Magazine Content...

I am obviously going to have a support artist in my magazine to appear on the front page in the corner or something, and on the contents page as well. I am going to use a teenage girl who's coming to the end of her teenage years, this is so her beauty looks more mature, attracting the girls to my magazine. I am going to call my support artist Betty Perry. This is because I think it sounds fun and energetic, it's a girls name that sounds like it has a bit of an edge. I think it is also unusual. I'm thinking it will look similar to this:

I think this looks really effective and attractive because it almost looks like the name in lights. This conveys importance which is beneficial for me and the magazine because it looks professional etc. Obviously I will try out a number of different fonts to see what I prefer but I think this a very good start.

I am also using this girl below to model and actually play out Betty Perry. This is because I think she has the innocent but attitude-y look that Betty Perry has. She is naturally beautiful which means I can experiment with her make up and hair too. She has a lot to offer and I think she will represent my magazine in the best way possible:

(In this picture below I defined her eyebrows with eyebrow pencil and her lips with a fuchsia colored lipstick, i have also curled her dark brown hair to make her look like she has an edge, it isn't just plain and simple - this is just one example on how i can make her look different to suit the genre of my magazine.) 

Target Audience Research...

I have been doing a lot of research in previous posts about what sort of people I am trying to attract to my magazine (Teenage girls). I have provided some photo's underneath to give you an insight on the type of people I am trying to attract to buy my magazine:

As you can see, these look like happy, naturally beautiful, outgoing girls who are obviously in their teenage years. I want to attract these type of people to my type of magazine as they stereotypically look like the type of people who would be interested in reading things about Pop music, stars and gossip. 

Preparation...

I've been updating my last posts. I am now starting the preparation for my first official draft magazine cover, contents and double page spread. I'm first going to look at and come up with a Magazine Title. Here are some of the ones I have come up with and reasoning:

TOP OF THE POPS

POP MUSIC

POP PEOPLE

PARTY MUSIC

WICKED

BAM

DOUBLE WHAMMY!

SWEET 'N' TOXIC

LOOK!

THE BIG TAKEOVER

CLASH

M-YOU-SIC

POP EXPRESS

MRW

Out of the list above, these are my favourite three - all in different fonts. Because my target audience is for all young people that may like Pop, i think now that "Sweet 'N' Toxic" sounds too girly and would maybe put the male buyers off. I think MRW (Music Review Weekly) sounds quite plain, it doesn't have anything about it really. It's not something you would particularly remember in comparison to "Sweet 'N' Toxic". My first choice is definitely "M-YOU-SIC", although it doesn't really give away what type of genre it is, the front cover will give this away anyway. It will be pronounced "Music" like normal, but it looks different and unique so i think it will catch people's attention and they will always remember it. The "You" in the middle conveys the music will be based around what they want. I am pleased with this title. I have decided that this is the title I am going to go ahead with.

My First Magazine Draft...

I have now decided to go ahead and plan put roughly the layout of my magazine front cover, contents and double page spread. I have chose to do it now because I feel confident enough to do so. I think my timing is good because I know I can come back and change it whilst still having documented proof of where I have improved. This is what it looks like so far: 

Research...

Before I start my first draft of my real Font Cover, Contents and Double Page Spread, I did the last bit of research I needed to make sure I fully understood the "Pop" genre, as this is the definite genre I am using for my magazine. This is what I found out:

"What we know of today as "pop" or popular music evolved in American society over many, many decades. Pop music, which accounts for the majority of the music on today's charts, is an eclectic mix of many different styles of music from jazz to country; rock and roll to rap; be-bop to hip-hop. Pop artists such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Outkast, Madonna, Maxwell, and others routinely blur the lines of these musical genres with their award-winning tunes. These artists push the boundaries of what is considered "cool” and "hip" and constantly re-invent the medium. For this reason, pop music has helped make the music industry a multi-billion dollar a year business, one whose influence is reflected highly in all forms of today's media including film, video games, TV, and the internet. Pop music is also a cultural force that resonates throughout the world, touching people and societies in ways those governments or politics cannot."

I am now confident in being able to start my own magazine as I am now fully aware of the "Pop" genre and what it's all about. I will be able to use this information when I am creating my own magazine because it will keep me on the right track in the design work of it. I will be able to refer back to it if i needed to. 

Drafting And Planning...

As you can see from two posts below, i was working on double page spreads - however they were only templates. Below I have actually designed one using my own titles and text etc. I have tried to make it look as realistic as possible, I think I was quite successful. As you can see  I have kept it simple but decorative. I think the plain background underneath the black handwritten look font make the double page spread look very "Vogue". I think it does look like it should belong in a Pop magazine as it looks pretty and light, it's not too heavy on the eye, I think it is nice to read. The font is bubbly and dun, like the "Pop" genre. The models I have used look very natural, the fact they are laying on grass make them look innocent and peaceful. The dresses are feminine and do not reveal them in a bad way. This task will help me when i draft my double page spread next. I am pleased with the outcome of my work:

Research and Planning...

I am now looking at the type of artist I want to see throughout my magazine. I have been researching the most famous Pop artists: both men and women and come across Cheryl Cole who caught my attention straight away. Cheryl Cole is an English recording artist, songwriter, dancer and television personality. She rose to fame when she auditioned for the reality television show "Popstars".  

She has the exact look I want to have in my magazine. This is because she is fresh faced, natural and beautiful. You can do a lot of different things with her face. For example she suits any sort of clothing and make-up too. I think she really represents the "Pop" style and genre. Here are some photo's I have collected of her to show you the sort of look I will want to try and get across in my magazine: