Flatplan Evaluation: Double Page Spread.

This is the double page spread I created that will hopefully be the one that I use in my magazine. 

I really like the general layout of this double page spread because it looks quite original and I haven't seen articles that look like this. The colour scheme I am using here still uses the dark blue seen on the front cover and contents page, but also uses white because that is a light colour that isn't too loud but can also be associated with hip-hop. Black is again also used for all the text because using those three colours leaves the double page spread not looking cluttered and also has a nice effect. 

The layout of this double page spread is interesting because of how the images have been placed. The big main image has been placed in the bottom half of the right-hand side of the page. It looks like the artists are creeping out from the side of the page which I think looks good. The arm of the artist is extended across the area where the interview will be placed however because the arm is light-skinned, the black of the text will be layered over it without affecting the look of it. The title of the double page spread 'Introducing X2' takes up most of the top of the page, without looking too empty. I like the clash of fonts with the block style of 'introducing' being layered under the calligraphy style of 'X2'. The three images on the left-hand side of the page create the look of negatives of developing photos which i like. Also in the three boxes, the artist are doing different poses which is easily portrayed without taking up too much space. For my double page spread I didn't use much inspiration from other hip-hop magazines, the most i took from it was the simplistic, ordered layout and that was about it. 

Flatplan Evaluation: Contents Page.

This is my contents page I have created for my hip-hop magazine. Firstly, the background colour is the same as the front page because i wanted there to be a sense of continuity and also this is something that the magazines I researched had. The colour scheme of blue and black is a colour scheme I will carry out throughout all the pages because these are colours related to hip-hop and is something I noticed during my research. However there are two images with a white background because i wanted to bring some light to the contents page because i felt it would of been too dark and grim and white is not too much of a loud colour. The page numbers are red because that is another colour that is used but not as heavily as the black and blue. Red is another colour that is commonly used in hip-hop magazines.

The fonts used is again the same as the front cover to create a sense of continuity. The font used for the word 'contents' is the same as the front cover however it only looks different because it is vertically aligned instead of horizontally. I think that having it horizontal breaks up the page and gives it a different dynamic to what you usually see on contents pages. In my magazine research i noticed that 'Respect' magazine doesn't even have a clear contents page, therefore this is my way of breaking the norm of contents page layouts. The font used for the contents page titles will also be the same as the front cover because it is simple and easy to read. Italics have been used for the captions of the images as this is a common theme for magazines. 

I feel that the layout of the magazine is well laid-out because it does not look too cluttered. Something i noticed during my research was that hip-hop magazine contents pages are all chronologically ordered instead of scattered around like a pop magazine. Therefore i incorporated this in my contents page to create a sense of order and organisation. The contents page is split into two columns which makes it look neat and the images are placed at the bottom left and top right corners so that they are not so near each other and again looks neat. 

Flatplan Evaluation: Front Cover

This is the magazine flatplan for my magazine called "The Base". I created a front cover, contents page and double page spread flatplan so that i know how my magazine will be laid out and the colours etc. for when i make my magazine. I used the hip-hop magazines "Respect" and "Hip-Hop Weekly" to research and help me produce my flatplan.

This is the front cover for my magazine "The Base". The colour scheme was inspired by "Hip-Hop Weekly". I chose to use a dark blue as the background colour because firstly hip-hop music is related to dark monotone colours instead of bright, loud colours associated with pop-music. Also if the background was very bright, it wouldn't attract the target market I am trying to aim because typically hip-hop listeners are not attracted to bright colours. I chose the black for most of the font because black is the main colour associated with hip-hop music and I felt that the colour had to be incorporated somehow because black was used vastly in the magazines I researched. I do feel that in this flatplan, the black is slightly washed out by the dark blue however I feel when I produce it, this won't be the case.  The reddish-orange colour used for "X2" is to attract the readers attention to the cover artists of the magazine. This is the main part I am trying to appeal to my readers and this is why this is the only bright colour used. Also, I layered the reddish-orange colour on top of the light blue t-shirt because it would stand out most against that colour. For the clothes of the artists, I used neutral colours that are not too bright or loud because I didn't want to defer the attention away from the group name "X2" and also because again, bright colours are not associated with hip-hop and also in my research, I noticed that particularly "Respect" had their artists wearing clothes that blended into the background.


