Meeting the client brief LO4: U3 (M4, D1)

LO4 (U3): Be able to carry out post production techniques and processes for an original media product to a client brief

As you can see above I have exported both my front cover and my double page spread in JPEG format. this is required as the magazine would be required to be printed according to the brief. this magazine needs to be both a print based magazine and an online based magazine, therefore it needs to be exported this way to ensure that large batches of physically printed magazines can be made available. 

I have made sure that both my front cover a double page spread have kept to all the codes and conventions that are required to create a successful magazine. I have made sure that for my front cover that my masthead stands out by being the largest and most eye catching text on the page and is situated at the top of the page. I have made sure to include a sky-line above it which advertises what buyers would get out of the magazine as well. the front cover also advertises certain specific articles within the magazine to further entice the target audience into buying the magazine which is a convention of most magazines. there is a main article situated toward the middle of the magazine which is the second largest piece of text on the front cover advertising an article that would be the main draw for the intended target audience. I also made sure I included both a a bar code and a price to complete the aesthetic of a conventional magazine.

This successfully meets the client brief as the brief states that the magazine must promote the vibrant music scene of North London. By creating a magazine that follows the conventions of a professional magazine, it will ensure that it catches the eye of potential readers within my target audience, therefore leading to a successful magazine. My specific images meet the client brief as they successfully promote the specific genre that I have focused on for my North London Music magazine, my main image is bold and aesthetically pleasing as it feature iconography of the Indie rock genre, such as an electric guitar, dark sunglasses, high contrast aggressive look. the colour scheme utilised also successfully meets the client brief as it features predominantly red and black, this is key when it comes to promoting the genre of indie rock which is represented through the darkness of the black, and the passion of the red. this will therefore appeal to my target audience of Indie rock enthusiasts between the ages of 20 - 30. 

With the double page spread, I have made sure that I have followed the codes and conventions required to make a successful double page spread. My double page spread features a large image that acts as a background to the content of the page, this is a modern and aesthetically pleasing look which is conventional of most modern double page spreads. My double page spread features main article which is conventional of all magazine double page spreads. this double page spread meets specific requirements of the client brief. One requirement of the brief was to "showcase talent", and that is exactly what this double page spread achieves. It specifically positively promotes an up and coming talent within the North London indie rock scene which will encourage involvement for readers resulting in the growth and discussion of the music scene of North London, which is exactly what the brief outlines the magazine should achieve. 

The first thing I did was create an A4 page within photoshop, on which to drop in my main image. I made sure that I scaled my image appropriately to fit the size of the page. My main image features an indie rock artist posing with a guitar. this is classic iconography associated with that of the indie rock genre and will therefore appeal to my intended target audience and meet the brief which is to promote the vibrant music scene developing within North London. the effect of the spotlight was created in camera as I took this image on an iPhone. This effect is perfect as it represents someone performing on a stage which will appeal to the intended target audience of North London indie rock enthusiasts. 

The next thing that I did was turn my main image black and white. This created a very stylish look for my front cover as it represents the idea of classic and classy to my intended audience. I achieved this through adjusting the saturation to remove all colour from the photo. Then I boosted my contrast levels with the contrast slider. This enhanced the effect I was going for even further as it created a more grainy look to my photograph, further pushing the feelings of classic and retro. This is appropriate as it will lead in to the overall effect of the front cover a little later on. 

The next thing I did to my photo was selective colour to parts of my image to represent certain meanings to my audience. The overall effect of the magazine that I will be achieving is the feeling of when new begins to replace the old for a fresh new generation of the indie rock audience, this is the start of achieving this overall meaning. by making only the eyes/sunglasses of the artist in colour, it represents the idea of vision and and seeing off into the distance. The colour I have decided to colour the glasses is that of a pinkish red, this represents the idea of burning passion that will be carried over from generation to generation. this is because the eyes are known as the window to the soul, so by making the eyes of this black and white artist a burning pink, it means to the audience that the soul of indie rock will carry on burning forever. as the old classics move on there is a vision of the future as the new young takes its place. The only other part of the image that is in colour is that of the guitar, this represents the idea that whilst the classics will fade into the past, shown through the artist being black and white, the guitar will always remain only to be passed on to the next modern generation of indie rock artists that will carry the new vibrance of the genre. All this is relevant according to the brief, as the brief tell us that we must show that their is a vibrant music scene growing in North London, and this is exactly what will be represented through this front cover and its images.  

