Double Page-Spread for music magazine - Rhythm

For my double page spread, I was very unsure what to do for it. I knew I wanted the same font and colours so there is that clear narrative going through the magazine. I then asked my Mum and she thought a competition or a questionnaire was a good idea so my ideas grew from there. As D.J Howell is the main character in my magazine I decided to ask him questions. I then came up with an idea that the questions could be in a competition, I found 1 other contender who is very involved with the Hip-Hop music at an amateur level, 'Joe MC'. Who ever answered the most correct answers won the Hip-Hop crown and my other idea was to include a record contract so there was a lot at stake! It was best out of 3 and D.J Howell came up on top both times and became the Hip-Hop king winning 3-0. After the result i decided to talk about the artists in depth because that way the reader will be able to understand why they answered the way they did and to feel involved with the artists life, which is one of my main targets for 'Rhythm'. My favourite aspect of my double-page spread is the 3-0 at the bottom. The colouring is in army colours so its shows that the competition is vital for their career's. I also like that there is a lot going on in the spread because normal magazines have very busy double-page spreads, so its realistic.

The fonts I used were, abite, 28 days later, defused, soul mission and base2. These fonts were used throughout the magazine. The reason for choosing these fonts is because they’re very urban and rough around the edges, just like the majority of my target audience.

My double page spread is different to other magazines; however ‘Vibe’ used Jesse v Obama. Mine was more head to head and straight to the point without dwelling on it. I believe that is what the targeted audience want. I have done some research however I have asked Hip-Hop fans for their opinion and they think it’s great. Questions i asked are at the bottom of evaluation. When using the software ‘ AdobeIndesign C2 ‘ I did not know how to make the font wider, because it was very squished together, but still readable which is the main thing. After completing my double page spread for ‘Rhythm’ I was very happy with the outcome. But being it be my own work I knew I maybe slightly bias so I went round my college finding people, I asked 2 Hip-Hop fans, boy and girl and 2 other people who are not such big fans of Hip-Hop, again boy and a girl; Hip-Hop fan 1 (Daniel Woods): Yes, brilliant! Exactly what I would like to be reading about, Artists going head to head, Love it! Hip-Hop fan 2 (Jade Townsend): It looks very sophisticated and well thought-out. I like the colours used and how it is laid out. It does look very busy however it’s very clear what is happening in this double page spread. Other music fan (Jake Powell): Well it does look good, but I can’t really read the red bit, so maybe widen the text or enlarge it. Other music fan (Emma Cook): The text is very small, on the other hand it looks like a real double page spread you would see in a published Hip-Hop magazine.

After receiving this feedback I would definitely make the font much bigger and wider, because Emma Cook struggled to read it, however Jade Townsend thought it looked very sophisticated and very well thought out, but maybe this is a negative because it doesn't look urban enough. But Daniel Woods who is a young black man who i mainly target, really liked the magazine so i was extremely pleased with that.

With this feedback i am pleased but i would maybe put more text in to make it look more rough and urban because comments from Jade made me feel i have over thought the spread. Also i could have changed the font to maybe a different colour because it is quite a challenge to read it clearly. However i am happy with the overall outcome of my double-page spread.

Contents page for music magazine - Rhythm

For my contents page I had a fixed idea on what I wanted it to look like, I made sure the image was similar to the front cover so there was a clear narrative running through the magazine. I made sure ‘D.J Howell’ was wearing the same ‘hoody’, and was in the same surroundings for example, the brick wall. When analysing previous magazines such as The Source and Vibe, they both had clear narratives from start to finish, you can see this below in my blogger where I analysed the magazines in great detail. So that is what I’m trying to do with ‘Rhythm’.