The font that i would like to use in my magazine cover is not how it seems on this cover because this is just my usual handwriting, however I plan to use a font similar in the sense that it is very simple yet bold. This is how the fonts are in the magazines that i researched. The font used for the pull quote will be the same as the rest of the cover however it will be in italics, as that is usually how pull quote fonts are in most magazines. I wanted to use a very bold square-type font for the masthead, as this relates to "The Base" and is very bold yet simple. In my magazine research I noticed that mastheads remained simple yet effective, the colour of the font was often black therefore I incorporated that into mine. 


The layout of the cover I think works well because it is not too cramped and not too empty. I did have a slight problem when placing the article titles because of where i had placed the selling line and I didn't want to cover up the top half of the artists body. However I think that it worked well and with a few adjustments like moving "X2" to the right it will open up the page a bit more and look a little less cramped.  I noticed when carrying out my research that 'Respect' had all their article titles placed strategically around the edge of the page so that the focus was not taken away from the cover artist. I tried to incorporate this into my work. Also I have not included a button because no other hip-hop magazine uses a button therefore I did not use one because i feel it gives a slightly less formal look to the magazine. 

Contents Page Analysis - Respect & Hip-Hop Weekly

This is the contents page for "Respect", a hip-hop music magazine. From a first glance you cannot tell that it is a contents page because it does not have the typical layout of a contents page. All the text has been put in the bottom third of the page, with the image of the cover artist taking up the main focus. The only way to tell that it is a contents page is because it is directly after you open the magazine and this is where the contents page usually is.

At the top left-hand corner of the page it says "Order of Operations" which can be related to as the contents page. The text is neatly laid out in neat columns in chronological order instead of all over the place. This makes it easier for the reader to find the articles they are looking for.

The colour scheme of the contents page is very dark and bland. All the text is white, which has been layered on top of the dark colours of the artists clothes. The colours relate to the hip-hop genre because it is not related to bright, loud colours like in a pop magazine. The image used is of the cover artist Woka Flocka Flame, this is continuing from the cover of the magazine to show continuity of the theme of the artist.

This is the contents page for Hip-Hop weekly, and from a first glance this looks more like a contents page in comparison to Respect. The layout instantly gives off the feel of a contents page with two main columns, again chronologically ordered to make it easier to locate articles. There are two images on this contents page, however they are not of the cover artists, but instead of artists that are not the main focus but gives the reader the chance to locate their article. Both images are distanced from each other so that it does not look to cramped.

There is no over-crowding, the layout is extremely neat and organised. The most text is for the summary of the articles for the three main cover artists and after that, there are short sentences to summarise the remaining articles. 
The colours used are mainly red and a washed-out light brown colour, which compliment each other. The red is used for the page numbers which stand out and is easily read against the washed-out brown of the background which is carried out throughout the rest of the magazine.  There is no title saying Contents Page, or anything of that nature therefore it is not 100% clear that this is a contents page. However the general layout makes it obvious that it is.



Both contents pages show two very different styles of laying out a contents page, however there are also many similarities which can be related to the hip-hop genre such as the chronological order, the organised layout and the simple colours. This will help me to know what to include and what not to include in my contents page.

Double Page Spread Analysis - Respect Magazine

Here i am going to analyse two different double-page spreads of Respect music magazine in order to understand how to lay out my own double page spread, and to know what and what not to do.

J.Cole Double Page Spread Analysis 

 

In this double page spread, it features hip-hop artists J.Cole. This can be seen with a big 'J' in white to catch the readers attention and it also ties into the start of the article.  The article itself starts of with the rule of 3 'J.Cole hates telling Jay-Z stories. J.Cole is private. He's protective of his own personal and professional life.' it sounds catchy and hooks the reader to read on so that the three solid facts mentioned can be explained. Aswell as using the rule of 3, alliteration is also used for the same effect as the rule of 3; to hook readers and sound catchy. The article has a chatty flow to the conversation to make the reader feel relaxed. Italics are used throughout the article to represent the thoughts of J.Cole. This creates a one-on-one atmosphere for the reader and as if they are having a conversation with the artists. The writer also used simple, short sentences to create a sense of interest from the reader's perspective 'But you couldn't blame Cole if he was a tad distracted'.

