributing expertise as XXL, and other largely names magazines.

The XXL website is here - http://www.xxlmag.com/
King Magazine link here - http://www.king-mag.com/

The audience for my media product would be those interested in hip hop music already, or people who are new to the style of music and want to learn more about it, and find out what the genre is all about. People interested in hip hop music would enjoy my product because it features articles not only about music, but one’s in reference to clothing typical of the style expected, and opinions from renowned rap artists. Clothing sites such as 'Most Dope' 'Obey' and 'Supreme' are typically hip hop, and tend to stock the look that people who follow the hip hop genre tend to fit into. People who follow the hip-hop genre generally look up to artists such as these as figure heads and picture their lifestyle as the 'ultimate lifestyle', and an easy way for them to feel like they are part of that is to dress in a similar way.

Here is the link to 'Obey clothing', a popular shop amongst people, particularly teenagers, who follow the hip hop clothing scene - http://shop.obeyclothing.co.uk/

I attracted my audience with a brightly colored masthead which employs graffiti writing also, this will be easily recognizable to my target audience. Also, direct address is used in my central image and creates the idea that the character featuring on the front is looking directly at you, which will help significantly in attracting the eye of my target audience. Aswell as rap, my target audience tend to find entertainment and joy in linked subjects that connote the same ideas as rap, such as anarchistic views. Rap also tends to be very 'anti-government', and this is re-inforced with the idea of graffiti, which I used to address my audience in my magazine.

The two subjects of graffiti and rap are linked within this video, as a man wearing a baggy t-shirt demonstrates his graffiti skills whilst listening to rap music. This helps to link the two subjects together tightly and justifies my use of graffiti and 'spray-paint' effects in the magazine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ghKDqMVPh8&feature=related

From constructing this product, I have learned that alot more work goes into attracting and appealing to a consumer goes into media products than I had initially expected. I have also learned how to operate Photoshop to a substantial level, and how to construct different media texts within a magazine effectively, in a way that will appeal to an audience, whilst being constructively set out. Also, the Photoshop software allowed me to manouver several texts at once and 'drag and drop' them from one media text to another, this allowed me to shift and control the layout of my magazine to a high level. I took texts from dafont.com and was able to manouvre and colour them in the photoshop package with ease. It was important that I chose the suitable texts to convey the correct genre representations. For my article I used the PhotoPlus package because text was easier to manipulate within it, although it wasn't as professional a package as Photoshop. I was also able to lay out my page in a way that replicates that of professional magazines, and this gave me a taste of what it would be like to design an article, as if I was working within the media industry. I found it exceptionally interesting to discover new ways to edit and adjust my images to make them look as professional as possible.

I have learned how to use Photoshop much more effectively, and I have learned how to construct a front cover in a way that will appeal to an audience. For example, brighter, solid colours look much more professional. Also, I have learned how to edit an image in a way that will bring out the natural colour in it and force it to appear much more bold and eye catching.

5. Production Process

 These are the two camera's that I used for my pictures. The Lumix G10 has alot higher megapixels, but the Panasonic Lumix is still a good camera which allowed me to take some very clear images that were easy to work with and look highly professional.









The Photoshop software allowed me to develop my editing skills massively. With the latest version of Photoshop, you can crop, re-colour, and re-shape all different images and texts to a style that suits you as the desginer. It is also a professional package used my the massive multi media companies, and so gaining experience in the use of it was very useful to this project especially.

Mise en scene wise, the costume of the bright jumper stands out and catches the eye due toit being so bold. Also, props wise, the baseball cap derives obvious connotations of the hip-hop scene. That is also recognisable by the 'Obey' tag on the cap. This high angle shot was used to look slightly down on the subject, this allows the obey to stand out, and sit at eye level in the picture. Also, the lighting is relatively dark, which creates the idea of rebellion, and fits the hip hop genre of music closely.

The costume here employs the use of an 'MTV' t-shirt. This is used because MTV is a well known music channel which would be typically watched by fans of new, fresh music. This wouild be recognised by my target audience and help my product to appeal to them. Also, the low angle shot makes the subject look bigger, which derives connotations of power and status, something rappers tend to brag about in their music.

