Peer Assessment

Here is the peer assessment of my two draft pages, done by two of my classmates. Once my two drafts were finished, they were shown to the students, who them gave me feedback based on what they thought of them. I've used their feedback to improve my work and changed both pages accordingly.

Student Name 1: Adelaide	How To Improve
Level/ Mark	Front Cover	Contents Page
Level 2: 35 The front cover and contents follow a consistent colour scheme of pink and yellow. The colour of the text blends well with the main picture on the front cover. The front cover artist is represented well through the use of certain fonts. For example the name of the artist is presented with pixelated font which relates to the name of the artist ‘PIXEL8’. They have used pictures well in the contents page. The pictures look inviting and they follow the features of the contents page.	Level 3: 36 In order to improve the title should be a lot cleaner. The font is good but it looks rushed and messy. For example the slits on the e and i don’t look equal. Maybe they aren't meant to be equal but I think they look out of place. The puffs on the side are positioned well however the font used doesn't exactly jump out at me like the rest of the cover does. For example the main image looks funky and crazy so the font should follow suit and blend in with the whole feeling of the cover. I would suggest using a bubble like text. Like this: THE HYPE	Level 2: 30 The colour scheme is good however maybe one colour would go well. For example, the front cover had pink, yellow and white. Maybe the contents could have a tiny bit of yellow in it. Even just the numbers on the pictures being yellow would make a difference. The numbers of features should start at about 20 because the start of the magazines is always filled with advertisements so the real part of the magazine doesn’t start till then. The magazine social websites should be at the bottom of the page because they are the least important thing.

Student Name 2: Adelaide	How To Improve
Level/ Mark	Front Cover	Contents Page
Front Cover: LEVEL 3 – MARK 45 Contents page: LEVEL 3 – MARK 46	-          Barcode smaller So you have space for more puffs or buzz words -          Buzz words in bold To catch the readers eyes with your articles -          The puffs text in a different font style	-          Page numbers for the articles

First Double Page Spread Draft

Using images I found on the internet and my own editing skills, I created a draft double page spread. This is only the first double-page - I will have to make a second, or at least a single page, in order to fit the rest of the article. This serves as a basis, however, through which I can see how the magazine would be styled.

Article

With a debut album that landed at #1 on the charts, it’s no surprise that Pixel8 has the eyes of the EDM world. We’ve met with her to learn about her, her style – unlike no other – and what comes next…

It’s a cold autumn day in East London. The heavens have opened and unleashed a heavy torrent on the unprepared citizens, and the skies are grey with dark clouds. Inside the restaurant, however, you would have no idea how gloomy it was outside if you didn’t take a look out the window yourself. The bright lights and lively tunes of West Africa, the walls adorned with colourful pieces of art… It was a stark contrast to the outside world. Just like the girl I was speaking to, Celeste Rayne, as she insisted I call her. Her dress was a bright colour, and her big friendly eyes were staring at the table between us. That is, until she started talking. Then it was as if she was eager to share her story with me.

“I’ve always loved this place,” she told me, clearly waiting for me to start off my meal before she did. “Ever since I was a kid I’ve been coming to this place. It’s changed a lot, but it’s always been so upbeat, you know what I mean? I always leave here feeling inspired – or at least very full!” We both laughed together and dug into our food. She told me that the restaurant is owned by her parents, but she insisted that that wasn’t the only reason she enjoyed being there. And eating wasn’t the only reason I was with her, so the conversation quickly turned towards her.

At age twenty, her LP had shot to #1 in the charts. Nightclubs and radios alike were playing her tracks several times a day. Why wouldn’t they be? Her style of music was something that had been missing from the charts for the longest time. At its core, it was electronic music, but at the same time it sounded like the remix of something out of a 90s video game. There was a great charm to it, not just because it was just as bubbly as she was, but because it was a style most people had never heard before. Not to mention that an album name like Lollipops and Gumdrops was inevitably going to turn some heads. “In hindsight, maybe the name was too much,” she admitted, but the grin on her face made me think otherwise.  “It’s like pop music since the songs can be so damn catchy, but it isn’t shooting ponies out at you either. Maybe I’ll balance things out in my next album, Exploding Puppies”. She laughed, but it’s still hard to tell whether or not she was serious.

Still, it’s hard not to admire Celeste. Strange name aside, the LP is certainly one that must be heard, even by the music-lovers out there that aren’t fans of EDM. Even other artists liked what they heard. A few are the tracks on the album are collaborations with other DJs, such as veteran DJ Headhunterz. “He was a lovely guy to work with,” she told me. “Even better, our two styles seemed to complement each other so well. It doesn’t sound too out there – just really upbeat, like all my other tracks!”

