2. My aim was to challenge this stereotypical representation presented through
magazines based on rap/hip hop genre, by creating my products in a way in
which they show an element of ‘professionalism’ through layout i.e. All
products present a reoccurring similar organisation, colour scheme i.e.
Same colour of fonts and background of products and images i.e. the same
artist is used throughout pages, where I avoided the stereotypical images
used presenting rap/hip hop artist as ‘gangster/thugs’, hence I challenge this
by showing my artist as a smart young male in casual clothing and not the
rough street look, I kept the dress sense causal as I still had to ensure some
elements of the genre were evident though in a manner where I could keep
the magazine looking as professional and combating stereotypes as much
as possible, without losing the main concept of rap/hip hop.
3. As for the language
I tried to be as
formal as possible
with the majority of
text, however there
was a small minority
of abbreviations and
informal text i.e.
‘..british lingo wtf’
they had been used
as its part of the
rap/hip hop culture
to an extent, though
not to the extent
current magazines
on the market make
it seem.
The text of the double Page spread was genuine
formed from the artist and his answers to the
questions, so that the audiences could understand
the artist and his view points.
The double page spread consisted of common
formal language and did not require a technical
language register as it was interview based text, the
language was formal as the artist is well spoken, as
he is educated therefore it could be read by those
with similar sociolect, and hopefully gaining the
attention of middle classes to read the magazine,
as it would not be hard for them to understand
compared to some current magazines on the
market where they would not understand certain
terns due to their social status and environment.
4. The front cover did not present any informal language, as this was a aspect to help present
my magazine in a professional manner in order to gain some of my audience’s attention of
middle to upper classes as they would be more likely to go for a product which uses their
style of language register rather than terms they tend not to use or have never come across
before, therefore this would be being a crucial factor affecting the audience’s decision on
buying the magazine. There were no abbreviations used within the front cover, and
provided information clearing by stating clear captions i.e. ‘king kazz… out now’ evidently
helps explain the purpose of that text is linked to the image of the album cover.
These ideas of text
were tested by my
target audience to
ensure they fitted
the purpose and
allowed me to
attract my audience
through the use of
formal langue.
5. I tried to combat stereotypes and convey a sense of professionalism by using colour schemes to
help, as the colour grey connotes a simplicity and is often referred to as the new black a
‘professional’ colour used in many professional firms. And from researching this colour and its link
with magazines most ‘posh/professional’ elite branded magazines used the colour grey for
instance, example 1 below from the magazine brand ‘Elle’ presents tones of grey which ties the
magazine together well. Example 2 shows the use of the colour in my specific genre, I combined
the ideas gained from research by ensuring elements of rap were still evident i.e. the artists sense
of dress and used the colour to present this professionalism.
Example 1 Example 2 Example of 1/3 of my products
6. The font styles of all products are
evidently the same as seen from
research most magazines within this
genre stick to the max 3 colours of
text, however looking at examples of
professional magazines they tended to
only have 1, I did not opt to go for this
option as it would have not attract my
mass audience, therefore I adapted
this typical convention and
manipulated it so that it would attract
by my mass and niche market by
going for the max of 3 font colours,
however a use on standard and
inviting colours as seen in my products
(white, black & red).
All content is formal which would
attract my niche market of middle to
upper classes – those who tend to
listen to the music however do not
purchase such magazines as they
feel it does not suit their ‘style’ i.e.
language style is usually too informal
for their understanding, however I
combated this by being formal as
possible with a word/ phrase being
informal as by keeping this audience
in mind I still needed to consider my
mass market & the genre. My mass
market was not a concern as they are
‘hardcore’ fans already & most due to
a young age understand informal
terms hence they usually purchase
such magazines, therefore this
change in language would not make
a difference to them as they would
only be concerned about knowing the
latest gossip in the industry and their
artist.
Font styles throughout my
products remained the same, all
that was changed was font size
when I needed to empathise an
important focus within the
magazine, from my survey
conducted I found that this is
one of the elements my audience
looks out for.
7. My products were designed considering my target market and my
overall aim of how I wished to present my magazine. I wished to
attract an audience who had a keen interest in the genre of music,
along with those who enjoy the music in other forms of media i.e.
Spotify, iTunes music though did not consider to purchase a
magazine, as they felt it did not meet their preferences for instances
the language was perhaps too informal along with imagery as it did
not suit their ‘image’ of her they dress. Therefore the representation
the magazines promoted were not to their status or perhaps age
group and for this reason they only preferred listening to the music
and not reading about the genre via magazines.
