This is my first go a contents page for my magazine inside cover. For my first dig at a contents page I tried to include as many of the conventional contents page features as possible- catchy cover lines, images, page numbers. However I absolutely could have included more genre appropriate language a date and other key unmissable features and these are all things I will take into my next draft.
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CONTENTS PAGE PEER ASSESSMENT
What type of shots have been used to create a variety of shot distances and how has the camera been used to communicate meaning?
-High angle shot has been used on the model showing depth, model looking up towards the camera.
What choice of Mise en scene is appropriate for the star image and genre?
-Costume such as sunglasses and bold jewelry, stern facial expressions and body language shows that the cover star is bold and confident.
How far is the font used readable and reflects the genre
-Title is large and gold, representing the genre, the rest is a serif font which is simple and easy to read to get the reader straight to the point.
What technical conventions of a Contents page are present and used effectively?
-Easy to read and is clear, large title to get the point across, page numbers clearly matched to the information, good use of language in coverlines to pull the reader in by not giving away too much information, ways to make the reader feel included such as competitions.
How has Indesign been used to layout the page to convey a brand
-Sticks to a certain gold and yellow colour scheme, using certain borders and the layout creates the 90s rap atmosphere.
How well have the text and visuals been integrated together?
-Text is easy to read, as well as overlapping with the model but is still clear, doesn’t make the page look too complicated or busy.
Where has photoshop been used to manipulate the photos to enhance the star image or genre?
-uses cutout of model instead of simple image, not making the page look boring
How is the language used appropriate for the genre and target audience?
-Informal language and slang to connect to readers uses words to get the reader’s attention quickly.
B grade- clear, strong, conventional
This peer assessment has helped me locate the areas for improvement I didn’t notice myself. I will take the advice I was given in this peer assessment and hold it close in future drafts.
5 TARGETS
More genre reflecting language
Use of additional images
Different typefaces as I used the same ones too frequently
The contents page process involves sourcing work from other media producers. This is to ensure that the contents page you make as a producer is as informative but also stylish as can be. Having looked through some work already done, I can pick and choose as I please therefore my own contents page highly professional and conventional.
This is my inspirational page of different contents pages
A key role of the contents page in a magazine other than to act as an index to it’s ingredients, is that it must incorporate catchy and alluring cover lines and headlines beside the page numbers within my contents page. These components work together to conjure a desire in the mind of the reader giving them an urge to buy and read the magazine. Maybe they like it so much they will even sign up to receive the monthly magazine mail out!
Five catchy headlines and cover lines
Hand drawn mockups
I need to involve all of the typical conventions of a contents page. Such as, promotions, page numbers, cover lines and pictures. This is all to spark interest and set the reader up for some insightful reading. Because after all the main goal is to gather interest with my cover lines sparking some attraction between the reader and the magazine.
How well is the masthead proportioned and how unique is it?
My masthead is fairly well proportioned to the rest of the cover. it has an impactful presence because it is in a bold red box. In terms of being masthead being or not being unique, I feel it is moderately unique. The outline of the text is the only way it is visible. I like this effect because it gives it a modern- ‘I only need an outline to my text not an inside colour’ feel. I also feel I broke some conventions in that the actual font I used is more classical. This was resolved by adding some larger stroke to give the masthead a slightly more distinguished and modernistic appearance.
Describe how the cover models are framed well and are they large enough to take centre stage?
I feel like if there is anything I nailed in this draft it is the framing of my model within the front cover. He fits the frame perfectly and the only part that I am a little unhappy with is that his head doesn’t rise into the masthead. so I need to cut his head out better in my next draft. this will be tricky because of the texture and material of the hat my cover model is wearing. What I desperately needed is a boarder if I want to have the image out of the frame of the final cover. Without a boarder the effect is ruined and I think for my next draft I will just fill the whole frame with my image.
How has DTP been used to integrate text and images?
I composed my magazine using desktop publishing software such as Photoshop and In-Design. In photoshop, I was able to invert the colours of this image. I managed to additionally cut out the my model within the image but I wasn’t happy with how the hat had white specs in it because I couldn’t cut out such a material to perfection. I feel like the tones of inverted colours hold very modernistic ideas because inverted colours is a new form of editing people have started using to make their images stand out.
In what way does the colour palette reflect the genre?
The deep tones of my chosen colour pallete that exist within my front cover through the image being inverted reflects the genre in a number of ways. My image utilizes the fact that dark tones to transform to light and the light to dark to really make my cover model pop. I would class these deep ambiguous cyan’s, dark blues and limes as conventional to my genre because these are very cold and each combine in a contrasting manor.
(Not accounting for my use of red just accounting for the actual image)
How far does the font choice convey the genre?