My contents page is similar to The Sources contents page; (image of The Sources contents page in blogger below)however mine is slightly more urban and concentrates more on The Hip-Hop music rather than the life and politics of Hip-Hop. For example the contents page's main focus is the playlist whereas The Source's main focus is all about the Hip-Hop culture. This is what makes my magazine slightly different but will still appeal to Hip-Hop fans, and will look different and fresh in the shops. In AdobeInDesign C2, I put a transparent box on top of my image to lighten it up. When trying new things with my image I learned many new skills on the software, such as the editing to font and colour and just tidying up my overall contents page. When flat-planning my contents page I knew I was trying to be similar to The Source’s layout. I wanted to do this because I wanted my magazine to look original. But the image and font, colouring and surroundings are a lot different. Also the information showed on my contents page clearly delivers the message that ‘Rhythm’ is all about music. After completing my contents page I wasn’t to happy with the outcome but all I wanted for my contents page was simplicity. I asked 2 Hip-Hop fans, boy and girl and 2 other people who aren’t such big fans of Hip-Hop, again boy and a girl; Hip-Hop fan 1 (Daniel Woods): I like the way you have the same colours in the contents page and the front cover, using gold throughout the magazine represents the richness which I think is cleverly done. I also like the image as well because he being my age aspires me even more! Hip-Hop fan 2 (Jade Townsend): I think your magazine will appeal to many Hip-Hop fans, especially young men, because having a 17year old as the main image is very aspiring to young men. The thing I like the most about the contents page is its very simple and sophisticated so it shows that ‘Rhythm’ is serious about the music. Other music fan (Jake Powell): Personally it’s not my cup of tea if you like; however it is easily identifiable as a Hip-Hop magazine. I probably wouldn’t buy the magazine but I think Hip-Hop fans will. Maybe there could be a little more going on as well. Other music fan (Emma Cook): Looking at the contents page, I am now interested in what’s in store and would like to read more! I love how urban the magazine is, it comes across very well. I would buy the magazine if it was in the shops at a reasonable price.

Taking feedback into consideration I would probably make the contents page a little more complex, because i feel there could be more going on due to Jake Powell's comment, but i am static about the other 3 peoples feedback, it makes me feel as if my magazine could actually have a success. If i were to go back and make changes i would probably add more text and maybe another image so its less boring, but i would still keep the same idea because it has the basics which is essential in a contents page.

Font cover for magazine - Rhythm

This is my front cover for my Hip-Hop magazine 'Rhythm'. The person posing 'hard' in my front cover is Thomas Howell. The reason for choosing him was because he's black and represents the black audience which is what Hip-Hop mainly targets. I took quite a few pictures before I decided that this was the one I wanted to use. I had to make sure that it was a close up with eye contact and he looks 'rock solid'. The font is the same throughout the magazine so there is a clean and clear urban narrative running through my magazine, apart from where it says songs reviewed, i chose to keep this normal, so the magazine is taken serious, for recording songs. I also made sure that he was wearing suitable clothing, for example he is wearing an Abercrombie and Fitch 'hoodie' with his hood up. Then i cleverly put the red font inside his hood, so we are actually in his brain. I chose him to have his hood up because of the Hip-Hop superstars, such as; Snoop Dog, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Eminem. The target audience dress like 'D.J Howell' so he's easy to relate to. When researching hip-hop magazines previously I discovered that the font is quite bold, and also is a sans serif font to show that it’s current and up-to-date. The font in other magazines such as 'The Source' and 'Vibe' use gold colour font to show off their richness. This is an example below;

This makes the audience jealous of their lifestyle so the magazine is aspiring young black men to be more involved with hip-hop music. Before choosing my magazine title I was caught up in two minds, ‘Rhythm’ and ‘-Hip-Hop-Bible-’. I went with rhythm because it relates to the beat and slickness of the Hip-Hop music and lifestyle so I believe it is a good title for my magazine.

After finally completing my front cover for ‘Rhythm’ I was very pleased with it and what my family though about it as well. But being it be my own work i needed other opinions so I went round my college finding random people, I asked 2 Hip-Hop fans, boy and girl and 2 other people who are not such big fans of Hip-Hop, again boy and a girl; Hip-Hop fan 1 (Daniel Woods): I find the front cover very interesting because there is so much going on with, D.J Howell and steroids effecting his new career, also Snoop Dog v Kanye West is something that fascinates me. If this magazine was on the shelves in shops I would definitely purchase the product! Hip-Hop fan 2 (Jade Townsend): Being a massive fan of Hip-Hop I appreciate and applaud this piece of work; I love the surroundings of the brick wall, and for once a Hip-Hop magazine which concentrates on the music! Love it! Other music fan (Jake Powell): I Think the layout of the front cover has been very well done. I like when the colour of fonts are the same on the front cover because its easy to understand the story and the messages being put across. I would not buy the magazine personally, just because of my taste in music. Other music fan (Emma Cook): First of all I really like the title chosen ‘Rhythm’. I recognize how it represents the beat in Hip-Hop music. I think the gold colour font is a bit cheesy, but a very good idea.

The feedback i received was brilliant, i got comments that really satisfied me, but my front cover came across quite cheesy, so maybe i could of spent more time on the font and how it linked well with the image. Most of the feedback was very positive, but i still feel i could make it look more professional, by doing this i would start by having gold chains or rings in the font, so it would make DJ.Howell look even richer and much more easily identifiable as an hip-hop artist. However i believe that the magazine title 'Rhythm' puts this message across well.

