1. INTRODUCTION
My magazine is called EDEN and is an eco-friendly/sustainable online magazine that uses
various elements of minimalism. It has a mainly plain aesthetic and colour-scheme wise
there’s mostly neutral tones so the front cover isn't too bright. I aim for it to have a rather
calming nature which follows the theme and genre of the magazine.
Reader wise, the magazine is geared to a mix of genders typically those who are interested
in the zero waste lifestyle. People who like this are also into learning how to save the planet
and themselves. I wish for the magazine to come across as higher-end, for those who are
looking for a serious approach to helping the world by adopting a zero waste or vegan
lifestyle, the average age for m readers is about late teens to early twenties with a very mixed
gender. This magazine would be available around the world online, so it is more eco-
friendly. An online magazine would be more ideal for my genre of magazine.
2. INSPIRATION
I decided to take a minimalist approach to my magazine, looking at
what other magazines do and do the opposite, or apply what works
for the genre and audience of my magazine. I took into
consideration several different vegan, eco-friendly and minimalist
magazines that I could in a bid to find inspiration and on topic and
genre styles so could see the codes and conventions of the
magazine genre as I wasn’t exactly familiar to it myself.
Dwell is also a magazine, however it is an interior-design one and
occasionally dabbles in eco-friendly living and doing your part for
the environment The use of the primary colors of green around the
front cover show what that exact issue of the magazine might be
about. I wanted to use green a lot in my magazine to show to the
audience what the magazine is about as a whole. I want the audience
to imagine that the magazine itself is supposed to be a higher end
ad is a rather serious publication, I don’t want it to come across as
informal or childish, though it isn’t supposed to come across as
extremely pushy or forceful but an informative and educational
magazine.
3. INSPIRATION
The magazines that I turned to for inspiration were very
helpful in furthering my understanding of the genre and
how it is done. I wanted to make a very typical
magazine for the genre so the genre and audience
would be obvious.
Clearly, magazine was an inspiration of mine, as they
are extremely minimalist in their representation. It
shows all the magazine has to offer in a small picture
and a title. It makes readers intrigued as to what they
are going to read. The magazine as a whole follows no
codes and conventions which makes it interesting to
analyze, the front covers heavily show the themes of
minimalism and a direct and clear message about what
the magazine is about. I wanted to use the minimalist
cover to my advantage to create a rather calm
atmosphere to my magazine.
5. FLAT PLANS
For my front cover I wish to make it rather simple, keeping my masthead in the top corner as it is a lot more
practical than having a large masthead and a large main sell-line. That would make the front cover look quite
cluttered, which is why I have decided to not use any sub-images as I prefer the background of my cover to be
the dominant image so it looks a lot more professional and better than cropping multiple images together and
using a plug. My magazine is aimed to be a higher end and more serious magazine, hence why it is quite bare on
the front cover.
My double paged spread is mainly filled taken up by the dominant image on the left page, I opted to have it take
up one page as I feel it looks better than having it take up more than one page. I also had the main sell-line go
across the dominant image in contrasting colors so that it would stand out more. I used a sub-image as I feel it
breaks up my plan of an overall black and white page, with a rather bright sub-image that I have taken myself.
The text will play a big part in the double paged spread at it is an interview and is rather important so it takes up
quite a lot of space and requires that planed out.
6. IDEAS
My main inspiration is mostly minimalism and a plant
based aesthetic visually. It mainly is to show just
exactly what the magazine is about, other inspirations
of mine include eco-friendly and hygge aesthetics to
create a cover and magazine that isn’t too visually
cluttered. The theme of minimalism also plays into
how many images I use as my dominant image is also
the background of my front cover, well in my flat plans
and ideas it is. The overall aesthetic is rather minimalist
and plain it embraces both zero waste and hygge
culture which my magazine is pretty much about. The
main colors white and green would play a lot into my
magazine as both have rather calming and pure
connotations. The two colors are often used when
taking photographs of plants and as the main theme
of this magazine is nature ad a simpler way to life the
two colors are rather fitting to use in this case.
