Time Management Update

So far I think my time management is going okay. I have almost completed my research and planning and I just need to check that I have everything covered. I created a survey and gathered the results so as to gain more in-depth knowledge into my readers and their likes and dislikes about current fashion magazines so as I would be more able to create a product they would potentially buy. 

I also carried on looking at the finer elements of my work and I have now decided on the name 'Doll Up' for my magazine and also a colour scheme to match the season and some of the items of clothing that the model is wearing. 

Before taking my photos I also created a recce which looks at the potential risks I could encounter and how I would tackle these and I feel I addressed this well. I also got in touch with my model to give her more exact information on what sorts of things to wear and where we will be going to take the pictures.

As I am at the moment all of my photos have been taken and so I am ready to start producing my actual products. I had intended to have my ancillary products done by now but they shouldn't take long and also it was not until the half term did I get my pictures. 

Colour Scheme

The colours used are very important as they give the audience member a lot of in depth knowledge on the product before they have even picked it up; for example, from simply using some of these colours on the front over the audience member may be able to tell that this is a magazine for females, that the theme is more autumnal while at the same time remaining professional. The colours I have chosen are slightly muted, dark colours to reflect the autumn style that I am incorporating in my work while the black and white are elegant and timeless when it comes to print. These colours will also play a running theme throughout my work to produces some form of continuity which will help to create more of a professional looking product. 

In terms of the colour scheme relating to the genre and my target audience I think they do this relatively well. My genre is that of a fashion magazine, focusing in on autumn/winter trends and I feel these colours suit this genre well. All the colours I have selected can be seen during this season on much of the high street - where my target audience will most likely shop. In addition to the color scheme I have chosen fitting in with the genre of my product, I also think it matches very well to my primary target audience (young females). The top four colours could even be considered to be appealing to all levels of my audience as they are relatively unisex.

Font Ideas

1. Lemon Milk

2. Bebas Kai

3. Breamcatcher

4. Olympic Branding

5. Nova

I have chosen to do my masthead in is Breamcatcher as I feel that it fits the genre of my magazine the best. It is not a typical font you may see in a magazine which is good as it will stand out to my audience in comparison to my competitors but it is still classic enough not to put off any audience members from buying my product.

Magazine Name

The name that I have chosen for my regional fashion magazine is Doll Up. The term "dolled up" means to dress or apply makeup in an elegant way to look your best (like a doll) and so to 'doll up' would be the process of doing so. This term is more applicable to relatively young women - my primary audience - as dolls are primarily youthful looking. This term can also apply to fashion and makeup so is works well with both aspects of my magazine. 

Weather Forcast

As I am planning on taking a majority of my photos outside the weather is quite important. As it is going to be one focusing on Autumn/Winter clothing it's not too important that it's sunny but it needs to be good enough weather to be able to take the pictures without ruining the look so preferably it should be dry. Based on this need I've looked at the weather forecast over the next few days while I'm in the area that my model lives to be able to see when would be best to take the pictures.

I have chosen to take my photos on Thursday as the weather is set to be the nicest of the days that I am here.

Possible Names

Here are some of the names that I am considering using as my magazine's name. Fashion and lifestyle magazines tend to have names comprised of one word or a phrase associated with fashion. Based on this I have produced a list of possible names I will chose. 

Deconstruction of Website

Here I have deconstructed some of the elements of a fashion magazine's website. I have looked at such elements as colour and the content which I can then perhaps use in my own work, especially as such elements as minimalist colours are often used in fashion websites. 

Organisation of Model

Here I have gotten in contact with my model so as she knows the sorts of things to wear and when I will be coming to take the photographs for my products. As I am creating a rural fashion magazine aimed at girls aged 15-25 these are the things I felt would be appropriate for my target audience. 

Billboard Recreation

What Went Well...
This was quite an easy product to reproduce as there is so few elements to it but I do very much like the product I have made. The text I have used is very similar to that of the Wildfox advert (top), and I think the headdress the model in my work (bottom) is wearing gives it a certain mystical look that really reflects the 'paradise'.

What Could Be Better...
It is relatively obvious here that I couldn't get an image that was similar to the one on the Wildfox advert and that is the thing I found most frustrating while making this piece, that said I think I worked well with the picture I did find from my artist source.

