TOWN MAGAZINE: ALTERNATIVE LAYOUT

TOWN Magazines layouts are slightly different, some of their articles feature layouts with image spread over a whole page and half of the next, with the article written on the remaining half, this layouts is also something I have seen in chapter magazine. Unlike Frankie magazine the image fills the page immedietley grabbing the reader's attention. The headline is written above the start of the article. I like the fact that it is neat, yet still quirky. 

QUESTIONNAIRE ( ROUGH OUTLINE)

Since my magazine will be regional, it will have to appeal to local people, therefore I have decided to formulate 10 questions, that I ask public. This will help pinpoint what will sell to a regional public, and how I can make my magazine more appealing.

MEDIA LANGUAGE

Although I am hugely influenced by the photography and layouts in independent magazines, most of the articles I read are from ELLE and Vogue. I am considering doing an interview for my main article, and am inspired by the way ELLE AND Vogue conduct theirs, their interviews are conducted as more of story, instead of the standard question and answer. It usually begins with a description of their surroundings, immediately setting the scene, and is then written as if the writer is recounting a conversation, almost as report. I like this format because it is more like a traditional article, but  can be quite personal at the same time. 

IMITATION

I've been extremely inspired by the layout for Acne magazine, its simplicity, the rawness of the images. there are no headlines, the masthead is placed at the bottom of the page. Again this layout is slightly similiar to magazines I have researched such as Bullet and Monu. The images on the cover are usually portraits and midshots, giving the audience a direct introduction, it also connotes openness and intimacy.
I also noticed that with each issue, the word 'Paper' is in a different colour, maybe indicating the topics in which the magazine will cover in that issue.
I may try to imitate this design using photoshop, in order to see how it works with my image and title.  

MAIN ARTICLE / FONTS

These is the first collage of fonts I've selected, all from very different magazines, yet all centered around fashion.
Picture 1: This is spread is for oh comely magazine, I liked its easy, lazy font,  very similar handwriting. I believe this font will attract a younger audience in comparison with the other two spreads.
Picture 2: A quite basic font, but it is bold, so it stands out. I imagined using this font as the title to an article, and placing it on its own on a separate page .
Picture 3: This font i very similar to the previous one, because it is quite basic, yet the style of this one is thicker and longer, I like the fact that it stands out against the white background, and is placed at the top of the page.

The main reason why this font stood out to me, was not only because of  its coordination with the image and the background, but because of its uniqueness, its quite hard in comparison with oh comely fonts, this emphasises and encourages the fact that it is a men's magazine. In turn this has made me think about whether my magazine is mainly directed at men or women, or is it a unisex magazine, as this can help dictate the type of fonts I use.

Unlike a lot of independent magazines (which are my main focus), the writing is placed across the image. Yet here it really works, I think it is mainly because of the font, it is thin and simple, therefore it is allowed to be enlarged without over shadowing the main image. It offers a clear and crisp introduction to the rest of the article.

ARTICLE LAYOUT



I am mainly inspired by independent magazines, this is why i decided to talk about two page layouts within Frankie magazine, a image based layout and a more word based layout.

WHY AMPLE ?

I am inspired by independent magazines, which are not trend/ advertisement based and do not solely deal in fashion. Independent magazines usually have more modern, eccentric and unusual names. I wanted my magazine name to capture some of these elements, but to also be predominantly simple and easy to read. 

The process: I initially started with the idea of naming my magazine Sample,I didn't have a particular reason for chosen this name, apart from the meaning i gave it which was test, at that time I didn't want the magazine to be too serious, I wanted it to be relateable to young people. I came up with this name by playing around with different words. From this I changed the S to a 5, Just to make it more edgy, yet it's pronunciation would still remain the same.
I then realised that this may be quite difficult to pronounce, spell or even catch on, I also I had to decide whether the name of the magazine reflects what the magazine is about.
I came to the conclusion that most people's initial thought of my magazine is that it was named five ample.

From this I considered the name Ample, after searching up its meaning, which was sufficient, plenty, I realised that this was what I wanted my magazine to embody. I want my magazine to showcase content that is both entertaining as well as knowledgeable. 

DRAFT LAYOUT: CONNOTATION / DENOTATION

This a draft layout of my magazine cover, here I have picked out the main features and talked about why I chose present it this way, and if I can improve. 

PHOTO-SHOOT

This is a collection the photographs i took, here i want to see how the locations, the clothes and the model work together and if they complimented each-other. the photos especially, are the pictures I liked the most and would consider using in my magazine. 

COLOUR PALLETE

Considerations:  

For my pictures, I am inspired by light pastel colours, as seen in magazines such as Lula. These colours are mostly used for the background of images, its sets of a soft feminine tone.I may use this colour for the cover of my magazine as want still want to maintain some simplicity.

Photos:

Black and white photos are something I was initially intrigued by because I felt it added more depth and feeling to an image. Black and white pictures are extremely common in old photographs, these photographs usually tell a story of the time and setting, giving the modern day audience an idea life at that moment. Therefore I believe that black and white images tell more of a story colour images. I have been considering using these photos in my main article, but I feel it depends on the type of story I want to convey, are the images the kind that need depth. I also want my magazine to relate to young people, so I don't want my  magazine to appear to serious.

