1. Formal Proposal –
Title of the magazine I wish to produce –
The title of the magazine I wish to produce is called; ‘Example’. I decided to call my music
magazine this because I wanted to create something that has an eye-catching and
memorable name. I chose ‘Example’ as the name of my magazine because hopefully people
will recognize the strong association this word has with the music industry, because there is
already an artist working under the stage name ‘Example’ who specialises in the ‘Hip-Hop’
genre, the genre my magazine will focus on. Not only does the word ‘Example’ have that
reference to ‘Hip-Hop’ but I also felt it could have a double meaning representing something
else entirely, the word ‘Example’ is what this magazine is trying to be, an example of what can
be done, which is one of the reasons my I plan to produce my magazine very conventionally
because I don’t want to be totally unique I want it to be something that really does act as an
example, an example of what can be achieved, an improvement on a alleged perfect design,
in this case an improvement on the Eminem issue of ‘Vibe’ magazine, on which it is heavily
based, due to the positive reaction it triggered from those involved in my questionnaire.
Explanation of choice of genre –
I chose the ‘Hip-Hop’ genre for a series of simple reasons; because it is a genre I am
interested in and have some knowledge of. Having this knowledge would enable me to create
an authentic looking ‘Hip-Hop’ magazine when it came to actually producing the product. I
also felt it is one of the most recognizable genres with a distinct feel and style to it making it
one of the easiest to create a unique magazine for. Furthermore, it is hugely popular across
the world bringing in huge revenue streams to numerous publishers so when it came to the
point where I have a finished magazine, there is no doubt that there will be a large market
with the disposable income to be able to purchase my magazine.
Target audience –
As a result of my feedback from my questionnaires and my focus groups I decided to target
my magazine at the 15 – 25 age bracket, notably males. I did this because ‘Hip-Hop’ is a
predominantly male dominated industry and is therefore more likely to appeal to young males
from their mid-teens to mid-twenties. Historically ‘Hip-Hop’ has its roots in African-American
lower class male culture but today it has been mainstreamed significantly and this is why I
have chosen the genre because it appeals to a much wider demographic than other genres
but still manages to satisfy its ‘die-hard’ fans
Initial ideas about front page –
My initial ideas for the front page are a bright large eye-catching title which will stand alone as
the single word: ‘Example.’ Stemming from market research I have found out that my target
audience prefer one large image on the front cover which will itself relate to the main cover
line, in addition to that I also found out they prefer bright colours such as reds, oranges and
yellows more so than subtle colours, so I will be taking these factors into consideration during
the construction of the product. Furthermore I will make sure there is a variety of cover lines
on the front page in order to entice a range of readers, thus providing something for everyone,
so to speak. I may also include a header and footer which will summarise the contents of the
magazine for a potential reader at a glance. In addition I plan to keep the colour scheme, font
size and type consistent throughout in order to give continuity and consistency to the product.
Initial ideas about contents page –
When it comes to producing my contents page I plan to use a similar layout to my front page,
to create consistency. A large image which will dominate most of the contents page and relate
to what I plan will be my ‘special’ section in this week’s issue which itself will be the basis for

2. the main cover line on the front page and therefore this will be continued across onto my
double page spread meaning there will be a running theme of this significant story across the
front page, contents page and double page spread to highlight its importance. Running down
one side of the page I will include a column which will list this weeks items such as: music
charts, exclusive interviews, photographs and competitions etc. Other general elements will
be included such as a ‘Review’ section which will review music DVDs, new albums and other
general music related topics and items. Much like the front page it will be bold and eye-
catching with a large and clear font for important features. It will keep a consistent colour
scheme in order to remain identifiable and to create a continuing trend between the three
products I will create.
Initial ideas about double page spread –
The double page spread will most likely focus on one large interview which will run across the
two pages, giving a mix of photographs and copy, the writing will be in continuous prose
although I may incorporate some type of question and answer format. The double page
spread will have a much more ‘chaotic’ style to it. Especially on the left hand side where I plan
to have text and images overlapping perhaps presenting pull quotes and other segments of
text at angles so they flow and fit into gaps around the main image. However, on the other
half of the page I plan to create something that is far more systematic for example the page
will be dominated by the article itself and therefore there will be little space for other items,
hopefully by doing this it will create a stark contrast that will satisfy everyone. Basically the
first half which will be full of short snippets of text mainly quotes from the article itself and
pictures (more than likely one large image) will please those who do not like reading long in
depth interview and prefer just to gather basic facts however for the ‘diehard’ fans of the artist
who will be the subject of the double page spread will be satisfied by the latter half as it will be
much more in depth focusing on specific details, events and occurrences trying to give as
much information about the artist as possible to the reader in the fewest words.
Initial ideas about photographs –
When it comes to creating the products (front cover, contents page and double page spread)
there is a criteria to meet of four original images so of course initially that had to be met, my
initial ideas surrounding the photographs were, one large would run throughout the three
products it would be a different image each time although it would have noticeable similarities
to give continuity and consistency to cover, contents and double page spread. In theory the
collection of assorted images which will appear similar throughout should almost form the look
of a photo shoot and I as the designer have used various images from the photo shoot, in
addition to that the images really do have to be similar due to the fact my lead story will be
prominent on the front cover, contents and of course he will be the subject of my double page
spread therefore he must look roughly the same from picture to picture so the reader can
forge an association with that particular ‘look’. Naturally having decided upon having a large
image for my front cover, contents and double page spread that means I have only three
decided upon for definite, however I may include several other smaller images most likely on
the double page spread, most likely these smaller images will be perhaps former band mates
of the artist who is the main subject of the double page spread.
By George Parkin.