My choices of typeface which are Gill sans ultra bold and Engravers MT are in turn highly representative of my genre. At least, in my opinion. The high stroke on a classic typeface causes the masthead to look modern because of the mix between a flicky fancy classic font and a bulky modern smooth stroke. The additional factor that I left the masthead unfilled adds a modern look because we no longer have a need for fill colours in these advanced times of graphic design. Italicizing my wordage furthers the trendy hip hop feel and replacing letters with symbols like the dollar sign is a very hip hop rap and edgy sort of design choice.
How far does the Mise-en-Scene communicate the star image and genre?
MES on my front cover helps to communicate both the star image and genre in that props such as the sunglasses, the phone, chain, vest and bucket hat I each considered items that are closely associated with the rap hip hop genre. The sunglasses and the phone pair together to give a sense of exclusivity and the phone is to convey that we are in modern times of the touchscreen iPhone. The vest and bucket hat are a must when recreating hip hop as I wanted to give me target audience a throwback to the times of 90s hip hop. Making a statement like this I feel would bolster social interaction. This is because people who both read the magazine and were around to witness the era will be able to reminisce, therefore creating an outlet for social interaction.
What language is used in the cover lines that is appropriate for the target audience?
The language I incorporated within my front cover is what I would call, genre appropriate I used modern phrases such as “on the scene” which is a way of saying- they have arrived in recent times. My conventional use of wording gives my magazine front cover an orthodox sense of youth audience targeting. Although I most definitely could have involved more genre appropriate language in my first draft, it is something I can take into my second draft.
What conventional technical elements associated with a magazine cover are present?
The conventional technical elements I incorporated within my front cover were the musts; a masthead, cover lines, singular cover model and barcode. Where the rest I wouldn’t consider unconventional more just less common or outdated. In my following drafts I will definitely look at drawing more of a scope on the conventional elements on magazine composing. Because looking at my front cover from an AIDA perspective it just doesn’t quite do it for me yet.
How has the use of photoshop helped communicate star image and genre?
My use of photoshop has very minutely helped me communicate star image and genre. This is only because I wanted to try something somewhat unconventional through inverting the image, but I feel It worked. You could say my use of photoshop helps communicate my own personal identity because I didn’t want my front cover looking like everyone else’s. I wanted to stand out from the beginning.
These are the contact shoots from my first shoot which I am pleased with for a first attempt. In the shoot I was constantly reminding myself of my vision for my star image and I put this forward into how I directed my model.
I mindfully chose the costume for my model to wear. I wanted him to symbolize the genre and of course I needed him to be wearing some chains because that is the magazine’s title.
In terms of body language I feel as if I had him in the correct stances and facial expressions to communicate not only the genre but the fashion movements and styles of the era I went going for, which is 90s hip and rap.
I really like this image because it gives the perfect message of ‘I’m a rapper I’m too cool for you’ ‘I’m too busy taking this phone call when I organised this shoot’. This portrait captures my model as ‘exclusive’ and ego boosted and It contains nice colours but not too much colour. It holds some great visual integrity in that my model is holding a menacing and vicious facial expression but the colours are overtly bright. I like the juxtaposition and that fact he’s on the phone whilst making such a facial expression gives a sense that this ‘celebrity’ is in a state of delusion and that he thinks he is above everyone else.
In terms of lighting, I went for a high key lighting set up. This is because I wanted every action and expression was captured on camera. To give as strong of a message as possible.
I hopped on In-design to create some masthead designs that I could possibly use for the front cover to my magazine. Here is what I came up with.
The masthead designs above are all options I could use for my final product. Seeing as I’m creating a brand, I want my masthead to have originality and magnetism, I want to go about this front cover as if it is the singular way I am gathering a target audience, that way I can make it as professional and eye catching as possible.
With this media production task. I need to not be afraid to break the conventions of the hip hop and rap magazine genre in order to be bold and give it a new feel. After all, hip hop and rap is always changing, so I should change with it. Although I still need to give out the correct connotations, when accounting for AIDA in these masthead concepts I thought what typefaces and colours I could associate with the genre and then work from there. My audience is purchasing a hip hop and rap magazine so that is what I need to show them through this front cover.
Thinking forward, now having chosen to use the masthead below for my final product. I need to now pick tones and colours which complete my masthead. I need to create a mood for this front cover and If my colour pallete does not work then whatever mood I try and go for will fail.
The final looks, layouts and fonts. Inspiration is key
I put together a mood-board containing covers of magazines that appealed to me. They hold such appeal because of their stark contrasts and that they all seem to be in the 90s or shot to look like it. I want to take this across to my own cover maybe trying manipulate my photos so they appear older to fit with the 90s hip hop movements.
