RISE
ISSUE 001 AUTUMN/WINTER 2019
FASHION, ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT FMP PORTFOLIO BY JESSICA BEECH C3445674
UK £5.50 US $12.99
THE FUTURE IS THEIRS PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARCUS SCHAEFER VANESSA COYLE, GEORGINA GRAHAM, PABLO KUEMIN, PAULINA PIIPPONEN, EMILIE ASTROM, MAUDE VAN DIEVOET + CHRISTINA CLEMM
CONTENTS 2 2 3 4 13
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Final Idea Aims & Objectives The power of print Reasearch Concept Development
FINAL IDEA Rise magazine will be a new publication that provides a platform for emerging creatives to showcase their work and creative abilities. The initial idea of the magazine was influenced through the lack of support offered to emerging creatives wanting to make their own stance in the industry. Though there are opportunities available for individuals to build on their experience and work for other brands, there is limited support for newcomers wanting to start off on their own. I have created this publication as a solution. Offering emerging creatives, a platform to market themselves through provides them with an opportunity to make their stance within the industry, as well as providing them with a chance to be recognised for what they have to offer. It is with future hopes that the magazine will grow into a creative community where the support can be offered to those who lack experience, helping all to strive and prosper with their future careers.
AIMS & OBJECTIVES The sole aim of the magazine is to form a developmental platform for creatives who lack industry experience, aiding them to strive and prosper within their future careers. • To provide a platform for the new generation of creatives to showcase their work and creative abilities. • To inspire, encourage and inform individuals amongst the world. • To promote originality through creative talents. • To improve the support offered to emerging creatives. • Bring acknowledgment to the upcoming creatives and their stories. • Grow a creative community.
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THE POWER OF PRINT Since the arrival of digital media, the relevance of print media has been greatly debated (Gomez, 2012). Digital platforms have allowed content to be accessed as a more convenient and cheaper option, leaving people to question the significance of print. The Audit Bureau of Circulation released figures in 2018 showing the continued fall in print circulation however, this is not to say that print media does not still have an importance. Hooper (2012) states that the reports of ‘the death of print’ have been greatly exaggerated. With Christian Borslap (quoted in Singer, 2015, p1) explaining that “print and digital media can happily co-exist because each type of media has its own characteristics and traits”. Digital media has become a more accessible way of retaining information. However, it can be viewed as being particularly busy, especially online, with the number of advertisements that we are subjected to (Print Power, 2019). Research proves that print media – specifically magazines and newspapers – “has a knack for cutting through the noise, creating deeper engagements and speaking to a more discerning mind” (Print Power, 2019). Poppy (2018) suggests it is the simplicity of print material that we enjoy. Psychology is a significant factor in why we continue to engage with print. Jarrett (2017) discusses how we value things that we own. This, in turn, means that it is easier to develop feelings of ownership over a physical entity than a digital one. Although we are engaged with digital media, the emotional connection we receive from holding a physical sheet of paper helps us to focus and engage more than what we can with a screen (Hullo Creative, 2018). I chose to produce my magazine in a print format as I needed it to create an impact. The reader needs to become engaged in what they are reading, taking note of the importance of the content for this to be shared with a wider audience. Having a tangible product creates an impact and makes this emotional connection with the reader, making them more likely to share the content with others (Print Power, 2019). The aim of the magazine is to market the individuals featured therefore, it is important that the reader is engaged with the content, making them more likely to share and comment on what they have read, giving the creatives a better chance of being recognised. My magazine tells the stories of the creatives featured therefore, it is important to create something that represents storytelling and a print magazine is seen as the closest thing to a book (Print Power, 2019). Through the images and written content, the reader is brought on the journey of the creatives. The images play an important part in telling the story and it is important that the reader can enjoy the images being displayed. Caporicci (n.d.) states that “printing as a medium is one of the most meaningful ways that you can enjoy photography” thus being another reason why I chose to present my magazine in print.
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PRODUCTION The production of my magazine was aligned as closely as possible to an industry standard workflow (Whittaker, 2008). This allowed me to minimize errors and increase the overall efficiency of the production. A lack of planning is one of the many reasons why businesses fail (Successharbor, 2019). Having a planned workflow helped me to make quicker, smarter decisions and work in a more productive and agile way.
(The editorial workflow, 2008)
FLAT PLAN During the initial stages of the production I created a flat-plan. Whittaker (2008) states that “a flat-plan is a map of the magazine, detailing where everything will go� (p.74). The flat-plan I created provided me with a visually detailed map of the magazine in regards to the content and layout, that aided me throughout the production process. Whittaker (2008) explains the importance of a flat-plan, highlighting that it becomes extremely important when organising the workflow. Due to this it was important that the flat-plan was altered when any changes were made to the magazine so that I could get a better understanding of what was left to. Initial flat-plan Final flat-plan
Flat-plan 2 4
INTERVIEWING Interviewing: reaching out Lavrakas (2008) suggests that face to face interviewing is the best form of data collection, as it allows a more in-depth conversation to take place. However, Lee-Potter (2017) explains that conducting an interview over email allows the interviewee more time to think about their answer. This can work as an advantage as it gives them the chance to add any extra information that they may have forgotten about when answer the question the first time.