‘R H Y T H M‘is very similar to magazines such as ‘ The Source and Vibe’ because there target audience is young black men, and they all talk about politics and Hip-Hop lifestyle in greater depth. Also the names of magazines are all short and snappy. However I do believe that if you put all 3 magazines on the shelf that you would recognize certain differences, such as my magazine has a clearer narrative because the font I use such as – ‘Who’s got the juice? Steroids effecting Hip-Hop’ is in red font and then ‘Inside the brain of D.J Howell’ is in red font so the narrative is clear. This will run through the whole magazine.

I believe it would be best to publish my magazine in specialist records shops because you get the people buying the magazine who love the music. This is what my magazine is for, the love of Hip-Hop. Also it would be easily promoted because the magazine is in specialists hands. On the other I feel that ‘R H Y T H M’ would be a success in newsagents because you get all the lads of the streets coming in for snacks and drinks, so it would be a success but not as successful has it would be in a specialist recording shop.

The publisher i have decided to go with is http://www.ipcmedia.com/ because of its success it has had with upcoming magazines. Here is an article which convinced me to chose ICPMedia. It includes the publishers history, awards and much more, I believe my magazine will be in good hands with this publisher. It would benefit my magazine significantly because not only is it one of the market leading distribution business's, 44% of UK adults, men and women read ICPMedia magazines, that's a whopping 26millions adults! So ICPMedia is the best option for my magazine because its a leader in the distribution section and research shows that magazines that come from ICPMedia have been very successful.

When creating my front cover I wasn’t used to InDesign but as I played around with the software I became more confident and learned new techniques to improve my front cover. For example getting new fonts on to the software from http://www.dafont.com/, and also changing the quality of the picture, etc. But however I wanted to have a small rectangular box underneath the title in red and the writing in white. But I couldn’t find out how to do it. Before completing my front cover I did plan but maybe not thoroughly. I could of used the InDesign more so I was more prepared before creating my front cover. I should of spent more time on my flat plans as well so I had a clearer idea of what it should look like. However it did include what I needed which was the most important thing. Overall I am very pleased with my front cover.

Flat Plans For Hip-hop magazine 'Rythm'

For my flat plans i drew our my rough sketches of my Hip-Hop magazine 'Rhythm'. I sketched up my front cover, my contents page and my double page spread. My flat plan is very rough but clear how my magazine should look like, this including images, font, colour etc. My flat plan isn’t very neat but with my time it was best to just get one done so I can focus on my actual front cover.

Looking at my flat plans, I probably wouldn’t be too happy about the outcome, however I believe when using the software, it will be much improved. My front cover is the guideline I need because I didn’t have a clue how I was going to do it, now I am prepared I think it will be a better front cover.

Double Page Spread For 'The Source'

This is a double page spread from 'The Source' selected at random, and i will be discussing about this double page spread i more depth.

Again the font used is San Serif, this shows that the magazine is modern. And shows and proves to the readers and target audience that they are up-to-date. There is no title for this double page spread, to be honest there's hardly any writing, this is most probably becasue the magazine is trying not to bored the readers. Also on this double page spread the number of pictures and size and layout are pretty much identical again this reflects how mature the magazine is which was first identified by looking at the front cover.

The colours from the double page spread are sophisticated colours which emphasise the people in the pictures. For example instead of brown, its beige. It is just the little more sophisticated than normal colours you would usually see in a hip-hop magazine. In a way it makes the magazine unique, just buy using sophisticated colours.

In each picture the facial expressions are serious, this shows the dedication to the Hip-Hop music. There posture is straight, this shows the levels of confidence and how vain they are about themselves. They are wearing white clothes with gold chains, wearing the white t-shirts make the bling more recognizable, this is very common in Hip-Hop magazines because its all about showing off there lifestyle.

Now after analysing The source from the front cover to the the double page spread, i now know how to create my magazine and what to include, and also what my main sells are going to be.

