Creating the Official Logo

Creating The Final Logo For 'GUAP' Magazine"

   This is the finished logo for 'GUAP' Magazine. It is nice and simple and catches the attention of anyone who would see it from a distance due to the bright color. I will have the logo placed on the top center of the magazine. the colors will go hand in hand with the color scheme.

Interview / Feature Article Research

Feature Article / Interview research and ideas

When it comes to the information on the magazine one of the biggest things will be the feature articles and feedback the I get back from the two Artists.

 I will ask questions about :

• Their up-bringing
• Their work
• The experience
• Future Projects 
• Their style in music and Fashion

I plan to Record the interviews of each person in order to have a record of what exactly is being said but that will not literally be the feature article. It will talk about all of the things listed while using quotes from them when asked of their opinion.

What is a Feature Story

"Most people think of a feature story as something soft and puffy, written for the arts or fashion section of the newspaper or website. But in fact, features can be about any subject, from the fluffiest lifestyle piece to the toughest investigative report. Features aren't found just in the back pages of the paper, the ones that focus on things like home decor and music reviews. Features are found in every section of the paper, from news to business to sports. Feature stories aren't defined so much by subject matter as they are by the style they are written in. In other words, anything written in a feature-oriented way is a feature story."

 - https://www.thoughtco.com/all-about-writing-feature-stories-2074355

Basically when you think of a Feature story people think of like a super drastic story of how someone overcame a huge hurdle in their life and where they are now. It does not have to be like this though. Feature stories can tell you all about the person whether it be the good or the bad or both, and that is what I intend mines to be like.

Final Model Decision/Reasoning

Final Models/Artists Decision and Reasoning

In this post I will be talking about the final two artists that i have chose to be on the magazine and the reason why.

Conveniently, two of my friends at my school are both up and coming Artists that I know personally and that are quite simple to work with. Their names are Kevin, aka "Nw Jetski", and Jamael, who goes by "RFW Jamael". They are cousins and both come from similar backgrounds with somewhat similar interests. Overall the main reason I chose to go with these two, besides the fact that I know them, is because of their background, Their style, and their music. Kevin overall is more popular when it comes to music with songs on multiple platforms like Apple music, Soundcloud, etc. Anyway, The process of orbiting my magazine around them would be more enteraning, interesting, and more convenient.

On the magazine itself Kevin will be the Cover artist and Main Feature but Jamael will also get his own either page or section in the magazine. I will talk about their pasts and their work while also branching into their opinions on their fashion interests. I will mainly talk about their music though and whats its like trying to branch out and get know from highschool.

Professional Photographer Research

Photographer Tom Medvedich

       For today, I looked a bit closer into the creation of some of the most popular rap magazine covers, especially of which my audience could even recognize. The piece that Ii will be speaking of is the cover shot for the magazine of the 2014 class of XXL freshman. They are a group of young artist selected as new young and upcoming artist. Being on the cover for XXL is a dream for many artists which also leaves a lot of stress on poor photographer Tom. Though it may look like just a normal shot a lot goes into the behind the scenes of the shot. I looked into what he was thinking during the shot. 

This is the cover page he shot:

 

When Asked about preparations this is what Tom had to say:

"As you guys know, it's pretty crazy, just based on getting everybody together. But as far as my end, it's probably a month out, just for something of this scale. We have to coordinate with the prop stylist; we have to sit down and talk about what the set will be, because obviously with 12 people it gets a little crazy. So we have to make sure that everything is wide enough to fit all these people in a frame. With one person it's easy, you just use a simple backdrop and there's no problem. But with 12 people, we have to figure out how to stagger them so they flow on the frame and they don't just look like six dudes across on two different rows. So we had to figure out how we could build a set that was stable and sturdy for 12 people to sit on and not get hurt or whatever, 'cause obviously safety is the first concern. So that's one thing."

Cover Photo Set Up Inspiration

Cover Photo Brain Storm And Ideas

For my cover photo I would like to keep the overall look and design very sleek and calm which would allow the details on the model and the details of the magazine to be able to pop. The background color fr the shot will be black. If i will shoot the shot in the sun and crop out my model or shoot in the black area has not been decided. I am leaning on taking the shot outside though which would allow lots of natural light on the model.

Here in example of a possible setup:

Placing my model in the sunlight however would allow for the sunlight to make his/her skin glow and pop even more on the black background. Commonly, when photographers use a black dark background they tend to make the character black and white as well which adds to the dramatic look they were going for. I would rather like my model to stand out but just as equally stand out with the color scheme.

