DECIDING ON MASTHEAD FONT

Using dafont.com I have found six similar font styles that I think are all appropriate for my magazine genre. I chose these styles in particular as they are all sans-serif fonts meaning they can be easily read. Some are also very unique and slightly different which I thought was very interesting and attractive seeing as people from my target audience are also like this.
Finding the right font is very important because the masthead will also be my logo, which in turn represents my brand. It will also be apart of the house style of my magazine meaning it needs to be attractive and recognizable as the same font will be displayed on every issue. Smaller versions of the logo will be inserted on my contents page and double spread to emphasize the brand.To gain feedback from the public and to help me make my final decision I decided to post all six fonts styles on Instagram. I decided to use Instagram as this social media platform is used mostly by the ages of my target audience. Using social media, I gained lots of feedback as people from my target audience commented what their favorite font style was.

Instagram Feedback...

The most popular font style voted was F which is called Fiesta. The public liked it because it 'stands out', it is 'aesthetically pleasing' as well a being  'clear to read'. I think these are all very important qualities that the masthead should represent. I also think this font is similar to NME's, which is good as it is one of my style inspirations. I am pleased with the feedback I received from the public as it was very useful to know their opinions especially as they are all potential customers.

MY BRAND - VINYL

THE MEANING BEHIND 'VINYL'

Due to the feedback I have gained from my questionnaire and my own personal likeness I have chosen to call my magazine VINYL. I feel this is a very good name as it has obvious direct links with the genre of my magazine, music. My product will be very professional and made using the latest editing software's highlighting how modern and current my product will be. However because I want to include content about new music and music from the past I felt I needed to emphasize this by adding an element that relates to older indie music. Vinyl's are immediate reminders of how music was played in the past when famous indie bands such as The Smiths, Oasis and Blur were current. I also like the word Vinyl as I think it is very unique, quirky and a reminder of all things vintage and retro, a style I admire. This relates to the location of my first photo shoot down Brick Lane, especially in Rough Trade known for selling vintage records. Additionally VINYL connotes that the magazine is not mainstream as indie music is not the most popular or common genre of music, meaning it only appeals to a niche audience. This is similar to the fact that records are not as mainstream as they were back in the 80's (when indie music began to be more recognized) compared to now where they are seen as unconventional and more eccentric.

When creating my magazine, I will type vinyl in capital letters following the style of NME and KERRANG. This will accentuate the masthead and visually shout out the word to the reader connoting its importance and purpose.

HAND DRAWN DESIGNS

FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHS

Below I have inserted my top favorite photographs taken from each photo shoot. These photographs are my favorites for a variety of different reasons including the composition of model, correct lighting, effective background, poses and overall composition of image. Next I will ask people via social media their favorite image out of the four I have selected. This will help me make my final decisions on what images I will use within my magazine.

FRONT COVER 

CONTENTS PAGE PART A

CONTENTS PAGE PART B

CONTENTS PAGE PART C

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

THIRD PHOTO SHOOTS CONTACT SHEETS

PART B - Jessica Limpkin

PART C - The O2 Arena

ORGANIZING THIRD PHOTO SHOOTS

Contents Page...

On my contents page I will have in total three photographs. The main image (part a) will be of my cover model taken from my first photo shoot down Brick Lane. The other two images will be of a medium size underneath the large main one. For the second image (part b) on the page I am to capture another female model who will represent be a indie music artist. She will pose confidently for the camera against a brick wall wearing dark clothing and make-up. I will relate a article taken from inside of the magazine and relate it to this image such as new album/single release, exclusive interview or tour announcement. The other photograph I plan to capture (part c) will be of the very famous O2 arena located in Greenwich, south-east London. I have chosen to capture this as I feel it is very appropriate and well suited for my music genre because indie bands like Alt J, Black Keys and The Vaccines have previously played there. This means indie fans will automatically recognize the music venue as so many indie bands have played there before. I plan to advertise articles such as competitions ('win free tickets'), tour dates or other articles that would relate would relate to the image.

Model Preparation.
Because I do not need to rely on a model for part b of my contents page shoot I only needed to find a model for the first one. I decided to use Jessica Limpkin to be model as I think her own personal style and distinctive features suit my genre. Like Millie, she is also a fan of indie music therefore she  knows how to pose and address my audience. We agreed to do the photo shoot on the 26th of January at lunchtime during school. Below is a screenshot of our conversation.

Location Preparation.

For part b of my contents page photo shoot my model will be photographed against a brick wall which will be the backdrop for this shoot. I have chosen this location as it will give an interesting and edgy backdrop against my model. Because the model will be wearing dark clothing I wanted to use a textured and dominant backdrop to make both subjects stand out. The brick wall will add to the tough and rebelliousness of the image appealing to my young audience.

For part C I aim to photograph the very famous O2 Arena. I will photograph the outside of the music venue during daylight and nighttime so I have variety of images to choose from when I come to make my magazine. At nighttime I aim to go on the Emirates cable car which connects Greenwich Peninsula with the Royal Docks. Whilst travelling over the River Thames I will hopefully be able to capture the perfect birds eye view shots of the arena as well as the Canary Wharf skyline. I want to do this at night to capture the all the colourful bright lights of the surrounding skyline. I also think this would look very effective on my contents page because of the contrast of the dark sky and bright lights. It is also at this time when music fans would go to a concert making the image relevant to its purpose.
Again I have used the 'citymapper' app to show me how to get to my location and how much it will cost.

BEHIND THE SCENES - SECOND PHOTO SHOOT

Below is a short video clip and photographs taken on an iPhone by my friend Sacha who was on set with me at the time of my second shoot for my front cover. In these images/video you can see the set-up, use of artificial lighting, composition of my model from afar and me advising my model how to pose.

SECOND PHOTO SHOOT CONTACT SHEETS