The Source - Contents Page

The font used is San serif to show that its an informal magazine and very modern and up-to-date with gossip and news in the hip-hop music industry. It also uses short slang's, streetwise language. This is for the young black African/American men to relate to. 'Rhythmalism'
There isn't really a title for the contents page, but in the bottom left corner . 'The SOURCE' is in bold so this immediately draws the readers attention to the readers. Underneath 'The SOURCE' it says ' THE MASTER PLAN' this shows that the contents page is a master plan for the magazine. By saying its a master plan it convinces the reader that the magazine is set up perfectly and will include fine information that is wanted to be read, this will therefore impress the reader.
The background colour is a simple black, this represents that the magazine will be simple and not to complex and straight to the point. On the other hand the is red on the right side of the contents page which represents the love and passion for the magazine and music. By having half red and half black on the mans face creates a sense of enigma. You don’t know what to expect which will thrill and excite readers.
The image is quite similar to the front cover. There is no emotion shared with the reader. Both images on the contents page and front cover it includes the same man and his eyes are looking straight forward. Maybe it’s something to do with the cultures and politics. Showing a strong face shows he is a strong man and believes thoroughly in his beliefs.
Unlike normal magazines where the font and picture isn’t parallel or un-neat, The Source is different. It is very matured and sophisticated for the older readers. It also proves that the magazine is organised and serious about the politics involved. For example down the right hand side all the font is in the same size and the spacing is inch perfect. This creates a wider target audience. Whilst being sophisticated it also looks modern, linking these together is very cleverly done by 'The Source'.
The contents page is a 'Master Plan' as quoted in the magazine. It is layed out well and includes relevant information to the magazine. It looks contemporary and the colours suit the black mans personality, the contents page elements link very well together.
Sources Used; My own primary research, by comparing to other magazines in the same competition, and basic knowledge.

The Vibe Front Cover Analysis

The Magazine front cover I will be analysing is the 'VIBE' but I am analysing an anniversary addition, 'XVIBE'. I will be analysing and discussing this magazine in depth. I believe that the reason the magazine is called 'The Vibe' is because a vibe is a beat, and because of the music's genre has a lot of beats in the music it relates to the magazine title. The title is in sans serif font; this is so it’s informal and looks up to date with fashion and more modern. It’s bold so the 'vibe' message is being sent across to the readers. They have also put a x in front of the v so it indicates its 15th anniversary, this is cleverly laid out because the 'Vibe' are in a different colour to 'XV' this indicates to the readers that it may have extra information or something new because of its anniversary. The Vibe has made sure that the readers know this because its in the title in bold and the 15/XV is in a different colour. The font used is San Serif, this shows it’s more contemporary and modern. The 'X' has sharp edges; this is so the special edition is recognized. Also the important information is in bright colours, such as blue and pink, this is to draw the readers attention to the key information to the magazine, this could be because its either trying to send a message across or because if this information is in bright colours and the reader will see it first they will then go ahead and buy the magazine. There are no alliterations or abbreviations because it’s a magazine that isn’t sophisticated. It’s a magazine that is for the youth to relate to so being as streetwise as possible will benefit this magazine. 'The Source' and 'The Vibe' magazines target audience is pretty much identical. Maybe the 'The Source's' target audience is slightly more matured than the 'VIBE'. The reason behind this is because the 'Source' is all about politics to being streetwise and about there life, and going into detail, unlike 'VIBE' its all about music and lifestyle which is what young men what to read about. I know this because reading through both magazines there are many young black men trying to copy there idols such as JAY - Z.
The image Cleary puts the message across that it is the 15th anniversary, a celebration. By JAY-Z cutting the cake it shows that the 'VIBE' is celebrating the 15th anniversary. I believe they chose JAY-Z because he is a world class musician and is internationally very well known. Also because the music JAY-Z specializes in relates to the magazine, so together they link very well. JAY-Z is in an upright position with a lot of tension and comes across quite anxious. He doesn’t show any emotion and is trying to look 'rock solid'. This is why he is posing in this way because young boys who want to be hard like JAY-Z will buy the magazine because they will try to relate to him.
The main sells to the magazine are; the extra information and news that comes with the special edition. Also just being a special addition excites normal readers to the magazine because there is bound to be new and better things, such as "15 Exclusive Interviews" relates to the 15th edition. The VIBE have done this because there trying to tell the readers that this 15th anniversary is special. So the main sell is 'XV' or '15'.
There is a barcode in the bottom left corner with a price tag. But the price tag is so small it’s hard to read, this indicates money doesn't matter because the magazine would be worth any price. The magazine has 218 pages in total. The main flash's to the magazine is rivalry between artists such as "Jesse v Obama" and the in depth interviews (15) exclusive. Also JAY-Z '474 Songs reviewed.
Sources Used; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIBE

