Evaluation- Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

I think that I have progressed an awful lot in my skills, from the preliminary task at the beginning of the school year. I believe that I have particularly improved on Photoshop, learning new skills; I never used to be able to use the magnetic lasso tool without it cutting off parts of the image or having jagged edges, in the end I was able to ensure that the edges were smooth.
My preliminary magazine was extremely simple, looking entirely unprofessional. I also wasn't able to properly portray what the magazine was about, other than the name "Time To Pretend"; as it was a school magazine based on Drama, Music,

Art and Media. However, I learnt from this for the production of my full product; ensuring that there are captivating cover lines and it was clear what the magazine what was about.
After the preliminary task, I was able to experiment with camera angles; though I only used a mid shot for the cover, the posture and expression worked well with it so you could tell from looking at the cover model that she was a band member on the cover of a music magazine. I also used many on the contents page and double page spread; taking shots from all sorts of different angles in order for it to look more professional, rather than a student messing about with a camera.

Putting both of the tasks together, you can see that my camera work has improved a lot, it is more structured and you are able to tell that it had been properly planned. I was able to choose more carefully the models and poses; the ones in the preliminary you could tell didn't quite know what to do and were unprepared for the photos. I ensured the models all had the style I was aiming for and looked confident, expressing the right personalities. The ones before looked as though they did not want to be there, emitting the wrong sort of atmosphere for the magazine. There are more artistic elements to my final magazine, which I had aimed for, and I think I achieved the style and genre very well. Most people I think would base their choice in colours on how they look, or to copy other well-known magazines, whereas I liked to think about the meanings. The colours I used were a main element of style and genre, particularly the purple and black; purple has connotations of mystery and is associated with spirituality, again linking to the artistic aspect of the finished product. Black is said to have conflicting connotations; The connotation I chose it for was again the mystery, and the colour to symbolise rebellion, or mourning. The other colour I used was white, which contrasts with the other colours as it is usually lighter and more 'positive'; it is suggestive of purity, life and happiness. I wanted these to contrast, as to me and anyone else in the audience who would think about it, it would be to signify that there is both light and dark inside of us; we choose what to act on. We can either rebel, or do as we are expected, or simply, do what we want and not care. My magazine was reflecting rebellion and not caring; being yourself, so that wouldn't mean that none of the readers would be pure. With the preliminary task, to avoid complications as I was new to Photoshop, I went with standard black, white and red; I did not want to do this for the final task.
I think that there would certainly be a few changes that I would make to my magazine. First of all, I would make it slightly more busy on the cover, like AP or Kerrang!:

 

I wanted the picture to be simple, but now looking at it I feel as though I should have at least put something more on the right hand side. I would also add perhaps one more intriguing cover line; no more than one as I feel like the "PLUS" bit invited the reader in enough. I don't think that I would change anything on either the contents or double page spread as I feel I achieved what I wanted, with the genre and style clear. Overall, I am happy with my full product, and am pleased it went a lot better than the preliminary.

Evaluation- What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

The camera which I used to take most of the pictures was a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm, which was great to use for the cover picture, one on the contents page and the double page spread ones as I was able to adjust setting well, and did not have to worry about whether or not it would be high quality. Due to the quality, it was easier for me to use Photoshop on the pictures, as I didn’t have to mess about with any blurred ones or any with terrible lighting.

For the rest of the pictures, I used a Nikon Coolpix L4 digital camera, on which I was able to slightly adjust settings, if needed. It was a plus as again I didn't have to worry about the quality as long as I stuck to still images, the camera was great with how clear it needed to be.

On the school computers, I did the basic things to my media product, gaining a higher level of skill by doing so; therefore when I did the rest on my home computer, I got better and better at using Photoshop. I used the school computers to look for pictures of bands which would feature in Delve, art which would inspire the magazine’s style and research.

I found that at home on my computer or laptop I was able to achieve more and had the most patience as it was silent, therefore I was able to concentrate more. I also had a lot more time at home to do it, so was able to take my time on Photoshop and researching etc.

I have Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 at home, which I used throughout the construction process of my magazine. I think that this version of it was the easiest and simplest for me to use, and I was able to try a lot of different things, looking at different effects. I was able to explore common image effects in the filter gallery such as film grain, which I considered using but decided that it wouldn't match the style of the rest of the magazine. I looked at general tools such as the magnetic lasso tool and the magic wand, which I used for all three of the pages of my magazine and improved on throughout the process, as at first I was very unsure of my skills with those tools in particular. I found some tools more difficult to use, such as the clone tool, though it turned out to be simple and easy. 

