Influencial style models

Cover:

I saw this magazine and it inspired me to use a border around my image for my front cover. I think it works really well at framing the image and i also like how the masthead is positioned on top of the border to show that it is the significant thing. I think the black border makes the cover look more professional and neat as it has an equal white margin around the outside. I want to maintain this look with my magazine but i will be adding a bar code and the artist's name within the border as well as my magazine name/image.

Contents page:

My contents page design was inspired by Loud and Quiet's which has a plain, neat style only using colour in the main headers which makes them stand out so they don't need to be larger. I will use a colour that runs throughout my magazine, most likely red as it this will be the strongest influential colour on my main page through the artist's lip colour. I also like how this contents page has only the artist's names as the page headers rather than having a lot of information about them. I feel this makes it look less crowded and more simple against the larger chunks of text. However, I do not like all of the information gathered at the bottom so I may choose to display this in a different way as well as putting more images as a focal point.

Double page spread:

This double page spread from vibe magazine has inspired my double page spread through the layout and the use of colour. I like how they have used a whole page for their photograph however I think I will display mine on the opposite side so it is not too overwhelming for the reader when they open it up to lots of information as seen in this example. I also like how they have used colour taken from the image within the article to highlight the key words of interest, e.g. within the header. I want to use this idea to show quotes and interesting points within my article so its more appealing for the reader. 

Flat plan of mock cover, contents and double page spread

 This is the type of layout that I want to use on my front cover. I think it is simple yet neat as everything is positioned in columns and around the image. The image is the main focal point which will highlight the artist as the main attraction but I have also used a pull quote to engage readers and make them want to buy the magazine to find out more.

I wanted the contents page to be informative yet neat so I have designed this with coloured rectangles that I will use to break up the different pieces of information. I am also going to include two extra images on my contents page of other artist's or stories featured in the magazine so it will attract other people that may not have been interested in the main story on the cover or are unsure on the artist as it will be a new/upcoming artist rather than a popular one. I have included contact details for social media and business on my cover page so that it is easy to get hold of my magazine and it will publicise things such as the website etc. where more information will be shared.

This is the layout I want my double page spread to take, I have decided to use two larger images at each side of my page and position my text around their outline. I am also going to use a large headline rather than having the artist's name largest as the artist's name may not be that well known but the header will interest people to want to find out more about her. I have used the design seen on the previous blog post to ensure the layout is harmonious and looks best to the eye.

Test shots

Pitch

Analysis of institution that would publish my magazine

International publishing media corporation, owned by Time INC, is a British publishing company that sell over 350 million copies of their consumer magazine a year. The company was renamed in 2000 to IPC media from IPC magazines as they developed new divisions and now own over 60 well-known brands. The company is split into separate divisions some of which include,

IPC connect which is aimed at the women’s market with magazines such as Now and Woman’s weekly, IPC Inspire with magazines aimed at men such as Rugby world and very successful music magazine NME and IPC Southbank which is targeted at more ‘upmarket’ women featuring magazines such as Marie Claire and Look.

I believe that IPC would be a good institution to publish my magazine as they offer a wide range magazine genres but nothing with a direct female indie focus meaning that my magazine would be unique and attract new audiences for them. The company has lots of experience with different kinds of magazines and in particular with the successful music magazine, NME; this means their producers would know what sells well and does not, where it should be distributed and how I can make my magazine successful. However, I do not know which of the subcategories my magazine would fit into as although it will be mainly targeted at women it is not in the same style as the other popular magazines produced in IPC Connect and therefore it may not fit here. Beings one of the UK’s leading publishing companies and being based in London, which is popular for having the most up-to-date and popular fashion and music, I believe it is the best company to publish my magazine that should fit within the same music category as NME but the same style as offered by their best women’s lifestyle magazines.