In this picture however, the denim shorts with the USA's national flag are effective in appealing to my target audience because typically, rappers are American, and that is where the art form originated. Also, they follow the idea of bright colours, and connote the idea of freedom and the rebellion expected of the youth. Again, the prop of a hat is used because it is an indexical reference of the hip hop genre.

The costume in this picture is typical of the hip hop genre. Also, the strong stance and pose of the subjects suggests unity, and the hard boiled, stern image that many rappers try to convey in their music. This is set in an old school corridor, which gives it a dirty, more grungey look. This connotes the idea of rebellion, and conveys the argument that the subjects in this picture don't care for their surroundings, something expected in the hip hop genre too. Also, in regard to camera techniques, a long shot was used as it contrasts from the other shots used in my magazine, and creates the daunting ideology that the subjects are glaring down the corridor at the reader.

This image follows the same kind of genre conventions expected. The colourful top, although displaying a rock band, has a black background, and very boldly coloured graphis design imprinted on it. Also, rock and rap have been tightly knitted genre's in the past, with link ups such as Jay-z and Linkin Park being highlights.

I think the magazine contents page went very well. I did alot of research into contents pages, and modelled this design in a way that mirrors other hip hop contents pages in order to enure it looked exceptionally professional. The large image was edited to make the colour pallet stand out even more, and the lead article will instantly catch the eye of a reader as it is the focus of the whole page and is given so much spcae on the page. Also, I featured a small copy of the front cover in the top right hand corner as I found that was popular in well known rap magazines. Also, the use of graffiti spray paint blodges, which i devised myself with the use of Photoshop, creates the connotations of anarchy and rebellion of the youth. This would be effective in making my product appeal to my target audience. The simple red and black colour pallet makes this particular contents page easy to understand, and gives a basic list of what features in the magazine, without being too confusing. It is also successful in looking striking through the basic, bold fonts in capitals.

 My article continues to follow the red and black colour pallet as I believe it is effective, and it gives a strong feel of continuity which allows the article to follow on from the contents page with the same kinf of design. The layout is basic, and the bold heading 'Time To Shine' would address a reader quickly, and let them know what article they would be reading. Also, lifted quotes from article's were popular, and are effective in giving a quick insight into what the subject/artist in this case are saying without reading the entire article. I have coloured the lifted quotes in red to seperate them from the rest of the article. Also, the pictures in the bottom left corner are set at a canted angle, and tend to connote the idea of youth and rebellion. Also, I think the Question and Answer section of the article is effective in giving an insight into the subject's life, whilst entertaining and addressing a reader. The red and black colour pallet is again used here to seperate the questions from the answers and to allow the article to stand out. Also, research into hip hop magazines showed me that 'Q&A' articles feature regularly in popular magazines. Furthermore, I used slang language to address my audience. This would appeal to them as it is commonly used amongst them and they tend to pick colloquial language up from the celebrities who's music they enjoy.

This is the final design decided upon for my front cover. The central image uses direct address which gives the impression that the subject of the photo is glaring out at you, which will effectively catch the eye of a reader. Also, The masthead which reads 'JAM', also colour palleted in red and black, not only derives hip hop connotations because of the graiffiti typeset I have employed within, but the word 'Jam' I thought effective because it is a short, snappy lexical choice which connotes the idea of 'jamming' with your friends and enjoying music together. I found that using yellow would also make the magazine cover eye catching and therefore advertise the main article effectively. I also found that little featured atricles, for example in my cover the 'Plus!' box was commonly used amongst hip hop magazines and the use of this would add more colour to my front cover.

4. Design Process

Typeset - I've chosen these fonts because they stand out from the majority of fonts in the graffiti catergory. I used the graffiti genre because it stereotypically ties in with the connotations of rebellion, and therefore rap and hip-hop music.

 

These are some images stereo typical to the rap and hip hop genre. They portray the particular swag associated with the music genre, shown here through several famous recording artists. These are typical representations, and people who tend to follow this genre of music will generally follow these kind of representations.

