In this task I created my 2nd draft of my double page spread. The aim for the second draft was to improve my last draft. In this draft I experimented with being slightly anarchic and going against hip-hop conventions and double page spread conventions alike.

The first thing you notice on this draft is the bright pink and blue. This clearly challenges the conventions and this is what I intended to do, But not only does the colour challenge conventions, it also grabs the consumers eye. I envision the reader turning the page and there eyes being drawn directly to the double page spread.

I believe that this draft is much better as I made improvements across the board. For example to quote that I used in my last draft is now placed in a more aesthetically pleasing manor.

In my last draft I added a large letter E behind the text. I really liked the effect this created. I decided to keep this feature this once again. This time I tilted the letter slightly to the left. This I believe looks better but also sort of acts as a pointer. I also think the letter points to the right side of the page therefore encouraging the reader to proceed to the next page.

On thing that I have added to this draft that didn’t appear in my last draft was logo. I believe this helps fill the page to make it better looking but it gives the artist their own brand. This intern makes the artist look more professional witch is what I am trying to achieve.

Here is the logo I created:

I believe this is a huge improve on my last draft but there is still room for improvement and I will fix any issues I can find.

In this task you can see my first draft of my double page spread. As you can see this is a very simplistic but effective first draft.

When creating my double page spread, I decided to follow some conventions so that it is clear that this is in fact a double page spread, but at the same time I have decided to challenge some of those conventions. I believe if I manage to get the perfect mix of some conventions with a hint of individuality I can create an effective piece of media.

First of all when creating my double page spread, I had to chose an image. I chose this obscure photo of my model ironing. This is very individual and it is a vocal point of the dps.

One traditional convention I used was a quote. Not only are quotes often included in dps’s but they are also a convention of hip-hop. By including this in my draft, I hope the consumer can understand the genre despite the obscurity of the image.

Another thing I included in this draft is the letter E behind the text. I believe without it the page looks bare and not enough is going on. It also brakes up the text quite nicely.

Overall I think this is a good first attempt, but of course there is plenty of room for improvement and I hope I can improve my draft dramatically in my next attempts.

In this task I created My 2nd draft of my front page.

As you can see I have completely changed the layout and colour scheme. Previously I had a Yellow, Blue, Black and Red theme. Although at the time this I thought was appropriate I decided to tone the front page down.

The bright yellow colour scheme was certainly eye grabbing but it did not convey that the magazine was hip hop. This was my main issue with my first draft and I think the color change was necessary and effective.

Red, Black and white creates a clean and effective theme as the white background represents a clean aesthetic. The red is used to add power to the page. Red is often used to create a powerful feel on the page, and I thought this would be a good addition to my front page. The Black also adds character to the page. Black connotes a feeling of seriousness but it also works nicely with the red as together it is very powerful. Black also adds a serious tone to the page. This I thought was effective as Hip Hop has always had a slightly serious stigma attached to it.

Another change I made in this draft, is the position of my model. The pose is still presents my model as a hip hip artist but the slight rotation gives me the opportunity to add more text on the page. I wanted to do this as my first draft was very plain.

The text I added gives the reader information to what the inside pages may entail. I also added a red Pug with the text ‘Trending artists’. This is intended to pop out so it can excite the reader and prompt them to read on.

Although I believe I have made good strides from my first draft there are still improvements to be made. For example my cut out needs fixing and the placement of my shapes need to be adjusted.

I will aim to fix these issues in my next draft. But this task was very helpful as I can improve but also see what I can improve on further.

In this task I crated my first draft of a contents page. I think my attempt went well as I managed to add conventional features whilst also keeping a clean colour scheme. I believe this is a good start but there is also lots to improve on for my next draft. 

To make sure my next draft is as good as it can be I have got a peer to assess my work. They may be able to see mistakes that I cant see myself. I will use there advice to help me in my next draft.

After completing this task I received some peer assessment so I know what I can improve on in my next draft. Click the text ‘ Peer Assessment’ to access the feedback I was given.

Peer assessment

In this task I went into good detail to further look at my audience but in addition I researched competition. I looked at successful rap magazines and what the are good at, but also what they are not so good at. I took this information to improve my own magazine and to make sure it will compete in this market.