For my magazine pitch to show to the class, I used Animoto to portray the type of magazine which I was going to create; adding pictures, music- Razorblade Kiss by HIM- and text. I found Animoto extremely easy and quite fun to use and I was pleased with what I was able to produce on it.

The only other main thing which I used in the process of constructing my music magazine was Blogger, on which I was able to use as a sort of journal. Whenever I had an idea of what I may include in my product, I would add it to my blog in a post, along with inspiration such as music, art and style.

Evaluation- How did you attract/address your audience?

I have aimed to attract my audience in numerous different ways; through the style portrayed through the artists is a main one as people take style inspiration themselves from artists. The cover image is the most simple, but the images on both the contents and double page spread are more the style which I had aimed for, which the audience would potentially have; thus, attracting them to the magazine.

In order to attract the audience to the slightly different genres (rock, gothic rock), I have used specific colours and patterns; the black and purple leopard print can be related back to ‘70s punk, so this could appeal to and address people who prefer the punk rock genre, therefore they would want to buy the magazine to read about bands such as New York Dolls, Sex Pistols and The Ramones or more recent ones such as Sum 41, who are generally referred to as pop-punk. This could also appeal to an older audience, as there would be some who are still fans of Sex Pistols, for example, since they were together.

The use of the cover model’s James Dean t-shirt was to attract people who are appealed to classics, or original gothic rock; stereotypically liking bands such as The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees and The Damned, due to the creativity, model and often described as “morose” aspects of their music. Though, of course, all bands that would be featured in Delve would be extremely creative, they each have their own distinct sound and lyrics. The cover model is also pulling a specific pose; confident, yet her facial expression is hardened, looking melancholic, attracting readers who may reflect this themselves.  

Another way in which I attracted the audience was through bands other than the cover one; their taste would potentially be similar to the bands inside if they like the ones listed. In the double page spread, I have mentioned bands such as My Chemical Romance, Green Day and A Day To Remember, which would address fans of post-hardcore or alternative rock/punk rock.

Evaluation- Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my media product would be anyone who is very passionate for anything that branches off of rock music; alternative rock, gothic rock, punk rock etc. At first, the audience was to be lovers of pure punk, but I wanted there to be more of an option for the reader. I see my readers to be unique individuals, who are fervent in their interests, which stereotypically would be those who of course adore music, and who like to read, watch films and are interested in art. As I have tried to stay well away from the mainstream scene, I think that my audience would stereotypically shop at places such as Voodoo, Haze, Soho’s and Punkyfish. I think that television and film would be quite influential on my audience, watching television shows such as Jackass, The Vampire Diaries, Viva La Bam and Miami Ink. Their movie interests could be ones such as Thirteen, The Libertine, Interview with the Vampire, Shutter Island, Dracula, Sid and Nancy and Girl, Interrupted.
Musical interests could be anything from CKY, Slayer, Metallica, to Nirvana, The Cure, The Used, Iggy Pop, The Damned and Killing Joke. I am aware that this is a wide range; that was my aim. People who like Metallica may be avid fans of 30 Seconds To Mars, too, so I think that this could bring in more readers.
I don’t think that my magazine is aimed at a particular sex; but it would be assumed to interest males due to the style of the magazine and some would think that bands such as CKY are generally more appealing to males.
If you were to stereotype, then 'emos' would probably be the typical audience for my media product; bands featured such as My Chemical Romance and HIM are often referred to as emo or goth, so this may appeal to audiences who have similar taste and style. The iconography in the style of the bands I have made reflect those which feature in my magazine, therefore attracting audiences such as 'emos' who would stereotypically be fans of the bands such as the ones mentioned previously.

Evaluation- What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

A publishing company distributes bands commercially to make the information accessible to the general public; this may be marketed through books, magazines, newspapers and other informative materials. These may be distributed in bookstores, through the mail or sometimes free, at certain places.
I think that Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. would be a well suited institution company to distribute my media product; they are of course the publishing company for their own magazine, AP, but as my magazine is of a very similar genre the readers of AP could possibly hear about Delve from it, and start to purchase it. The reason I think that would be a good idea is because the readers would have similar interests to those who would want to read Delve magazine anyway. It is not the genre alone that Delve would be similar to AP in aspects of; the style is also very similar. For example, there are the same sorts of bands featured in AP; The Used, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, HIM, Blink 182 etc. Kerrang is another similar magazine which includes these sorts of bands and genres.
Though a major publishing company, I think that Bauer would also be well suited to distribute my magazine; they are the publishers of Kerrang!, which, like AP, has a similar genre and target audience to Delve as they all specialize in rock music, mainly. As Bauer are the UK’s biggest publishing company, it seems to be well-suited for my magazine to be published by them; Bauer is clearly extremely well-known, therefore Delve would potentially spread around, though still appealing to the target audience.

