Evaluation - Hip-Hop magazine

http://www.slideshare.net/sophiez1994/evaluation-12304088

Music Article

Here is my double page spread/ music article for my hip hop magazine:

Layout

This is the layout of my double page spread:

Music Article text - 'Miss-X'

Hip-Hop Honey from Hackney, ‘Sharelle Holdsworth’, better known by her stage name ‘MISS – X’, might have been brought up in a rundown council estate in the north of London but, in the past fifteen months she has broken free from the crime filled streets of Hackney and landed herself a record deal, managing to reach Chart topping success with her debut album, ‘EMPIRE’. It quickly became a commercial success, peaking at the top of the billboard 200 and it has become a platinum award winning product. Miss- X is the first ever female artist to have 8 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and is being compared to many globally successful female Hip-Hop/Rap artists such as ‘Nicki Minaj’, ‘Missy Elliot’ and ‘Lil Kim’.

 ‘It’s all very overwhelming’, Says Miss – X, ‘I’m not really sure what to say or think right now, (laughs) I mean platinum! It feels almost surreal and I’m just waiting for somebody to wake me up. I’m not shocked that I’m here though, maybe of how far I’ve come and the amount of success, but that’s it. People say to me, you Must be so excited; a Year in the industry and you’ve already achieved so much! Don’t get me wrong I’m buzzing but a year’s nothing, I’ve only been seen in the public eye for a year so it looks like I just got lucky and I can tell you now that’s not the case. I’ve worked for this my whole life. I grew up in very rough surroundings and unfortunately the people there weren’t blessed with much luck at all, “you had to fight for what you got” and still you’d just get it taken away from you again. I was in a very bad place and be the only thing keeping me going and that’s how I knew I had to get out, make something of my gift and share it with the world. So I did just that. When I hear my name being compared with hip – hop icons like Nicki Minaj, apart from being completely honoured it also makes me think that I proved everyone wrong, everyone who told me I Couldn’t do it, well look at me now!’

 Like most other globally successful stars, Miss – X has had a lot of support not only from her adoring fans, but from her family and friends also. ‘It’s a great feeling’, Miss – X’ explains, ‘Knowing so many people are behind you and want you to do well, even people you don’t Know and probably will never meet. My family have been unbelievably supportive, they’re my biggest fans and I will be eternally grateful for how much they have sacrificed for me.’

 After fifteen months of hard work, Miss – X finally released her passion filled album ‘Empire’. Despite the fact her music falls into the hip-hop category, Miss –X also incorporated a lot of R&B and a splash of soul into her creative work of art. ‘I like to make my tracks fresh you know? Include something everyone can relate to. Naturally I have a lot of Rhythm and Blues in my voice and I grew up listening to a lot of soul music so I guess that’s where I got that from. I like making my sound creative and unique, something nobody else would have thought of and I can tell you know there are a few more unexpected twists in my Album other than this.’

Critics say she is arguably one of the strongest female voices to emerge in hip-hop in the last decade. We all love her music without a doubt but some people are not too sure on what to make about her outfits featuring in the music videos for her album ‘Empire’. “I don’t mind being called odd or strange”, says Miss – X “At least it means nobody’s about to steal my Swag any time soon. I can’t be anybody but myself and I think it just makes me unique, I guess my style reflects the excitement in my music and I find I end up touching a lot more people who might never have paid much attention to a female rapper. ”

Other than a fusion of music and styles we also understand that’s not all she’s created. Miss – X put her creative mind to work alongside multi- award winning, American, Rapper, Songwriter, ‘Lil Wayne’ and together they produced the hit song ‘Dynamite’; she then went on to collaborate with other artists such as Rihanna, Will.I.AM, and Jessie J. ‘It’s been really hard to get my head around it’ says MISS-X. ‘One minute I’m Killing beats in the studio, working hard and just having fun, the next I’m receiving offers! I was shocked these people even new me. I’m getting used to it now though; it just feels right, like this is what I am supposed to be doing. Each week I’m getting inundated with feature requests and it’s just crazy, you’ve gotta find a balance though, just focus on a few that are closer home in terms of your music.

As a result of her rapid musical success, The ‘Empire’ star is due to headline her first UK tour in January 2012 starting in London. She will be showcasing her music for a period of 6 months and will be joined by many of the artists she has collaborated with! The Box office will open on December the 1st so make sure you check in to support the new face of hip-hop! ‘MISS – X!’

Analysis of a music article

12E Md Music Article Exercise:

Aim: to identify the style and content of music reviews in preparation for producing your double page spread.

1.       What do you think is the relevance of the term ‘Talking Top Shop Blues’?

-‘blues’ suggests that the genre of music she plays is ‘bluesy, indie’

-‘top shop’, where she used to work.