I imagine the models face would contrast the background like this:

Female Artist Possibility

Female Artist Possibility

For this shoot I used a female model in order to be able to vision what the magazine would look like with her on the cover. I imagined her body cropped out with a black background. The shot would be cropped from the waist up allowing her upper wear, jewelry, and face to be highlighted.

Model Possibility #2

Model #2

Here we have my second model option, Kevin. Since he is a rapper himself I chose him because he fits the genre I am pursuing. We did three different sets of shoots with a similar color scheme in each outfit.

Shoot #1

Outfit: Black Kappa shirt, ribbed jeans with color contrast, silver chains, Rolex, and miscellaneous bracelets.I sat my model in the chair with the concept in mind that it would add creative development to the image. It would help display the models outfit in a clearer view as well as create a better angle as the model shows off his shining piece of metal.

Shoot #2

Outfit: Black bomber jacket, ripped jeans with patches covering the holes, Air Max 97's. Unfortunately this was the best shot I got as the model was continuously making incoherent facial expressions. The scenery in the background helps the image attract more eyes.

Shoot #3

Outfit: Balenciaga sweatshirt, ripped jeans with patches over the holes, Balenciaga shoes. This photo is a way for the model to casually show off his hefty purchases. The model holds a straight face throughout the picture to create a sense of seriousness in the image. For a rap magazine this is exactly the type of vibe I want. 

Model Possibility #1

Model #1

Here we have my first model option, Kymauri. Since we have taken pictures in the past I chose him because of the poses he chose to take and his overall out fit. We took two separate shoots on separate days with different outfits each day.

Shoot #1

Outfit: White Polo shirt, Blue bomber jacket, Sprayground book bag, blue denim jeans, royal blue Nike Vapor max. The only unique shot is the first where the model is squatted down. This was a very nice and casual pose that fit the model well. Also since the model is not the tallest being squatted down cancels out the height.

Shoot #2

Outfit: Striped Hilfiger T-shirt, No rip denim blue jeans, Blue Nike vapor max plus. In the first pic he has a very casual pose where he is simply sitting down on a bench. He holds a straight face in all the shots. In The second photo he shows off his 'waves', a pretty popular majority black hairstyle for generations. In the last shot we lowered the angle of the camera which was not the best idea due to the lack of sunlight in the shot.

Model Attributes & Features

Model Poses

For this post, I will be looking into how rappers pose in their shoots so that I can have an idea of what represents my model should strike. The reason that poses are essential is that they help to portray the rapper's personality and gives a feel or mood to the entire magazine. If a model strikes a specific pose as soon as the audience sees it, they will mentally give themselves an idea of what type of magazine they think it is. Also, the pose allows the viewer to provide initial opinions about the artist in the magazine as well. One thing we would not want is for one of the softest rappers to be throwing or gang signs or anything that portrays them as someone they are not. Their identity can easily be misunderstood, and that's why the pose and appearance of the artist are fundamental.

- Here the model is on one knee which is a very subtle and neutral pose which goes great with the corresponding artist. It is simple but at the same time matches very well with the artists' appearance and style. His outfit may be to portray a 'New York' style judging off his shoes and jacket. He also makes sure to show subtle jewelry.

Table of Contents: Colored

Table Of contents Color Scheme:

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Table of Contents: Sketch

Table of Contents Draft/sketch

Here I drew out a mock drawing of what my table of contents will look like. It's a rough drawing but simply serves as a base in creating my real table of contents.

Table Of Contents: Inspiration for Sketch

Table of Contents  

 For this post, I researched previous content pages that involved music or fashion in them. I did this so that I would be able to have some background knowledge about what content pages should look like and what content should be on them. Another major thing that I was looking for was the words they as their headings. Common words that were used were 'Features' and 'Remixes.' After ever feature or headline, there is the page number and sometimes a summary sentence of its content or other not as famous celebrities that are on a particular page.
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Magazine Sketch Colored

Magazine Sketch Colorized

Here I created a design concept of what I would like my magazine to look like. It is not in top detail and is not spot on but provides a decent visual of what the outcome should look like.

Seasonal Magazine Ideas

Seasonal Magazine Ideas

Here are some ideas of seasonal magazines.

Here of some examples of how a Christmas theme could be in cooperated into a media cover or design. They consist of Christmas related colors and objects.

Magazine Concept Idea: Seasonal Magazine Cover

Seasonal Magazine Covers

Due to the fact that many holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up, I was thinking about the idea of doing a seasonal or holiday-themed magazine. This is pretty common in the magazine/media industry. Companies would incorporate seasonal objects like pumpkins, turkeys, and reefs into there cover to add a more joyful theme to their magazine cover. They may even change up the design of the Masthead. When it comes to making a seasonal magazine, the clothing of the artist or subjects also is affected by the season. For example, in the Christmas season, the subject would be seen wearing big sweaters, fur coats, or even ugly sweaters. When it comes to Thanksgiving, they may simply incorporate a turkey on the cover or have the subject of eating food.

