Print brief research and planning
Research and planning blog tasks
1) Find at least five music magazine front covers (either current or former magazines as many have stopped their print editions) aimed at a similar target audience to your project (mainstream music audience) and research music magazine key conventions. For each one, pick out one design idea, convention or image/text style that you could use in your own print work. A few examples to start you off:
2. Barcode: A form of scanning items and finding out how much they cost as well if it does not already say the price on the cover screen. I will want to use a barcode in front of my music magazine cover to make it looks more authentic and real.
3. Main image: The centre image people see straight away when they pickup a music magazine or newspaper on the front cover or first page. I will want a main image to my music video magazine cover so my readers know who the main artist or star is.
4. Cover line: A line of text on the front cover of a magazine, briefly describing and promoting the content. I will want to use this for my music video magazine as I will want to show off to my readers some of my content that will appear in my music cover to make it stand out and more eye popping for my readers to spot out.
5. Byline: A small bit of additional information about what to expect to appear inside the magazine. Gives reader a better understanding at what to expect when they begin reading the magazine. I will want to use this for my own music magazine cover as it will help give my readers a better understanding what to expect from my magazine and to make it look more authentic.
1. Artist (Main image): I will want to include myself inside the double page spread so my readers know who's the one that created my music video.
3. Colour scheme: I will want my double page spread to consist of a main colour theme. Having 3-4 main dominant colours (red, blue, yellow, orange) being present on my pages so it stands out and appeals to my readers eyes straight away.
4. Logo: I will want to use my own and unique logo within the double page spread of the magazine so I can establish and create my own brand logo so people will know that the logo is associated and linked with me.
5. Page numbers: I will want to use page numbers in my double page spread magazine as it will help to make it look more authentic and real in my readers eyes. I want them to believe what they are reading is from an actual music artist and not a media student doing A-Level.
3) Find at least five magazine contents pages - ideally from music magazines - from Google images. How are they designed? How are images used alongside text? How are page numbers displayed?
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In all five of these different magazine content pages they all share similarities with one another that I feel like will be useful towards my content page such as they all having the deliberate use of images in a certain corner on the page. This is interesting as it shows the way they try structuring and presenting the content pages as the main image or images are mostly the left hand side of the page and the right hand side contains all the important pieces of information and text that is relevant to the magazine. In addition in all of these content pages there is big bold typography writing with a sans serif font which stands out straight away in all of these content pages. Some of them have the name of the magazine company on it so people know who produced it whilst some of the other magazines has the main artist or band name so their readers know who are the one being presented and shown on the content pages. However, the page numbers used for the content pages are different for each and every one as some are shown more visible whilst others are shown in the typical bottom corners of the pages. For my own page numbers I will be following the traditional way of how page numbers are shown and be placing them on the bottom corners of my page.
4) Find at least five music artist tour posters from Google images. How are they designed? How are images used alongside text? Which UK venues would suit your artist or band? Some examples:
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In these music artist tour posters we can see that they are all designed with vibrant catchy colours such as for the Usher poster as an example the light is behind him covering his face which shows a bit of mysterious into who he is. In the Olly Murs poster however, we can see a clear long shot of him and his face which I think is very useful and significant as it shows his fans clearly who he is and what they are looking at when he sings. The colours that are used for this posters are useful as it clearly fits into the texts that are presented onto the music posters. The texts are more smaller on the posters whilst the main image is taking up most the poster which shows its more important about the main image than anything else as in all the tour posters we can see the first thing that catches our attention is their faces and who they are.
The UK venue that I will choose to perform my song would be Wembley Stadium as it is the most nearest to me and most easily accessible. The reason why I want to choose Wembley Stadium is because of how massive it is and how many numbers of people it can hold at once since the capacity is 90,000 seats making it the largest stadium in the UK so it would be a great honour to perform to thousands of my fans in the biggest stadium in the UK and second biggest in Europe.
5) Read at least three example music interview features from newspapers and magazines to learn the format, writing style and content for a music magazine interview. You may wish to use the following to help you:
Tom Vek tells us about his surprise album ‘New Symbols’ (1,300 words)
Planning and sketching
1) Plan the content and cover lines for your front cover:
1) Plan the content and cover lines for your front cover:
- Title (must be NEW original mainstream music magazine you have invented): 'Mew B'
- Slogan: 'Nothing gonna stop me now'
- Cover image: Myself and Obaida Khan.
- Main cover story/main flash: 'How did it all begin' 'Where did the visionary come from?'
- Additional cover lines: 'Later more about how Mew B got famous...' 'How Mew B reacted to finding out his first ever music video going viral!'
- Additional two smaller cover images:
- Font style / colour scheme, additional design aspects: Font style will be Sans Serif in bold. Colour schemes will mainly focus on vibrant usage of colours such as yellow, red, black blue.
2) Plan the images you will use for the front cover - use the elements of mise-en-scene (CLAMPS). One main image and two smaller images required to meet the minimum content in the brief.
Costume: Obaida in boxing gloves posing as a boxer for the camera.
Lighting: high key lighting showing off his muscles (which will be tense for the camera) and facial expressions (mean, serious look in his face and eyes)
Actor: Obaida
Make up: None.
Props: Boxing gloves.
Setting: White/ Black back drop.
3) Plan the content for your inside page feature:
- Subject of feature: Mew B.
- Headline: How did it all begin. (In big bold sans serif font in black)
- Subheading: 'Mew B, in his own words'
- Main image: will be of Obaida mainly.
- Smaller images (need a minimum of four across the three pages): Some of me and Obaida then together go extremely close to one another looking at each other expressionless.
- Font style / colour scheme, additional design aspects: Font style will be Sans Serif in bold. Colour schemes will mainly focus on vibrant usage of colours such as yellow, red, black blue.
