Time Management Update

I am currently up to date with my action plan, however I may need to take some more images in order to use on my double page spread. Next week I am going to continue developing my contents page and create a draft of the interview I am going to include on my double page spread.

My Magazine Development 28/11/14

From today's lesson I received some class feedback. Those who looked at my magazine front cover so far suggested to add some more colour into the background as the white is a bit boring. However, during my magazine research I found that some magazines of my genre don't always have a coloured background as this is what makes each article/coverline stand out more. I will continue to consider whether or not I will make this change to my background as I think if I was to add a colour into my background it would result in my magazine looking quite messy and unsophisticated. From my research I found that a clear layout is a generic convention of a pop magazine.










In today's lesson I also began producing my contents page. For this I've decided to have a mix between a 'Top Of The Pops' theme and 'Billboard' as I want to have a clear portrayal of a pop magazine, yet I don't particularly want it to be too cheesy as I'm aiming to produce a magazine suitable for a target audience of 17+, therefore I am trying to have a slightly sophisticated/mature layout/house style like Billboard. In Billboard, the contents page is split into sections, therefore I'm splitting my magazine into two sections: Music and Extras- this layout is a more convenient way for the audience to locate the particular section of the magazine that they're interested in reading. I have also used the 'WE <3 POP' style of splitting up the page numbers by alternating the colour of the text, this makes it easier for the audience to read the contents without getting the stories mixed up. 

My Music Magazine Production So Far 27/11/14

Here is what my magazine currently looks like. I decided to make some changes to my pop magazine in order to make it look more professional and to suit my target audience more. I decided to make changes to my previous mast head as I believe the colour red was too in your face and somewhat gave off a 'rock' vibe. I decided to change it from red to a purple/blue colour as to me this colour connotes maturity and creates a laid-back atmosphere; this is perfect as I'm aiming to produce a successful pop magazine for an older, more mature target audience (17+). 

Here is my new masthead. I also added a pug onto the top right-hand corner of my magazine in order to promote the free posters which will be included inside. I decided to use a yellow bubble with pink text as the colours clash, therefore resulting in the pug being more eye catching to my audience. These colours also clash with my masthead. I also changed the colour of 'Issue 450 winter edition...' to a red font with a green outline as these colours are typically known to connote Christmas, therefore it fits well with my 'winter edition' magazine. 

In today's lesson I also added another image. This image is of the 'LG Arena' which is a popular concert arena for pop bands; I also added a coverline with this image in order to provide anchorage. As well as this I created my own personalised barcode including the date, issue number and name of the magazine. I also decided to move my previous purple banner which covered the bottom of my magazine as it didn't look very professional having my white barcode on top of it. By moving this purple banner into the left corner it has resulted in my 'exclusive shocking news...' coverline to stand out even more. 

My Magazine Development So Far: 21/11/14

Here is what my pop music magazine is currently looking like. During today's lesson I managed to add my splash, which provides anchorage to my central image, however I'm considering changing the colour as a member of my target audience said that the colour doesn't fit in with the house style. I also added another coverline and image to my magazine, which according to my feedback looks like a typical pop magazine, therefore so far my coverline's seem to be successful.

I also moved my masthead to the left of the magazine as this meant I had more space to add a pug in the top right corner. As well as this I noticed that 'Top Of The Pops'  and 'We <3 Pop' also tend to have their brand identity slightly to the left. Next I will insert a 'free posters of your favourite pop artists' onto the pug, which therefore expresses to the audience that my magazine is full of pop-related fun!

Design Work In Progress

I decided to change my main image to a different image of Hollie, as I believed this one is more appropriate for my music genre. I also decided to change the colour of my brand identity/masthead as I believe the colour purple connotes a more relaxed, mature vibe; other than a bright pink or red which I believe is too 'in your face' and immature. I also believe the colour red that I previously had as my masthead gave off more of a Rock genre vibe- which isn't what I am trying to portray in my magazine. From my class feedback, I found that my use of font colours is effective as it gives off  pop genre.

