Formal Proposal –

Title of the magazine I wish to produce –

The title of the magazine I wish to produce is called; ‘Example’. I decided to call my music magazine this because I wanted to create something that has an eye-catching and memorable name. I chose ‘Example’ as the name of my magazine because hopefully people will recognize the strong association this word has with the music industry, because there is already an artist working under the stage name ‘Example’ who specialises in the ‘Hip-Hop’ genre, the genre my magazine will focus on. Not only does the word ‘Example’ have that reference to ‘Hip-Hop’ but I also felt it could have a double meaning representing something else entirely, the word ‘Example’ is what this magazine is trying to be, an example of what can be done, which is one of the reasons my I plan to produce my magazine very conventionally because I don’t want to be totally unique I want it to be something that really does act as an example, an example of what can be achieved, an improvement on a alleged perfect design, in this case an improvement on the Eminem issue of ‘Vibe’ magazine, on which it is heavily based, due to the positive reaction it triggered from those involved in my questionnaire.

Explanation of choice of genre –

I chose the ‘Hip-Hop’ genre for a series of simple reasons; because it is a genre I am interested in and have some knowledge of. Having this knowledge would enable me to create an authentic looking ‘Hip-Hop’ magazine when it came to actually producing the product. I also felt it is one of the most recognizable genres with a distinct feel and style to it making it one of the easiest to create a unique magazine for. Furthermore, it is hugely popular across the world bringing in huge revenue streams to numerous publishers so when it came to the point where I have a finished magazine, there is no doubt that there will be a large market with the disposable income to be able to purchase my magazine.

Target audience –

As a result of my feedback from my questionnaires and my focus groups I decided to target my magazine at the 15 – 25 age bracket, notably males. I did this because ‘Hip-Hop’ is a predominantly male dominated industry and is therefore more likely to appeal to young males from their mid-teens to mid-twenties. Historically ‘Hip-Hop’ has its roots in African-American lower class male culture but today it has been mainstreamed significantly and this is why I have chosen the genre because it appeals to a much wider demographic than other genres but still manages to satisfy its ‘die-hard’ fans

Initial ideas about front page –

My initial ideas for the front page are a bright large eye-catching title which will stand alone as the single word: ‘Example.’ Stemming from market research I have found out that my target audience prefer one large image on the front cover which will itself relate to the main cover line, in addition to that I also found out they prefer bright colours such as reds, oranges and yellows more so than subtle colours, so I will be taking these factors into consideration during the construction of the product. Furthermore I will make sure there is a variety of cover lines on the front page in order to entice a range of readers, thus providing something for everyone, so to speak. I may also include a header and footer which will summarise the contents of the magazine for a potential reader at a glance. In addition I plan to keep the colour scheme, font size and type consistent throughout in order to give continuity and consistency to the product.

Initial ideas about contents page –

When it comes to producing my contents page I plan to use a similar layout to my front page, to create consistency. A large image which will dominate most of the contents page and relate to what I plan will be my ‘special’ section in this week’s issue which itself will be the basis for

the main cover line on the front page and therefore this will be continued across onto my double page spread meaning there will be a running theme of this significant story across the front page, contents page and double page spread to highlight its importance. Running down one side of the page I will include a column which will list this weeks items such as: music charts, exclusive interviews, photographs and competitions etc. Other general elements will be included such as a ‘Review’ section which will review music DVDs, new albums and other general music related topics and items. Much like the front page it will be bold and eye-catching with a large and clear font for important features. It will keep a consistent colour scheme in order to remain identifiable and to create a continuing trend between the three products I will create.

Initial ideas about double page spread –

The double page spread will most likely focus on one large interview which will run across the two pages, giving a mix of photographs and copy, the writing will be in continuous prose although I may incorporate some type of question and answer format. The double page spread will have a much more ‘chaotic’ style to it. Especially on the left hand side where I plan to have text and images overlapping perhaps presenting pull quotes and other segments of text at angles so they flow and fit into gaps around the main image. However, on the other half of the page I plan to create something that is far more systematic for example the page will be dominated by the article itself and therefore there will be little space for other items, hopefully by doing this it will create a stark contrast that will satisfy everyone. Basically the first half which will be full of short snippets of text mainly quotes from the article itself and pictures (more than likely one large image) will please those who do not like reading long in depth interview and prefer just to gather basic facts however for the ‘diehard’ fans of the artist who will be the subject of the double page spread will be satisfied by the latter half as it will be much more in depth focusing on specific details, events and occurrences trying to give as much information about the artist as possible to the reader in the fewest words.

Initial ideas about photographs – When it comes to creating the products (front cover, contents page and double page spread) there is a criteria to meet of four original images so of course initially that had to be met, my initial ideas surrounding the photographs were, one large would run throughout the three products it would be a different image each time although it would have noticeable similarities to give continuity and consistency to cover, contents and double page spread. In theory the collection of assorted images which will appear similar throughout should almost form the look of a photo shoot and I as the designer have used various images from the photo shoot, in addition to that the images really do have to be similar due to the fact my lead story will be prominent on the front cover, contents and of course he will be the subject of my double page spread therefore he must look roughly the same from picture to picture so the reader can forge an association with that particular ‘look’. Naturally having decided upon having a large image for my front cover, contents and double page spread that means I have only three decided upon for definite, however I may include several other smaller images most likely on the double page spread, most likely these smaller images will be perhaps former band mates of the artist who is the main subject of the double page spread.

By George Parkin.