Preliminary Exercise.

these are my pictures for my preliminary. i cant upload the final piece because of the programmed i used to make it.

FINAL PICTURE.

he looks uncomfortable here, so i decided not to use it.

i couldnt use this because theres too much going on, clothes wise.

EVALUATION :

My project was too produce a front cover for a college magazine/newsletter. This involved taking photographs and designing the final piece.
I had a lot of difficulties throughout my production because at first i didn’t realise how important the planning would be. The photography was the hardest part because i didn’t realise that i wouldn’t just have too find somebody who would co-operate with me and behave accordingly, and also that i had too be aware of the background and surroundings. The position of the model had too be comfortable and not on an awkward angle, or looking nervous. I took numerous amounts of photographs, and although i personally liked them, they were not suitable for the project requirements.
I realised later on that the clothes the models wore shouldn’t really have labels or offensive context written on them, to overcome this with the final photo i decided too use, i asked him too remove his scarf and turn his t-shirt back-to-front too give me a ‘blank canvas’ as such too work with.
Too assemble my project i used ‘microsoft publisher’. The photograph was a little bit too dark so i increased the contrast and brightness slightly.
I decided too stick to the same font throughout because it looks formal and respective, and although it is aimed at students mostly, parents could possibly see it, and it should be kept too a respective style. The font used is ‘Ariel’, and this is in normal style.
I placed the title onto the black part of the picture because i thought it looked like a chalkboard, which fitted appropriately. I don’t particularly like the background of the photograph because there is a bit too much going on, next time i need to produce a cover, i will ensure that i choose a plain background with no distractions. There is a piece of wood running down the wall which looks like it is implanted into the models head, it does however look like a classroom environment, which is what we are aiming for.
I have kept the titles too a minimum as too not clutter the cover up and make it difficult too look at. The model looks friendly and his body position is at a comfortable angle, portraying the college as a friendly environment.
I have included a black and white copy of my final piece and labelled the texts and fonts etc.
I think my final piece turned out ok, but i think it could have been better, and like i already mentioned, next time i will be able to plan better and too not make the same mistakes i did this time.

Absolute Final Double Page Spread!! :D

after some constructive critism, i was advised that the spread didnt have enough writing, so i added more in. this is my final piece. :)

EVALUATION.

During the planning and production of my magazine i encountered a variety of problems. i have learnt a lot about the media and publishing. i have also realised that in order to produce this effectivly, i should be more organised and do in-depth research and planning.

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my target was to plan out, design and create an alternatice music magazine in the similar style 'NME' and 'Kerrang!'. these magazines are aimed to both genders around the ages of 14 - 25.

my magazine follows the conventions of existing media products. the use of colour in'Kerrang' is quite dark and gothic, as it is aimed at people who are into heavy rock music for example, whereas ''NME' uses whites, reds and other bright colours. i chose 'Kerrang!' as a media product to study becase i liked the simplicity of the layouts, also 'NME' for the same reason.

i have used bright colours throughout the whole production, as i think this eye catching and pleasing to the eye.

i think the target audience for my production, are male and female teenagers from a 'scene/emo' genre.

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definiton of scene :

Scene kids are called scene kids mostly for the music they listen to. The term "scene" comes from the music scene. scene kids go to most gigs and are very involved with the music. scene kids were a lot of bright neon colours and are still interested in looking good.

scene kids are often confused with 'emo' kids, but there is a big difference...

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definiton of emo :

Genre of softcore punk music that integrates unenthusiastic melodramatic 17 year olds who dont smile, high pitched overwrought lyrics and inaudible guitar rifts with tight wool sweaters, tighter jeans, itchy scarfs (even in the summer), ripped chucks with favorite bands signature, black square rimmed glasses, and ebony greasy unwashed hair that is required to cover at least 3/5 ths of the face at an angle.

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i think i have targeted my desired age group, as the image is of a female teenager, and my magazine is aimed at teenagers. in one way, as she is closely age related, potential customers may look at it and think 'i could be like that' etc.

the photograph i used on the cover is quite different to the usual style's of music magazines i have researched. i personally feel that the image i used, and having it so close up, is probably something that would be used in a fashion magazine for example.

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as my main article is about 'Acid Barbie' i felt it appropriate to use an image of her.

i used a female for my production, because i think in general, boys and girls are more attracted to a female being on the front cover.

where as girls look at it for the envy, or the fashion outlook, boys are more sexually inclined to purchase it if they feel attracted to her.