The fonts especially are what draws me to a cover of a magazine. What the best part about creating a magazine cover of you own, is that you can borrow aspects from covers you have previously seen. You can recreate colour palettes, reword cover lines, recycling and uplifting old work giving it a refreshed and reinvented feel, giving out a new meaning or idea. I believe a layout of a magazine cover is just as important. You don’t want crowded clumps of information thrown in your face, you want catchy, slick captions and cover lines to really snatch the audience’s attention.
More specifically, I quite like when the cover model’s head covers part of the masthead and the magazine is so known that it doesn’t even need to be completely shown. In turn, I like the basic colour palettes throughout the front page then having the masthead a bold combination of colours across a gradient. I feel this is an expressive and tactful way of giving a front cover that wow factor. I will most probably use the bright backgrounds like the cover of “BRICK” and “SOURCE” contrasted to a stern looking rapper with dark coloured clothing. This contrast is satisfactory because it makes their facial expressions, accessories and hairstyles stand out so much more compared to shooting on a black background.
Taking in to consideration key aspects like my cover model and the graphics within my magazine, I would like my model’s expressions and stances to match the tones of my colour palettes and to relate to my chosen graphics.
Moving outward and onward, the knowledge that you can borrow from absolutely anywhere in media creating I feel will help my work to come across more refined, more considered and definitely more genre appropriate because taking any inspiration requires thought in that you have to consider how it will slot into your vision.
This is my PMA (Production Meeting Agenda) for my first shoot.
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This is my production meeting agenda for my initial shoot. Using an agenda will help me in the final planning stages because they are direct and only hold the important information.
Using production meeting agendas in future will definitely be a must. They are are a vital component if I want everything I have worked for up until now to fall into place because; I know where I need to be, what I need to bring, where I’m going, who is modelling for me and even the directions I am going to give them in the shoot.
When making a star image profile on The Notorious B.I.G I realised these stars in the music industries live anything but ordinary lives.; I want to carry this across to my own work through the repertoire of elements in my magazine. I need to communicate their extraordinary lives through my language and how I portray them in general; the iconography I use, in the props for my model, the images I use of other stars and the adjectives I use when describing them.
Having now created a star image board, I feel I have improved my word association which will help me in the long run when describing my modelled star and real stars. I can decode information better than before meaning that I am more confident in filling up my magazine with appealing and moreish content.
This is my Canva mood board on how I would like my model to look; the styles, the vibes, the connotations and denotations I am after for the appearance and content of my magazine. These Images that I collected from Pinterest help express the environment I want to create In my shoot. I want to have my model looking cutthroat, savage and untamed. In addition, I’d like to have my model in daring and dauntless poses to carry across that sense of fame and that fact he is so unbothered by negative opinions or if he is made to look bad by any media.
Taking closer steps to creating a magazine I need to understand my audience; who they are, what they want to see, what they don’t. My target audience, as a demographic need to be given the correct information. I need to entertain my audience, educate them inducing social interaction. Now having carried out some oppositional reading and research into specific psychographics and looking more into consumer behaviour I have started to really decode the hip hop and rap demographic into subsections like age ranges for example. This has given me the confidence and knowledge I need before making a magazine.
YouGov proved itself helpful when I was researching into the demographic ranges of the rap and hip hop listeners community. This knowledge is useful because I can now tailor my magazine content to the tee of my rap and hip hop demographic.
I took a snippet from the ranked most popular rap & hip hop music artists (2021) to help me start to think about what hip hop artists and rappers I can include in my magazine. This made me think I could add a hot this week section to give my magazine a more journalistic feel to it. It also made me think I could add a controversial section where a rapper who is in the spotlight makes a bad choice and maybe cancels their concert at the last second for example. These kind of features could make my magazine more interactive because I can add a text number where my readers can vote for a hot this week artist and song.
Creating this dating profile of a typical rap and hip hop listener and fan boy I was given the opportunity to represent my demographic as a rap and hip hop magazine producer. Considering the details was beneficial because when I added “I teach street dance” to his profile it made me think, maybe I can add a street dance competition or raffle column into my magazine adapting my media to my magazine’s consumer’s preferred reading.
Glancing ahead, now having started to encode all of this information, I now know my content has a higher chance of being successful because of this innovative form of research. I have confidence in my content, now is time to focus more on the appearance of my magazine.
We did this task to develop an understanding surrounding the magazine content and demographic relationships. It was advantageous for me as a media producer because I now have clear ideas in terms of content for my magazine and what others have done before me who are now my competition.
Going ahead having now considered and continuing to consider my competition, I think what is necessary is that I try to be original, separating myself from my competition in a positive way but to try and not stray away from what my USP details.
