Press Release

EXP Magazine, a product of Vice Media, is exposing the harsh reality of experimental music. Whether it's; pop, rock, rap, electronic or even minimalist sound scapes, EXP will cover it and more, including fashion, gig listings, new artists and interviews.

Experimental music and culture is usually shared through social sites and blogs, EXP will bring this into your hands through printed copies. Online interactive copies will still be distributed through our website, keeping with how the niche audience wants their content, quickly and conveniently. Vice Media have always been at the forefront of relevant controversial and interesting content. Now EXP is here to carry this on and take it into experimental music and culture.

Mood Board

Audience Profile

Survey Results

Representation of Music Artists in Magazines

The representation of artists in the music industry is often made by the contribution of many curators. People such as photographers, managers, label owners, journalists, and of course the artist themselves. However there is often a power struggle between these contributors. A good example of this is M.I.A, she is a music artist who started from the very bottom, and in the start she made all of her own decisions. However as she has grown to an international icon, people have tried to interfere with her reputation and representation. Such as the major feud caused between M.I.A and The New York Times journalist Lynn Hirschberg. Hirschberg edited the singer’s statements to make M.I.A sound very contraindicative of her agenda and beliefs. This is a very interesting example of censorship and manipulation of speech, as this is what M.I.A is strongly against. She also had to battle against being tone down into a "pop star" by her label to increase sales, particularly to tone down her lyrics political controversy as she was receiving death threats from religious extremists. 

To further the point of magazine editor’s contribution to M.I.A's representation, many articles have portrayed her as a young girl without a clue of the world. However she has more experience and know how than the best of the world. The only channels she has to portray her true agenda and image is through her social media sites, music and her music videos. As she fights for her right to do what she wants with her art. 

Often magazines portray artists in a way that the audience of the magazine wants to see them and relate to them, so they can invest in them as an artist. Often the beliefs and views of the artist are left out as often this can cause friction between the artist’s image and beliefs with the reader’s beliefs. 

In EXP I aim to portray artists in their rawest from, and to still respect their dignity and privacy. To do this, I will let the the artists featured have a creative input to there visual and literal representation. Meaning it will represent them accurately and also gaining the magazine followers through the artists fan base. 

Questionnaire

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Magazine Deconstruction

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

                                           

So in conclusion I've tried to appeal to my target group in a non stereotypical manner, addressing them as sophisticated young adults. I've done this visually, through the design of the magazine and furthermore though non patronizing content.  Also appealing to common interests of creative students, as well as their economic status.

Conventions of My Magazine Cover Vs. Dazed & Confused

Click image for larger size.

Overall my magazine complies to most conventions of magazine covers, I did this to make it accessible to most people, although it is aimed at the specific audience of creative students. This is why I've made the cover fairly sophisticated and minimal. 

To do this I used a banner to separate the cover image from the text and masthead. This also made the text easier to read. D&C placed their text straight onto their cover image, which I find hard to read in some places (particularly in the last lines of the coverlines). The use of the banner would help my coverlines stand out when read from a distance.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I asked Shelly and Daniella a few questions on how they respond to my magazine cover and contents page.

Final Cover and Contents Page

Development and Experimentation of Logo and Fonts

I initially decided to call my magazine "Slice and Thread" as I thought it would link with the fashion and style of the type of magazine I wanted to produce (aimed at sophisticated, cultured, and fashionable students). To create my masthead I looked at san serif fonts as I wanted it to be retentively modern. While looking at fonts I came across the Gobold type face. I chose it for its simplicity but boldness, there were also many variations of the font.

For my masthead I chose this variation of the font:


For the cover lines I chose this variation:

I then experimented with the positioning and sizing of the words using Photoshop; by selecting and transforming the size and rotation. producing these two logos:

After looking at the positioning of the words and them in relation to each other, I thought the "AND THREAD" part of the logo got lost against the large "SLICE". I also then decided to streamline the name of the magazine as using more than one word made the magazine seem less modern and doesn't sum up the magazine condensely . So I decided to shorten the title to just "SLICE".

I think this is a much better brand identity of the magazine I want to create; sophisticated, clean and modern. Not only that this logo will look much better as a masthead and give a better aesthetics for the wherever the logo is used. 

Audience Profile

Results of Questionnaire

Questionnaire

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Definition of a magazine

A magazine is a well designed body of media, including images and text. Traditionally presented in a glossy front and back page with matt inside pages. Magazines can be published weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, bi-yearly or yearly. I believe that the magazines that are published less frequently, are generally more expensive and more niche. The content from magazine to magazine is very wide and varied, the content of the magazine creates the semiotics which then decides the genre of the magazine, and appeals to the magazines specific audience.

  

Initial Assesment - Honda (The Cog)

Who created this message?

Honda launched this advertisement, directed by Antoine Bardou-Jaquet.

What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

Many creative techniques are used in this advert, some of which aren't often used in TV advertisements. For example this advert is mostly in virtual silence other than the diegetic noises of objects colliding in the sequence, and towards the end the music. Many modern adverts use a lot of loud non-diegetic sound to attract attention. However i think the use of silence is much more attention grabbing as it sets the advert away from the mass. It also makes the audience appreciate the visuals more, as it causes minimal distraction. This also sets quite a heavy and moody atmosphere, which is then contrasted by the uplifting and fun music from The Sugar Hill Gang. This could be seen as a metaphor for the car being advertised, can be seen as serious/business like, or fun and good for families. 

How might different people understand this message differently?

People from different cultural backgrounds could interpret this differently as they may not know the association of Honda with quality and attention to detail, so the advert my be seen as a bad representation. Furthermore the music used at the end of the advert my be unfamiliar, and also seen as unrelated. Also young children may not make any of these links and just see it as an interesting advert.

What lifestyles, values, points of view are represented or omitted from this message?

I believe the main audience of the advert is car lovers, and one of the ways it conforms to this idea is not only in the content but the use of selective viewing. As the advert was first show on an advert break between the Grand Prix, this was an easy an effective way to reach the selected audience. Also the timelessness and the use of no gimmicks makes the advert very classy and sophisticated, this reaches out to people looking to be respected, e.g. business men/women.

Why is this message being sent?

At the time of making and broadcasting this advert, honda was in decline of sales and market representation. This advert was created to not only heighten the sales of the Honda Accord, but to also bring up their market representation. Furthermore to create a stir around the brand identity of Honda.

About Me

Hello, I'm James. I'm currently at City College studying my A-levels. This blog in particular is for my Media course. I'm interested in magazine and website design, and also photography.

Hope you some what enjoy my blog, 

James.