Overall I am pleased with the product I created, despite not being able to get an image similar to that of the real Wildfox advert I really do like the one I made.

Photography by Charlie Pallett.

Magazine Recreation

What Went Well...
I feel like in general I managed to accurately recreate the Cheryl Cole Q Magazine cover. Personally I think the text down both sides of the page were the best features, especially the John Lennon circle.

What Could Be Better...
There are areas that could be improved I think, I didn't have an image that was hugely like the one of Cheryl Cole on the cover so I had to improvise with the one that I used, also because in the image it wasn't raining I had to place that over the top which darkened the image a little too much for my liking, also because of this it removed shine from the models face which is present on Cheryl's because of the rain. Also elements of the text that I did aren't exactly right and could be done better.

Overall I am quite happy with this recreation and I think it displays my Photoshop skills relatively well, however, there are still areas upon which I could improve but all in all I'm very happy with it.

Photography of model Florrie Parsons by Charlie Pallett. 

Deconstruction of Billboard

Billboards are often in places where they only have a very short period of time to make an impact on the audience and so I think it is important to note some of the elements that are used in a majority of billboards already present so as I can potentially incorporate them into my own work to make my own piece as authentic as possible.

Deconstruction of Magazine

This Cosmopolitan front cover is not dissimilar to many other lifestyle magazines; using flattering words and phrases such as "sex goddess" to entice the audience and the cover being dominated by one character - usually a celebrity. Often lifestyle magazines are aimed at women, focusing on areas such as true-life stories, fashion and beauty and celebrity issues and these features being present on the front cover make it obvious of it's genre. In addition to this being aimed at women, it specifically targets a type of woman, one who is interested in the way she looks and how she is presented to men, as well as being able to connote this from what is actually written on the page we are also able to denote this. Ways in which we can denote this includes the way in which Isla Fisher is standing and her physical appearance; assuming the audience is drawn to the magazine because she is on the cover it could be assumed that women aspire to look like her. Isla is dressed particularly feminine and is positioned in a way that makes her look 'girly' and 'innocent' almost, which is a trait women are told is appealing to men. Such theorists as Butler believed that gender was merely created, and by looking at such media texts as Cosmopolitan magazine this theory become quite apparent. 
Other ways in which we can denote that this is aimed at feminine women is the fonts used, especially on 'Men Talk' and on the number '7', it is cursive and has an overall girly appearance, the quote "you're beautiful" actually appears as if another woman has written it. 
Every aspect, from the light colours to the text used to the physical stance that Isla is taking is used to appeal to their target audience and this is something that I'll need to keep in mind when producing my own front cover. 

Recce

Survey Results

From this I have learnt an array of things which I think will help me when I produce my products as it will help me decide on exactly what sorts of contents to put in and who I should aim it at. 

All of my TA are between 15 and 20 years old, though I expect people up to the age of 25 to be interested in my product as up until then I think my audience still dress and act relatively the same. 

At this age most of my target audience are students, however there are a couple that work alongside study and some who just have jobs. At this age as well it is likely that they are still living at home or live in halls and so although some may have a lot expendable income others may not have so much so I should mix between higher priced products and lower.

Most of my target audience is female and at least slightly interested in fashion and buy fashion magazines sometimes. However, they tend to read magazines which incorporate elements other than fashion (such as Cosmo and Glamour), although fashion was one key feature they like to see in magazines, on par with beauty, they also looked for articles on relationships and sex. As they don't tend to read fashion magazines often the majority agreed that a monthly magazine is best, and would pay between £2 and £3.

Most of my target audience are also interested mainly in high street clothing, although do like higher end beauty products and accessories. Most of them are interested in alternative dress (i.e. not high fashion) and look more for practicality in how they dress rather than appearance, although this is also an important factor. 

Survey!

I have produced a survey that will help me gather quantitative data on my target audience. The results of this will also help me produce my magazine in certain ways so as to appeal to my audience.
Here I have asked a group of my friends to complete it for me.

Time Management Update

So far I feel like I am quite on track with my time management and at the moment I am just preparing to start taking my pictures which will then allow me to start making my products. I also have created flat plans of my magazine so I have a rough idea of what sort of images I want to take so as they can fit in with the style that I have chosen.

