BLOG CLOSURE NOTIFICATION

BLOG CLOSURE NOTIFICATION

Centre Name: Norbury Manor B&E College

Centre Number: 14343

Candidate Name: Ishrah Jama

Candidate Number: 2106

Unit: G321

Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Spread Page

Evaluation - Question 7

For my preliminary task I created a college magazine and for my foundation portfolio I created a music magazine. Between them you can see a large level of improvement in terms of it looking more professional and realistic. First of all, I was able to create a sense of cohesion with the look of my music magazine. It is clear that all the pages link together and belong together ,which is mainly down to the colour scheme, where as with my college magazine it was unclear if the contents page had any relevance to the actual front cover that I had created.

For my preliminary task I was asked to created a front cover and a contents page. Already there is a difference as for my music magazine I had to do the same but add a double spread page to it. By doing an addition page I have been able to develop on my skills as a media student and learn a lot along the way.

With the preliminary task, now looking back, I believe I could of done more to make it look of better quality and give it a professional touch that I have failed to achieve. First of all, I would add some more effect to the font on my front page as it look to 2D and flat. But adding a drop shadow, emboss or outer glow, it could pick the level of skill I had. Also it could make the text more readable as the background makes the font unclear to see and make out. However I do think there is some aspects to the cover that's good such as the colour scheme. Its clear where I got the colours forms and I used white as a feature colour which my target audience said that they wanted me to do for my music magazine. I also believe the magazine title "Thrive" works well with the aspect of the magazines.

The photos that  have chosen to use are very different and similar in many ways. With the music magazine I went with a mid close up shot on the front cover of the music magazine with the model smiling at the camera, welcoming people. This worked for that type of magazine as it suited the idea that she is a good student that is nice to other people and that she likes being at school. This is in contrast to my music magazine where even though she still has her angle of gaze at the camera, the whole attitude has change. She appears more confident as sassy which suits the genre of R&B. When researching, I wanted to get a hint of how R&B magazine looked and appeared and what made them different and stand out. I felt that the pose was the most important factor in portraying the genre and I believe I portrayed it well. With the contents page I developed my photograph skills. Before I had one picture of a long shot of two student, but now I have 2 images. With now having two images I am following the common conventions that a magazine carries and applying what I have learned into my magazine whereas before I just had one image. The style of shots has improved also as I have shot from a low angle with the picture at the bottom. The actual quality of the image has improve also. Even though I love the image I have on the college cover, the quality I have on the music cover is much better showing off the improvements I made. This was down to the fact that I had used more features on Photoshop as you can see in my image manipulation post, than only features such as "brighten". Lastly with music cover, it is clear that the photo is the magazine focus point as it is for most R&B magazine but with the college cover, the text covers too much of the image, making the layout messy and unorganised.

I didn't conduct any research for my college magazine and it is clear. I haven't got any idea on how to constructed it, I kind of just went ahead and made it on the spot. But the my music magazine I had around a month to gain an idea of what already existed as well as what I wanted to bring to it to make to my own. I think time management was another factor I had such differing levels of professional work as I had much more time to make my music magazine.

Overall, I think the changes are clear and that the developments made are now understood if not already.

Evaluation - Question 6

Evaluation - Question 5

Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience? from Ishrah Jama on Vimeo.

Evaluation - Question 4

Who is your target audience for your media products?

My target audience would be for young adults between the ages of 16 and 25. I feel like this is a suitable age range as they tend to be the ones interested in the lives of the artists of this genre and listen to their music itself. I expect they listen to people like Beyonce and Drake on radio channels such as Capital Xtra. Also R&B music tends to talk about content such as adult behavior and had explicit language so I don't think anyone under the age of 16 will find it suitable. Even though the bracket is for under 25 years old, it doesn't mean that they cannot read it but more that I don't believe it would be popular for that demographic. 