When reaching out to the interviewee’s I decided to offer them a multiple of ways in which the interview could be conducted as not everybody has the same preference (Lee-Potter, 2017). Due to the nature of the magazine being unestablished I found that less people were willing to take part. However, after providing candidates with that option I found the response rate to be better. Though conducting an interview via email was likely to cause limitations, it allowed me to contact varies individuals from across the world in different time zones (Lee-Potter, 2017). Interviewing: conducting the interview Before conducting the interview, I researched the interviewees to gather a better understanding of their work. Grossman (2017) implies that one of the most important parts of the interviewing process is doing you research as it allows specific questions to be asked and new areas to be explored. Based on this I decided to look at previous interviews that had been conducted with other magazines so that I didn’t ask the same questions. The main aim for Rise Magazine is that it will spark originality, so it is important that the content remains unique and does not repeat content that has previously published. Vinear (2017) states that it is important to explore new territory as nobody wants to read something they have heard before.
Lee-potter (2017) discusses the significance of customising your questions during an interview, stating that it is essential to ask questions that are of the interviewee’s interest. This allows a much broader discussion to happen as we know it is a topic that they are widely informed about. However, when researching around the interviewee’s I found that sometimes there was a lack of content already out there due to the fact of them being new to the industry. Therefore, I found that I was not able to tailor the questions as much as I would have liked. Due to this I decided to use open ended question within my interview as Lee-Potter (2017) explains that “Open questions are those that encourage the interviewees to give more detailed and meaningful answers” (p.96). The aim for the content within the magazine was that it told a detailed and informed story about that individuals featured. Therefore, it was important that I was able to collect as much information from the interview as possible to allow a more informed and compelling story to be created.
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CONTENT Prior to writing the content for Rise Magazine I decided that I would use a tone of writing that was friendly and informative, but still engaging at the time. Whittaker (2008) suggests that it is important to take into consideration the demographic and background of the audience when finding a style of writing. However, due to the magazine targeting a large market, aged between 15-50, it was important that the content was written in an appropriate manner that suited all ages. After researching into other independent magazines that focus on a similar target audience, I found that sometimes the style of writing used was difficult to understand. Due to this I felt that it would be best to keep the writing to a simple style, that was easy to read by all. Ambrose (2011) explains that it is the simplicity of things that keeps the reader engaged. When comparing competitor magazines, Off Screen and Off Black I noticed that the length of their content varied. Off Screen Magazine kept their article short and informative whereas, Off Black Magazine used long informative articles. I decided that the writing for Rise Magazine should be informative but snappy, keeping the content short and easy to digest. The aim of the magazine is to market the individuals being featured, so making the content short and snappy makes it more rememberable, increasing the chances of the reader sharing the content with others.
SUB-EDITING After the content has been written up it is important that it is sent to the sub-editor so that any necessary changes can be made (Whittaker, 2008). After writing up each of the articles I took up the role of the sub-editor and made any necessary changes in regards to errors in the house style, spelling or punctuation. Doing this made sure that the content was produced to a professional standard.
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REWRITES
DRAFT 1
Punctuation removed.
Sentence is too lengthy.
Sentence difficult to read.
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DRAFT 2
Punctuation added.
Punctuation added.
Sentence changed to make it simpler to read .
Paragraph changed. Easier to read and is more suited to the house-style.
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TEXT Body copy The body copy text was written in the font style Garamond and was written up in the size 12pt. When researching into other independent magazines such as, ID I noticed that their body copy is written in a san’s serif typeface. Sans serif typefaces are seen as more modern type of text that is commonly used (Ambrose et al, 2015). When researching into common text types, Garamond (a sans serif typeface) was appearing as being the most used by professionals. Due to the large target audience that Rise Magazine focuses on it was important that a text type was chosen that was suitable for ages. The popularity of Garamond indicated that it was an appropriate text to use that would work well with the house style of the magazine. Headings The font used for the headings was Bodoni and they were written in the size 50pt. It is crucial that the heading remains a large size that is noticeable to the reader as this is what draws in their attention (Whittaker, 2008). Bodoni is a serif typeface which again is commonly used by professionals. However, this text type is more suitable to use as a display face rather than a text face (Typewolf, n.d.). This is due to the extreme boldness of the text, which indicates it’s suitability for a heading.
LAYOUT The layout for rise magazine needed to be engageable for a large audience. I decided that arranging the elements in a simple manner would be the best way to accomplish this. Ambrose (2011) explains “that simplicity is a desirable objective in producing effective designs” (p.32). Creating a design that is simple and easy to read requires minimal effort from the reader, which is an important part of keeping the reader engaged (Ambrose, 2011). When looking for a suitable layout for Rise Magazine, I researched into other independent creatives magazine such as, Off Screen Magazine, Creative Review and Off Black Magazine to see how they present themselves. While these offer a different type of content to Rise Magazine, they all aim to target a similar audience. DeMers (2014) explains it is important to assess the market to get an understanding of what attracts the reader.