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i wanted my image to be black and white, and then the surroundings in colour. i think this is effective because this way i feel the titles stand out more, and you can notice them at glance. i kept my title black, and had the shadowing text in colour because i think it pops. as my magazine is called 'ELECTRIK' i designed a lightening logo, which fits in perfectly.

i wanted to keep my magazine from looking busy and cramped, therefor i kept the information on the cover to a minimum.

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i used the same font throughout the whole production (arial) so it was quite elegant looking.

for my contents page, i used the same logo as the front cover and tried to use the same colours, i used the image of boyband'JAZZYFIZZLE' as they are one of the main extras in my production. the band index is a simple yet important feature, that helps direct readers to the correct page that their favourite band may be on. this can also be offputting because they may pick it up, and see nothing about their favourite band and put them off purchasing it. i think however, it is more effective than uneffective, and is a positive include.

as advertised on the front cover, you can win gig tickets, so i made this quite big inside, as it is a mean feature.

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the double page spread, i think follows the normal conventions of already out there magazines. with plenty of imagary and enought text to please. i made my background black, so that the text stuck out more. i wanted a big image of 'Acid Barbie' as she is important, because the article is about her. i used smaller images also, once again, for the appeal to both girls and boys.

i used the same title for 'Acid Barbie' as the one for 'ELECTRIK' on the front cover, and i think this is effective as it is the main purpose for this interview.

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the extra page i used, is once again simple but effective. the colours and text for the naming follow the convention of the rest of my magazine. i wanted it to look laidback and fun, therefor only having simple but interesting questions into the personal life of Jake. i used the image of him alone, rather than the whole band, as it is only him we are speaking to and therefor the reader understands and doesnt get confused.

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During the designing and production of this product I have realised how important the planning is. the main discovery i felt i had learned about, was photograpy and how important mise en scené and background is in each photograph. that is why i chose to take my photographs in the studio with a plain white backdrop. this ensures that there are not distractions and anything that shouldnt be there.

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i have learnt a lot more about abode photoshop, which is the only programme i used for my production. i have learnt how to import text files off the internet and use them in photoshop, which i didnt know how to do. do this i had to so some research in google, and find a decent tutorial.

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i think the main of media institution that might distribute my product would be quite well known and a global institution like 'ITC Media'. ITC Media has been delivering integrated design and marketing solutions to a wide range of clients since 2002. Since this time, ITC Media has evolved from a graphic design studio to a full service marketing ranging in magazines, television radio and newspapers.

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i think my final piece and my preliminary work are a lot different, in a good way. i did my preliminary at college, therefor did not have access to adobe photoshop, like i do at home. therefor i was limited to what i could do with the editing process. my preliminary exercise is quite simple and not very creative or attractive, i have only been able to use simple fonts and colours and a basic layout.

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FINAL PIECES.

FRONT COVER :

CONTENTS PAGE :

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD :

EXTRA PAGE :

Pricing Research.

i completely forgot that i had to do some pricing research.

i asked people from the age ranges of 15 - 19, both male and female, and here are my answers:

Grant - 19 : £3.50

Luke - 17 : £4.00

Helaina - 18 : £2.00

Leigh - 17 : £2.60

Bekkie - 17 : £4.00

Steven - 17 : £3.50

Tom - 16 : £3 - 4.00

Carrie - 15 : £2.00

Extra Page.

this is the final design for my extra page. its no different than the others except i had forgotten to place the leadsinger layer onto it.

here is the second shot of my extra page. i have added questions in, that are not majorly important. just an outlook into his life. i have kept the colours simple and the text simple also as to not distract the viewer. as my magazine is for both genders the colours suit both sexes.

this is the plain layout for my extra page. i have kept the titles the same way throughout the magazine as to keep it professional looking. the colours behind the title are the same colours that are on the front cover and the contents page.

Contents - Final Production.

this is my final design. i kept the colours in blocks and used bright but normal colours. i only used one picture so that it didnt make it look cramped and clumsy. im really happy with the way this looks and i prefer it to my plan.

i restored the colour back into this, and i think it looks a lot better. i added the red and green lines across the bottom to break the white up a bit more.

i like this version, but i dont like the black and white as my front cover photograph is black and white and i thought it would make the magazine look really dull.

