MUSIC MAGAZINEThe making of…

INITIAL IDEAS (scan in)INITIAL IDEAS (scan in)

INITIAL IDEAS

EP:The name EP stands for ‘extended play’ it is often used in the music industry but I believe it also could be used to mean more than music. The masthead would be in the familiar left corner and it would be a pop centered magazine.

POP MAGAZINE

WAVED:Waved is a hip hop slang word meaning enjoyment or intoxication. It features in numerous rap songs and I feel connects the magazine to the rap genre.The masthead would be traditionally across the whole magazine and there would be few kickers with the model being a major selling point.

RAP MAGAZIN

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Mix Tape:Mix tape is another hip hop term which refers to a trial record released to test weather an artist will make the big time. They are associated with being at the center of the genre and often credited with being artist’s best work. The masthead would be quite dominant and the magazine would be styled to look gritty and homemade.

RAP MAGAZINE

HOVE:Hove is a term used in the hip hop genre, coined by Jay-Z. Hove is a shortened version of Jewish god Jehovah and has come to mean a type of modern day demigod.The masthead would be vertical down the side leaving more room for the models and kickers.

RAP MAGAZINE

CHOSEN IDEA:

WAVED MAGAZINE

Classical masthead, spreading across the entire magazine. The

masthead should have an individual look about it so

it can be instantly recognizable, and should feature a hip hop font.

Central image of model focusing on mainly the top

half. The model should have a ‘snapback’ hat on because

they are very symbolic of the genre itself.

One central kicker relating to the model. The magazine’s main selling point should be the model and so

the kicker should relate the that.

I elected to go with the waved magazine idea because I feel it can be turned into an entire brand. The title, though connoting hip hop, is not directly linked to the genre and allows for a broader topic area. In my survey I found that more people wanted an interview and review based magazine and so I felt that this layout implied a magazine that was more focused around personality that purely music.

I feel it is important the the masthead is seen as more as a logo than simply the name of the magazine. The masthead must not just connote the subject matter of the editorial but also be instantly recognizable. I looked to hip hop magazines such as XXL and Vibe for inspiration but I also took into consideration successful mastheads such as wired magazine which has now become a global brand. These mastheads stand out from simpler magazines.

The font here is bold and readable. The red box

around it makes it completely visually

striking. This logo stands out from other magazines

and also connotes the larger than life idea of hip

hop.

Vibe magazine opts for a clear font with a slight

flourish on the ‘v’ and a lower case ‘e’. This makes it stand

out whilst not being overpowering.

The wired masthead is one of the most recognizable in the magazine

industry, the font itself connote the idea of technology as to the pixelated blocks. It is a prime example of a masthead that

symbolizes the genre.

masthead

MY MASTHEAD

I chose this masthead because I particularly like how it stands out. The letters are readable but altered, and altered in such a way that it makes the magazine stand out from other music magazines. I wanted to establish a brand image and I particularly liked the idea of persona within the hip hop genre. Artists often use pseudonyms and wear accessories that hide their eves or face and so I wanted to convey this idea of concealing identity in my masthead hence the filled in letters.

Cover IdeasIdea 1: the front on model. I like this idea because it gives the model quite a lot of power. The fact that the model is staring directly at the reader creates this domineering persona.

Idea 2: In this picture the model would be at an angle facing away from the camera, with the camera looking upwards. This creates this idea of importance and dismissal by the model. The upwards shot makes the model seem larger than life.

Idea 3: in this image I would have the model striking a pose. The idea of this is to show the artist working a crowd. There is also an almost king like connotation to this pose.

P h o t o s h o o t im a g e sP h o t o s h o o t im a g e s

Image 1: this image is the side on version. I photographed my model in front of a white background to give the idea of contrast, with her clothes being red. The bandana is something used frequently in the genre because of how it conceals the face. It also has connotations of crime. The glasses (which would be blacked out in the actual picture) are also synonymous with the genre. The pose of this is important because the folded arms convey this idea of being almost king-like. The camera is also below the model so as to give the sense that she is more powerful.

Image 2: in this image I had the model take up a pose similar to that commonly found in the hip hop genre. However as she did so her hands blurred. The pose itself is good however the blur means it is unusable.

The mise en scene is appropriate with the model wearing the genre appropriate ‘snapback’ hat

and ray ban glasses. There is a great degree of persona within the rap genre with stage names and that is personified by the clothes they wear.

The downward angle of the shot makes the model seem more powerful, this is commonly found on the cover of music

magazines. This again relates to the idea that these hip hop figureheads are almost

religious icons.

The pose of the shot is important because it again connotes power. The slight

angle makes the image more interesting and gives the

model more of a persona and an individuality.

The dark colours are again important because the genre plays upon the idea

of darkness. As Rap started in the Bronx in new york as a means for the African American community to gain a larger social stance the colour black became synonymous with the genre

and still is worn by almost every artist.

CHOSEN IMAGE

Illustrated coversFor my front cover I wanted to make it a real art piece more than a traditional photograph of a model. Guitar world often features covers with illustrations behind artists or even fully illustrated covers. Independent movie magazine ‘little white lies’ is famous for it’s beautifully illustrated covers which have become a selling point for the magazine. I wanted to perhaps experiment with a partially illustrated cover.

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Masthead needs to be in the middle Needs date line Needs barcode Needs some additional selling lines/ kickers The masthead can move up The lights of the Brooklyn bridge are blurred.

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I chose to do a relatively barren cover in terms of kickers and badges. Though music magazine covers are often busy I found that ones with a particularly influential cover model didn’t feel the need to put as man y kickers. For example if you look at the Nme cover featuring Jay-Z it had a small bit of text and the picture of Jay-Z. I wanted to create this idea of my model being almost like a king and so I felt that by having her as the only subject of the cover allowed that to happen. As I have stated the idea of persona and appearance is key to the hip hop genre, with a large emphasis put on stage names and presence. This is why I chose to put al of the objects exploding out from behind my model. I wanted it to seem as is she was at the heart of this life style. Money, weapons and cars are staples of the genre as well as New York, so in this picture I combined all of these in just the background. I crushed the blacks so the model’s hat and glasses became even more dark. Rappers often choose to hide their eyes and mask their identity, hence why I have chosen to do so here. The aloof pose is also very symbolic of genre and the larger than life personality. Because we are seeing up at the model we feel as if we are below her. Similarly it implies she is larger than the magazine. The kicker itself goes back to these connotations of royalty within the music industry with the word ‘queen’ made to stand out from the rest.