-use of alliteration

2.       How many columns are there?

-3

3.       How many images?

-1

4.       What connotations does the image give of the artist and the content of the article?

The image is quite an unusual, creative image which could suggest the style of her music; there is quite a gothic look with the long black hair either side of her face which suggests her music is quite serious. The serious look on her face also connotes this.

5.       What are your initial impressions of this music feature?

-my initial impressions are that her music is quite deep and not very light hearted. That a lot of her life has been put into the songs.

6.       What techniques does the writer use in the first sentence to engage the reader?

-He compares her to other artists who have been really successful in the music industry really quickly the past few years which highlights how talented she must be. This makes the reader think that maybe the article will be worth reading.

-the fact he compares her to people we already know about makes it relevant to us.

-we also know what to expect

7.       What does ‘ubiquity’ mean?

-ubiquity means that she is everywhere; everybody is starting to here about her.

8.       What is the focus of paragraph one?

-Her new album

-songs and singing ability

9.       What technique features in Maguire’s quote in paragraph two?

-repetition

10.   In paragraph two, how is Maguire made to sound like an average person?

-‘Suffering from a cold and nursing a fruit tea in a café in Brixton’ – makes her seem ‘human’ and down to earth.

11.   What is the focus of paragraph three?

-          Her family life and how she grew up

12.   What do you think is exaggerated in paragraph three?

-          The bluesy genre of her music

13.   In paragraph five, what point is made about Maguire’s relationship with music?

-it’s a form of therapy for her

Final Draft

This is my final Draft of my contents page:

Final Draft

Here is my final draft of my hip hop magazine front cover:

Photographs

These are some of the photographs i have taken for my hip hop magazine:

Mastheads

These are some of the mastheads i tried out for my hip hop magazine:

First Draft

This is my mock up of my Hip Hop, music magazine front cover:

Survey Responses

Here are the responses from my music magazine survey:

Question 6 Responses: Gossip about music artists and posters

Reader Profile

Analysis of similar media texts

Analysing Contents pages

Kerrang!

·         Aimed at young people who are into rock music and bands etc.

·         The first thing you see is the picture, emphesises the point of magazine – man singing (all about music). Tatood, shades,.

·         The colour scheme is black and yellow, represents more hardcore music as black and yellow is the colour toxic warning signs and no entrt signs etc

·         Five sets of images, two of which are double page spreads in the magazine showing the reader what they will find.

·         Special offers

·         All the main information are written in bold with exclamation marks suggesting everything is exciting.

·         All males featuring in the pictures

·         All of the articals include interviews of the bands etc

Mixed Mag

·         Colour scheme – black and white, smart layout

·         Aimed at an older audience – people who are into clubbing, festivals gigs etc (live music)

·         Contents layout matches the bag of a CD case would look

·         The main images in the main focus. Suggests the magazine is all about partying and events. The girl is dressed in partying clothes, looks like she is enjoying herself and is surrounded by people and lights.

·         No subheadings

·         Plain design and layout

·         More focused on the information

·         Information about a free CD at the bottom. Reminds readers.

·         Free CD includes a list of tracks

Conventions

·         Note from the editor – knowledgeable

·         Image supported by text – cover line to link the story e.g. quote

·         Main features at the top

·         Chronological page order ‘random’ – prioritising features

Analysis of similar media texts

Comparison of 'TOTP' and 'NME':

