Colour Pallet- Fresh Echo

The Colour Pallet i plan to use in my magazine consists of Black, Red and White. I have chosen these colours as i feel they are sharp and simple, to create a very fresh look. Also the colour red contrasts very well with the black and white as the red is a lot brighter and will stand out significantly. I plan to have my important notices in red and the masthead and the rest of my mag in black and white, this i feel will again make what i want to stand out, stand out! The colour palette of is vital as it is what first attracts the target market to your magazine, so you want it to stand out. These 3 colours stand out and have been used on previous magazines that have been really succesful. Most magazines use a 3 colour palette as this makes it look professional and appealing to the audience. I have gone with the 3 colour pallet as i feel this is one of the main conventions of a music magazine and it needs to be abided by.
White is oftenly associated with light, goodness, innocence and purity. It is considered to be the color of perfection and clarity.Also White represents coolness and cleanliness and makes the other 2 colours stand out more on a white background. Black often stands for the dark side of life and also with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. It is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious colour. , this is why i feel these two colours compliment each other well due to the contrast of pragmatics of the colours.

 My inspiration for this colour pallet came from the following:

Target audience for Fresh Echo

After researching different types of audiences on UK tribes and other internet sources plus  using my own knowledge i have decided to try and ensure that my magazine appeals to both genders, although i could see the magazine edging towards a more Male bias due to the content i wish to include. The age group i plan to target is of 16-24, specifically with an interest in mainstream Hip Hop and Pop. Artists that my target audience will in my opinion like consist of the following Bruno Mars, Rihanna , Olly Murs, Flo Rida, Rita Ora, Robbie Williams, David Guetta and Calvin Harris etc.
My target audience enjoys regular trips to big shopping malls such as The Bull Ring in Birmingham and the Highcross in Leicester.During their trips to these malls, shops often visited are the mainsteam ones such as Topman, River Island, and Zara.Hobbies for my target audience consist of clubbing in big clubs in towns and cities, downloading big chart music from I tunes and eating out at places such as Nando's etc. They may also enjoy regular trips to the cinema to see the latest blockbuster film and listening to radio stations such as Radio 1 or Capital FM. They may participate in sports such as Football or Basketball. Social Networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook will also be a big part of their social lifes as these are very popular and they can follow the artists that would appear in the magazine.

Magazine Title

I have decided to call my magazine 'Fresh Echo'. I chose this name as i felt the word 'Fresh' described what i  aim for my magazine to convey through various ways such as the layout, design and the overall content of the magazine. Originally i was just going to use the word 'Fresh' as my magazine name but i felt the 'Echo' part of the name matched it well as the the phonetics of this word are great and the two word together combine to make a great flowing catchy name.

Inspiration for Fresh Echo

Top 10 Chart- Mainstream Music (Fresh Echo Genre)

Chart Update by

Audience Profile-Mainstream Individual- Frank Smith {Fresh Echo target Audience]

Mainstream Individual- Frank Smith

Music

Frank Smith is one of those guys who thrives off the new chart music that is constantly being updated weekly. He downloads all of the latest big tunes from artists such as Bruno Mars, Rihanna , Olly Murs, Flo Rida, Rita Ora, Robbie Williams, David Guetta and Calvin Harris etc. Frank will generally not stray too far away from the chart as he likes the upbeat rhythm of the songs and looks up to the very big stars creating the music. Frank doesn't particularly care about the instruments used he is more bothered about what the final product is like. Frank will often tune into radio stations such as Radio 1 extra, Capital, as they offer the big top charting songs at the current time.

Fashion and Style

Frank's fashion sense and style very much mirrors his music taste as he often likes too look sharp as the big stars do, but he also likes to go down the opposite route of casual wear. Again reflecting the idea of everything and anything goes in terms of music taste and clothing also. Frank likes to keep his appearance  in tip top shape, to ensure this he often goes for a sunbed to keep his tan looking good and also he is regularly down the gym maintaining his good shaped body. This again may be a result of the chart topping stars participating in these kind of activities and Frank copying them in a way as he idolizes them and wants to be like them in every way possible.

