MUSIC MAGAZINE

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Photoshoot images

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.

Illustrated covers

For 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.

First draft front cover

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Second draft