These are photo's of massively popular and important figures in the hip-hop genre. These images instantly start to give the impression of how they would like to be represented. This signifies what would typically be worn by hip hop artists.

These albums are a good representation of the hip hop genre, as they not only show clothes, but colour schemes that will have been put together by the artist and a design team who are working closely together in order to sell the album to their target audience. They represent the fact that there are a massive range of ways that the genre can be presented in a manor that will appeal to its target audience. They tend to show obvious connotations of anarchy and aggression.

This magazine cover is effective because there isn't one basic colour scheme. I think it is successful because it is so basic. The masthead follows a typical colour scheme linked with my certain genre. Also, the sub-heading has been given a chrome effect to tie in with the connotations of jewellery or 'bling' linked with the hip-hop scene. The graffiti typeset would appeal to my target audience, is easily recognisable, and again gives off obvious connotations of hip hop culture.

This magazine cover follows the typical red and white colour pallet that is widely used in the hip hop magazine genre. The typeset is a mixture of simplistic font, and graffiti. I think this brings a varied mixand would help the magazine to appeal to not only an audience with an interest in hip-hop, but an audience intrested in simple music itself. It also connotes a level of professionalism which hasn't been connected with the hip-hop genre typically, which pushes to suggest that hip hop isn't simply a form of music, but an art form which can't be taken for granted and takes a definite level of skill.

This magazine cover follows a different colour pallet completely. The red and green compliment eachother and bring a bright, bold and extravagant look which would catch the eye of an audience immediately. Again, the graffiti typeset makes the magazine easily recognisable by its target audience. The masthead set off to the far left of the magazine is also something common in hip-hop magazines, as you can see from my research. Also, the amount of space given in all fo the magazines will allow my central image to be as big as possible, and advertise the artist featuring, in this case 'D.D.Dash' very well.

This contents page is basic, and not very effective. The graffiti writing suits the typeset typical of this genre, but it is too big in this case. I used a double page because this is common in certain hip-hop magazines, but later decided that the single pages contents pages are more effective.

This contents page is similar to the first one in that the graffiti typeset derives obvious connotations.

The simple straight forward layout would have been accompained by pictures on each side but time didn't allow me to develop this specific mock up further. Also, the colour pallet is similar to that typical of a hip hop magazine.

This contents page is alot more effective than the previous two. I researched hip-hop contents pages and realised more articles were needed to give a professional appearance. The red and black colour pallet were carried through as they are typical of this genre, whilst creating a bold, simple appearance which is also eye-catching. This design also allows the main article to feature on a much larger scale than the others.

 

3. Target Audience

This is a good example of how a rap magazine would appeal to its audience. The basic fonts and simple layout, with the central image massively dominating the page, look good and approachable to someone who enjoys rap music.

This front cover is similar with a different colour pallet. It is dominated by the central image and a small around of text and featured articles are sectioned around it. Also, the masthead is big and bold, and tends to always be very colourful in hip hop magazines. This is vital in gaining the initial attention of a reader.

I attracted my audience by having a plain white background. This can be seen being used effectively in the 'Vibe' magazine above also. Also, my masthead is exceptionally colourful, and is large so dominates the top section of the cover. Moreover, the use of the white background helps the bold colours stand out from the rest of the text and really catch the eye of a reader. Furthermore, the use of direct address in the central image gives the impression that a reader is being directly looked at, and this will inevitably catch their eye, even if only for a split second. Also, connotations given off by the cover, from the typeset and the mise en scene of the central image and feature articles. They create the idea of anarchy, 'coolness' and rebellion. This will instantly forge a connection between a hip hop enthusiast and the magazine.