Double Page Spread.

i decided to write something in to break the black up a bit. its only a simple box, with name, age and occupation in it. i didnt want to complicate it and make it look shoved in, unprofessional and messy. im very happy with the outcome of my designs, and think it looks a lot better than i first imagined. :D

i think this will be my final version. i changed the colour of the font and also changed the font. the colours are simple, and dont clash. i had to read through my interview as i realised i had spelling mistakes. i think i may have to add in another text box because there is a big space that looks like there should be something there...

this is my final layout. i made the background black so that everything stands out more. i used the polaroids because i think its appropriate to have something else to look at other than the text. this is my rough version of the final production. i decided i didnt like the transparant boxes as they make it look well organised. the writing is overlapping onto the other photographs which im not happy with. the font is also a bit hard to read and hurts my eyes, and especially with those fluroescent colours aswel.

Putting The Final Production Together. :)

these are my screenshots of my final piece:

this is the first one i did. i used the font ive already stated in my last post.

i decided to keep the actual title black and have the shadows behind it coloured as i thought this would make it stand out more.

i used the volt symbol because its obviously associated with electricity, and i thought this fits well.

i chose to use the green strip to add a bit more colour as my picture is black and white, and drew a solid white box across the top of the picture to make the title stand out more.

i added the rest of the text and a barcode. i then decided i didnt like the green box as it just didnt fit in, so i changed it to grey. i decided i didnt like it once again haha.

i changed the green block to completely black. i feel that this fits in a lot better.

i added in the white spots because i felt that it broke the colours up a lot. and at the bottom quoted " LETS CRASH THE PARTY" - this is so reader's want to pick up the magazine and see what acid barbie has to say. :)

this is my final piece for the front cover. i just used simple text for the date, price and issue number.

Front Cover Title.

this the font im going to use for my front cover.

this is the sample piece from the website.

i found this image on http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/thinkdust/yume/

the font is called 'yume'.

i like this font because i think it fits the name of my magazine. 'ELECTRIK'.

with its edgy style and bang on in your face boldness. :)

Acid Barbie Photoshoot.

these are the three pictures i like the best of 'acid barbie':

this top image is the one im going to use on my front cover.

JazzyFizzle Photoshoot.

so last night i did my photoshoot. ideally i wanted to do it earlier, but i wanted to do it in the studio, and all the art & media kids have all had assessments so the place has pretty much been fully booked for the last couple of weeks.

i made a boyband out of Jake, Kee & Danny. Luke let me down and decided he wanted to go home. LOSER.

(there not the best looking boyband ive ever set eyes on to be honest, but its good enough haha) here are some of the picture's im thinking about using for my 'jazzyfizzle' page.

i love how relaxed all the pictures are, and i think they do look like a boyband just messing around and having fun. as 'jazzyfizzle' are a band. im only going to interview Jake, as too not make it a full on interview.

it is only a bit of fun really afterall.

JAKE.

Writing The Interview For 'Acid Barbie'.

INTRO :

'In this edition of “ELECTRIK!,” we get inside the mind of Acid Barbie, best known for being the lead singer in alternative rock band- DollyCakeFace. read the full interview from touring around the world to tea parties. - definatly not to be missed!'

ELECTRIK:

'we hear your leaving DollyCakeFace for good, is that true?'

ACID BARBIE.

'OH MY GOSH! NO! ahh i dont even know where that came from! i LOVE being in DollyCakeFace, they're like family to me, i just have so much fun, we just travel around and play our gigs, and just joke around, seriously - they're like brothers and sisters, i love them all.

ELECTRIK:

'It must feel pretty amazing to know what a positive role model you are for millions of young teenagers out there!'

ACID BARBIE:

Well, thank you. I really try to do my best and put my all into everything i do. i have so much love and respect for my fans, because they're the ones that got me where i am today.

ELECTRIK:

'How do manage to keep your head on your shoulders amidst all of this craziness?'

ACID BARBIE:

'ahh im still just a normal kid, my family and friends keep me grounded, i think i'd end up with a punch in the face if i was any different haha. no but really, my friends dont treat me any differently, they just love the fact they've been able to meet other celebrities. my mum puts me back in my place when im at home, if i start going crazy she always says 'your not to big to go over my knee Sophie!'.

ELECTRIK:

'do you find it strange being a solo artist?'

ACID BARBIE:

'not really, because im still around so many people. i miss the rest of the guys like mad, but they all want time off, and i dont! ive got so much i still want to do, ive still got places i want to see!'.

ELECTRIK:

'will you be playing any of the UK festivals this summer?'.