7. IDEAS
My ideas for the magazine is to make it online, much like
some others of the same genre, eco-friendly magazines
do fit with being digital as it is a lot more sustainable than
other methods of distributing a magazine. With the genre
being eco-friendly it makes the magazine very fashion
forward and relatable especially with the growing
concerns for global warming and people turning to a zero
waste life style and events like veganuary. These events
promote and normalize vegan culture, with many
supermarket chains deciding to create more vegan
products to further inclusivity, My idea was to put the
masthead in one of the top corners, so that the front
cover appeared less cluttered and wasn’t half taken up by
the masthead alone. Image wise a lot of my inspiration
came from images of indoor jungles inside of urban
environments such as busy cities, it makes it a lot more
amazing to see especially when it is so peaceful inside
8. PRIMARY CONTENT
I have written my double page spread by myself, with research- about Jackie
Bolen who is a pioneer in women's zero waste products. I had never seen an
article on her, so I decided to compile as much research as I could into a sort
of interview concept. The image on Jackie Bolen I had comprised out of many
different articles and what was available on her website
ecofriendlywomen.com. I found that using her would also educate anyone
who sees my magazine to research her and her website too.
The far right picture is a burnet spotted moth that I had taken a picture of
about a year and a half ago in a field. I decided this picture would be ideal as
it goes with my eco friendly theme and its also a picture I have previously
taken. The picture is an extreme close-up of the flower that the moth is on
and used natural lighting. There is a filter on it that makes the yellow of the
flower stand out more to add a contrast compared to the rather dull colors of
the fly. The rest of the double paged spread which the sub-image is shown in
is actually what breaks up the rather dull colour scheme of the whole thing.
9. SECONDARY CONTENT
I decided to use a picture from
ecofriendlywoman.com of a model, as the look I was
going for didn't’t exactly have a picture of Jackie
Bolen, I wanted the picture to look almost editorial
and professional, which I tried the best, by linking
credit down the side. I decided that simply taking a
picture of one of my classmates would not have
given off the same impression that the model did.
The reason for choosing this was the use of the
plants in the background of the picture against a
white background, this best fits my magazines
aesthetic more than anything else. It shows that
throughout the magazine the zero waste and eco-
friendly theme can be found. The photograph itself
gives a very editorial look which is necessary as my
magazine is targeted towards those who are serious
and have a love for eco-friendly ideals and the
lifestyle around it. Therefore the magazine wouldn’t
exactly contain any fun or informal photoshoots or
language.
Picturecreditsbelongtoecofriendlywoman.com
10. SECONDARY CONTENT
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfY3-
XJl0N9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
My main image that I have used for the front cover is actually
taken from the Instagram of an account that compliments and
shows rooms that are charming an aesthetically pleasing. A lot of
people on the internet actually like seeing aesthetically pleasing
images, especially as it can inspire them to change their own room
to benefit themselves. Hence why I picked this picture, as it
inspires people to change much like how I wish for my magazine
to adapt for the better to help themselves and the environment.
The picture embodies what I wish my magazine to show which is a
comfortable minimalist and sustainable lifestyle with some hygge
elements, as seen by the warm colors and the plants in the room.
11. LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES
Using work created by someone else's can result in copyright claims which can lead to legal battles, to
avoid this you can ask for permission to use their work first or you can give credit when its due on whatever
you have sampled their work for. Some pieces are copyright free and can be used by anyone without
having to give credit or buy it which makes it available and accessible to anyone. Using a picture from
ecofriendlywoman.com I had to give credit as I didn’t originally take the picture and could find no way to
contact them online other than their website. This is a way for me to give them credit for the work they
have done but also it looks very much like what would actually happen in a magazine as people give credit
for photos quite a lot in magazines.
It can be useful to use others work as they may have a song you want to use in a video which will add
atmosphere or the picture is a lot more professional than something you would be able to take because it
is out of your budget or you couldn’t master the picture that you wanted but someone else has so it makes
it a lot more ideal for people who can’t access cameras.
