3. Preliminary Project – Research & Planning
How did you think about target audience?
Thinking about my target audience depended on the music, my genre was salsa. I researched into
salsa music magazine’s seeing what the first magazine’s of salsa were and the latest ones, the
target audience has be the same throughout time, however now a days young adults are also
interested in salsa and salsa has become known through different continents which are now
influencing salsa music in movie’s with Hispanic actors
How did awareness of that audience impact upon your visual design and choice of language?
Knowing my audience would be Hispanic young adults but also people which are interested in the
content of salsa music, culture, means that I had to think how the magazine can be distinguished
from other magazine’s, through the different colour layout and image. I had to look and read into
salsa magazines, this meant I had to understand the story’s salsa magazines told and choice right
size and context to write in the front, content and double page.
What key points did you learn about Adobe Photoshop and InDesign in constructing your
artefacts?
i learned that Photoshop is mostly used for changing the way an image looks, size colour and
making improvement in the contrast, and InDesign I learned that it’s best used to construct the
context and the way words can go around an image without hesitation, making it look organized
5. Reflections & Feedback
What would you do differently next time?
Next time I would take more time to plan the front, content and double page, doing different
designs, and would of make a questionnaire in which numerous people could criticize what's
good and what needs improving, rather than just asking 3 or 4 people. I would also think about
changing the contents page by researching more into contents page and what people find more
attractive, because my contents page looks like a poster rather than a contents page.
What kind of feedback did you get that might influence you?
I got told that the front page looks rather artist, with fluidly of colours but was told that there was
too many images, this influenced to change the images to just one, one image which can
interpret salsa without saying so, and because of this I changed the text bigger and bolder to give
this empowered effect, this it possible to put more context.
What aspects of your understanding of Adobe Photoshop & InDesign do you need to improve?
Photoshop has become easier to use but their still stuff I struggle in, like change an image to look
3D and slice a background, making it seem as if the pages are torn in two. On InDesign however, I
found it much harder to understand this programme, at first I couldn’t even change the size on an
image, although it got a bit easier to understand I need to improve in maintaining the context on
the right structure line, because it was hard to the contents page, also I could improve in
changing to headings colours as I done most of them in Photoshop then translated them to
InDesign.
6. The music genre of my music magazine is:
Salsa
and my chosen title is Latina, as it means south American female. I also
thought of Latino, meaning south America male, but it’s to empowering and
could interpret to be a racing car’s, ghetto magazine. Latina interprets a
Hispanic magazine, which interests my audiences, who are also people
outside the Latino/a social group, and are people intrigued by their culture,
music and carnivals which they do.
7. So I researched this genre of music publication
and studied:
• Model 1
Culture of South America is always shown, contrast of colour
is very bright, most primary colours are used, the way she’s
dressed shows she in a hot country or is ready for the carnival.
Looking at this magazine it shows that the publisher doesn’t
do a lot of writing but shows the main image as exciting and
involves the target audience to go to this event.
Involving people to get together and celebrate, which makes
me see how important culture is and the beauty of what it
brings.
• Model 2
I also learned that Latin NY tells audience it’s a
Hispanic magazine which is thought to put, music,
culture, food, carnivals and so forth. This magazine
doesn’t have any fancy dancer but it shows that
female Latina are happy, have no make-up, making
them look confident rather than posing in a sexual
form in which other female's will interpret ‘that’s
how I should look’ but show real beauty. Also they
are young adults which helps me understand what
coverlines they would want to read.
8. What I learned from this was…..
• Cover Design
Looking at both magazine I see that
natural beauty is always shown, the
woman aren't forced to smile and look
comfortable the way their standing,
posed. I’ve learned that Latin music
magazine are more about having funny,
not worrying how they look. The main
images makes the magazine look
exciting, which can exploit Latin people
to be happy outgoing and fun. These
magazines are explicit to think about
their culture and brings colours and
forecast the weather they are
surrounding
• Cover Lines
Putting salsa people in bold, brings
attention to salsa audience’s and I’ve
learned that having cover lines like this
can bring more people to read my
magazine. Having coverlines like carnivals
or summer party’s, are a great idea as it
involves audiences and having a carnival
is a huge event which everyone would
want to go, even people who isn't
Hispanic, Latin, but will go because of it’s
wondrous culture.
9. For my music magazine….
Target Audience:
My target audience is around the ages 18 and over
Student with a great sense of humour, likes to go out with
friend in free time, dance, party, but also very well educated,
with a good career ahead of them.
Frequency:
About 3 million viewer’s
Cover price:
It would be £1.99
Audience would be a student which part-time works or just
works, it’s not a high price but it’s affordable for student’s
Publisher:
Lauren Michaels my publisher, she’ the only one to make known Hispanic magazine’s. she oversees all revenue
platforms and the strategic development in the magazine, which include print, marketing, digital media, marketing
and research.
Unique Selling Point:
Magazine will be sold through it’s own website, Hispanic supermarket’s, HMV music store, Latin fashion- a place
where all Latino/as go and get clothes. Can cross promote with Debenhams's, making advertisement of the salsa
magazine with salsa dances or cultural clothes, dances.
10. This is the face of the magazine
Front cover The front magazine is whelmed up
with lots of information, context,
headlines which give away that it’s a
Salsa magazine, lots of bold text,
small and big sizes of context,
establishing that it’s a salsa magazine
with . ‘la mujer de la salsa’ heading is
in italics, its typography has a body
which could define how salsa woman
move like and how music is. The
main image shows a latin woman,
this embraces the fact that it’s a
salsa magazine as it’s targeted to
young adults with sense.