Research on photographers/graphic designers

Andrew G Hobbs

Hobbs’ work takes on many styles, colourful and monochrome. His models show a lot of emotion in gestures and facial expressions. His work has appeared in British Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and he has had ad campaigns for Nike and Louis Vuitton. The photographs which use colour appear to have been taken on a white background with the colour edited afterwards as it is often more intense and unusual than could be achieved using coloured lights and backgrounds. When I first saw the images the colour stood out to me as the key focus of his images, making the photo much more extreme and dramatic. The first image stands out as the model is wearing black clothes and the natural colours of her skin make her very dull against the highlighted background. The colour in the third image also stands out as edited as it much pinker than there would be naturally and brightness appears to have been increased. I particularly like the second image which is monochrome and makes the model's freckles stand out. The model looks deep in thought and sad which is shown through her facial expressions, her slightly parted lips and looking away from the camera, but the positioning of her too, leaning against the wall. The last image is an action shot which has been used to show the colours within the model's skirt and to make this the attraction.

Jan Welters

Welters is known for known for capturing the darkness and movement of fashion within unusual environments. A lot of his photographs are taken close up often only capturing the facial features of the model. Welters is a photographer for Paris, German and American editions of Vogue as well as French and British Elle and Italian Glamour as well as doing ad campaigns for Mango and Nina Ricci.

Jan welters takes much more unusual pictures, often using extreme close ups of just the model’s face showing the emotion and work of colour. Although his work is mostly monochrome when colour is used it is used to create an extreme effect that produces a non-naturalistic style.

His second image shows the unusual nature to his photography and how the focus is often on just the head of the model. The bottom two images show the use of colour and how, in the first image, the eye make-up corresponds to the nail colour to create a frame around the model’s face and to create impact. In the second coloured lights have been used to create an unusual shadow on the model’s body and her skin appears shiny to increase this effect.

Stefan Sagmeister & Jessica Walsh

Sagmeister ad Walsh is a design firm that creates adverts, websites, film, books and more. They have produced art for Jay-Z, Warner Brothers Records, the New York Times and the Olympic committee.

Sagmeister is a graphic designed that has worked for the rolling stones and had his work mounted in countries all over the world. He teamed up with Walsh who is a designer and art director. For these inspirational images they worked alongside photographer Henry Hargreaves. I immediately loved these pieces of work when I found the duo as not only were they completely original and bold but they were genius. They have created a new style of inspiring people with unusual materials that, when added to a simple yet beautiful image, create an incredible after effect.  The second, third and fourth style images are my favourite as a lot of time would have to have gone into them to create simple words that create the inconceivable illusion of bubble-gum, liquid and blue powder.

Audience Profiles

Name: Sarah Johnson

Age: 17

Interests: Live concerts, clothes shopping, photography, indie music

Favourite brands/shops: Topshop, Select, ASOS, American Apparel

Favourite artists: The 1975, Passenger, Iggy Azalea, Bastille, Imagine Dragons, London Grammar

Magazine interests: Clash, NME

Studying: Graphic design, Photography, Art

        

Font ideas

The font is one of the most important choices for my magazine as it will be the first thing that the reader sees when they pick up the magazine to look at the title. The font should be attractive and stand out on the main cover; it should be easy to read but can be different for different areas of the magazine.

For my cover page I want to use a denser font that stands out from the background. The font will be positioned at the top of my page and so will stand out if I use a thicker font so I may decide to use ‘jagger SF’ or ‘Cario SF’ as they will be similar to magazines such as clash and dazed & confused which have a shorter headline but a bolder font to ensure that it fits across the top of the page.

For my contents header and double page spread I may choose something like ‘Gothic 720 Lt BT’ which is simpler than the font for my cover page but provides a more classic effect. This is suitable as my contents page and double page spread will be busier than my cover page and so the title does not need to stand out as much or be highlighted by the style of it.

I believe that the fonts I have chosen will fit with my chosen style of magazine, indie, and match the magazine styles that I like from the research I have conducted.

Colour palettes

Colour Palette Ideas by CharlotteHull