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Offscreen Magazine
(Issue 18 - Interview, n.d.)
(Craig Mod, n.d.)
(Offscreen - Issue 11, n.d.)
(Offscreen Magazine - Issue 17, n.d.)
(Ari Fitz, n.d.)
(Creative review -Issue 6, n.d.)
Creative Review Magazine
(James Dawe, n.d.) (Martin Allais - Creative Review, n.d.) 10
(Joe Lai, n.d.)
(BodyMap, n.d.)
Off Black Magazine
(Age of Influence Article, n.d.) (Off Black Magazine, n.d.) Rise Magazine I decided to take a minimalistic approach when creating the layout, similar to the independent magazines above. I decided to keep the pages simple and un-busy, embracing the white space that was left around text and images. Ambrose et al (2011) explains that while many designers feel compelled to fill the white space, it is important to remember that “Tight positioning of elements can give a design a more frenetic pace”. Leaving the white space around the writing gives the pages a calm feeling and allows the reader time to process the information (Ambrose et al, 2015). This was necessary as it was important that the reader was able to take in the importance of the information they were reading without getting bored to increase the likelihood of them sharing the content. Ambrose et al (2015) suggest that it is important to use white space, claiming that it “has been described as the lungs of a good design” (p.16). 11
Oghale Alex Article
I decided to use a number of images within each article to give the reader a better understanding of the story being told. It allows a story feel to be brought to the magazine and engages the reader through a stronger connection. Ambrose et al (2015) explains that an image is able to convey an idea or concept at a much quicker speed than text. It allows a strong connection to be formed and has the ability to communicate in many different ways (Ambrose et al, 2015). Due to having a large target audience it is important that the layout was appropriate to all types of people. Not everyone enjoys reading long articles so to seperate it up I decided to use a combination of text and images to get the reader a break, keeping them engaged throughout.
When positioning the images, I decided to order them differently to encourage the reader to explore the page. I allowed the white space to surround the images as this allowed a clearer view of the whole image to be given. Ambrose et al (2015) discusses that giving an image a white border allows the image space to breathe, to clearly define its edges.
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CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT Front Cover
Final cover
The front cover is what attracts the reader so it is important that it is visually appealing and suitable to the content featured. I decided that it was important for the cover to indicate creativity of some sort and because of this I decided it would be best to move away from the usual cover of a model. I decided to feature one of Marcus Schaefer’s images as the front cover due to the intriguing appeal they give off. I tested out a few of his images however, felt that the black and white one was the most suited. I felt that the coloured images distract what is actually going on in the image and believed it was imporant that the reader was attracted to its unusualness. Final page Contents page
The content page is the first page when entering the magazine that informs the reader of the content inside. Due to this it is important that it looks professional and is simple to read. The initial page was bold and easy to read however, I felt that it viewed itself as unprofessional and looked to plain. The second time I went for a more common contents page, though this gave a professional feel I decided to go with the last choice as believed it was a more unique look that better suited the house style. 13
Typography
In between each article I decided to add a blank page so that the audience was able to have a break and take in the information read from the previous article. This created a consistency pattern throughout the magazine and allowed the reader to fully understand when an article was finished. I decided to swap the original font size to bring a bigger emphasis to the page (Ambrose et al, 2015).
Intial
Intial
Final
Final
Article Pages Originally, I created the initial pages in the magazine to suit more the design of ID and Dazed magazine however, after some consideration and research I felt as though the pages looked overcrowded and didn’t give the reader time to breathe. I decided simplify the design and take more of an approach similar to Creative Review and Off Black Magazine. I positioned the text so that it was surrounded around white space, this allowed the reader time to take in the information being read but also created an un-busy look to the page which is seen as more engaging. 14
Headings
Intial
Final
I decided to change the heading font in between the production process as I felt that the initial heading didn’t suit the house style of the magazine. It was obvious that it didn’t work well with the body text font and while it was it was clear and easy to read it made the magazine look unprofessional. The Bodoni font was popular text used throughout independent magazine and while it gave the magazine a professional look, I felt that it also gave the magazine a story book feel which was the original aim.
Magazine name Intial
Final
I had originally given the magazine the name ‘Side by Side Magazine’ however, after some careful consideration I decided to change it to ‘Rise Magazine’. I had originally set out to find a name that symbolised togetherness, as the aim of the magazine is that with future hopes it will turn into a community where creatives can come together and the support can be offered. While the name ‘Side by Side’ well represented this, I found that it was too lengthy and less rememberable than ‘Rise’. I tried to keep the same idea however, find a name that was more rememberable. The name ‘Rise’ was given to the magazine as I believe this symbolised how supporting each other we can help each other to progress in our futures.
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