                                         TOTP                                                               NME

The purpose of a magazine cover is to allow the reader to get a sense of what the magazine is about and what It will contain. They also are designed to attract the attention of the potential buyer and making them curious with their pictures and information. ‘NME’ is aimed at people who are passionate about music and between the ages of 16-19. The cover represents the target audience as well as the magazine in many different ways which include of colour, graphics, layout, strap lines, images etc. in contrast to NME, TOTP Is aimed at a younger audience, specifically girls and it too represents the readers in those ways.
Colour:One of the first thin you notice about the cover of NME Is the excessive use of the colour red. Red is thought to be an emotionally intense colour, it has a very high visibility, which is why stop signs and danger signs etc are usually painted red. It will attract people and the fact that they have used a lot of this colour brings the text and image into the foreground, the colour also stimulates people to make quick decisions. The only other colours used are black and white which makes the red stand out even more. The fact all of the colours are bight and bold represent the youthfulness of the readers, the passion they have for the music and excitement of reading the magazine. Similarly to NME, TOTP has a colour scheme which Is pink and purple which makes it completely obvious the target audience are females as they are feminine colours. The use of pink and purple for everything creates a sickly sweet image which suggests the readers are young and innocent. ‘The Wanted’ is in a yellow box which is the only other colour besides pink and purple, this makes the title stand out a lot more.Masthead: The Masthead of ‘NME’, Is placed in the top left hand corner which is unlike most conventional covers, this is known as NME’s trademark. The Masthead is bold and sits in a strong shade of red which connotes the importance of the music, it is also eye catching and fits in with the rest of the colour scheme. The font is quite informal and youthful which suggest that it is intended for a younger audience.
The Masthead for ‘Top of the Pops’, is written in a curvy, bubbly font outlined by a pink highlight. It’s written across the top of the page and is a clear representation of the who the reader is, the font not only connotes the youthfulness of the reader but also tell you who they are. The Hot pink which outlines the pink is almost like a coating of icing which portrays the target audience as being sweet and girly. The font also looks like it could be a girls handwriting.
Taglines:The Taglines on the cover of NME are in quite an ordered position which suggest maturity. They are bold and the font I clear to read but curves slightly which gives the page quite a fresh look. They are all written in red and black which follow the colour scheme and they inform the reader of what the magazine will be like.
As opposed to NME, the taglines on TOTP are spread out in a purposely un organised way and there are a lot more of them. The untidiness is like as if they’ve just been scribbled down like in a girl’s diary or notebook and the amount suggests excitement and that there is so much going on. There are a variety of fonts which suggest there are a variety of topics and stories which involve gossip and fashion and everything else that’s important to a young girl. There is use of slang words like ‘OMG’ , and informal phrases like, ‘Lush lads stripped’. this would allow the audience to relate to the language used. The fact they have used exclamation marks connotes that they are shouting everything at us maybe like how a teenage girl would speak if they were excited.
Image:NME’s only image is of ‘Alex Turner’ ,from the ‘Arctic Monkeys’ and ‘Miles Kane’, from ‘The Last Shadow Puppet‘ standing back to back. They are both two successful artists which highlights that the music is the most important thing in the magazine instead of fashion etc.
TOTP has a variety of images which again shows there’s a lot going on but it again suggests the target audience a being younger as usually you attract a young audience with images rather than text. Most images are pictures of young male celebrities who are classed as being ‘heart throbs’ in the media. For example, ‘Justin Bieber, ‘Zac Efron’ and ‘JLS’. this represent the young female audience what they are attracted by.

Audience Research

Here is a link to the survey i conducted for a Music Magazine:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9VG8KTN

Final Draft

Final Draft of my school magazine contents page:

My contents page simply echoes the school colours scheme and the front cover as well as informing the reader of what to expect to see inside of the magazine. As well as sticking to the colour scheme I have also included a bright colourful background to give the page more life, this suggests that the target audience are younger however, the straight forward layout suggests maturity.

I have used a variety of fonts and styles to make the pages more interesting however the main font is quite a formal font which is suitable for the target audience and the purpose of the magazine. The images all support the straplines and the information on the page. They all relate to school but at the same time show students enjoying what they are doing which shows the school as being a positive place to be. The images are also images that will feature inside the magazine.

Final Draft

Here is my Final Draft of my school magazine:

Colours and image:

-The target audience for my magazine are students between the age of 12 and 18 as the magazine is aimed at a school or college. One of the ways the front cover represents its target audience and the magazine itself is the use of colour. There a lot of bright colours on the page which suggest many things like youthfulness, light heartedness and excitement etc. which is ideal as front covers are meant to draw the reader in. despite this, I have kept the masthead Navy blue as it follows the schools colour scheme. I have only used one image which is of two school girls in school uniform holding school books which clearly denotes who the target audience is. The fact that they are smiling and their surroundings are bright and cheerful (sunny day) connotes that their school is a positive place to be and the grass and trees and the natural setting suggests that’s the school is also healthy and well cared for environment. The fact that the girls are standing close together in open postures again connotes that the school is a positive, friendly place.

Connotations of the Title and Taglines:

-The masthead, ‘FSG student news’ makes it very clear who the target audience is. I used a curvy font for ‘FSG’ which is laid out in a relaxed bouncy way which suggests the creativity and activity (movement) of the school. The ‘Student news’ font underneath is quite plain and formal which suggests the school also has an academic side.

-The colours I used are blue and white which follow the schools colour scheme.  As well as following the colour scheme, the colours of the masthead, white against a blue background, are suggestive of the sky and the sky is often used symbolically to connote the idea of progress, ambition and development. For example as in the sayings, ‘reach for the sky’, and ‘the sky is the limit’

- Aside from the font style I also used different graphics to make the title more interesting. I used a glow effect which suggest the brightness and liveliness of the teachers and pupils and a mirror effect which suggests the clear qualities of the teaching and learning.

-The size of the masthead is quite big in order to catch the attention of the readers.

-The brightness and colourfulness of the straplines suggest that the information is exciting and the ellipses suggest that the reader should read on. They give you an overview of everything in the magazine and reasons why people should join the school besides the curriculum.

-some of the straplines are directive towards the reader, ‘Don’t miss’, which points them in a bold, clear direction towards things the school has to offer other than the academic curriculum.

-At the bottom of the page is the most important strapline as it is the one which will encourage the target audience to buy the magazine because of the prize they can win.