ACID BARBIE :

'erm, i'd love too. but nothings confirmed yet, my tour kick's off soon and im not sure where i'll be, but i'd love to come home and play a few more, then hometown gigs are always the best arn't they?

ELECTRIK :

''what do you like to do in your time off?"

ACID BARBIE :

"haha, there's so much. my favourite thing is to get all my friends together, and go for little tea parties in the woods".

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somewhere on this page im going to include a factfile about Acid Barbie...
they will include simple questions like this :

• real name :
• age :
• favourite bands :
• famous for :
• fave place :
• something we dont know :

'Acid Barbie'.

'Acid Barbie' is the main attraction in my magazine. she is seventeen years old, and she shot to fame as lead singer in the band 'DollyCakeFace'. 'acid barbie' is now, trying out a solo project whilst the rest of the band members take time off from touring and such.

the names 'acid barbie' and 'dollycakeface' come from myself, 'acid barbie' is a nickname that i get called and 'dollycakeface' is my online username for most things, like blogspot :) im not sure where it came from, but ive used it for a couple of years now.

Re-Naming The Magazine.

ive decided to rename the magazine, as 'ROYALTY' does not give out the right image. it gives out the impression that the magazine should be about the royal family or something along them lines. im now trying to find a new name. it's alot harder than you expect it to be...

i think im going to call my magazine 'ELECTRIK'. i changed the spelling because it makes it seem a little bit more edgy and more glamourous.

Definition of 'Electric'.

• charged with, or conducting electricity.
• using electronic amplification.
• very tense or exciting; electrifying.
• designating a color that is very bright or metallic.

therefor to me, this gives out the impression that its a fun and exciting magazine, packed full of interesting facts and articles (fully charged) ;)

Planning For Magazine. :)

here is a rough guide to what my magazine will look like. its not for deffinate and there is still a lot of work to be done.

this is my contents page. im going to write a band index so that it makes it easier for my readers to find the article on the band they're looking for.

this is the second page of my double spread. as my magazine is for teenagers, i dont think im going write an awful lot of text, but there will be enough for the more serious of fans. the questions will be quite formal.

this is more for the younger of the viewers. with more informal questions, like 'what's your favourite cheese?' etc. its just a bit of fun really.

Colour Schemes.

because my magazine is for boys and girls. i cant really use a lot of gender associated colours, like blue and pink, as either one is biased towards one or the other.

i thought i should probably use red, purple, green, medium blue, yellow and white or any other colour that happens to look nice. i just thought this was a relevent point i needed to bring up.

Double Page Spread Idea .

for my double page spread including picture's and an interview, i am going to take one main picture, the background is going to be a plain white one, and shall have a full body shot. to the left side of the double page spread, i will then probably take 3 shots close up and place them in a series and have it in the middle. i will then place my name, or my 'band's' name across the top, and then word the interview around it.

Idea's For Contents Page.

for my contents page, im going to use the style of 'NME' and 'KERRANG!' as already mentioned.
i will have a list of bands that will be 'featured' in my article. there will be a few picture's and such, lists of festivals and a competiton.

Idea's For Front Cover

i have been playing around on photofiltre and an online photo editing programme called picnik with a picture of myself that i took a while ago. i love the font, it does look girly but its still quite edgy at the same time. i used pink because it goes with the colour of the scarf im wearing. i dont like the music note at the bottom because it looks out of place and i will be removing it. i like the close up picture and it looks friendly and quite plain.

another idea is of main charactor posing against something and having it placed at the bottom of the page, then the colour fading out towards the top giving me a plain canvas to work with. i will place a barcode on the page somewhere with the price, the date, the issue number and maybe will include a fake website for my magazine.

i will try to take a large number of photographs so i have a wide variety to choose from. i will probably ask my friends for their opinions and some constructive cristism, as they are the age my magazine is directed at, which could influence the way i create my production :)

i chose to use a female on the front of my magazine because it is more appealing for males and females.