Evaluation- How does your media product represent particular social groups?

 I believe that my media product represents individuals who have a strong passion mainly for music and art, and potentially photography. I think that people who are experimental with rock music, who stretch to different elements; punk, gothic, grunge etc. will be appealed to my magazine, as it is different compared to ‘mainstream’ magazines, which I have stayed far from. The social groups are reflected in both the music and the style, though of course there are people who may not dress in a certain way, but still may enjoy listening to this genre of music.
I have taken style inspiration from people such as Bam Margera, Kat Von D and Lacey Sturm from Flyleaf. Also from bands such as My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds To Mars and The Used, who are stereotyped as 'emo', which may appeal to and represent those who are socialy dubbed as 'emo' or 'goth'; gothic style is often associated with emo.

There are, admittedly, not many real female artists that I have mentioned, but I am going to compare the similarities and differences between my cover model and Courtney Love, of course from Hole. I am going to use a picture of Courtney from the ‘90s, which was when she was pure grunge, reinforcing this social group.

Before the death of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love was natural and beautifully scruffy looking, as shown above. In this way, bother her and my model on the right, are very similar; both with the messy blonde hair and pale complexion. Their style in the pictures is similar too; grunge-rock, though Courtney’s is more completely grunge; as Brooklyn is the lead singer in a more gothic rock band, her style is slightly less so. They are both wearing baggy tops, with very naturalistic make up, which is potentially iconic of the grunge style. Both Courtney and the band member, Brooklyn, went through a very destructive time in their lives, which you could say is portrayed in their music. A difference, however, is that Brooklyn picked herself back up; Courtney seemed unable to.
Grunge differs greatly from how it was in the late 80s/90s, originating from alternative rock, hardcore punk, heavy metal and indie rock, now branched into different social groups such as the rather modern stereotype 'emo' or even goth; grunge is simply more stripped down. Due to this, my media product is representative of these social groups, which is a broad range but related greatly as they branch off of each other.

Evaluation- In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (I.e. of music magazines.)

Firstly, as the masthead of my magazine would have to stand out and be unique, I titled it “Delve”, so that the readers would be attracted to it, therefore looking into the meaning. I aimed for people to be able to comprehend that the title would be linked to the idea of exploring/unearthing your true self through the music, not necessarily unearthing the music yourself. I didn’t want it to be too simple; I preferred the clever option of making the readers consider deeper meaning. Though a very different magazine, another magazine which readers can look into the title of is “Vibe,” which has many different connotations. Because the name is unique, I think that it is easy to remember; a lot of magazines are either acronyms (AP) or onomatopoeic (Kerrang,) which could potentially be seen as challenging forms of real media products.
Secondly, I think that by having my model in a mid-shot, staring straight into the camera with a hardened expression may also challenge the typical conventions of mainstream music magazines, as usually on the cover of those specific magazines the artist is smiling, the connect with the reader. By not doing so, I believe that this connects with the reader in a different way; developing conventions of rock based magazines.

I have used many different camera angles in the music magazine, in the hope to attract people who have interest in photography, as well as music.
I have used the standard black and white as two of the main colours; however I have found that most music magazines tend to use red too, so to slightly draw away from that, I have used dark purple. With the dark purple, it reflects the look which I hoped to achieve; gothic rock/punk. Another way in which I successfully reflected the genre is through the clothing; the bands are dressed mostly rock, with elements of gothic punk; the necklace which the “Secret Chords” ‘band member’ is wearing on the contents page is the HIM heartagram. The fact that there is black and purple as the background of the contents page also portrays the style and genre which I aimed for.
Lastly, I think that by not doing the standard question and answer interview in the double page spread, this adds to the individuality of the magazine; it can be linked to the ‘gonzo’ journalism, originated from Hunter S. Thompson.

I wanted to use a pattern for the background of my contents page. For example, I think I may take a picture of something leopard print, going with the colour scheme and apply it to the background. I like the following print and colours, but I would have to make sure it doesn't make it look overly busy or unprofessional.