I also really liked this picture, mainly because of the grey stone background, it looks clean and structured. The model's pose was also quite interesting, the fact that she was sitting on a ledge with slouched shoulders and dangling leg, makes awkward yet somehow appealing. This image reminds me of laziness in youth. Yet its crisp and clean production may seem to high fashion for my magazine.  

CONNOTATION / DENOTATION: INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE

i have chosen to the a denotation/ connotation on Bullet magazine, because i have now realised that this  the type of magazine i am most intrigued / inspired by. The layout, is something i would like to emulate. 

MAGAZINE / CONOTATION DENOTATION

Here I have looked at the layout of a more commercial magazine, in the boxes I have talked about the masthead, image, fonts etc. I have specifically tapped in on the connotations of these different features

RESESRCH / LAYOUT

These are a collectiion of magazine covers, I am inspired by. I am looking at the layouts especially and how I can incooperate these layouts into my magazine . 

Mono and Bullet magazines are magazines I used in my last post because I Liked the font used for their masthead, yet I also liked their layouts. I liked the fact that their cover images were in its own separate box, without any subheadings covering the picture, this draws more attention to the image. I especially like the layout of  Monu magazine. This is mainly due to the fact it is unusual. The main image is small and placed in a box in the center. The subheadings are the same font, size and are allocated just below the title, this is also similiar to that Bullet's. By having all the subheadings in one place and away from main image, it takes away commerciality, as the extremely commercialised/ popular magazines such as glamour or Vogue showcase bold subheadings. I like the uniqueness the layout brings these magazine and how they challenge conventional layouts. 

Like the other 3 magazines, these one have quite simple layouts especially Lula, In this magazine the image is the main attraction because it covers the whole page and is accompanied by the title on the right side of the magazine. The placement of the Masthead coincides well with the pose of the model, making the magazine look more professional and neat. I have considered the placement of my masthead and have decided that I don't to place it in the middle or across the magazine. I like the idea of placing it on the side of the magazine as seen in Lula and Aesthetica, because it gives the cover more space increasing its simplicity especially if you have an eye catching image. Another thing that I like about Aesthetica  magazine was how the subheading is always placed towards the top of the image on a strip of white paper. Very similar to Lula is The Whitepepper magazine, yet unlike Lula the Masthead is placed across the magazine and on the image, whitepepper is more eye-catching because the image fills up the majority of the cover without being overbearing. This may be because of the light pastel colours used.  

RESEARCH / FONT TYPE

This is a collection of the type of fonts/ masterheads that inspire me, I am going to break down the magazine fonts into categories and will talk about why i chose these Master heads. 

Most interesting/ different: 

I thought the font for Vice magazine was one of the most interesting and original, mainly because the font itself is transparent, that way neither the image or the masthead is covered. It also looks graphite inspired through it shape, this gives it an urban edge, implying that the magazine is aimed at a younger crowd , yet it is not as intense and colourful. It is simply placed on the left side of the magazine, unlike most magazine masterheads which are placed in the middle.

The most simple: 

I chose the mastheads for Bullet, Monu and The Whitepepper, because of their simplicity and boldness. Bullet and Monu are quite similar in terms of their layout, they are both placed above the image, which the features all gathered underneath and just above the image. I especially likes this layout because it was neat and structured. Whitepepper magazine is slightly different, the masthead is in a bold font aswell, yet it is placed across the image. Yet combined with the image and minimal features, it still maintains its simplicity.

Simple but different: 

I thought Indie and Dansk magazine were also quite simple but with a twist. Dansk magazine uses a technique, where they flip their letters, and have a thin borderline that from either side of the masthead around the edge of the cover, this gives it a rich, espensive look. Whereas indie magazine is less refined and more edgy due to the scribble across the masthead.

SOME THEORY / CHALLENGING THE STEREOTYPE

A Prezi presentation made by me, this presentation is about the stereotypes made within the fashion industry, more specifically the editors and the assistants. 

RESEARCH / PHOTOGRAPHY

This mood board is a visual representation of the type of shots I admire and will inspire the shots I will use in my regional magazine.

RESEARCH / LOCATION RECEE

In order to produce Good pictures, you should shoot in the right location, so earlier in the week I went searching for suitable locations for the cover of my magazine. I was mainly attracted to flowers, bushes and nature in general, I think they give an idea of an intricate and enchanted world, yet the locations I have shot still have a sense of normality.

The location I liked the most and am most likely to use is the the yellow front door. The shot I got of it, reminds of the outside of 1950's/60's household, it is very normal, ordinary and simple yet it is able to create a story, which makes of an effective image. This Location is appropriate for the mood I am thinking of portraying through my images portray, which is everyday life, expressions and action captured on a more dramatic scale.  I especially like the mood The yellow door creates, the colour yellow signifies happiness, sunshine, and humidity. However, this is a door to a building on a neighbourhood, it is likely that there will be residents, so there will be consent needed to shoot there.  