4) Write the 400 word interview feature you will use for the inside page spread. This must be 100% original and written by you. It may help to use a Q&A approach to this interview.
What inspired you to start making music?
'Well listen that's a good question. I really don't have an answer for that to be honest with you. I guess it all started out from when I began mixing up my Dads tapes and creating my own versions of the songs to some of my Dad's favourite old pop music from the 80's and 90's like Michael Jackson and Prince. It's such a weird feeling how I began from remixing my Father's tapes he used to own to now creating my own music and sharing out to the whole world. It's quite scary!'
What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
'Honestly, with this being my first ever song I have created that is out now I want people to understand the true meaning of my message to them. To never give up and always keep pushing on even when the odds are against you. Writing and producing this song is very special towards me as I was relating it back to my own personal struggles and challenges I had growing up so creating this piece of music especially the lyrics was a great privilege as I feel like anyone that listen to the song and hears the lyrics to this will understand straight away what I'm try to communicate to them.'
Will we be expecting a new song or album to drop by any time soon?
'Ha ha, well that's for me to know and you to find out! I might have something in the works that might be released this year... You'll just have to wait and see'
How did you feel when you realised how famous you got online after releasing your song 'Hall of Fame'?
'I wanted to go jumping off the side of a cliff! It did not feel real at all! I felt like I was dreaming and felt like this was all just something that was going on in my crazy imagination. But yes I did finally come and came to my senses and realised after uploading it onto YouTube that this was real, this was actually happening, this was going viral. Literally the next day, I get an email from 'The Johnathon Ross Show' asking me to come in and sit on the infamous red sofa with a bunch of other big celebrities and talk about the current greatest worldwide hit that is going on for us. I was over the moon, I still feel like it's all a bit in my head at times!
5) Plan and write the text for your contents page. This will need to include a range of features and interviews that are not related to your artist but that do fit your target audience and brief (mainstream music magazine).
'Page 46 - interview with pop band Zee-Lo to see where they'll be moving onto next within the music industry.'
'Page 57 - We speak to the rock legend Edge and find out what his latest plans look like'
'Page 12 - What new upcoming songs for 2025 are there and will there be any new upcoming stars for this year?'
'Page 10 - Here's a chance to win £10,000 and 4 free tickets to Glastonbury Festival!'
'Page 25 - Getting deep and personal with 'The Sensation'. Finding out what caused him to quit the music industry and why.'
6) Research and select the font or typography you will use for your magazine. This is a critical element of your print work - the brief requires a consistent house style running through all of your pages.
7) Produce an A4 sketch of your front cover design and scan it/upload a picture to your blog.
8) Produce A4 sketches of your inside page feature with clear layout of where headline, subheading, images and text will appear on the pages. Scan or upload a picture to your blog.
9) Produce an A4 sketch of your contents page design and scan it/upload a picture to your blog.
10) Finally, create the pages in Adobe Photoshop or InDesign so you have the documents ready to go in terms of adding your text and images. This will need to include:
- A4 portrait for front cover
- A4 portrait for contents page
- A3 landscape for double page feature
Photoshoot
1) Who do you need to photograph for your front cover and inside page images? Remember, you need seven original images across the whole print production.
1) Who do you need to photograph for your front cover and inside page images? Remember, you need seven original images across the whole print production.
Outside page - Main image will be of Obaida (first image) and then another smaller image of me on the front cover under my artist name title 'Mew B' (second image).
Inside pages - I will evenly try my best to distribute out the rest of the photos of me and Obaida throughout the double page spread so the rest of the five remaining images will be presented on the inside pages of the magazine.
2) What camera shots do you need? Write a shot list or draw a storyboard for your photoshoots. Make sure you plan a variety of camera shots you will look to capture - medium shots, close-ups etc.
Shot List
First image - Obaida posing right in front of the camera with it being a wide camera shot showing his full body from head to toe with him posing with his fists up in a defensive mode with him wearing boxing gloves showing off a mean look with his face.
Second image - Myself then posing in front of the camera with a it being a medium shot of me putting my hands up above me near my face creating a letter 'M' to signify the first letter in my artist name 'Mew B'.
Third image - A side shot of Obaida flexing his muscles to the camera with him again wearing his boxing gloves to signify how muscular and big his body and biceps are.
Fourth image - A Medium shot of me and Obaida looking at each other in the eyes getting extremely close to one another sizing up to each other looking like we are having a stare off.
Fifth image - Obaida's back turned to the camera with it being a medium long shot with his arms up in the air with his boxing gloves being on with his elbows bending a bit to make it look like he just won a fight.
Sixth image - Myself with a medium close up shot of me holding a mic near my mouth with my whole body slightly positioned to the side to make it look like I'm about to get ready to sing.
Seventh image - Myself and Obaida with a medium long shot as the final image of us smiling and laughing to show us taking it easy after all our work.
3) Plan the mise-en-scene. What costume, props or make-up will you require for your photoshoots?
Costume: Obaida in boxer shorts and t-shirt.
Lighting: high key lighting showing off his muscles (which will be tense for the camera) and facial expressions (mean, serious look in his face and eyes)
Actor: Obaida.
Make up: None.
Props: Boxing gloves. Microphone.
Setting: White/ Black back drop.
4) Finally, note down the time and date for your photoshoots. This may be inside or outside school (or a combination of both). You will have Media lesson time for this after the mock exams.
Period 1 and 2 on Monday 4 February 2025 at 9:05 am which will be done in school.
Statement of Intent
1) Once you have completed your print research and planning, go back to your statement of intent and make sure you have included the print brief in your final draft. Then, submit the final draft statement of intent to your teacher. The due date for this will be confirmed by your coursework teacher.
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