 Possible Outfits worn by Frank:

 

Casual Wear- This is one of Frank's casual outfits, consisting generally of Denim Jeans, crew neck / V neck sweatshirts combined with some kind of trainers. Often Nike trainers.

Smart Wear- Frank often switches to this style when he is going to a social event at night, such as going out with his mates to one of the big clubs in the UK's largest cities. This outfit normally is made up of a Shirt and tie, Blazer of some sort and smart trousers, plus smart shoes to match.

Gym Wear- Frank often goes for the gym look when he is participating in sporting activities such as taking part in weightlifting sessions to make the appearance better.

Hobbies- Frank is a very enthusiastic guy who is up for anything that sounds fun and exciting. Frank loves his sport and plays football for his local team every week but at the weekend he loves to go clubbing with his friends in the centre of town/city. Him and his mates will most likely venture to the main well known clubs in the town where the music is loud and upbeat. Here Frank and his friends will enjoy there Friday/Saturday night drinking Cocktails at the bar and having a great time dancing on the dance floor, looking for girls to impress. When Frank is not out partying at the weekend he likes to shop in malls such as the Hghcross in Leicester where Topman, Zara, River Island and all the other large retailers can be found. This suites Frank perfectly as these are all seen to be 'Mainstream' shops where most people of this style shop. He will never venture to indie vintage shops that sell slightly different older clothes. Also Frank loves a weekly trip to Nando's and often Waga mamma's as well. 

TV- Frank enjoys watching programmes that are broadcasted on the main Television channels such as BBC 1 BBC 2 ITV 1 etc. He enjoys shows such as Take me out, Big Brother, and The X factor. All these shows  tend to be shown at evening time. This is how Frank will often spend his weekend nights if he does not go out and party.

Blinger's purchasing trends

Purchasing Trends

Music- Often internet downloads of Music located from genres such as R and B/ Rap for example, Kanye West, Jay Z, Frank Ocean, Notorious BIG, Rick Ross ETC.





Fashion and Gloss magazines- Weekly must-buys include Sugar and Cosmo Girl.




Clothing- Gucci, D&G, Tiffany, icedoutgear.co.uk and Ann Summers, PRADA, Stone Island, Billionaires Boys Club, Armani ETC.




Jewellery- It's all about the big large shiny diamond rings and intense looking chains in this Blingers group. It's all about the appearance of the objects!



Alcohol-
Favorite beverages consist of Smirnoff vodka and coke or champagne. This is considered to be quite a high class level of drinking, again this improves the appearance of the individual who belongs to the 'Blingers' group.





Make up-
Mainly brands such as RImmel, Maybeline and No.17 with occasional purchases from Clinique and Chanel.These are all main market leaders in the make up industry and offer great products which in turn attracts groups such as the 'Blingers' to purchase the product as it will/should increase their appearance.


Accessories-
That Gucci bangle is a must-have for the ladies of the Blingers group. Often many of the members of this group obtain products like this. As a street credit booster in some ways.

Blinger Hobbies

They like to listen to US party hip hop and R’n’B – with a bit of UK dubstep or bassline thrown in (think the sound of the town). Clothes are all about accessible excess – true to their name, they like lots of bling (often Prada or Stone Island acquired from the local market) with large watches for the men and Swarovski crystals and imitation Gucci bags for the ladies. Second-hand fashion and geek chic are completely alien to them. They like a ‘box fresh’ look and wear a mixture of sports and designer wear – think Nike, Evisu, Rocawear, Armani and Hugo Boss. The look is essentially dolled-up townie. Shopping centres like Westfield are a dream come true for this lot.

Blinger Icons ( Possible Target Audience )

Blingers

I am considering targeting the 'Blingers' as my audience for my music magazine. As after researching this particular youth group i have managed to find out that they read magazines heavily this would increase the sales and the success of the magazine substantially.

Some of the Blingers icons are as follows:

Rihanna: Rihanna is a very famous hip hop/ pop artist who sells records internationally, especially targeting groups such as the 'Blingers'

 

Rihanna: Rihanna is a very famous hip hop/ pop artist who sells records internationally, especially targeting groups such as the 'Blingers'. Rihanna is often known for her raunchy and sometimes questionable outfits that she often wears during her concerts that all of her fans thrive off.