A reliable yet cliché location is the park, it also offers that secluded world because of the grass and bushes, this is why I chose it as an optional location. However it is something that has been done before, also it does not fit in with the story/ mood I would like to portrayed through my images.

MOOD-BOARD #2

As i am doing a regional magazine for my practical coursework, today in class, i was asked to start working on my main article. So at the start of the lesson, my mind was blank i was stuck of what to do, so I resorted to reading online magazines and then when i read some print ones I had at home. From reading online and print magazines I can see the subtle differences between them, pictures in print are more amateur, they lack the glamour and sleekness of print magazines, yet their rawness is what makes them more appealing.

Also from reading both print and online issues, I found that the main articles consisted of interviews, with famous or up and coming personalities. I am especially inspired by magazines like ELLE and VOGUE, construct their interviews, it is not the traditional question and answer interview format, but more like a story of someone's day with another person.
I would like to in-cooperate this interview style into my main article.  

MOOD-BOARD

This a collection of my thoughts on what i want the front cover of my magazine to look like. I don't want something to glamorous or sleek, mainly because I want it to appeal/ relate to a local audience, preferably an audience my age. I chose magazine covers from the likes of frankie, I-D, wonderland and LOVE, because of their raw, yet filtered photos, and their simplicity, i would like my magazine cover to emulate these traits. I believe that most of these covers are easily achieved on Photoshop as most of the fonts and colours used are basic, apart from the font used for LOVE magazine, this font specific to their magazine, so maybe I could consider creating a font specific to my magazine. 

WWW / EBI

• I have decided to do a regional magazine for my main coursework, and i know the style of magazine i want it to be. 
• Due to me starting my this england piece, i was able to get some feedback on it, and improve the piece
• I feel that i am meeting deadlines more than i was at AS 

• To utilise my time more efficiently and find a schedule that works for me 
•  Create more research 
•  Develop my photography skills 
•  Develop my understanding of layouts

RESEARCH / REGIONAL MAGAZINES

For this task i have researched a few regional magazines that i like or am interested in. Here i chose certain pages from the magazine,and talked about the styles I would like to incooperate into my magazine.

CORONATION STREET

                                                                                    

Due to our study of Soap Operas this is an evaluation of a clip on coronation street, which was viewed in class. Here i will talk about what makes it realistic and if it decrepit British tradition.   

Certain aspects of Coronation street decrepit, traditional British values. These are the values and traditions that make it more believable, certain aspects that you would usually see in Britain are present in coronation street, for example the London Cab, the bad weather and gloomy weather, represent the inconsistent British weather. The lack of  color in soap operas is what differs British television from American television. Also the traditional cup of tea is a central theme, as it a constant action, throughout the show. 

Coronation Street holds, typical convention of a soap opera, one thing that is seen is almost every British soap opera is the element of hidden truths and sneaking around. This is what entices the audience and adds a sense of excitement. It also makes it more appealing and relate-able to the audience as the difficulties of a soap opera can also occur in real life situations. Another aspect that makes it appealing is that they all look like real people, they are extremely attractive, this is huge contrast to american Tv shows such as 90210, where all the characters are hugely attractive, well to do, and the problems are dramatized. 

However there are parts Coronation that are not appealing, especially to young people, personally I didn't find it interesting and although, the realism appeals to certain audience, yet in general audience are more drawn in when there is more drama. Young people especially also love looking at beautiful people whom are wealthy, as that is the life that they want.  

FIRST PHOTOSHOP LESSON

For my first Photoshop lesson I did I variety of tasks, using new tools, such as the patch tool, the clone stamp. Within these tasks I used the clone stamp tool rub out a girl who is walking along the ledge of a  brick wall, in order to do this I clicked another part of the brick wall, and then use part of the brick wall to rub out the girl. For another task I used the Q button an image of a city with skyscrapers to select the buildings, I then used the lasso tool on the background of another picture to insert it into the image of the skyscrapers.

Using the skills I learn't in these little activities, i created a magazine cover based on an existing magazine

I chose ARISE Magazine for its bold exotic colours, its inspiration and for the fact that it is not very mainstream.

RESULT:

 This is my finished product

For their master header, Arise Magazine uses a font that is made specifically for them, which consists of stencil-like writing, so in Photoshop, I selected the font stencil 

Each image and word and headline had a new layer, so they are moveable around the page. 

I chose a white and peachy font as it coincides with the image I chose, and gives the magazine a clean and organised palette. 

When it came to adding and resizing images i.e. the bar-code, I copied and pasted the image of the bar-code, i then pressed Ctrl and T for the resize border, and I whilst I  resized the image I held down the shift button as to avoid the image becoming disproportionate. 

HELLO

Hi I'm Benita an A2 media student (hopefully), after doing AS media, apart from the stress i realised Media is something i want to take further, as it gives a variety of skills that will be very beneficial for me       in my chosen career. During AS media i learnt a lot of editing video skills, by using editing platforms such as Final Cut Pro, I learnt how to handle and work different types of cameras.