My colour scheme is a mixture of black, grey, gold and navy blue. These colours work well for my target audience as they make the music magazine look and feel modern and well put together. Also gold is associated with the genre of R&B as it connotes bling and richest which will attract my readers.

Even though I haven't included a price tag it would be sold for £2.99. I chose not to have one on the front cover as it appears tacky and I couldn't find a right place for it. Furthermore there weren't any good examples of real media text to guide me. The price is well suited to this magazine as it is affordable for most but at the same time doesn't degrade the product with a cheap price tag. Even though when I was doing my research, my target audience told me they wouldn't spend more than a pound, after seeing my magazine they realized it was worth it.

As my target audience is predominately girls, it made sense to me to have a female artist on the cover to help attract them to buying it as it helps create a sense of relevance. Also I wanted them to see someone on the magazine that they could relate to and gain inspiration from. Lastly I take about some aspects of female empowerment in the magazine so by using "Argisa", i could express that message further.

Finally as I am between the ages of 16 and 25, I am my own target audience. This helps me make decisions on what works well and what doesn't as I can easily put myself in their shoes.

Evaluation - Question 3

What kinds of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Evaluation - Question 2

Evaluation - Question 1

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media text?

DPS - Feedback

Feedback from ishrahjama

DPS - Links to Contents/Front Cover

Here are my 3 pieces of work that I have created for my music magazine. In this post I will be going over all the similarities that they share.

• First of all I used the same/similar fonts on then all. The main on they share is Bodoni in different forms which may be compressed or bold.  This gives the idea that they all belong together.
• The masthead/title of the magazine appears on all the three pieces. On the front cover it is written aross the top, on the content page is is placed under the word "contents" and on the double spread page it is placed along the bottom as part of the website

DPS - Layout

As you can see, a lot has changed from my flat plan to my actual double spread page. In this blog post, I want to discuss and go over all the things that has changed as well as the reasons why:

• I now have 2 columns instead of 3 as there wasn't enough space.
• I changed the image to a close up for varying shots.
• I got rid of the large "A" and replaced it with a pull quote. My peers said this works better as the audiences gets to know the artist more and it looks better on the page.
• I put the stand first paragraph at the top instead of having with the columns. Now it can be seen and read better

DPS - Artist Interview

Since rising to fame, Argisa had been on a rollercoaster that only goes up. Born and raised in Albania, she came from humble beginning but left her home in search to find a musical chance. Fast forward 6 years she is on top of her game. A debut song called “”, a track about finding the courage to go after whatever you desire peaks at 20 on billboard 100 and sold around 40,000 copies in its first week. With a European tour all sold out and a collaboration with Dua Lipa under her wings, she is fast becoming a star and one to watch out for. In her exclusive interview with Ishrah Jama she discusses how life in Albania was for her, the challenges to coming to a country she had never seen and how she settled in. As well as her highly anticipated, upcoming debut album “Home”.

Your album drops in next week, what can you tell us about it?
“I have been writing “Home“ since I was sixteen and it has become such a special part of me that I have worked so hard on.  It felts almost surreal that everyone will soon be listening to my music. The track list features twelve songs including my two singles and a few surprise collaborations with some artists I have been lucky enough to work with. Overall, it has a variety of R&B songs; some songs are more contemporary whilst others are more traditional  so hopefully there is something that everyone that can enjoy.”

Why go for a variety?
“I didn’t want to label myself with one specific type of music very early on in my career and be the girl that was known for only slow meaningful ballads or upbeat songs. Having a wide range of styles has allowed me to show each part of the person I came to become. Each song carries a different message that can only be portrayed with a certain musical vibe.”

What is the overall message of your music?
“I just want to be authentic to myself and for that to come across in my music. The inspiration of the songs comes from all aspects of my life, whether that’s heartbreak, finding strength or love.  It’s about me being honest and vulnerable and raw and hopefully people would want to listen and connect. It’s a side I’ve never really expressed before which is why I am quite nervous. This album is a piece of my heart that I am sharing with people I don’t know. I’ve come so far and grown so much as a person since I left Albania and I’m glad that this album documents my journey. In a few words it’s about finding my feet a world so different from mine.”