Magazine Design sketch (Drawn and Scanned)

Magazine Sketch

In this post, I chose to sketch out a design of what I would picture my magazine to look like. The concept of my design is an artist in the studio slightly to the right of the shot, speaking into a microphone. The artist would be pretty big on the chance, and so will the studio microphone. For the design aspect placing him/her to the right allows me to put most of the headers and information stacked on the side of the magazine. For now, the sketch is in b/w, but I intend to colorize it, later on, to test out the color schemes.

Interview Results Analysis

Face to Face - Interview Analysis

For this survey, I chose to question one of my fellow students who are in the grade level target audience. Knowing her personally, I knew that she had some type of interest in magazines and social media, so I felt she would be an excellent person to interview for my research. When it comes to the results, she gave I feel like her responses were valid and related to my magazine. Most of her responses positively reflected on the ideas that my teammate and I came up with. Surprisingly she supported the title "Guap Magazine" and was fond of the color scheme we intend on doing (Black/Yellow). She mentioned that she especially likes fashion and drama magazines, which explains some of the reactions she gave to rap magazines. When asked what she expects to see on a rap magazine, she said things like jewelry, high fashion clothing, and props like microphones and items music-related. When asked what she would expect to be on the magazine information-wise, she mentioned things like the drama between artist, tension in the industry, and recent song releases.

Face To Face Interview Survey

Face To Face: Interview

Here I interviewed a fellow classmate in order to get some feedback on what i should incorporate in my magazine. Most of her responses supported the ideas me and my team came up with.

Guap Magazine Target audience

After reviewing the results of my survey, the target audience for our magazine is 12th and 11th graders. This will be useful in the production of my magazine and will allow me to create content that would appeal to them.

We would have to create content that they would relate to, and we would ask them questions rather than other audiences to be able to create the best results for them.

Magazine research: Different Props

Props Used On A Magazine Cover

For this post, I Will be looking at different props and objects that are commonly seen on rap magazine covers.

• In this Picture, for example, one thing that stands out, which is also very common among rap magazines, is the multiple big chains that the models wealth. One of the biggest things with artists is coming from nothing and making it to a wealthy status, and one way in which it can be shown is through chains, usually more than one. In particular, the chains they wear are traditionally "iced out," flooded with diamonds, with the pendant bring something that represents them.

• Hats and durags are also very commonly seen in hip-hop magazines. The hats usually are just used for a style sense, and the durags do provoke a bit of dominance but mainly represent that the model has 'waves.' Waves are a trendy hairstyle among African American men, and the reason I say them, in particular, is because the origin of the style is more prevalent among these men. Simply the durags are used to preserve the form and can be used in a fashion sense as well.

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• Though many think that a display of guns and smoking would be seen in a rap magazine because it is "found in their culture" or "seen in their society," this is not the case. Rarely will you see a rap magazine promoting gun violence or promoting drug usage, and if you do, there is often a deeper meaning behind the photo? If you researched "rap magazine covers" in your browser, the amount of guns and drugs are shown in the cover is very low.

Magazine Cover Color Inspiration

• In this post, I researched different magazines with covers that are similar to what I will be going for theme-wise. I did not specify it to genres since I am explicitly looking towards the design and the aspect of the cover page.

• On these magazine covers, you can get a good representation of what I am for my final product to look like. The use of the black background allows the subject to stand out on the page even when all-black clothing is worn. It will enable all the other colors on the page to stick out as well. The yellow on the mass head also stands out remarkably when placed over black, which could easily catch a reader's attention.

Magaine Research: Survey Analysis

• According to our results, a majority of the students selected the Black and yellow color scheme over all of the rest, which is good because this was originally the color scheme we were planning to use. The primary color used on the cover would be black, while the yellow would be used as a secondary color.

Add caption

• From these charts, which represent our data, you can see that a hip hop magazine is an attractive genre for our target audience. The first chart shows that after being asked how interested a student would be in reading a hip/hop magazine, they rated their interest at about 80%. Then when we asked which magazine have they or would they purchase, over 50% selected the 'XXL' magazine, which was the representation of the hip/hop genre. We input one of each of the popular genres, and the Hip/Hop was the most popular.

Magazine Research: Survey Results

Magazine research: Survey Results

In this post I would display my survey results for the FIRST 10 responses that I have received. These are mainly students from my similar classes.