Developing Cover 2

When creating the initial design I used the magnetic lasso tool to create new layers in order to move the model ahead of all sell lines and the masthead. This was to portray the importance of my "celebrity". Also, using the tool enabled me to blur the original background copy which made the copied layer stand out more, again highlighting his importance and stance on the cover.  The contrasting colours work well to create a 'hard edge'.
To emphasise this contrast I added elements of red and white to the text which was placed above transparent boxes.

Small details like the barcode, issue number, price and the contrasting layers all add to the overall quality of the page. If I do decide to use this as my final cover then I will continue to develop it and post the stages on my blog.

First attempts at front cover

These are not my final covers, they are my attempt at creating cover pages and exploring different themes. These covers are successful as they apply my selected colour scheme, the costumes (caps, hoodies, beanie hats. bold colours) are all conventional of modern-day hip hop. In 2/3 of the covers I used direct mode of address as this was a trend amongst other hiphop magazines such as XXL and Vibe. The first cover is my least favourite as it looks empty and cheap. The second cover is my most preferred as it is bold, unique and fierce. The colours, image and font all work really well together. My final cover will be of a similar look to this. I decided to use lines to recreate/link to the pattern on his jumper, while also making the text more accessible as it was difficult to read without the box due to the background.

*EDIT* As I have not yet taken any other pictures, I have decided to further develop the top right cover (second) and improve it. This may be my final cover.

Photo shoots for potential cover image & contents page images. 19 Sep-21 Nov

This photo shoot went very well as my model was confident and able to
step out of his comfort zone for my pictures.

This shoot was not as successful as my models were not as confident,
however I can still use one or two on my cover page.

Photoshoot Schedule

Above is the photoshoot schedule that I will be sticking to strictly in order to take all my photos at the right time and have time to edit them etc. These are the dates and times that I have arranged with my models already so if everything goes to plan then they will make these dates. 

Magazine Pitch

Today we pitched our initial magazine ideas to the class. The password to view my pitch is: media

Magazine Masthead & Title

Inititally, I designed some mastheads for my music magazine. My primary audience research revealed that out of a sample of 50, 39 16 to 19 year olds preferred the title "Beat Trip" instead of "trill." or "beats." My idea behind "beat trip" relates back to popular hip-hop slang and culture. 'Beat' refers to the musical aspect of my magazine (e.g. hip hop is based primarily on rhyming over strong beats), and 'Trip' is linked to the idea of music being an experience- or journey. It is also linked to the common slang use of the term 'trip' in hip-hop which refers to drug use/anger. My masthead portrays to my audience that music should be an indulgence and promotes the use of music instead of drugs. 

The above designs were free-hand sketches of some ideas that I thought would appeal to my audience while also complimenting the cover page. I would like my cover to be simple so more attention will be on the actual text and content rather than the appearance. This is why my masthead designs were not appropriate for my design criteria. 

These are some masthead designs that I found on 'dafont'. I believe that these are better for my cover as they look more professional which will make my magazine look as if it is of higher quality. 

This is the final design that I have selected. This is because 16/24 people voted for this masthead and also because it is the most simple design. However, the distortion adds movement and character to the title. It also could be symbolic of the 'beat' marks on a heart monitor or the dysfunctional, imperfect lifestyle that hip-hop represents.

*EDIT* 16.12.15

This is the font I will use as it looks better on the page. It turned out that this font looks of a higher quality as there are less white pixels surrounding the font, even when using the magic wand tool the first font would look pixelated.

Target Audience Research

This is a sample of the people I questioned for my TA research. They fit into my target audience as they are all aged 16-19 and belong in the C2DE category. I individually asked each student questions about the industry etc.

Questions & Answers

1) What genre of music do you generally listen to? 

13/24 said that they listened to hip hop the most, 4/24 said that they listened to indie or alternative music. 6/24 said that they liked listening to R&B. One person out of the sample said that they listen to any genre. The answers to my first question have lead me to decide to stick to the genre of hip-hop for my magazine. 

2) Would you prefer to see a colourful magazine cover or a set theme? 

14/24 voted set theme whereas 10/24 voted for a colourful cover. These results show me that I should use a set colour scheme in order to please my target audience.

3) Out of the names: TR!LL, beat$, ego, Beat Trip and Grillz, which do you prefer for a music magazine? 

Sample results: 

Beat Trip- 10

Trill- 8

Beats- 1

Ego- 2

Grillz- 3

The results show me that my TA are more in favour of "Beat Trip", so this will probably be the title of my magazine.

4) Which colour scheme do you think best suits a good magazine cover? 

Sample results:

Red, white, black, blue tones - 13/24

Yellow, green, red tones - 7/24

Orange, red, pink tones - 2/24

Grey, purple, white and black tones - 4/24

These results suggest that my TA would prefer a simple colour scheme which consists of red, white, blue, and black tones. This is interesting to me as hip hop magazines I have seen in my research have also used similar colours.

5) What sort of celebrities would you like to see on the cover of a music magazine (hip hop in particular)?

The answers varied but celebrities such as Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Nicki Minaj and Asap Rocky.

User Profile: Demographic, Psychographic and Geographic factors.