Why did you leave?
“Life was difficult and my parents wanted a better life for their child  which is understandable. When I was twelve we moved to London and started our new life here. If anything I was happy. From that young age I knew music was everything to me and leaving my safe haven was a step in the right direction. My grandfather always said ‘be fearless in pursue of what sets your soul on fire’ and I’ve tried to do just that. Music was always my number one and deep down I knew Albania wasn’t the place to be recognise as an R&B artist. "

Was life in London what you expected it to be?
“Honestly, no. I was a bit naïve thinking everything would fall perfectly into place. Once I moved and was discovered, I quickly realised in this industry, musicians aren’t spoon fed, so I had to work from the bottom up. I was very lucky to have the team at my record label, without them I don’t think I would be hear speaking to you.”

Has your origin inspired your music?
“I believe so.  It has given my songs meaning and has allowed me to express myself with stories that have  actual happened. Home is where my music is so of course it will. I spent my entire childhood there, therefore it will always be a part of who I am as a person. But it isn’t so much the sound that  is influenced but the meaning behind it. I think it’s those songs that I love the most.”

Which is your favourite?
If I had to choose one song it would be ‘Rise’. It is the story falling in love with someone who makes you feel on top of the world. When you listen to it you will tell that it kind of has Beyonce’s “Halo”  vibes with the smooth, soulful voice but is still very much powerful. It means a lot to me as it’s based on my personal life and relationship I have with a person. I love that music can take a story and bring it to life sort of. Either that or the collab  that I did with Dua Lipa. That will also be a special track. as it was the song that exposed me to the world and let people know who I am .

How was working with Dua Lipa and did she give you any advice?
“I had so much fun with her. She is just one of those girls that are just so down to earth no matter her level of fame. For my first music collab it was nice to be with someone who came from the same place as I did and for us to use our heritage as a common ground for our music. It is so cool that I grew up listening to her dad and now we are friends. She said ‘Keep your dreams in sight and don’t lose track’. I agree with her advice.”

If there is anything you want people to take away from your music?
“That no matter how crazy your dreams are they can still come true. I would have given up years ago if I had listened to the people telling me I am not good enough. But instead I placed all that energy into creating this album. But most importantly I hope that I make people  believe that the place they are used to is not the place you belong, you belong where ever you want . That is one of the main stories I tell on this album.”

DPS - Image Decision

For my double spread page I chose to use this image, I think it works well as it is a mid close up of her. By having a closer picture it creates the metaphor that we as the audience now know her in deeper depth, At first I plan to use this one to the left but as I already had a mid-long shot, I wanted a variety of shots.

DPS - Interview Writing and Stand First

 I wanted to research different interviews for music magazine in order to help me learn how to write a good magazine interview. What I did was went online and read a lot of articles that featured the interviews that are placed on the double spread page. The first one I found was from Billboard featuring The Weeknd. When reading it I was inspired by the structure of it all. It had questions that flowed perfectly and felt like a real conversation, creating a sense of authenticity and makes the audience realise how human the artist is. I intend to create a similar feel with my magazine.

The next interview I looked at was by Interview magazine, the feature of Beyoncé interviewing sister Solange. It was important for me to have Beyoncé's words as my artist is very inspired by her and her sister. In this interview, they discussed a lot about her life and different aspects of it as well as her music. By having a variation in conversation will keep it interesting to read.

After looking at the magazine interviews, I wanted to focus on what made a good introducing paragraph. Here are some example that I found online.