Jay Z: Jay Z is an incredibly famous Rap artist who is very much respected for his Rags to riches background, this may be the reason groups such as the 'Blingers' Idolize him in such a religious way. Also the 'Blingers' are often known and seen to want to make their own way in life which in a way emulates what Jay Z did himself.

Beyonce: Beyonce, similar to Rihanna is a international female artist that is situated in the pop/hip hop genre. Beyonce and Jay Z who i mentioned previously are a couple, this in turn means that the groups such as the 'Blingers'  idolize the couple as two, this is one of the reasons that the 'Blingers' are highly active in magazine reading participation as they are always wanting to venture inside the lives of their icons and by reading the mags this helps them achieve this.



Barack Obama: A slightly adverse icon of the 'Blingers' falls in the form of the US president who goes by the name of Barack Obama. He is the first black president that the US has ever witnessed, this is one of the reasons many people admire and look up to him as he has overcome boundaries that people didn't think were possible. I feel that the reason that a group like the 'Blingers' admire Obama is due to the fact that he stands for what he believes in and doesn't let people stop him from doing anything. i feel the 'Blingers' can relate to this in their everyday lives and try to imitate his approach to life in every way possible on their journey to become self made successful personnel s.

Clash Magazine Front Covers

Clash Magazine Front Covers

Clash Magazine Front Covers

Dazed and Confused front cover analysis

I really like this particular Dazed and Confused Magazine front cover as i feel the layout is designed exceptionally.It is very simple which i like and only contains sparse text and the central image which therefore dominates the cover. The only real text that is visible to the reader is the Masthead which is slightly covered by Beyonce who is the main focus of the magazine front cover. Also displayed on the mid drift of Beyonce is a subheading which first of all states 'Beyonce' and then underneath this the mag contains another subheading again in a matching white font with the Masthead and the other sub heading stating 'Pop Vs Life'

Personally i feel like there is no real set colour pallet that this particular issue sticks to, this goes against the conventions of a 'normal' magazine that usually contain three different colours that the Central image,the masthead and the sub headlines abide by. Although this mag does not have a set pallet of colours it seems to work well as the attire that Beyonce is seen to be wearing is very colourful and contrasts with the very simple white masthead and the matching sub headings. 

NME Magazine front cover analysis

NME Magazine analysis by

VIBE Magazine analysis

VIBE Magazine Analysis by

Magazine process

Rap/ Hip Hop Mood Board

Rap/ Hip Hop Mood Board by

Possible Magazine Genres

Media Coursework:  Music Magazine

Possible genres for magazine:
• Mainstream pop
• Indie
• Rap and Hip Hop
• Jazz
• R and B
• Reggae
• New wave and Synthpop
• Metal
• Folk
• Funk
• Country
• Blues
• Alternative
• Classical
• Gospel


Mainsteam Pop artists- Lady Gaga, Jessie J, Olly Murs,  Coldplay, Usher.

Indie Artists- Damien Rice, Florence and the Machine, Foster the people, Gotye, Lana Del Ray.

Rap and Hip Hop Artists- Jay Z, Kanye West, Eminem, Drake, Lil Wayne, J Cole, 50 Cent

Jazz Artists- Frank Sinatra, Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, Clark Terry, Buddy Bolden, Nick LaRocca.

R and B Artists- Rihanna, R Kelly, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Ne-Yo, Whitney Houston, Mary J Blige.

Reggae Artists- Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Beenie Man, Jimmy Cliff, Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown, Sizzla.

Metal Artists- Black Sabbath, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Kiss, ACDC, MegaDeth, MotorHead.

Folk Artists- Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Doc Watson, Arlo Guthrie, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Suzzane Vega.

Funk Artists-George Clinton, Prince, Bootsy Collins, Zapp, Rick James, Ohio Players, Roy Ayers.

Country Artists- Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Lady Antebellum.

Blues- BB King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Willie Dixon, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones.

Alternative Artists- Nirvana, Sonic Youth, The Cure, Pixies, Morrissey, U2, Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Classical Artists- Catherine Jenkins, Andre Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti, El Divo.

Gospel Artists- Marvin Sapp, Mary Mary, Fred Hammond, Shirley Caesar, Smokie Norful, BeBe Winans.