Preliminary Task - Contents Page

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Evaluation

The title "Holla!" and the "contents" will be in bold, big letters, preferably red or black.

The large image on the left will be the main article; the feature article on my double page spread.

The other features will be down the right hand-side, including the page references.

Also, the other two smaller images will represent other articles with interesting images, including the page references. It will include an editor's note to give a personal touch, and also the editor's opinion on the magazine.

I will attempt to make my actual contents page look similar to this as I think that it is a good template.

Preliminary Task - Front Cover

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Evaluation
I think that the picture used on this front cover is too blurry and the photo I will use on my actual front cover will look more professional by using the rule of thirds, and also the model will be wearing clothes that I have picked out for them in order to make them look very similar to a hip-hop artist.
I will use a better colour scheme; using colours that don't clash with each other and also colours that complement my photo and also the music genre (hip-hop) that I have chosen. I think that the colours red and black would represent Hip-Hop well as this music genre is seen as 'dark', and there are many stories told about Hip-Hop artists being murdered or sent to jail.
The title used on this preliminary task cover is big and bold and I believe it would stand out. However, for my actual front cover I will use a different font that will attract young readers but I will also ensure that it would still stand out on a busy shelf. For my actual front cover I won't be using a block color to place my title on, the image will most probably be overlapping the title to make it look more professional. 
I will also use anchorage; placing pictures on my front cover that relate to the topics in order to make my magazine cover look more interesting.

Magazine Name

The name that I'm going to use on my magazine front cover is "Holla!" which is a slang term quite well-known within the Hip-Hop community. It's a phrase that can be used as a greeting or can also refer to talking. I believe that this will help sell my magazine, because as the word is popular and refers to talking it shows that my magazine would contain the latest gossip. It could also be seen as personal as this is a term that people would use between them and their friends, making the reader feel an instant connection.

Further research

In order to create an authentic looking hip-hop music magazine, I have been looking at and researching front covers from various magazines such as XXL and Hip-Hop Connection.

I have noticed that:

- The main colours used on these genre of magazines are black, red, yellow and white. I believe that black and white is standard for any magazine as black is a popular colour within the young society, and also to show the mix between different races. Also, the yellow and red would be used for juxtaposition to make certain articles stand out.

- The cover artists used are well-known to Hip-Hop fans meaning that the magazine will sell easier. Most of the artists wear informal clothing including 'bling'. This automatically shows that these people are famous and enjoy showing off their money - indicating that they're successful and resulting in young people looking up to them. To a young audience these artists are seen as role models. The majority of Hip-Hop and Rap artists have come from a bad background yet they have still become wealthy and famous.

- On the Hip-Hop Connection cover that I analyzed before, the font for the articles is serif whereas the title is in sans serif

- The articles talk about new rappers and hip-hop artists coming on to the scene which will attract readers who like to be up-to date with their music. Also, they include articles about arguments that have gone on between different rappers, also adding to the point above.

I will use these points on my magazine cover to make mine look as realistic as possible. I will create a name for my magazine, find someone suitable to use as my artist cover and also use a suitable font and suitable colours.

Good so far but not a lot for four weeks of work. Apart from image/fonts/colour you must analyse the language of such magzines. Very important to this genre. Mrs R

Front cover analysis

I have analyzed this hip hop magazine cover, pointing out the conventions of all magazine covers, and the also conventions of the hip hop genre. I will use a template similar to this for my front cover in order to make my magazine look as realistic as possible.

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Hip-Hop background

Hip-Hop music is a music genre consisting of rapping (a vocal style) and a backing beat. It began in the Bronx in New York City in the 1970's. Most of the artists involved in this music genre are African Americans and Latino Americans. I did research on Hip-Hop artists and found that most where of a African/American ethnic origin. The artist I found were: Chamillionaire, T.I, Ne-Yo, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Nelly, Jay-Z, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, P.Diddy and Ciara. And British artists: Estelle and Dizzee Rascal. As most of these artists are of a dark-coloured skin, I believe that I may have to find a person very similiar for my front cover photo in order to make my magazine look as real as possible.

Media Coursework

For my media coursework I am going to design a music magazine using DTP. The genre I am going to choose is Hip-Hop, as this is the music I listen to the most and there aren't many music magazines in shops with this genre. First I will research the background of Hip-Hop, what Hip-Hop magazines look like, and the artists that specialize in this genre. Then after researching all of this, I will choose an appropriate name for my magazine.