The next thing I added was the masthead. this font used is called Vonique 64 and is a very sleek, stylish and modern font to appeal to the target of audience of 20-30 year old North Londoner's. The font is large which will easily catch the eye of a potential buyer. the colour used is the same burning pinkish red use to colour the glasses. This represents passion and love for the genre of indie rock which will appeal to the target audience and meets the brief, as it states there is a vibrant music scene developing locally and people need to know about it. this is in line with the brief, as the brief tell us that it the magazine should be all about showing off North London's Music scene, and a bold masthead is part of how this magazine will achieve just that.  

The next thing I added was the skyline and and short slogan for the magazine. this skyline advertises what buyers can expect to get out of this magazine. The font used is called plane crash which is a blocky font that is easy to read even though it is quite small. The font has a slightly eroded effect to it which makes it match the retro effect of the main image which will be a further visual appeal to the magazine. the slogan says North Londons indie rock magazine, this implies to the audience that this is either the only or the best indie rock music magazine for North Londoners. This meets the brief as it needs to appeal to north Londoners who are interested in the developing music scene. 

The next thing I added to my front cover was the title of my main article. this text is the second largest on the page which will make it stand out to potential buyers and will spark interest in them which would convince them to buy the magazine. The article title says London Legend discusses new album. The alliteration will stick in readers minds instantly which will make it more appealing straight away. also, this title implies that the local audience should know who this person is because they are locally famous. This means that if people do know who this person is they will be more likely to pick it up due to the fact that they recognise the artist. and if they don't, this title will immediately trigger a curiosity which will make them want to pick it up as well. The colours on the words London Legend are coloured that pinkish red, to signify that whilst this London Legend is still here the older will be replaced by the new in the future so this colouration means that London Legends will never cease to exist as that passion will continue to burn. the next part of the title, Discusses new albums in white which makes it bright and bold on the black background and will make people interested to find out what the artist has to say. 

  

What I did next was open a new tab within photoshop to begin making a graphic for my magazine. I imported photos that I took of an artist posing with different instrument so I would be able to cut them out, sillouhette them and put them onto an open field during sunset. This graphic is to showcase a brand new up and coming band within the North London indie rock music scene. the sillouhette instills a sense of mystery which will intrigue potential readers. It represents something that has to be discovered which will add to the curiosity and desire within potential readers to want to know more about this newly ever growing indie rock scene. this meets my brief effectively as it shows off what is going within the scene, the brief specifically tells to show artists. And, at the same time makes readers more excited about getting involved with the music scene which meets the brief by effectively promoting the North London indie rock music scene as a whole.    

What I did next was get a paint splatter graphic which will be what my new band promotion will be displayed in on the front cover. this has a contemporary and sleek look to it on the front cover which will visually appeal to my intended target audience of 20 - 30 year olds. It has a wild and slightly aggressive look which is representative of the Indie rock genre, which further appeals to our target audience of those interested in Indie rock, as it will incite these familiar types of emotions associated with the specific music. This spontaneous feel will connote a sense of newly found urgency which will resonate with the potential readers of the magazine. This meets the brief by encouraging involvement and excitement for the North London indie rock music scene which means it is being promoted successfully through this magazine, and it advertises highlighted specific artists which is on the brief as well. 

What I did next was place my band poster inside the paint splatter graphic, ready to be put onto the magazine front cover. I achieved this by using layer mask within photoshop to put my image into the shape of another. therefore enabling me to achieve my desired effect form this presenting it this way. The bright red and orange sky connotes passion and fire within, which excites readers for this new mystery North London act. 