In the chart below I look at how to make my magazine great and to do so i based my research about my audience and how i will include them and involve them in my magazine culture.

After completing this research I feel more confident in my media skills and I am confident that I am now able to produce a magazine that is popular among fans. This is because the research gave me an insight on successful magazines and how they are so effective.

Introduction

In this task I prepared for my first photo-shoot. I looked at costumes, props and poses. This means when I am doing my photo-shoot I will know exactly what I need to do.

Click the image bellow to access my document:

Reflection

This task was very useful as I have a clear guide to help me through my first photo-shoot. I also looked into how professionals complete there own photo-shoots and how they plan one. I will use this information In not only my upcoming photo-shoot but also any other further shoots too.

Introduction

In this task I researched day audience. To do this I looked into Demographics and Psycho-graphics.

According to Blumler & Katz, if you wish to make a magazine for an intended audience, you need to understand what they like. This means that to be a successful magazine you must have a good understanding of your audience.

Blumler & Katz believe that there are four reasons why people consume media. These are : Information, Personal Identity, Social Interaction and Entertainment. So when I create my magazine I must include at least one of these features. I will attempt to have as many of these 4 as possible.

When looking into my demographic I had to look at what age, and sex etc, that would be interested in my music magazine. To do this I used yougov.co.uk. This website gave my statistics of what demographics are interested in stars of my genre.

First of all I looked at data for one of the biggest rap starts Drake. I chose Drake as he is the type of artist that would be included in my music magazine.

Here is what the stats said:

They key points I have taken from my research is that Drake is most popular with young people. He is also more popular with women.

After receiving Drakes stats I wanted to see if these stats represented  most rap artists. So to do this I looked at another popular rap artist 50 cent.

Here are his stats:

By looking at 50 cent also I now understand that rap is undisputedly more popular with millennial. This information is key as when I create my magazine I know that it must appeal with young people. I also noticed that my two artists are slightly more popular with women. This is important to know also as before I looked at these stats I believed the genre would be more popular with men, but I now understand that it is popular with both males and females.

Looking past these two artist I looked further at the likes and dislikes of rap fans. What I have noticed is that the rap genre is a fairly new  and it has only recently gained popularity in the UK. Although it is new it has catapulted onto the top charts showing its potential in the UK market. The average fan of rap also enjoys sports and fashion. This could be a direct influence from rappers as many songs feature reference to sport and fashion. The influence is coming from a wide range of areas. They are coming from the lyrics of a songs, the music videos and on social media . Fans of rap engage with all three of these pieces of media. This information is important to me as I can also include sports and fashion as I know that rap fans will enjoy these features.

Reflection

After this I created a dating profile for my target audience. This is to show the type of person I believe will enjoy my magazine.

This task was very helpful for me. I know understand who my target audience and how I can appeal to them. I also understand the Blumler & Katz theory and I will definitely follow the theory when creating my magazine.

In this task I completed a textual analysis. I did this on a billboard magazine. I selected this magazine as they are a competitor to me and I wanted to understand the contents of the magazine.

Here is the review I analyzed. Click the image to go to the specific piece of text.

In the document below I extensively analyzed the text. Click the image below to see my analysis.

This task was very useful for me. This is because I now have seen an example of a professional magazine I have spent time in researching why the language was used and the specific effects of each part. In my magazine I will implement these techniques for myself. I also found out how to layout text in my magazine. This is useful to make my magazine look as good as it can be.

In this task I am planning my article of my cover star. In the article bellow I followed the convention of an article.

Hook: A hook in the introduction to the article. It is used to draw the reader on and to encourage them to read on further.

Background/Content: The background and the content text is used to let the reader understand the artist a bit further. It is effective as many readers may not understand who the artist is. Often it is used to represent the artist in a good way.

Discussion/Interview: Often the largest body of text the discussion or interview yet again gives more information of the artist. Views are given on the artist about what they might of said or done.

Prediction: The prediction is what the writer thinks the artist will do next. This is used to build anticipation of the artist. Some roomers may also be used here.

click on the image to see my article plan