The document provides details on the production process for developing a magazine masthead and front cover images. The student experimented with different masthead designs and fonts in Photoshop, taking inspiration from an Eminem album cover by reversing one letter. Feedback led to further revisions, including adding a crown graphic. Potential front cover images were considered but rejected for not clearly relating to hip hop. The final masthead and front cover image with a posed female model against a graffitied wall were selected.

1. Production log:
Front page

2. Pre production:
masthead
Masthead idea 1
This was my previous masthead ‘Hoops’. This name was
inspired by an item of jewellery, I wanted the name to attract
females because I am subverting the generic conventions of
hip-hop magazines as most of the time they are being created
for a male based audience.
The font is golden and embalmed, this is because I wanted
to capture a 3D- gold effect- just like gold hoop earrings. The
font is in graffiti style this is because I wanted to reinforce
the idea of the magazine being about hip-hop. It was also
very important to me that the name of the masthead is
short and catchy, this is so it is easy to remember.

3. Pre production:
masthead
My masthead will be place at the upper left corner
Masthead ideas:
of my magazine, in my research this is where it was
placed, I aim for my magazine masthead to be
catchy and different; it is important that it is
because this is how my audience would recognise
my magazine. I have looked at the website dafont
and have looked at different font ideas and styles; I Italic sans serif font
have looked at italics or serif fonts especially, this is
because to me it connotes sophistication and it
looks very feminine compared to the ‘KING’ sans Black or gold
serif font which is more masculine. However due to masthead
student criticism I have realised that unless this is colour
bevelled it does no really look catchy or stand
out, especially since I have decided on a plain block
colour such as black or gold, as I want to keep it
simple.

4. Experimenting with fonts
These fonts are all serif and my ideas for a
masthead, however it wouldn't really stand out
against an image and to me its is not bold or catchy
enough to be adapted to be made into a masthead.

5. MORE Masthead Ideas
My masthead is named ‘QUEEN’, I have
experimented with different ideas and looked at
different ways I can play with letters. When
looking for ideas I stumbled across a hip- hop
artist (Eminem’s album cover) and I am inspired
by the way the ‘E’ is backwards, I want to adopt Eminem’s album cover
this idea and make one of my ‘E’s backwards as
well, I have drawn a sketch of how I want my
masthead to look by expanding on the Eminem
idea.
I initially decided to use serif font because I I will use this serif font, but reverse
believe it represents femininity, however that the ‘E’ I can do this in Photoshop
does not stand out, I will be using serif font to
simplify my masthead yet make it more catchy

6. On Photoshop:
I could add a crown and play around some more.
The font used on the Eminem album and the
font I have is very similar, the effect on the album
cover is gritty hence why I will not be adopting
that style, but it could also connote hip-hop. To
add more femininity and reinforce the name I
want to incorporate a crown.

7. In Photoshop
On Photoshop I experimented with making my
masthead stand out incorporating my ideas from
research. I used the colour red because it is a
strong attractive vibrant colour, also used in two
magazine mastheads that I analysed. The colour
red could connotate to my readers:
Danger, Sex, Vibrance, Expressiveness etc. So I
believe that it is an effective colour to use.
To create this masthead I typed in ‘QUEN’
leaving a space between the U and E this
enabled me to create a separate layer for my
backwards E. I wanted to make my masthead
stand out so I added a ‘drop shadow’ and
‘inner shadow’ whilst including ‘Bevel and
Emboss’ I repeated the same process when
including my reverse E only I reversed it.

8. I wanted to add a crown to reinforce the name of my
magazine being called ‘QUEEN’ and to make my masthead
catchier. On the internet I got a stencil of a crown.
On Photoshop I was able change the colour to
gold and bevel and emboss it, I did this so it
would look similar to the text.
This was bevelled
and embossed.