I also inserted an image I took of the pop, girl-band name 'Little Mix'- I decided to include these in my magazine as they are a typical, popular girlband; this would result in people seeing the words 'Little Mix' and automatically thinking 'Pop', resulting in them reading my magazine (if they are fans of Pop). 

I am sticking to a colour palette of blue, purple, pink and white- I think these colours connote fun and they are quite calm, laid back colours, which connotes a maturer vibe to it. 

Time Management Update

Due to being absent from last lesson I believe I'm currently behind on my magazine production, however I'm going to work hard in order to catch up with my action plan. I will do this by continuing my magazine development and I'll begin organizing a photo-shoot for my contents page.

Images/ Experimental Images For My Music Magazine: Jess Shore

I really like this image of Jess. I decided on taking this image as a medium close up as this way you can see the fashionable 'poppy' top she's wearing, as well as the main focal point- her face.  The way the light is glowing on the side of her face looks like a professional effect on this image, which is found in a pop magazine. Her somewhat shocked expression is also quite effective as it connotes cheekiness, which is a common convention in pop magazines. Usually I think posed images like this look extremely cheesy in pop magazines, however due to her not so exaggerated facial expression it has resulted in the image looking really effective, this is why I'm planning on using this image in my magazine. 

Here is another image I took of Jess. I took this image as a mid-shot as it meant that I could also include her stance/body language in the image, as this connotes cheekiness and relaxation. This is quite a common pose in pop magazines, therefore re-creating it successfully would result in my magazine looking like a successful, mass-produced pop magazine. The only thing I dislike about this image is that I accidentally got the skirting boards and the carpet in it, however I could just edit this out of the image. 

This is my favourite image I took of Jess. This pose is extremely common in pop magazines as it connotes fun and cheekiness. Jess' facial expression is also really effective in this image as she looks genuinely happy and joyful, often the mood of the magazine rubs off onto the audience, therefore by using this image it would result in my audience feeling cheerful. As well as this, Jess' natural pinkness to her cheeks connotes youth, innocence and possibly cheekiness, which is suitable for my magazine. I will definitely use this image somewhere in my magazine. 

Images/ Experimental Images For My Music Magazine. Main Model: Hollie

Hollie:

  I decided against using this image as black and white images aren't a generic convention of pop magazines, they are more of an indie convention; therefore by using this image it would contrast my genre, therefore possibly making the audience believe that my magazine is in fact indie- not pop. 

I quite like this image I took of Hollie. It looks as if she's laughing and the way she's kind of hiding her face behind her hood gives off the impression that she's done something embarrassing or she's being cheeky- this is perfect for a pop magazine as it connotes amusement and cheekiness. Also the way she's looking over her shoulder is a common pose I've noticed among pop magazines. I'm considering using this image on my double page spread as I've decided that Hollie is going to be the main model in my pop music magazine. Hollie looks like a perfect pop model in comparison to the other magazines that I have researched.

I think this image is quite successful as it looks similar to the front cover  central image on magazines such as Billboard. However, I think this image would be a lot more effective if I edited the lighting a little bit as to me I feel as if the colour is quite dull, especially if I'm trying to produce an effective pop magazine. This means I will have to brighten the image and maybe add some saturation, therefore giving off a warmer look to my image which will catch people's attention more.

This is one of my favourite images I took of Hollie as she looks naturally happy as her eyes are also glowing. I decided to take this image as a medium close up shot as this means that her face is the main focal point- the way she's looking directly into the camera provides a connection with the audience as it's as if she's directly addressing them.

I don't know whether to use this image in my music magazine as to me I don't know whether it's suitable for my target audience as it kind of looks cheesy and immature, as if it's for a younger target audience.