From there, the conversation side tracked onto what others thought of her work, but she already had her mind made on where she stood. “I know my album isn’t perfect. To be honest, I doubt I’ll ever think it is. Whenever you have a piece of work, you’ll always find little things that bother you about it. I could work on an album for a decade and still think there’s room for improvement. Everybody does it. At some point I just need to grab my own hands and say enough is enough. That’s not until it sounds great, of course!” And it definitely does.

My eyes had wandered around the restaurant a few times whilst we ate, and my gaze hadn’t gone unnoticed by Celeste.  “It’s nice to look at, right?” She asked, and I nodded in agreement. “I think it influenced me quite a bit. Or at least, the colours in general. We weren’t an especially rich family or anything, but my parents always liked to try and put some colour in my life when they could. And I loved it, as you can see – and hear.”

“It wasn’t easy, making the music and all. The equipment a DJ needs doesn’t come cheap. I had to save up my pocket money to add to what my parents had to give to buy the stuff. Do odd jobs around the neighbourhood. Not to mention I had school and then sixth form to do. When I finally had the equipment, it became my new hobby to just experiment, play with the set. It didn’t sound too great, but I was trying to improve. Then I started asking around for clubs that were looking for somebody to play, but I was too young for that, apparently. So I started posting my tracks on YouTube, Soundcloud, wherever I could.” And we know the story from there – her music hit big and caught the attention of Big Beat Records. The rest is history. “But in the end, I made it – well, I’m still making it. I’m changing up the dance scene, and there’s still so much more to come!”

“If there’s one thing I can take from this, it’s that hard work really does pay off. It was a long journey, and I know it’s not over yet, but I’ve reached my goal and it feels like the best thing in the world. I’m just hoping it only gets better from here.” And it just might, since she’s been confirmed to play at Bestival 2014. “It’s definitely a huge change. One month I’m struggling to find a club I can play at, the next people are inviting me to play in front of thousands! I’m not complaining though!” She started laughing again, and I could see in her eyes – she was genuinely happy that she had made it.

Pixel8’s album, Lollipops and Gumdrops, is available in stores and on iTunes now. Stay tuned for the confirmed dates for Bestival 2014.

First Contents Page Draft

This is the draft of my magazine's contents page. This uses much more text than images, but the images used are more numerous. I tried my best to headlines that would be commonly seen in a music magazine, and also added internet links to the page.

First Front Cover Draft

This is the draft of my magazine's front cover. I used Adobe Photoshop to add text and images to an image of Lady Gaga taken from the internet. The barcode was also taken from the internet, as was the image I used to create the covermount. The rest of the cover is text, however.

Double Page Spread Mood Boards

I also made a smaller mood board of double page spreads from EDM magazines. Using images from it, I analysed the spreads in order to get a better idea of how and why conventions are used.

Contents Page Mood Boards and Analysis

In addition to my front cover mood boards, I also made a board for EDM magazine contents pages, in order for me to better see how its conventions are used.

Front Cover Mood Boards

In order to properly plan and create my magazine's front cover, I decided to make a mood board of covers from successful music magazines. Whilst the first mood board focuses on general music magazines, the second is specifically EDM. This makes it easier for me to see the conventions used more often on those covers.

The central images of the covers all put focus on one person or a group of people - though just one person is more common. In that case, either mid shots of close up shots are used. Close ups appear to be more common with male artists, while mid shots are used with groups and female artists. This may be because the latter is more likely to be sexualised or used as fashion icons, and so some of their clothes and body also need to be seen. The female artists are shown to be wearing fashionable clothes, whilst the men are more likely to wear normal shirts that anybody is able to buy and wear, which puts more focus on their facial expression.

All of the magazines use bright colours in order to attract the eyes of the audience. This is especially true for the title blocks - almost all of them use bright and bold colours such as white, red and orange. Black is also used as it is a bold colour. The font used for the title blocks generally fit one of two styles - smooth, sans serif fonts that appear streamlined and modern, or more blocky text in capital letters to quickly and easily catch the audience's attention. At least one of the cover lines feature a famous artist or group of the genre the magazine focuses on, who is often also the cover model. Other smaller cover lines may also name other artists.

Final Title Block Design

I previously created several potential designs for my magazine's title block and displayed them on this blog for people to vote on. Now that the poll has ended, I have decided what the final design will be.

I have chosen this design for many reasons. Firstly, that it was by far the most popular design in my poll, gaining 62% of the vote. Second, I believe that it best fits my genre, according to the research I have done on title block designs and conventions of a magazine cover. It uses bright colours to attract the audience - pink and black, both of which bring each other out. Pink is also a feminine color, and I will be targeting my magazine towards females more than males. Finally, a stylish font is used that looks modern to match the fact that electronic music is quite modern. The two colours used also go well with the name - the logo uses a mix of two different colours.