Double Page Spread Article

After two years, I am once again sat across from the band that is “Lunacy Fringe,” back to stay with their second album “Strike a Violent Pose.” Their first, “Methane Skies” was astonishingly successful, being nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2008. Since then, the band has sailed across stormy seas, in a world of deep depression, drugs, alcohol and much more. Here, we are to talk about what made them fall, and what made them get back up again.
The vocalist, stunning gothic-punk Brooklyn, looks across at me with wide blue eyes, patiently awaiting my questions. I go to begin, then Quinn asks for my name, in fear of sounding rude, bless him. “My name’s Constance. Starting with a simple question: who influenced you musically from an early age?”
This question is liked. The drummer, Luna, says “We all liked the same sort of music, but it was all really random. From when we were young, we’d listen to a lot of Nirvana, The Smiths, The Cure, Bob Dylan, but then we’d listen to a lot of Sex Pistols, Green Day... It wasn’t necessarily a specific genre.”
“Yeah, different music would just have different meaning to us.”
Brooklyn smiles, “Not forgetting more recent artists, like My Chemical Romance, The Used, A Day To Remember, 30 Seconds To Mars-”
Quinn laughed, “She’s obsessed. We all love them, her and Luna especially though... it’s cute.”
“Yeah, that’s true, we do. But it’s been that way since they formed... like, My Chemical Romance have been a band for nearly ten years, and me and Luna went to one of their first gigs. One of the best nights of my life.” I smile, getting the feeling they could talk about this question for a while, so I continue with my interview.
I smile and clear my throat, “The next question is mostly for you Brooklyn, one you may be expecting: I understand that you were hospitalised for depression and suicide attempts- when did it start to go downhill?” The band members have a newly-found fresh, mellow air about them; I don’t feel intruding. Brooklyn shifted, beginning “I’ve always been depressed. From when I was a little girl I was never fully happy, y’know? As a young teen I got into marijuana, cigarettes and begun to self-harm. These guys-” She gestures to her band mates “-and music kept me alive since I met them when I was 13 or 14- very young. I was a little happier… I think we all were. Then recently, I got back into all the shit again. I started to drink again and self-harm- not just cutting, I’d burn myself, wrist-bang, that sort of thing. It’s my entire fault really that-”
“It’s not.” This came from bassist Quinn, who had been listening silently as Brooklyn delved into her past. “Carry on, Quinn?”
“Well, as she said, we were all pretty much the same when we were younger, so we’ve always helped each other out. It’s not her fault that we went away for a while, I think we needed it. We were all in a bad place.”
I reply, “I see. So you think that this has just made you stronger; has this been put into your new album?”
Gerard says, “Oh yes, it’s really focussed on not just being in a horrible place, but being able to get out of it. We want people to understand that it’s alright to be fucked up, because we all were too and we got over it; they can overcome it, too.”
“We’ll be with them through it.”
“You’re certainly a very inspirational group of people. Thanks for that. So, what artists contributed to bringing you back from your depression?” I ask.
Brooklyn doesn’t hesitate to say, “My Chemical Romance. Mostly. They’ve always helped us. I think it’s a lot to do with how they’ve obviously all been through so much, now they are happier. Their lyrics touch me, make life feel worth it. Ah, why don’t you guys tell Constance what you all did for me?”
Quinn says, “Okay, well we cherish each and every My Chem album, so when Brooklyn was going through all of the shit we’d take turns-because we all live together- to write inspiring lyrics of theirs in lipstick on her bathroom mirror. For example, from their new album a lyric from the song, Sing is “Sing it out. Girl, you've got to be what tomorrow needs.” ”
“It was so sweet. It helped me a lot. I was drowning, and they pulled me out of the sea.”
A lot of respect has been built for this band and its members; I’m overwhelmed by their relationship alone. “That is truly just amazing, how inspiring! We’re on a push for time, I’m afraid, so last few questions. Simple question: how much are you looking forward to your tour?”
Their faces light up, Luna says, “We’re all incredibly excited- a world tour! This is such a massive thing for us as a band. We’re touring here in the UK first, and then we’re just all over the place. Quite a few shows are sold out, it’s unbelievable!”
“Even though you’re a big band now, do you still go to gigs yourselves?”
“Oh, yes! We love going to gigs and festivals! We’ve never been about the fame, so we just like to carry on doing things we’ve always done. We don’t want to suddenly become arrogant. In fact, we all went to A Day To Remember the other day with a few other friends. Fuck, it was incredible! ” This came from Gerard, who has been the most silent throughout.
I ask with hope, “You’re back to stay, yes?”
The answer came in unison: “Fuck yeah!”