The Source Front Cover Analysis

The magazine above is an American hip-hop magazine that includes discussions about politics and cultures, I will be analysing it to full detail and then creating my own hip-hop magazine. The Source's name came from background research, it took only 3 days before coming up with the name to come up with the name, after the 1st day they came up with 'Out Turf' but it didn't work. The reason why 'The Source' is worked is because information you gather comes from a 'source'. So they went for it and people understood 'The Source does gather inside information. It was a risk though because only sophisticated or smart people would really understand. It was a very important decision because when looking at a magazine the first thing you look at is the title.
'The Source' is in San serif font. This is because it is more informal and up to date with fashion; this is suggesting that the magazine is fresh and new. It is also very bold and stocky, and so are the black men in the magazine. This will appeal to young girls who are interested in men like that. Another group of people who would be interested would be young boys growing into men. They all want to be 'hard' and 'solid'. These types of men are there idols. The colour used is gold, this is because it represents all the bling and being rich. It suggests being streetwise and being involved with hip-hop African and American music has rewards. The language is short and snappy, this is so they can use loads of different information instead of reading through paragraphs, and it’s also more fun. Another reason is that when people purchase magazines, it’s normally down to the front cover so the pictures, font and language used are essential. So using short sentences in different types of font is the best way to sell the magazine. The language is informal, for example abbreviations 'Gangtsa' instead of 'Gangster' this technique to show the magazine is fresh and new, and includes all the new information and you’re not missing out. The colour of the font is only black and white, this could resemble that there is right and wrong pieces to the magazine.
The target audience is for 16 - 25 year old. Maybe streetwise American/African males because of the cultures inside the magazine I've seen. I believe this is the target audience because there is a high percentage of a young black man in the magazine. Also language being used is the type of language you would hear from a young black American man, for example 'Reppin bk'. I think The Source's target audience would fall under 'C2' for Socio-economic classification. Probably because there getting money just to get by and have a laugh, and get up to no good like teenagers do.
On the front cover for 'The Source' there is a black man, probably about 30years of age, with dark shaded glasses just below his eyes. This suggests that he's a powerful man with a sense of enigma. That's why I think that the magazine picked him to appear on the front cover because he's rich and very well known; this will therefore draw more attention to people who look at front covers before buying a magazine. And then hopefully increase sales revenue. The man is posing, but with arrogance, young black men can relate to him because they all have the same attitude.
The main sells are the bling, E.g the title in gold; this indicates the richness of the black men and aspiring young men to be like them. Also the black mans arrogance on the front cover so that the younger men can relate to him, also that its specifically targeted for young black men, or either white young men who have black men's attitudes. Doing my market research there isn't a lot of competition for this type of audience, so the magazine its self is a main sell.
The front cover includes bar codes, the date and a price, but all this information is either down the side or in the corners so it doesn't distract buyers or readers form the important information. The Source has 145 pages in total.
The main stories are; ' News' and 'Playlist'. This indicates that the magazine keeps the readers up-to-date with news about the streets and interviews with idols. So the readers feel involved which is very important to a magazine reader. Also the music, there not being distracted by the news or other information they are still including the music which is why most people by the magazine. So having both together is works very well.
Audience of Artist/Band
Age Range: 16-28
Evidence: After emailing The Source I didn't get a clear response of who the target audience is for and why. But after doing my own primary researching The Source through Google and reading through the magazine I am pretty confident of the target audience and why. The reason why the age range is 16-28 is because the magazine is about politics and turning young boys into young men. You wouldn't expect a 10 year old to buy a book about politics because it is a very mature magazine about cultures and lifestyles about being streetwise. The reason why I don't think many 30 year old is because it’s very rare that you have black, American and African men who are still streetwise as a full grown adult. You may get the odd man, but it’s not worth specialising it at that age market.
Gender: Male
Evidence: The evidence is in the magazine. In the magazine it includes sexy women, men's after-shave and bling and black music. So it would be very unlikely for women to be interested in this magazine. Also the language used throughout the text used is very slangy' and short and snappy and you normally hear women speaking clearly and it bright colours would be used for women text. As this magazine uses black and white font and slang it indicates the gender target audience is clearly men.
Nationalities:
Evidence: The Source was originally made in United Kingdom, but over the years it has become a more popular magazine and now recognized as the second best rap/hip hop magazine for young men. It has also drawn mainly American/African young men because of the in-depth detail of politics and cultures, but mainly the laid back hip-hop music. The reason why African and American black men are the target audience is because they like to be involved and relate to lyrics which what happens in Rap and Hip-Hop.
Sources used:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Source_(magazine) & http://www.thesource.com/