9. Although the masthead I created
was serif bold and with the
crown, I still was not fully
confident that it looked right with
my image.
Masthead idea 2
I again continued to experiment on Photoshop. This
time instead of making my whole masthead red I
instead used the colour on a strip on the crown, this
to me makes it look more professional and catchy. My
masthead is also catchy because it is not a
conventional masthead that is large and spread across
a magazine, however it is small like the ‘XXL’ magazine
masthead, I also like the idea that the crown is large
on my masthead, it definitely reinforces the idea, and
draws my female audience base in.
Masthead idea 3

10. Front Page Image ideas..
The picture I had originally chosen was interesting because
of the background and her apparel, however I cannot use
this because she has no hip-hop equipment such as micro-
phones or headphones.
Although this image links to
music i.e. the microphone, the
image looks very unplanned
and unprofessional. The apparel
and styling of the model doesn’t
look very distinctive.
This image consists of a female and male
who have although dressed nicely are not
posing for a front page magazine. Student
criticism says that they are posed to casually
and although headphones are featured in
the image, it still doesn’t relate to hip-hop.
Also the place that I chose to take the picture
does not look very distinctive or attractive
either. If I was to erase the background
nether the less the image still would be
inappropriate.

11. I wanted my main image will be of a female wearing attractive but not provocative
clothing. The picture I had originally chosen was interesting because of the background and
her apparel, however I couldn’t use it because she has no hip-hop equipment such as
micro-phones or headphones. It is important that the age of the model is appropriate, so
nobody too young or too old but between my target age range. Ethnicity is not important
to me because it would good to see different ethnicities on my front page however black
people are mainly featured on hip-hop magazines.
This was my original front page
image, On Photoshop I
experimented with different
effects, this was one that I was most
fond of as it really made the model
stand out. I used this effect on a
number of my pictures.
Original Picture Photoshop edited photo

12. More images
This is another image I
considered using for my main
front page image, although my
models are dressed stylishly and
looking very poised, the image
lacks a strong hip-hop feel, I used
this for my double page spread
instead, where I can talk about
the models and explain what the
image is about.
Original Image
Photoshop edited image

13. Front Page Image ideas..
Tayana
Taylor
Since my magazine is about empowering women, I
decided that I want to subvert the way women are
normally dressed. These images in particular show this.
Another thing that makes these images successful to me
is the way they are positioned; on the image on the far
right she has crossed her legs with a facial expression
that looks confused, whilst above the girl looks more
sure of herself, independent and head strong. Both
women are dressed out of the norm of what a female
would normally dress like, i.e. the tuxedo and the
trainers and had paired of with glasses and
suspenders, big chain and tap shoes.
Jenelle
Monae

14. Front Page Image..
This is my final front page image, although there is no hip hop
apparel and things around her that suggest that it may be hip-
hop. She is posed in a sophisticated attention grabbing way. I
believe this image works particularly well because of the
background and they way she is posed.
She is wearing colourful attractive attire which
corresponds well with the background. The shirt
buttoned all the way to the top can denotate intelligent
and sophistication, similarly it is what men normally do.
On the other hand she is wearing a bodycon skirt, this
reinforces feminism. On the whole she is dressed how
my target audience would generally dress this would
attract my audience.
Behind the model there is a graffitied wall, this
would denotate hip-hop as it is an expressional
rebellious thing that mostly teenagers do that is
also associated with the genre. I have blurred the
background however so it is not the main
focus, only the model, I have also darkened the
edges of the image this makes it look more
professional.

15. Layout
Using grids on InDesign I was
able to add my catch lines
against a border that made
them straight, this made it
look more professional.
When considering what was going to
be in my cover lines I made sure my
target audience was my central focus.
When considering my where I want to place
This enabled me to write what would
my catch lines, masthead and main cover
attract them using different
lines I Looked back on my mock up. This
terminology. My research taught me
enabled me to have a clear understanding of
that using a variety of font sizes and
how to structure my magazine. I designed
font styles would grasp my audiences
this mock up using my research from other
attention.
magazine covers, this is something that
would contribute to my work looking more
professional and appealing

16. From my research I know that I have to a line my cover lines and masthead on the left
with my main catch line was on the right. This is a basic convention on a music magazine.
Another basic convention which I failed to include was a barcode and price along with
the issue number and date.

17. Finished work