Magazine Proposal #1

Describe your idea for the brief:
I am creating a Rap/ Hip hop/ R 'n' B magazine called 'Power'. I chose this because of the target audience I have settled for, which is teenage girls. I feel as though this name is appropriate as the rap industry is very male dominated, and women are looked upon as 'sexual objects', however I feel like we need to empower one another and have a right to voice our opinions, just like many female rap artists are doing through their music nowadays. From my research, I understand that there are no other magazines like the one I want to create on the market at the present moment in time, and I don't think it is fair how the rap genre is mostly targeted towards men. Yes, a lot of the music is written and made by male artists, but that does not mean that females can't enjoy this either. Therefore, I think this name is suitable for the target audience and genre I am creating this magazine for.

Genre/ Sub- Genre: List similar texts which have inspired your thoughts throughout
From my research, I understand that there are not a lot of rap magazines available to purchase at the moment, although some good examples include 'Vibe' and 'XXL'. Both represent well the feeling I want my magazine to give off. From looking at 'Vibe' magazine, I really like how each article follows a different house theme. For example, one may feature the artist 'Drake', and the magazine follows the colour scheme of black (his clothing) and yellow/ gold (his jewelry). I think this is really effective and I will hopefully use this technique on my own magazine. 'XXL' is also very inspirational with the sort of images they use on their front cover. Normally it is a close- up shot of a legendary rapper such as '50 Cent' or 'Dr Dre'. I love how different their front cover looks compared to other music magazines. Other genre's of magazines like 'Rolling Stones' and 'Q' also feature rappers on some issues, and I like how they use hip hop stereotypes such as black clothing, stern faces, and typical hand gestures.

Target Audience: gender/ age/ characteristics/ behaviour
The primary target audience for my magazine is females aged 15-21, and 'C2- E' on the 'Audience Code' (also known as demographics), I think skilled workers, down to students and unemployed people will be the right target audience due to it being the younger generation that enjoy rap music and normally they aren't in full time employment till around 18-21. Furthermore, I will be featuring a lot of the new gossip considering hip hop, which employed, high salary payed individuals may not have time/ want to stay connected with. I feel like this will be the best target age and gender for reading the sort of magazine I am wanting to produce too, due to my prior research. My primary audience will be interested in things such as festivals, hanging with friends, going shopping, listening to music and be attracted to the urban culture. The secondary audience may be anyone over the age of 21 that has a interest of the genre and maybe 'old school rap' who want to keep in with the new trends. also males may be interested in the music I will be showcasing, even though the house colours are feminine. Another secondary audience may be younger people of both gender, they may have a passion for hip hop, however I didn't want to aim it any much lower than 15 anyway because sometimes rap artists use inappropriate language in interviews etc, which I can't guarantee won't be used in my magazine, to make it more realistic.

Major Conventions I will use:
I aim to use bold, feminine, yet fitting in with my genre typography. I want it to attract my primary audience, however fit in with the rap industry. I will also use informal terminology to really connect with my audience so they 'feel connected' to the magazine, and have trust in us that they receive the latest news. My aim is for them to feel like they are in their own little 'clique' from reading my magazine. I will use slang and sarcasm as my primary audience are of a lower class and will understand it, and most rapper use abbreviations and slang words in their music. Another convention I will include is an effective main image for my front cover, and main sell line. This will hopefully be the main selling point for my music magazine. Moreover, I will be using a maximum of four colours, as my house theme, because from research this is popular convention between hip hop magazines.

Conventions I may subvert/ change/ not use:
I think I will be avoiding using more than one image on the front cover, from examples I have looked at including one main image makse the page look more striking compared to others, and definitely fits in better with the hip hop genre. For example, 'Vibe' and 'XXL' only feature one main image, however contemporary and rock magazines like 'Q' and 'Rolling Stone' may have several down the 'Rule of Thirds'. I will also keep away from using bright colours such as yellow, green and blue, as I think this will make my magazine look like it's made for a different purpose (like my preliminary task), and maybe unprofessional for a rap genre magazine.

Original Images: What/ where/ when
I will take medium close- ups and close- ups for my main front cover image, so I have a selection to chose from. I have to dress the female model in fashionable clothes with gold or silver jewelry, this will appeal to my primary audience as they will look up to the artist and wish to be like her. This is an effective point for selling my magazine. I will also need to capture sub- images to accompany the front cover, and so there is a running theme throughout my magazine. I will make sure the model is in a different position so its not the same as the front page image. I also need to arrange where and when the photo shoot will happen. I am hoping I can book the photography studios at Sunderland University.

Potential Difficulties/ Plan b:
A potential difficulty may be if I cannot get the photography studio at Sunderland College booked for the times my models are available. If I cannot, I will have to take the images at Sunderland College studies instead. I will also need to schedule myself for how long I am going to take designing my magazine, as I like everything to be precise, which sometimes enables me to take longer than others. However, I do have 'Photoshop CC 2015' at home, which is where I can finish any work.