-The strapline is the only one in a box which highlights the importance; it also follows a different colour scheme.

- The font is clear so it’s easy to read and the key words are emphasised in a bold red and the red connotes urgency and importance as well as drawing attention.  

Layout:

- The layout is a combination of naturalistic photography and stylistic graphics which conveys sense of variety and versatility.

 

 

First Draft

Here is my first draft of my school magazine front cover:

-This is my first draft of my school/college magazine. I decided to put my masthead at the bottom of the page instead of the top because i feel that then the first thing you look at is the girls studying which relates to 'school'. The letters 'FSG' are also bold and eye catching because although their at the bottom they are not forgotten I have used some design affects on the masthead for e.g reflection and glow in order to make the magazine cove more interesting and stylish; I feel that this would attract a bigger audience. The colour scheme i have used is blue and white which match the schools colour scheme. also the colour white is a bright colour so it stands out against the different colours in the picture. I used the font 'comic sans' as it is quite a 'curvey, bouncey' font which would appeal to young people but at the same time it is formal, and easy to read which is suitable for a school.

-In my strap lines i use punctuation to indicate the message to the reader. for eg. i use an exclamation mark at the end of 'Don't forget to sign up for student council' suggesting that it's important and that it's being shouted out, that strap line is also at the top of the page. I also use elipses (read on etc). there is also page reference.

-The image is of two girls studying, in school uniform which is relevant to the school magazine

Photographs

These are some of the photographs i have taken for my school magazine:

Reader Profile

Survey Responses

Here is the response summary to my school/college magazine survey:

Question 2 Responses: the responses were mixed. The majority answered no as they doubted it would be of interest to them. This make aware that i need to focus specifically on the suggestion of my target audience in order to create a successful school/college magazine.

Question 3 Responses:  The majority answered a balance of activities happening inside of school aswell as outside of school.

Question 4 Responses: Nearly all responses were simple and straitforward. e.g.: 'FSG news', School Direct' and 'School Mag'. The majority included the schools name in the title.

Question 10 Responses: The majority answered that they would like it to be made interesting and include the things they have asked for rather than what general school related topics.

Analysis of similar media texts

I carried out a semiotic analysis of the codes and conventions of another school/college magazine front cover. Like the other magazine I analysed the masthead is the most eye-catching feature of the magazine. Drawing in it’s target audience with the size suggests that the school take pride in themselves as well as ensuring that there is no confusion of what magazine you are reading. The Masthead is titled ‘Independent school’ which immediately creates a good feeling about the school because of the use of the word, ‘Independent’. The font of both Masthead and straplines is very formal and the layout is very professional which connotes the main focus of the school is the education. All of the information also focuses on school and learning related subjects only giving the readers a clear idea that the school creates a hardworking focused atmosphere for the pupils.
The colours used for the for the typography are black and white which follows the theme of formal education. There is also purple used for the straplines lined along the side of the magazine which contrast with the green title. The layout of information is again laid out in a formal way mirroring the way information would be written out in a school book or an essay.
The Front cover image is a boy sitting at a desk with his hands on his head. The image connotes concentration, is posture suggests all of his thoughts are on the work he is doing which again reflects the hard working atmosphere. However, his posture looks too much like he is struggling and the fact he is not holding the pen suggests he is unaware of the answer. If the boy was shown writing out a sentence during his intense concentration, it would reflect the school in a better light showing because of all the hard work their students are all bright and knowledgeable.

Analysis of similar media texts

I carried out a semiotic analysis of the codes and conventions of another school/college magazine front cover. Taking up the majority of the page and outlined in a thick curvy black, the bubbly masthead titled 'Fly', is the most predominant part of the page. It attracts the readers attention almost immediately mainly due to its size. Each of the straplines have been given a different colour and like the masthead have been written in a bouncy informal font. This could suggest the creativity of the school and a relaxed atmosphere. The Masthead could also connote note book writing. All of the information on the page contrasts to the style of the writing. Although the straplines are colourful and fun the information includes school related subjects only, this links the two together. The information is also written in a not so formal way maybe reflecting the way a teenager/ young adult would speak; there is the use of three exclamation marks at the end of each strapline which could be trying to encourage the target audience and persuade them that school can be exciting.
The word ‘Fly’ makes you think of birds and how flying is effortless to them. This reflects the school and how their student’s relationship towards the work and the school life at this school is also ‘effortless’ which suggests that the quality of the school and teaching etc is very good.
The girl on the front cover is smiling which supports the straplines suggesting that the school is and enjoyable place to be, she is not looking strait towards the camera which makes her pose more natural. Her posture is closed, she is standing in front of her school with her arms crossed across her chest which could suggest determination. However the green baggy jumper again suggests the informal atmosphere of the school.

Audience Research

Here is a link to my School/College magazine survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RT2395N