As it stands I have gained consent from my model about using her to take my photos for my products and a photographer that I know about using some of her images to recreate existing products in the mean time. As well as having her consent I have also added in an artist page which focuses on some of the work that the photographer has done to credit her work further. 

I have also outlined and interviewed my prospective target audience which has helped me in deciding on outfits and makeup for the photo shoot and I have also decided on a location as to where to take these pictures. 

I currently still have to make a recce which I need to do before I take my photos and I hope to get this done within the next few days. I am also planning on creating a survey for my target audience to get more in depth information about what sorts of things they would like to see. I will also be deconstructing and recreating existing products in the near future to see what sorts of codes and conventions they typically hold and to see how easily I can make a professional looking item. 

Target Audience Interview

Carrying on from my brief outline of my intended target audience I then conducted an interview with one of the members of my audience in order to gain a more in depth understanding of their interests to give me a better idea on what would suit being in place in my regional magazine. 

From this interview I learnt several things which may help me when planning the contents of my regional fashion magazine:

• They are interested in both fashion an beauty elements
• Interested in high street fashion
• They look to both friends and celebs for inspiration
• And also heavily lean on social media to learn about trends
• They already read fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle
• They would pay around £2.50 for a fashion magazine

Location

I was planning on taking the fashion photos outside as I'll be focusing on autumn/winter trends and being indoors with a large coat or lots of layers will be uncomfortable for my model. As well as it being uncomfortable I think that being in the autumnal setting will add to the images I'm taking. Currently my model lives quite a distance away from me but will soon be traveling to see me and that was when I was going to take the opportunity to take my pictures but I'm now considering whether I would be able to travel to see her as she owns horses and I think incorporating them into some of the pictures could be very nice as a lot of fashion magazines, especially in colder months, take pictures in the likes of barns and around animals. Providing that I'm able to see her before the end of October my location will feature here (in the North of England) and in Rutland as it is very rural. Despite there being a large distance in the locations i plan on shooting my images in there will be no real indication of distance in the pictures. 
I am planning on targeting my regional magazine at the East Midlands so by shooting the pictures in Rutland it would be at the heart of the Midlands and hopefully increase the relatability between my magazine and the target audience. 

I also will look into taking some of the pictures indoors (likely in my house or my model's house) as lounge wear is particularly focused on at this time of year in magazines and it would add some variation to the main locations.

Peer Feedback

Here is the feedback I got on my blog from our feedback session in class. The feedback I got was really useful and I've already followed some of it up, however, an AS reflection would not be particularly useful as it was done with another examination board in a different format (largely on paper rather than with e-media) but asides from that I agree with what has been said and have taken their "wishes" on board for consideration to add later on.

Make Up

The season that my regional magazine will be focusing on will be autumn/winter which typically incorporates warmer colours into clothing and makeup styles. Here my model is wearing a look she had from a previous shoot but I will recreate this on myself at a later date and also on my model at the time of my photo shoot. 

Artist Post (photographer)

Due to the fact I'm planning on using some images of a professional photographer in my work and it was part of or agreement that I would produce an 'Artists Work' post to credit her and her work. 

This is Charlie's carbonmade, an online portfolio of her works. The images I will be using will come from one particular model, Florrie Parsons, whom I know personally and whose images can be found here in the 'Fashion/Beauty' section. At the bottom of this page she also has information on clients she has previously worked with.

In addition to her carbonmade profile, Charlie also has a Facebook page for her business as she works freelance and here she has more examples of people she has worked with and places which her work has featured as well as contact details.

Lipsticks

As I seen in my makeup inspirations post, a seasonal trend this year is dark lips and neutral lips. Here are 3 options I am considering using during my photoshoot. The top one is a red, the middle a dark purple and the bottom a deep but sheer plum colour. All the lipsticks are affordable and so that would suit my target audience age range of 15-25 (the last is Plumful by MAC which is slightly higher end but still within what I would consider appropriate for my target audience). 
I think I am more leaning towards using the dark purple as that is very on trend and pairing that with earthy colours on the model's eyes (which will go very well with the fact she has brown eyes) and minimal facial makeup apart from bronzer. 
As well as showing the lipsticks in relation to what makeup my model will be wearing these 3 will feature on the second page of my main product on the beauty edit page. I am thinking about using the kiss marks on the page and perhaps the swatch marks as they are very commonly used on beauty pages in magazines.