12. DRAFTS
My initial ideas were having maybe a plainer background and using the
main font in a darker color, I wanted it to stand out and use a larger main
sell-line because it initially was very important to me to have this, but as the
drafts go on I started wanting a more minimalistic approach to the front
cover. This is why I chose to add less sell lines and decrease the size of the
main sell line so it wasn’t as cluttered as it could have been. By making these
changes, I feel more comfortable making my magazine as it is closer to what
I wished my end result to be.
In another draft, I actually decided to use a picture I had taken of the sea in
Italy and was initially going to write an article about endangered sea life. But
I wanted to use a picture of a person so I opted to go for Jackie Bolen as she
is a key member of the zero waste movement especially in women's
products as there was a severe gap in the market when she started. Jackie
and her causes interested me as a woman who is interested in zero waste as
her messages were rather empowering and her employing all women was
something that was pretty unheard of so I really admired her.
13. DRAFTS
In the past, I experimented with the magazine double paged spreads
and he front covers, using different photo ad layouts for both, I also
provided evidence from my Instagram regarding most of the pictures
shown in the double paged spread. I experimented with actually using
a picture of Jackie Bolen herself or if I wanted to use a model to make
it appear a lot more editorial and show some of the products that
Jackie makes and sells on her website. I opted in the end to use a
picture of a model in a tropical environment, wearing an outfit from
ecofriendlywoman.com which is Jackie's website. I decided to change
it to give it a much more editorial ad professional look, showcasing
and promoting her products, that’s why I opted to use a model
instead of the designer herself. Using Jackie Bolen shows the genre
and desired audience of my magazine who are those that show
interest towards a zero-waste lifestyle. This is also why I have decided
that using digital distribution will be best, as this way is easiest
especially for my chosen genre, using print would contradict the
whole concept I chose. I also decided to use potential screenshots of
photos from my own Instagram account, as these were taken by me
these are copyright free and for with my aesthetic for my magazine.
15. FINISHED PRODUCT
I am quite happy with my finished product, it has been through many drafts and I have encountered quite a few
issues along the way and it has made me happy to see how far it has exactly gone. I am especially pleased with
the double paged spread as a lot of issues had arose with that and I wanted it to be the best it possibly could.
There are quite a few things that I could have done better if doing this again, for example tackling my problems
better and taking my own pictures would have ensured that the production went smoother, however I deal with
what I had in one way or another and in that way I am pleased. For an online magazine it fits the genre and I tried
not to go over the edge of the front cover or the double paged spread where the text is cut off and unreadable.
Quality wise, the images aren’t of the highest but I attempted to make sure that nothing was pixilated while
editing and that all images and text are clearly readable. It fits what I was going for audience wise too, as those
who are interested in minimalism, zero waste living aand veganism, I wanted this magazine to give a bit
inspiration to those who wanted it when going further in their journeys whether it be for themselves or for the
betterness of the planet.
16. PRODUCTION LOG
As previously stated, I encountered quite the few issues whilst creating this magazine. My first issue was with
picking a genre, initially this topic was an idea, and one that I never was really sure on until I actually realized that
contemplating genres would just be a waste of my time. So to make up for time lost I quickly began to develop
this magazine as zero waste / vegan one. As the market is a niche one, I noticed that there were little magazines
dedicated to veganism and the life style alone which I found was strange, as more and more people become
vegan each day. With the very few vegan and eco-friendly magazines available actually being marketed to those
over the age of 35, I decided that the newer generations would benefit from one that incorporates everything
they work towards as a community.
Another problem I faced was actually loosing my work about three weeks after starting it, although it doesn’t
sound like much I lost a lot of progress screenshots of starter ideas that could inspire me later on as well as early
notes and my overall plans for the magazine that had been jotted down when I thought of them. So, dealing with
this I used everything that I could immediately remember about the magazine that I had noted, such as people to
use for the double page spread or ideas for sell-lines. I felt quite deflated after this happened but quickly
continued on hoping to catch up on the loss of almost a months work which I feel went okay.