What I did next was place my graphic on the front cover of my magazine. whilst the main image of this magazine is a clearly portrayed famously well established "legend" of the North London indie rock scene, in order to hook those initial potential readers, the new graphic represents something different. the eye catching bright colours of the new band are a stark contrast to the retro black and white aesthetic of the old legend. The fact that this is shown in a paint graphic connotes the idea that their is a new layer of vibrant originality splashing out onto the scene at a rapid pace, it represents how even when the old legends may may fade into the background, there is always something wildly exciting ready to to spread on out. Just like a fresh, colourful new coat of paint to overlay the worn out old coat. And just like that metaphor, the torch gets passed on from old generation to new generation, as eventually the new mystery young band will surely end up becoming legends themselves. The splatter connotes the sudden explosion of the the scene within North London which will effectively convey that excitement to potential readers go the magazine. this effective when it comes to meeting the brief as the magazine needs to effectively promote the the scene, by utilising the idea of excitement it will enthuse potential readers therefore making the magazine successful. 

What I did next was put in the title of my second main article. the font is the third largest on the cover so it does not detract from the main article and masthead, but it is large enough to provide that extra intrigue and promise of a variety of content to potential readers. the font is a slightly static and broken effect to it which gives it a contemporary and modern feel which will appeal to my target audience of 20 - 30 year olds. It also represents the article which is all about a brand new and contemporary young band within the scene. the word exclusive with the article title is in a bright red, this will immediately jump out at potential readers which is important. The word 'exclusive' tells a potential reader that they would be receiving something that they wouldn't be able to access anywhere else, therefore creating even more of a unique selling point and incentive to buy the magazine. The rest of the tile reads "Q'N'A with North London's new band of brothers". This is in a bright white on a dark background therefor standing out and is easy to read therefore drawing in more potential readers. The title also ends in alliteration which will make it more likely to stick in the mind of a potential reader who read the front cover, this is important when it comes to generating as many customers as possible  for the magazine. 

The main image taken for my double page spread is that of brightly coloured sunset. this connotes passion, fire and anger. This is perfect as those emotions are wholly representative of the genre Indie rock, which encapsulates an aggressive sound and presents it as passionate, loud form of music that matches all the connotations of these colours very well. 

For my double page spread I need a field, so I used photoshop to transform this image taken out my window into that of a field landscape. I used the patch tool with in photoshop to replace the jagged outlines of tree tops with that of more sky, therefore giving the illusion that it is in fact a flat field area. 

I had taken images of my band members for the double page spread, and using the same photoshop techniques used earlier for the front cover, sillouhetted the subjects. This achieves a mysterious effect as they are a new and upcoming indie rock potential sensation. it instills in readers a sense of discovery and desire to find out more. this means that it encourages readers to become more involved in the North London indie rock music scene as they look out for new talent to go and see and to support. they are seen walking along a vast open field. The meaning behind this imagery is that it connotes the fact that they are on their way, the field itself does not show a scene within North London because they are the ones that are only just now about to burst onto the scene. However, due to the colours prominently featured as part of this image, it connotes the fact that they are coming from a place of fiery passion, and is therefor something to be excited about. This successfully meets the brief as it effectively portrays that North London has a currently developing music scene therefore making people want to get on board and further involved with what is going on. 

What I did next was put on the artist Q'N'A across the double page spread. the font used is faded and rugged looking, this has a youthful and rebellious aesthetic to it which will appeal to are target audience of 20 - 30 year olds whilst at the same time representing the sentiment of the band which is promoted as being new, young, edgy and contemporary. The dark pink and white colour scheme of the writing is aesthetically pleasing as it keeps consistent with the colour scheme displayed throughout the magazine on the front cover and in the double page spread. Also, it makes it clear to read as readers can easily see the separation between the questions and the artists answers. this interview is clearly successful when it come to meeting the brief, this is because the brief say that you should discuss and promote artists within the North London music scene. This article achieves just that by providing readers with an exclusive deeper insight into one of the North London's Indie rock music scenes hottest prospects.