Sunday 29 January 2017

style of language I want to adopt

the style of language a magazine uses is one of the key aspects they need to determine in order for them to connect with their readers. the style of language they opt for should really depend on their target audience and more specifically, the age of their target audience. this is because younger readers would prefer more chatty, informal writing, whereas an older audience often like a more sophisticated language to be used, with poncy words and phrases. as my target audience starts from the age of 16-25 but has the potential to appeal to an older crowd of people around 40-50, with it being about 80's music, i will need to find a style language that will appeal to both.


in this interview above, from Little White Lies magazine, a warm friendly language is used. however despite this, they do manage to keep a sophisticated, adult tone and keep the reader intrigued. like most interviews, it starts off by introducing the interviewee. it then goes on to explain what they have been doing and what the interview will be about. they actually use a little bit of humour towards the end of the introduction, describing the film as bring about 'a chirpy psychopath whose cat instructs him to kill people' which personally made me confused and intrigued, yet tickled. the rest of the interview is pretty standard. they use quite casual language but i wouldn't go as far as to say informal, but of course that is going to depend on the person they are interviewing. in this particular interview, it seems as though it is an older person they are interviewing (over the age of 40, i'd say), meaning the language was obviously going to be more mature than say an 18-25 year old, which is around the age i'm planning on making my artist for my magazine.i really like the style of language used in this magazine and will definitely take inspiration from the friendliness and humour used throughout. 

this article from Clash magazine is very much the sort of style i wish to go for. they use a fun, yet sophisticated language, using lots of adventurous words and phrases. i really like this article about Mac DeMarco in particular as it takes a really interesting approach. instead of introducing the character, they assume their audience already know who he is and go for a more story-like article, setting the scene. i really like this approach because it shows they know their readers and who they want to read about. i find it much more interesting and intriguing than a normal article or interview, where they talk about the artists favourite flower or colour. i will most definitely be highly inspired by Clash magazine's style of writing, being casual yet sophisticated; knowledgeable but fun.


Thursday 26 January 2017

audience survey

audience survey


25 word pitch


I will be creating a unique, 80's/90's alternative music themed magazine. It will feature new, upcoming bands/artists, who are clearly influenced by that time period. 


final decision on style of music magazine

after coming up with two completely different ideas and researching into them both thoroughly, i have come to the conclusion that i want to combine the two! I will be creating an 80's alternative themed magazine featuring new, upcoming bands and artists who are influenced by that genre. I couldn't decide between the two, as they both had their advantages and flaws, so in the end, i felt that this way i can go along with my idea about creating a unique magazine i haven't seen anything like before (about older music) but also include the newer, lesser known bands and artist who i love and think deserve much more appreciation than they get. Another thing is, this gives me an excuse to create my very own artist for the front cover and come up with a whole backstory for them, which i could have a lot of fun with. overall, i'm very pleased with my final decision and am excited to see where it leads me.

style of music magazine 2: 'alternative 80s'

idea no.2
my second idea is pretty much the exact opposite of my first, and something i, personally (wish i had but) haven't seen in any shops or newsagents. my idea is to create a new magazine about old music. now, of course there are magazines who do talk about old bands and artists but only ever briefly. this is completely understandable, as obviously it's the newer bands and artists they want to promote but i want to cater for those who appreciate the old stuff and give them at least one magazine where they know if there was to be a recommended song section inside, it would only contain songs from the early 80s through to the 90s. 
examples of music it would include:

the style of magazine:

i think that for the style of magazine for this idea, i would want to stick with the 80s theme. i would possibly edit the pictures used on the cover and in the article to make them appear more grainy and older looking. I would try and style the band/artists featured in/on the magazine in 80s themed clothing, hair and make-up making sure to avoid a costume-like look. one problem with this idea however, is deciding who to put on the front. i would obviously have to take a new photo and i can't travel back in time. so whether i would include bands and artist, who are maybe like modern-day equivalents of the 80s artists that i want to include, is something i would have to look into.




style of music magazine 1: 'up and coming'

idea no.1
my first idea for a music magazine is to base it around new, up and coming bands/artists. i thought doing this would allow me to incorporate all types of music genres, giving me the opportunity to explore a much wider range of styles, not limiting me to one category. I also think that it would appeal to a much larger audience than a magazine that is of one specific genre, but overall, i could have a lot of fun with it.


examples of music it would include:

with this kind of magazine, i could pretty much involve all of the different genres of music. i would be focusing more on how well-known the band/artist is and whether or not i think that they deserve more appreciation than the receive. here's a few artists i would possibly include:




the style of magazine:
again, with the varied mix of music, this would allow me to experiment in lots of different ways with my style of magazine. as this magazine has the potential of having a very large target audience, i would have to think of something versatile; something that would grab the attention of all the people from different genres, who i'm hoping to appeal to. here's a few covers that i think achieve this:




relevant photographers


relevant photographers





audience research/profile


fashion/styling associated with genre research - female


fashion/styling associated with genre research - male


colour palettes



research relevant magazine creators and graphic designers

research relevant magazine creators and graphic designers

It is only going to get tougher to be original. Graphic designers and magazine creators are thinking of new ideas and designs by the second, however there’s only so many things we can do on one blank page. That is why research is so important; it helps us become inspired rather than copycats. We can look back on older designs from years ago, think about what we would do to make it better and we are well on our way to thinking of wonderful, unique ideas. That is exactly what i have tried to do; I’ve done lots of research on graphic designers either from the 80s-90s or who have that sort of style of work, and i’m very pleased with who/what i have found.


Somehow, this double page spread really caught my eye, despite it having no colour on it whatsoever. The way that the left page links the right with the small graphic doodles looks really cool and the white, bold bubble writing really pops against the simple black and grey image of the artist. It is simple and there's not a lot of writing going on, but the way the text is distributed on the page makes it look full and this is something i will definitely take inspiration from for my work.
this double page spread from The Gentlewoman magazine is again, quite simplistic but i totally admire that. i personally think that the page still looks very sophisticated and polished. i love the way the text layers over the image and also whereabouts the image is positioned; not completely to one side yet not quite centre.





a graphic designer i have absolutely loved for a while now is Karen Lynch. she creates the most amazing images combining old fashioned/retro items, such as cars and people, with space and galaxy-like or very modern looking backgrounds. she has a very recognisable style and although it obviously must take a while to master the skill she has, i can definitely take inspiration from it combing the old and the new in one image, which is what i would love to achieve with my magazine.