Magazine Cover Mock Ups

These are the magazine cover mock ups I made. My favourite style is the second one, however I do really like the first one, though it looks more Grunge than anything, due to the colours used. I need to practice my cutting skills, particularly for the style of the second one, as the first does look well cut out and the second has jagged lines all around Frank.

Test Shots

Test shots for double page spread:

Test shots for magazine cover:

After taking these test shots, I decided that I really like the first two shown for the double page spread, so am considering either re-doing them or using them for my magazine. I wanted to use the room with the purple walls for the double page spread, but looking at the pictures I don't know if it looks too cluttered so I may have to make a set in a brighter, less cluttered room, but still with the same sort of style. If I use any of the ones shown for the double page spread I would have to cut around whoever is in the picture and change the background. I now have a rough idea of what I want for the final shots though.

Band Profile

Name: Lunacy Fringe
Members: Brooklyn (vocals), Quinn (bass), Gerard (guitar), Luna (drums.)
Age: 19-24
Gender: 2 female, 2 male.
Clothing: Rock/gothic rock style. Style inspiration is mostly Bam Margera and My Chemical Romance.
Lifestyle: Lunacy Fringe spend their spare spare time listening to music, band practice, having fun, reading, writing, painting and drawing, watching films when they can and reading comics. They all like to design things for their fans.
Musical inspiration: My Chemical Romance, The Used, 30 Seconds To Mars, HIM, Green Day, Nirvana, The Ramones, Sex Pistols.
Genre of music: Rock/alternative.
History: Their previous album, "Methane Skies", was astonishingly successful, being nominated a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2008. The band later on disappeared until late 2010, due to their vocalist, Brooklyn, being hospitalized.
Appeal: Raw, original sound, inspiring lyrics. Appeals to those who like alternative, almost gothic rock.

Chosen Band and Album Name

I have been pondering the band names "Lunacy Fringe" and "Secret Chords." I have decided to call the band "Lunacy Fringe" as I think it suits the genre more and the meaning is less obvious. I think that it's creative and would be more appealing to people who are interested in the rock and alternative genre. "Secret Chords" is less like a band name and more like part of a lyric, which is where the idea was from. I think that the idea of "Secret Chords" is still a creative name though, so I may use it for one of the other bands.
Now that I have decided on the band name, it has been easier to choose the album name. The ideas were "Is Living Just a Joke?", "Strike a Violent Pose" and "Try Is a Set Up Word for Failure." I am going to go with "Strike a Violent Pose" because it is catchy and appealing, and I think that the line itself could be telling people to not be afraid to be themselves; show your rebellious side and don't be ashamed. I strongly support the idea of people not doing what is expected of them unless it's what they want to do, so I think it portrays that well.

Further Magazine Title Ideas

I am contemplating the title of either "Delve" with a rider underneath, or "Escape." I particularly like the idea of "Escape", though it wasn't one of my original ideas, I like what it would stand for as music is indeed a form of escapism. I think it's clear the word "Escape" would mean escape to the music, but not blindingly obvious, therefore I think it's a smart idea.
If I was to choose "Delve", I would want the rider that would go underneath to be linked to the idea of exploring/unearthing your true self through the music, not necessarily unearthing the music itself.

Planning the Double Page Spread

I have decided that the double page spread will not be about a new band with an album about to be released, but a band getting back up again after a tough time.
The cover 'model' will be the singer only from the band, to show that the double page spread will be focused on what happened to her.
It will be an interview with the singer, mostly about what happened to her, why, and what saved her.
I will take photos of who would be in the rest of the band and include them in the double page spread. This will show unity of the band and how they didn't give up on her.
I am hoping to achieve a dark atmosphere in this double page spread, but with a layer of light, as in the end all was well- or so it will seem.

Artistic Elements

I want my music magazine to have elements of art in it, thus combining two of my four main passions and interests. I enjoy any art, not a particular artist. I seem to love the art of freelance artists. One of my favourite artists is Alex Pardee, who is the artist for The Used as well as being an incredible freelance artist in general.

The art inspiration for my magazine wouldn't necessarily only be big, well-known artists. For example, Gerard Way's art inspires me.

The above picture is the album artwork for the My Chemical Romance "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" album that Gerard drew himself. 