"New Jersey is hot again. Not just because it’s June, but Paterson’s own native son, Fetty Wap, currently has multiple singles blasting through speakers in every corner of the map. “Trap Queen,” his street hustler’s ode to ladies with the magic touch, has become this summer’s hip-hop anthem. But even with his rapid-fire success, it’s still family first for the 24-year-old rap singer." - Vibe

"The rise of Kehlani hasn’t been an easy one; at every stage in her career she has been given a new cross to bear or obstacle to climb but despite all her hardships, she has always emerged triumphant. Releasing her critically acclaimed debut album ‘SweetSexySavage’ in January 2017 and currently on her highly rated world tour, while it’s been a long time coming, it would seem that Kehlani is finally seeing the fruits of her many years of hard labour. Speaking with a delicate manner but a hardened confidence far beyond her 21 years of age, we sat down to find out more about one of R&B’s most exciting artists." - Fault

I like both stand first paragraphs. They make the stories appear interesting and exciting for the reader and introduce the artists in a good way.

DPS Market Research

Here is a deconstruction of a double spread page. By doing this I gained an idea of the common convention of a double spread page and gain some inspiration long the way.

Contents Page Feedback

Huda Khan: I like your contents page. It links to your front cover well with the same colour scheme, font and masthead. Feels like a real magazine. The font you used for the word "Contents" I love. It's very curvy and cute without being childish. In some way, it works.

Rachel Dennis: The image you used at the bottom is very artistic and creative. I remember seeing one like that before. Very different from the standard white background picture. It also gives a pop of colour with the blue sky, making it stand out

Sahra Ibrahim: The layout of the magazine is good but very different to what I've seen before. I like that you have used two pictures. It makes it more interesting than just one. The features look similar to Vibe magazine so I can see where you have gotten your inspiration.

Content Page Colour Choices

Contents Page Text and Features

Contents page Layout

                                  Contents Page                                               Flat Plan

Real Media Text

In this post I will be discussing how my contents page changed from my flat plan and the reasons why. Also I will be comparing it to a real media text for a R&B magazine so you can see how it inspired me to create my contents page.

What I have kept the same:

• First of all I have chosen to keep two pictures. I liked having the ability to show of creativity with  my photograph and having more than one image allows me to do that. With the images I kept the shape of one as I still wanted to have a main image and a side one.
• The word "contents is still there. I didn't want to change it to the format of the real media text as I only wanted mine to be influenced by the magazine without copying its actual style.
• Features is still kept as a title. It is a common convention of most magazine so I didn't feel the need to change it. The actual features are still numbered and listed to the left.

What I have chosen to change:

• The picture at the bottom of my contents page has replaced what I had planned to do before. At the beginning I wanted a portrait image and a list that mentioned top R&B tacks of the month. When I was putting it together, I realised that it wasn't working out as it become very structured. I then placed a landscape image instead.
• I added a extra sub heading called "Fashion". When it came to constructing the page, I had some space so I referred back to the Vibe magazine example and used that to inspire me.
• That magazine also helped me with the font choice for my sub headings. It now matches the font of the real media text.
• The placement of the masthead changed. Before it was so big and took away focus from everything else so I decreased the size and lowered it as my peers said it look better and I agree.

Content Page Deconstruction

Cpd from ishrahjama

Contents page - Test Shot and Chosen Image

I have created a slide show of my content page shots.


ishrah jama's Slidely by Slidely Slideshow

In the end I decided to use these two pictures on my contents page. I knew I wanted one with the background being the blue so I choose my favorite from the list I had. The side profile works well as its the only shot I have without an angle of gaze being straight at the camera.





Also i picked this image as it was an interesting shot of her whole body. I think the print on the jacket is very R&B and suits the whole theme of what I am doing. The angle of gaze is straight at the camera.

Front Cover Feedback

QR Code

I wanted to have make use of the fact that I had a QR code so I linked it to my blog. Here are some screen shots of me using a QR code reader on my phone. The reason behind this is that I want something interactive for my readers as they are young people that use technology a lot.

Front Cover Linked To Research