11. Here are the 4 original photographs I
shot for the project……
12. I modified each photograph; here is
the original next to the final version:
Raw 1 Final 1
Here is how I changed the photograph and why
I used the polygonal tool in Photoshop to delete the background and make it clear white, I did this
so it can blend in with the background I choose to use, however if I knew how to use the
eyedropper tool I would of used the same background of the first image to my magazine. I also
made the contrast of this image more lighter so that it can be clearer to see.
13. The second one
Raw 2 Final 2
Here is how I changed the photograph and why
I choose to crop out my friend and just leave the girl
like so, because she looks like she’s posing for a festive
magazine of Hispanic, and his just looks like he’s
relaxed and is posing for a picture on Facebook, trying
to look ghetto. Also instead of using it as a plain
image , placed in one side I used it as the background
of the actual page.
14. And the third one
Here is how I changed the photograph and why
I enlarged the image so it can be more focused and then realised it was quite dark
and grey, so i decided to brighten the image in Photoshop so it can become clearer,
also i used the burn tool, which gives this great shine effect.
15. Here are a couple of research models for
my contents page…
16. This is my contents page
Contents Page
The key features of my contents page is
unfolding a tragic break up of two loved
artists, having the best singer of salsa in
the UK, giving an opportunity to read on
the horrific death of a loved salsa singer,
also clubs which target audience can go
and see, cross promoting a club which
plays salsa music, festivals are being
announced and it’s involving target
audience to go and socialize with people
who love salsa or like the Hispanic culture.
Also it gives the opportunity to dance
salsa, bachata and all other south
American dances, with rumba, this
exploits salsa as an exercise regime and
involves student’s how some what, don’t
have time to do physical activities because
of student.
17. How does the contents page link back to
the cover page?
The contents page links back to the contents page as it has the main image/
person on the contents page, reading on the story told from the front page and
bringing it to focus on the second page. The same masthead is used for the
contents page heading informing reader’s it’s Latina's contents page, however
the contents page is less bold and becomes more subtle in the contents page.
Everything, from the carnival, clubs and relationships is linking back to the front
page, as reader’s want to read what they were promised in the front page.
18. Key points of contents page
How have you made the reader want to read on?
By using a logo at the far bottom I made a quote which the famous singer has said to entice
reader’s, by bringing their attention to the relationship breakup. Also having the same
woman from the front image as the contents page, can bring curiosity to the reader, meaning
the story’s a huge deal.
What are the links between images and words?
The quote testifies she has changed because of the breakup and her dresses in a nice silk
dress can signify she’s happy and is ready to dress to impress, however her turning one cheek
could define she’s not at all happy and is putting a sharp face, the background is also grey,
showing the shadow she portrays.
What determines the dominant stories?
She’s posed in a way which tells the reader she’s single and can do what she likes in life,
making her look on top of everything confident and her smudged smile can signify she’s not
giving up and is strong.
How have you gone about ordering the information on the page?
I ordered all my context from the same order i put all the context in the front page, making it
easier for the audience to find the page they like.
19. How does the contents page flag up your
double page spread?
My double page spread relates to the contents page as it’s
continuing on with the main story of the front magazine and
contents page. It talk about the relationship of this ‘tragic’ salsa
singer/actress, and uses the same color scheme in which I use
throughout the magazine front page and contents page. I also bring
in the same quote to the double page spread, and translating it to
Spanish, defining the language salsa comes from.
20. Here’s an example of an inspiring double
page spread…
double page spread two pages of Shakira, which is a Latin
singer who has a category in Salsa music, it’s a great idea
having her here, as she’s a very attractive woman and is an idol
for all young woman, this immediately shows that this
magazine is targeted to female woman around there 20’s to
30’s, working well for ideas of my double page. The layout of
this double page is spread in 4 grids, with different type fonts,
making it more interesting, having cross over with other artist.
On the left hand side, next to the image, there’s a sub heading
in which tells us that Shakira is ‘in the studio’, this works well as
it brings attention and asks questions in what’s this about?
Considering that the head title is ‘Danger! Shakira at work’
warning that there might be trouble in her career, which pull
the reader in more, having a sense of fear. Pull quote is easy to
identify as the text is sized larger, bold, italic and its underlined
with colour, red, bringing the audiences focus to this text,
informing a little of the artists view. Drop cap is used to start
the storyline, the letter ‘S’ could mean that it was done as
Shakira name starts with an ‘S’ which is interesting as it links
together something hers to what readers will read. Image
margin is used so that is wont be so squashed against the other
texts, images and gives the image more space and interest.
21. This is my double-page spread
My double page is a continuity of the front page and contents page, bringing focus
to one main story. It makes the audience see this is the big news of the week, it
has a large image of the woman on one hand side of the page, smiling, with a
check at one side, signifying she’s hiding something. It gives a relationship
between the reader and the woman, because now the reader can relate to the
woman’s feelings. Another image of two salsa people, establishing its for salsa
reader’s, Bold pull out quote is written underneath this with a background that’s in
pink, standing it out from the rest, white text is written in English as it’s more
focused on and this is the text most reader’s would understand as it’s in English,
however I also wrote it in Spanish to remind that it’s a salsa magazine and also to
show that this is the quote she said in Spanish but pointed it out in English.
22. This is how all three components are linked
together….
All three magazine have the same color scheme throughout and contrast with very
light colored images. It portrays the same female singer through the magazine to
show target audience the important of the story.
I used the same text for the context in the front cover, contents page and double
page, all the other heading where the same, except I played with the size width,
italic and bold style. All three components where formed with a simple yet spicy
theme, whether it was the image or text. The layout would always be done in two
columns and no more, otherwise it’d look like too much text.
The color background would always be white except from the contents page,
because I thought it would all look to simple so I change it with the actual image
that was constructed there, the background is grey showed emotion of the
woman’s situation.
