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Showing posts from September, 2020

Comparing Music Magazine House Styles

Since I plan on creating a magazine dedicated to music, today I will comparing a few music magazine covers and their house styles. I want to take note on any similar patterns that I may notice in different brands. This type of research is essential because I want to create something original, but also appeal to my audience effectively.  First, I did research on the Billboard magazine. I noticed their masthead is a thick, bolded, and rounded font with all lowercase letters. Also, there is not a definite color for the masthead, as it changes for every issue. In late 2019, their magazine issues had a vertical masthead, but they have now changed it to appear horizontally (like most magazines). Despite this change, most of their magazine covers tend to direct all of their focus towards the cover image.                                                 Next, I looked into the BBC Music Magazine cover. Similar to Billboard magazine, their masthead is in all lowercase letters. However, their fon

House Style

Today I did research on magazine house styles. I learned that it deals with the layout/design of the magazine. I think having a consistent house style helps a magazine build up its brand. Knowing that Rolling Stone, for example. always has the same masthead font/size with emphasis on a large picture, helps audiences make associations between the specific layout and the Rolling Stone brand.                                                     Different magazine categories tend to have different house styles. The change in house styles is because of the impressions that certain magazine genres must convey. For example, formal magazine genres, such as news magazines, should not give off an informal impression to the public; if this occurs, people may doubt the magazine's credibility. Similarly, a fashion magazine, for instance, is not likely to have pictures of natural scenery because it is irrelevant to the category; fashion magazines tend to feature cover images of someone wearing fa

Conventions

To learn more about the designing process of a magazine, I have done research on magazine conventions. They are features that compose a magazine (both the cover and the articles). Given that the front cover is what must appeal to people in order to get their attention, those are the conventions I will discuss in this post. Masthead: magazine's title which will usually be the larger text; the masthead is usually the first thing readers notice Tagline:  gives an idea of what the magazine focuses on Cover line: mention what is inside the magazine (may include attention grabbing names/topics that will attract audiences) Central image: a large image on the cover to appeal to people Cover model: person or people (usually in the central image) that will be included in the magazine Color scheme: the combination of different colors used in the magazine (including the font type/color) Barcode: placed in a spot where it does not take attention away from the other conventions (usually in one o

Genres

Today, I have researched various popular genres of magazines. Before magazines became mainstream, they were only accessible to higher classes because of how expensive they were. During this time, there were not many magazine genres to choose from; most genres were focused on literary and educational topics. When the cost of mass printing decreased, magazines became more affordable for working class as well. It was during this time that a larger variety of magazine genres became more popular.  Literary magazines were one of the main magazines that existed. They focus on the publication of various literary works. This type of magazine is more inclined towards educational purposes.  News  magazines are informational. They discuss important events that are occurring. Many news magazines have conformed to current times, so they are now online.   Science magazines are a popular type of magazine that are still commonly known. These tend to be less formal, but are also educational. They may

Magazine Research

Today I researched the history of magazines and their evolution over time. When magazines started to be released in the United States, they were considered a luxury. The first magazines were focused on literature and philosophy; since the lower classes were unable to afford them, their content was made to appeal to the higher classes. Later on, printing became cheaper which helped publishers produce more magazines at cheaper prices than before.  The use of magazines spread even more as more Americans were able to read. As magazines became more accessible for different types of people, their content also increased. By the early 1900's, there was a large variety of magazine types/genres to choose from. Something that used to be a luxury to own became a form of entertainment for many working class people.  Sources: https://www.canva.com/photos/MAEGw9G0QHk-crop-man-turning-over-page-of-magazine-at-wooden-table/    https://open.lib.umn.edu/mediaandculture/chapter/5-2-history-of-magazine

A Bit About Me

I am currently a high school student undecided about my future career plan. I am passionate about various areas that do not overlap, like human rights and cognitive science, for example. Most people who like science tend to be passionate about strictly science subjects, but my strong passion for learning has led me to many different interests. I plan on going to a four year university where I can further explore all my passions and decide how I can use them together to make a positive difference.                                                                  During my free time, I enjoy exercising and listening to music. Regardless of what I am doing or how I feel, I always listen to music. Some of my favorite artists are J. Cole, Young Thug, Future, and Brent Faiyaz. Though my favorite genres are rap and r&b, I try to vary between other genres like gospel and soft pop. I selected this class because in the midst of my many interests, I have always been curious about media product

Reflection on Syllabus

Whenever I am watching a show or a movie, I find myself trying to notice every time they switch the camera angle. This course will help me learn about the reasoning behind those camera angle changes as well as the effects that they bring to films. In addition, I look forward to learning about appealing to different types of audiences. Different groups of people will gravitate towards different forms of medias or even different portrayals of it. Another exciting aspect of this course will be to see my finalized magazine once I have completed it. Though it will be a long process, I know the final result will be worth it. I am concerned about the production of my magazine cover because I do not have much  experience with Photoshop or editing. I know I will have to do extra research in order to overcome this barrier. Since I do not have previous experience with photographing, I am concerned about the process of taking the original photographs for the magazine. I will have to experiment wit

Introduction

Hello! My name is Kelly and I want to welcome you to my first blog post! I plan on creating a four page magazine that will include: a magazine cover, contents page, and a double page spread as part of my AICE Media Studies coursework.  Listed below are more specifications regarding my coursework: Main Task Ensure that ALL content (images and text) produced is my original work Create a front page, contents, and double-page spread of a new magazine Post an individual edition of a music magazine (if I choose to work with a group, we must follow the same house style. The maximum group size is four members.) Produce a minimum of four original images I look forward to documenting the process of my magazine creation which will include four aspects aspects: preliminary research, planning, production, and reflection. I will do this reflection once I have fully created the magazine. Due to my general research and communication skills, the Media Studies coursework will be facilitated for me. Also