2. Research - Existing Products

Emap originated in 1947 with the merger of four newspapers in Peterborough, Kettering, King's Lynn, Bury St Edmunds and Market Harborough to form East Midlands Allied Press Ltd, based in Peterborough. In 1953, it launched weekly newspaper Angling Times and bought Motor Cycle News in 1956. By 1970, it had 9 magazines and 19 newspapers. Emap was the second largest magazine publisher in UK, holding about 18%. In July 2007, the company was split up and sold. The magazines were sold to Guardian Media Group and private equity firm Apax - which owns Incisive - for £1 billion. The new company was named Incisive-Emap. Its consumer magazines and radio arm, including Kiss and Magic, went to Bauer for £1.14 billion – this made the German magazine publisher the biggest in Britain. Emap's 2007 accounts listed 200 brands: 50 consumer titles; 42 local and 8 national radio stations, and 50 licences for FHM.

The company was founded in Somerset in 1985 by Chris Anderson. In 2006, Future plc was th sixth largest media company in Britain. It publishes more than 150 magazines in areas such as video games, technology, automotive, cycling, films and photography. Future is the official magazine company of all three major games console manufacturers. An early innovation was the inclusion of free software on magazine covers, Future plc were the first company to do this. Anderson sold Future to Pearson PLC for £52.7m in 1994, but bought it back in 1998, with Future chief executive Greg Ingham and Apax Venture Partners, for £142m. In December 1999, Future issued Planet PC, a new PC gaming magazine intended to appeal to male eight-to-twelve-year-olds. In 2001 Anderson left Future. In November 2009, Future reported a fall in profits from £9.5 million to £3.7 million (a loss of 61 percent) in the fiscal year that ended 30 September 2009.

Bauer Media Group is a large German publishing company based in Hamburg, which operates in 15 countries worldwide. Since the company was founded in 1875, it has been privately-owned and under management by the Bauer family. It was formerly called Heinrich Bauer Verlag KG, abbreviated to HBV and usually shortened to H. Bauer.Worldwide circulation of Bauer Media Group's magazine titles amounts to 38 million magazines a week. Bauer Verlagsgruppe has been managed by four generations of the Bauer family. Originally a small printing house, the company has now grown into a worldwide publishing business. The Bauer Publishing Group comprises 282 magazines worldwide in 15 countries, plus TV and radio stations. Bauer started in the UK with the launch of Bella magazine in 1987 and as H Bauer Publishing became Britain's third largest publisher. Bauer further expanded in the UK with the purchase of Emap Consumer Media and Emap Radio in 2008 to become the UK's biggest publishing group.

Harris Publications Inc. is an American consumer-magazine publisher in New York City, New York, that publishes over 75 titles, including Juicy, XXL, King, Dog News, 0-60, Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement, Small Business Opportunities, Men's Workout, Exercise & Health, Celebrity Hairstyles, and many more. One major division, Harris Outdoor Magazines, publishes several titles on hunting, fishing, and firearms. Harris Comics published the former Warren Publishing character Vampirella for nearly two decades.

I think Harris Publications are more likely to publish my music magazine. The other companies, althought beiong substantial and specialising in the music genre aswell as others, don't seem to cover the rap/hip-hop scene even vaguely. XXL is a prolific rap magazine, and is well known not only in the United States, but in the UK also. This would make me assume that my magazine would fit closely to one simlilar to this, and would therefore do well under this publisher.


Contents Page Analysis

This contents page is semantically dark and connotes horror, gore and blood. The colour pallet is red, black and white, which seems to be very popular in contents pages. The large image in the bottom right hand corner draws an audience’s attention as he is using a direct mode of address, and appears to be glaring out at the reader. The main font is consistent, and different text types are used rarely, to separate certain segments from the main stories. The page numbers are in red, which again re-enforces the connotation of blood. The article names are then in black, this separates the articles, and makes it easy for the readers eye to flow around the page and find what they are looking for specifically very quickly. Also, the letter from the editor is sectioned off, and takes up half of the page, which lets us know it is an important element of this particular contents page. Also, the featured articles follow the colour pallet, and are sectioned off in the bottom left hand corner to make them accessible, but stress their lack of importance to the other articles.