Moving onto the image used, the image of J.Cole ties in over both pages therefore linking the image to the article and making it flow easier. His angle of gaze seems to be away from page instead of looking straight at the camera, this creates quite a reflective image. It gives off the impression that he is quite thoughtful. His body language seems quite comfortable and relaxed as he is crouched over.  The artist is wearing a dark red jacket with a black t-shirt underneath as to not disturb the calm atmosphere with bright, loud colours. The dark red of the jacket complements the dark background well, it is mainly dark brown which is quite calming to look at. There are also faded, blurry lights in the background which has subtle and soft effect on the interview. The dimmed, soft lights and the entire background as a whole creates a relaxed atmosphere for the readers, so that they can enjoy the actual content of the article instead of being distracted by bright colours.

Jay-Z Double Page Spread Analysis 

 

This second double page spread features Jay-Z. On the left hand side, there is a whole page with an image of Jay-Z in the centre. Once the readers turn the page onto this double page spread, their attention would be drawn to the image. This is because the image stands out against the page with the text because of the colours. Even though neutral dark colours and predominantly used instead of bright, loud colours, it still stands out. The neutral colours of the background is very soft and relaxing which appears to be a reoccurring theme throughout the magazine. The artist is wearing black sunglasses which creates a sense of mystery, you cannot see his eyes which means he could be hiding something which encourages the reader to read the article. Also his entire body language is quite mysterious. He is facing away from the camera with his head slightly tilted which shows thought aswell. The image itself does not have an immediate link to the article because it is on a different page, the image does not spread across the two pages, neither does the words therefore instantly you would not think the two are linked.

There is a gold emblem on the page of the article which is the cover art for Jay-Z's new book, the whole purpose of this article. Fans of Jay-Z would recognise the cover, and relate the book to the article which encourages them to read on. The all-white background creates a very simplistic look which again is a theme throughout the magazine, the focus appears to be more on the article instead of the look. The title is a simple black font which stands out against the white background and adds to the simplicity of the article. Also the standfirst uses a contrast 'Book smart and street smart' this hooks the readers by confusing them and encouraging them to read on. 

Hip-Hop Weekly Magazine Cover Analysis

This is my second front cover analysis for a music magazine. This analysis is of Hip-Hop Weekly, a hip-hop music magazine. Thanks :)

Hip-Hop Weekly Magazine Cover Analysis

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Respect Magazine Cover Analysis

Respect Music Magazine Analysis

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This is one of two music magazine front cover analysis' for the hip-hop genre. This analysis is for the front cover of hip-hop magazine "Respect". Thanks :) 

Reader Profile - Hip Hop Magazine

Jahmal is a 17-year old mixed-race college student that lives in South London with his mother, step-father, and two younger sisters. In college, he studies history, philosophy, media studies and IT, he is generally a very smart and well behaved student, and passed 8 GCSE's. After school and on the weekends, Jahmal hangs out with his friends usually at each others houses, they usually play video games and listen to music. His favourite type of sport is football and he is a dedicated fan to Arsenal, he enjoys playing football with his friends along with basketball. His favourite type of music is Hip-hop and Rap, with his favourite artists being Jay-Z and Lil Wayne, both of whom he has seen live in concert. He first started listening to hip-hop music at the age of 11 after his older cousin was listening to it and he was interested in the music. The music then helped him escape problems at home during his parents seperation and also helps him to concentrate when he has work to do or exams to study for. For Jahmal, music is more than just something to say you listen to to impress other people, It is a way of expressing his feelings. He usually buys his clothes from shops like H&M and Topman, wearing usually jeans and shirts, appearance is very important to him.