Images/ Experimental Images for My Music Magazine: Dana & India

Dana & India

Here's an image I took of my model Dana. I decided to have a plain creamy coloured background as it connotes a layed-back, calm atmosphere. I found that this type of plain background is a generic convention of pop magazine images as it results in the audience's main focus being on the model in the image, other-than what's going on in the background. However, due to not being able to see Dana much in order to take images of her, I decided against using her as a model. The few images I took of Dana were not very successful as in most of the images she looked quite nervous and timid, which is the complete opposite to how music magazine models are perceived. 

 Here is an image I took of Dana and India. I quite like this image as India's smiling with her mouth open (on the left), connoting confidence, excitement and cheekiness, this is quite common in pop music magazines. I also chose for this image to be taken on a plain background therefore resulting in them being the focus of attention. I think this image of Dana is a lot more successful than the others as she looks a lot more comfortable and less timid, therefore I'm considering having this image feature on the contents page. 

Here is another picture I took of India.  I like this image a lot as it connotes cheekiness and fun- which is a generic convention of  pop music magazines. I also made the background of this image a creamy plain colour as it contrasted with the darkness of her clothes, therefore it resulted in her standing out more, catching the audience's attention. I'm considering using this image as a coverline on my front page for my music magazine.

Images/Experimental Images for My Music Magazine: Jess M (Fashion Model)

Jess M:

My first model I took images of is Jess M. Although Jess is a fashionable, pretty girl I found it extremely hard trying to take an appropriate image which connotes pop. I began the photo-shoot by explaining to Jess for the reasoning of it and by asking Jess to 'pose', this resulted in Jess posing with a pout. Although Jess thought this was suitable, due to my research I found that female models in music magazines don't really tend to pout. This meant that I had to explain further what I meant by 'pose', to help me explain I decided to show her some images from previous pop magazines that I analysed and I suggested how she should pose.I won't be using this image in my magazine.

This is the second image I took of Jess. I decided to have a plain black background as it contrasts with the colour of her skin and the colour of her hair, resulting in her becoming more eye-catching. The use of plain backgrounds is a generic convention of music magazine images as from my research I found that the majority of models posed against a plain background, which meant more attention was drawn to them. I won't be using this image in my magazine as I think this image makes Jess look quite immature due to the way she is smiling, therefore this image may  portray a sense of immaturity, which wouldn't suit my maturer target audience. 

Here is the third image I took of Jess. From my research I found that often fashion models have long-shot photo-shoots, this means that their whole outfit gets in the shot, which is perfect if you're advertising the clothes that they are wearing. I also found that the orange-brick background is quite common among magazines of my genre, this background much like other pop image backgrounds is rather plain, however the pattern connotes organisation and sophistication- something which I am trying to portray to my audience. Much like my other images, I don't think I am going to use this image as I don't think the camera angle is very effective as it makes her look small and inferior as she somewhat looks quite timid (this could also be due to her feeling nervous because I was taking multiple images of her). This look contrasts how music magazine models look as I found that they are portrayed to be superior, confident and outgoing. 

This is my fourth and favourite image of Jess. I like this image a lot as I believe the angle (from the floor looking up) I have chosen connotes superior-ness and power, which is common among music magazine models. I think the way the brick background makes her outfit stand out works extremely effectively, therefore I am considering Jess to be my fashion model of my magazine. Her body language is also very effective as not only does it connote power, but it also connotes confidence, which is really important when it comes to modelling clothes as the more confident the model comes across the more drawn to the clothes the audience will be. I will use this image in the fashion section of my pop music magazine. 

My magazine production so far...

This is what my music magazine currently looks like. I've decided on my fonts for my masthead, splash's and cover lines. These 3 fonts are: Berlin Sans FB Demi, Poplar std and hobo std. From my feedback I found that these fonts are working successfully, therefore making my magazine look like a typical pop magazine. I also decided to use the colours: Red, Black, Yellow, Pink and Blue. However from my feedback I found that the colour of my masthead could be improved, therefore I am considering changing it from Red to Pink, I will experiment with these colours next lesson. I have also used two images so far in my magazine, however I plan on editing the cover line image and I plan on developing my central image further as currently when I enlarge the image it becomes pixelated.