Inspirations Review

I looked at inspirations because this would give me a clearer image on how I want my magazine to be presented and what I wanted it to look like.

First of all, I looked into magazine inspirations, as I had not researched into fashion and lifestyle magazines before, and didn't really know what they included/ what design was popular. On the front cover, I was inspired by the main image of the model, and how it attracted the audience into picking it and buying it. I was also inspired by the colour scheme that was chosen and how they had matched it or juxtaposed it with the main image, I will try and use this convention when designing my own front cover. Regarding the contents page, I couldn't find many that inspired me online, but I did like how some had really cool, artistic layouts, and hope to portray this in my magazine. I bought some international magazines (Vouge and Elle) and found that their contents pages are really simplistic and elegant, even though my magazine is only regional, I still want to portray that modern and fashionable vibe, therefore I will try and use it in my design. On the double page spreads, I found that many are image- led, and I think I will try and create my DPS like this, as it allows the audience to see more of the model and the clothing/ beauty she displays.

I researched into font ideas, I found some different typographies that I liked the look of on Dafont.com. I have used this site on all of my past products (AS Media Studies, AS & A2 Graphic Communication) and found it really easy to navigate myself around the website and found that there are some great fonts. I chose four that I liked and thought they would suit my products, and then asked my Facebook group which one was their favourite. I wanted to know their opinion, as all of them live in my specific region (the North East), and will be my primary and secondary target audience. 79% voted for the Dubiel font, which was also my favourite. Thanks to their feedback, I have chosen to use this as my primary font on all products. I can also change the widths and tallness of the font if I wanted to adjust it for my magazine.

I then wanted to have a look at model poses and what inspires me for my own images. When doing some research I came across the Fergus and Millum theories. I found that Trevor Millum studied various male advertisements, and discovered five different variations of poses. Since I want my model to be female, I took more interest in women poses, as investigated by Marjorie Ferguson. I found that the poses I would be most likely to use is the Invitational Pose and the Sexy/ Romantic Pose. This is because I want my model to look sultry and invite the reader in to purchase my magazine, but at the same time look pretty and casual, because I want my target audience to be teenage girls.

Additionally, I needed to decide a name for my masthead, and this would be used throughout my products, so it would become recognisable to the audience. I wanted to go for something short, as most fashion and lifestyle magazines have really catchy and snappy names. I was inspired by the likes of Elle and Look, that have simple mastheads. I had examples such as Ebony, Chic, and Belle. My favourite was Belle, as I loved the connotations behind it, such as it means beautiful in french, and it is easy to remember. I wanted to ask my Facebook group their opinion, as to which was their favourite. 21 people voted for Belle, with another 4 votes split between Ebony and Chic. Therefore my decision was finalised, and my masthead name for my magazine, website, and billboard is Belle.

I then had a look at different colour schemes, and which inspired me the most. I started by picking quite bright colours, as I thought my model will be natural and I need colours that will make my products pop. However after careful consideration, I chose quite neutral tones that will be used consistently throughout my magazine, website and billboard. I also included on my colour scheme a subtle mustard, a pink blush and mauve purple, to help add a pop of colour to the theme, although keeping to the subtly feel of the products.

I then went on to research website and billboard inspirations. Last year, for my AS Media Studies Coursework, I create a simple website on Photoshop, so I had some knowledge of websites, however I had never created a billboard or looked into how fashion and lifestyle is promoted through billboards. In relation to websites, I found that they need to be kept simple and modern for the fashionable feel. This may include only using a couple of images on the home page, and a simple menu bar along the top. For billboards, I found that most are image- led, this includes one large image and small slogan and logo, I will try and keep this in mind when designing my own billboard.

I discovered when researching WIX.Com, that you can pick a template and then design it to fit your product. I reviewed a few different ones, but found two favourites, I have decided that I will just pick the one I want to use when I come to designing on Wix.

Finally, I looked at inspiration for clothing, hair, makeup and props for my model. I have decided for my research, that I want my model to be dressed in casual, but presentable clothing. I could find this in my local highstreet shops, so it is relatable to my regional audience, and they will be able to purchase anything they see in my magazine. For my models makeup, I want her to look natural, but still have noticeable highlight and subtle lipstick on. I think this correctly represents my audience, as it is region based, therefore I want them to able to connect with my magazine and what we are presenting. If I dressed up a celebrity, in really expensive clothing and jewellery, then it would be hard for my regional audience to connect with my products. For the hair, again I want it to be simple and easy to do for my readers to follow and try and home. Furthermore, I have decided against using props, as I want the images to be solely based on the models beauty and clothing etc.

Overall, looking at inspirations has really helped me create a firm idea of what I want my magazine, website and billboard to be like.

Time Management #13

In this session, I am going to start the review that I mentioned in my last time management post, I also want to look into target audience research.

Costume, Hair, Make- up, and Props Ideas

I have created a Powerpoint and presented it through Slideshare. I have researched into into what my model would wear, what makeup they would have and what hairstyle they would be rocking.

Model Inspirations from Layla Cairns