In contrast to the first contents page, this one is set out rather differently, although it again follows the typical black, red and white colour pallet. The main article in this magazine takes us a vast majority of the contents page, and clearly states what page to find it. Also, big but slightly less important articles and pasted across the bottom of the page, again making it easy to find separate, important articles. The featured articles aren’t given much room on this contents, but little pictures and bold red underlining is used to enhance their names. Also in this page, the word ‘Contents’ isn’t full shown, and is partly covered by Jay-z’s head, this is a common way of a magazine boasting, as if to say that the readers know what they’re going to find here.

This cover contrasts to the other two, as we find the colour blue, which we didn’t in the others. This one also covers up the whole word contents as a way of bragging. Unlike the others, the main article is given the only picture space on the whole page, and other articles are simply listed with page numbers. This suggests that the main article will be one of the only reasons this magazine appeals to people, as they aren’t using any techniques in order to advertise their smaller, less significant articles. Again, direct mode of address is used, and the picture of Travis Barker is position at eye level, which will automatically catch an audience’s attention.

1. Preliminary Task

School Magazine cover

This was devised following a basic and appealing red colour scheme, as I had planned to on  my hand-drawn mock up. The central image was taken at mid-shot as it is a theme that follows on through popular magazine covers, and here I think it works well with the masthead just above it. I used graffiti writing for my masthead as this school magazine would traditionally be aimed at kids aged 11-16, and so it would help it appeal to my target audience effectively. Also, the use of a simplistic shape to advertise my feature articles helps bring yellow into the colour pallet I have used on this particular cover, and attract the eye of the reader.

School magazine front cover mock up - drawn by hand

School Magazine Analysis

This school magazine is clever and inventive. The way the lined a4 background is used helps the bright pink and yellow colour pallet stand out, and gives the cover an informal feel about it. Rather than a central image, this magazine cover uses a sketched picture representing the name of the school. This is unique to most magazines, and the drawn floral pattern represents the creative side to the school. The masthead is clear, and is given shading to stand out from the background and also look informal. The featured articles in the bottom left hand corner follow the colour pallet, and flow with the informal look that the magazine has been given. This is also shown through the composition, as the layout appears to have no set design, and is perceived by the audience as messy.

In contrast to the first magazine cover, this has a much more simple and basic, yet effective design.  The bright blue sky, and colourful green grass connote happiness, and so instantly attract an audience. The bright school badge adds to the composition of the magazine, and contrasts its background with bolder colours, such as the purple and yellow. The masthead has purposely been given a fancy typeset to give the reader an idea of self pride given off from the school instantly, this technique is mirrored in the edition date. This contrasts massively to the first magazine cover, in the sense that it is much more formal and gives off a much brighter, and sensible feel.

This magazine contrasts to both of the previous magazine covers. The masthead complies with the majority of the magazine and follows the green colour pallet closely, though yellow is also used to connote quite a bright and positive feel to the cover. The central image is light hearted and uses a direct mode of address as the girl is looking out at the audience. The tagline sits just under the masthead, which is uncommon, but still effective in making the audience’s eyes flow down and around the rest of the cover. The featured articles also follow the colour pallet and give us, as the audience, an interesting in-sight into what we would find in this edition. The logo in the top right hand corner is also simple, and easily recognisable. To comment on the composition, I would say that though the green textboxes to highlight the featured articles look slightly un-professional, the general layout, and the strong shape that has been used in the central image, creates the most interesting and easy on the eye cover from the three I have analysed.

Although the first magazine cover is creative, and accomplishes its purpose of an art magazine cover, it had a less professional look to it than the other two. The bold colours, although eye catching, weren’t used thoroughly enough, which gave the majority of the cover quite a plain and boring appearance. This contrasted completely to the second magazine, which was a lot more simple, but clever. The basic composition gave the cover a large space for the central image. Unfortunately, the lack of articles anywhere, fails to entice the reader to look further on. However, this again contrasts in the third magazine cover, which seems to tick most boxes. An informal typeset, strong central image and bright colour pallet, combined with the interesting featured articles, successfully enticed me to want to read on.

I used black and red as they're extremely common and eye catching, for contents pages. The slanted and informal font connotes the attitudes of teenagers, and will therefore appeal to them in a school magazine format.