Analysing Other Magazine's.

after analysing magazine's such as 'bliss', 'sugar' and 'cosmo girl' i know that i need to keep my magazine :

• simple but interesting and attractive at the same time.
• plenty of colour and things to look at.
• the pictures need to be quite high quality.
• the title needs to stand out.
• the literacy must be correct and make sense.
  
  the layout for the contents page will be one similair to the style that 'NME' and 'KERRANG!' uses...
  

i like how the mag have a 'band index', this encourages people to have a look for the bands they like and then just simply flick to the page they're featured on. the 'feedback' section in 'KERRANG!' is a good idea, as it lets readers have the opportunity to feature in the magazine and have there say on albums, singles or even gig reviews. the 'feauture's' part in both magazines, is what is on the front cover and tells you what page it is on. they both have a main picture and a couple of little ones which makes it interesting to look at and if you like that particular artist you feel more inclined to have a look.

it has the the title and date repeated on the contents page, and in 'KERRANG!' they have the issue number. 'NME' also have an advert for subscribing to them, and only having to pay £1.49 per issue instead of the normal weekly rate of £2.30. this encourages people to subsribe knowing they'll save money, and it also benifits 'NME' because they have a guaranteed profit no matter what is on the cover or inside.

Naming The Magazine.

i thought it's about time i did some work on this. i've not really had a chance in the two week break we've been given, because i've had too work full time hours because of the busy easter period. today is my second day off this week. and im sitting on my bed doing this....

i've been thinking of a few names for my magazine, as its for girls and boys, it obviously needs to suit boths genders. here are a few ideas. :

'ROYALTY'.

'CRAVE'.

'CRUSH'.

'LOUD'.

'BANG!'.

all these names are pretty short but quite to the point.

i think im going to call my magazine 'ROYALTY' because it sounds quite elegant, important, edgy but a little bit girly at the same time, which isn't really a good thing, but i really do like the name.

Change Of Plan...

I've changed my idea now. im now going to aim my magazine at teenage girls and boys, from the ages of about 15 to 19. my double spage spread is going to be about a solo artist.

'smash hits' magazine started in the 80's and has changed a lot since it was first published. i personally prefer the older editions because i like the simplicity and straight to the point feel.

in the past editions it is mostly about the celebrity and music, but the new publications have a lot of real life experiances from the readers. i do however like how it includes fashion.

past version.

present version.

Aly & Aj

Aly & Aj are two american, straight edge, clean cut teenage sisters.

they are both, singer/songwriters/guitarists. they are also very well known for there involvment with the disney channel, starring in quite a few films, appealing to a younger audience.

MTV have also shown an interest in the sisters, giving them lead roles in their 2007 movie 'super sweet 16 : the movie', based on the based on the series my super sweet 16.

Images.

Image Planning

today i have been thinking about the images i'm going to need in order to produce my magazine.

i'm going to book the college studio, and my boyfriend is going to set up the lighting for me as i have no clue what so ever!! he is also going to lend me a proper camera! :)

i have six differnt models in mind that i can use to create my boyband, and will do a test shoot to see who performs best and then pick three that will be used as my boyband!

the look im going to create with my models, is inspired by indie band - 'the kooks'.

i like the clean cut, ‘pretty boy’ look, and i want to do something like the above image, but without the beer bottles of course. i'm thinking for one or two of the images to have a very nuetral theme, with all three boys wearing a white tshirt and a pair of jeans, so they all look the same, or each with one specific item, such as one with a straw hat, one with a pair of sunglasses and one with a guitar maybe.

i may also focus on one particular member of the band as he could be the fans favourite, and do a few shots of him by himself, a bit like this image of Luke Pritchard from 'the kooks'.

Idea's.

Idea's.

for my magazine, i am going to aim my project at pre-teenage girls and probably up to the age of about 14/15. it will be easier to manage because of being female and knowing what i was interested in when i was younger.one of my main concerns is that i don't want to put things in it that may seem inapropriate to the younger readers.

i am inspired by the success of 'disney channel' stars such as 'hannah montana', 'high school musical', 'aly and aj and 'the jonas brothers'. these type of bands are directed for the younger generation. im also going to base my inspiration of pretty girl bands such as 'girls aloud', 'pussy cat dolls', 'the saturdays' and 'the sugababes'. i will also include boy bands such as 'mcfly', 'fall out boy', and 'scouting for girls' for the crush factor.

the type's of magazines i've looked at for inspiration are 'bliss', 'cosmo girl' and 'sugar'.

these magazines have some content that are a bit innapropiriate for pre-teenage girls, such as sexual health surveys, and promoting safe sex. i fully understand that they are supporting a good cause, and helping younger people understand the effects of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases but my target audience are younger girls and some of the true life stories are a bit to far out for something of a young age to undestand. i think something like this, a younger reader won't understand properly.

i will include things like fashion and make up tips, an agony aunt, a cringe page where readers send in their accounts of embarrasing incidents and general advice for young girls growing up.

the 'bbc's' magazine 'girl talk' is the perfect example of how i want my magazine too look.