Pitch Feedback

I think that my pitch went rather well as I made it clear to the audience what my magazine would be like. I made the genre of my magazine clear, but the questions I got asked were mostly related to my audience. For example, I was asked if I would attempt to bring in a wider range of people; I would not. I want my magazine to be aimed at people who like a certain genre of music and style, even though this will result in limiting the market slightly. Another reason for my magazine being aimed at a specific audience is because I don't like how magazines such as Q have mixed genres, trying to bring in a wider range of audience; I don't think it's particularly effective and some people want to just read about the sort of music they enjoy. Another question I got asked was about the style, as in my Animoto presentation I did state that the style inspiration would be Bam Margera, but I had to say how I would make it 'suited' to the cover artist who would be female.
I want my magazine to look artistic in an Alex Pardee way, so am contemplating drawing or painting something, taking a picture of it and then putting my main image over it, but I don't want it to be overly clustered.

25 Word Pitch

I admire everything about Bam, but I think I've made it clear that he is on there due to inspiration for style mostly.

Magazine Title (Ideas)

I tried to come up with titles which are not seemingly simple, but are not too complicated for a magazine title. I needed to make sure that it would still be suitable, not too long to say/read, but still eye-catching.
I thought of these:

• Hurricane
• Vox Populi (voice of the people)
• Zeus
• Fawkes
• Delve
• Minority

I wanted them to have underlying meaning, but not have to over-think them. I think my favourite ones are Delve, Minority, Hurricane and Vox Populi, so I will probably just choose out of the four.

Ideas for the Band and Album Name.

After much thought, I have decided that it would be good for the chosen band name to be either:

• Secret Chords
  or
• Lunacy Fringe

Both of these names I think would be very appropriate for the genre, and also they both can be widely interpreted. They are not too simple and have obvious meaning to them.

The ideas for the album name are:

• Is Living Just a Joke?
• Strike a Violent Pose
  and
• Try Is a Set Up Word for Failure.

The idea for "Is Living Just a Joke?" came from the My Chemical Romance song, "Dead!" The lyric in the song is actually "If life ain't just a joke, then why am I dead?"
The idea for "Strike a Violent Pose" also came from a My Chemical Romance song called "Teenagers." The whole lyric is "So darken your clothes or strike a violent pose, maybe they'll leave you alone, but not me."
"Try is a set up word for failure" is a Bam Margera quote, clearly the most optimistic of the ideas.

Audience Profile

Name: Luna
Age: 20
From: Brighton
Aspiration: to make a change in the world in some way. Very involved in volunteer work and helping the environment.
Inspiration: music, art, literature, gigs and film.
Music taste: Her favourite band is The Used, but she also loves bands such as HIM, My Chemical Romance, CKY and Nirvana.
Preferred genre: alternative rock, but also likes punk and metal.
Dislikes: Racism, homophobia, bullies, ignorance.
Plan for near future: to go Africa to do volunteer work. This is after she has finished studying music at university, where she is now; music is a big part of her life.
Luna believes in being yourself and is a very creative, taking pride in her individuality. Music has been a very large factor in making her become this person. She cares not of other people's opinion and lives by the Bam Margera quote, "Try is a set up word for failure."

Colour Scheme Ideas

For my colour scheme, I have tried to avoid the more common black, white and red. I have decided instead that I will chose between the following two colour schemes:

These both would fit the genre of alternative rock in the magazine, and also be mysterious and edgy. A connotation of purple is spirituality, but by using a dark purple, this should cool down the eye-catching black and white and seem more powerful. By using black, a connotations could be rebellion and mystery, which could also relate to the style inspired by Bam. The second option would make the magazine look more simple, but darker. The grey could contribute to a neutral element.

Inspiration for Style.

I have chosen that the style of the cover "model", who will potentially be the lead singer in my magazine's made-up band, will be inspired by Bam Margera, who is one of my idols. Bam's style is that of a sort of gothic rock; this is more accessible and is more appropriate for the content that the magazine would have.

Potential Bands to Inspire My Magazine

Below is a list of bands I would want my magazine to include. A problem I face though, is choosing which bands, as there are different genres, due to the fact I like a lot of different music, from different times. I also like artists such as Metallica and Black Sabbath, but I'm trying to narrow the genres down.


30 Seconds To Mars        You Me At Six                 My Chemical Romance
Sex Pistols                      Nirvana                   HIM
Green Day                       The Used                Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Cure                         CKY                       Silverstein
The Smiths                      The Ramones           Bob Dylan
Jimi Hendrix                     Jeff Buckley             The Clash  
The Jam                          Pink Floyd               Guns N' Roses
The White Stripes             The Stranglers         Adam and the Ants
System of a Down             The Beatles             A Day To Remember

Inspiration for Style of Magazine

The style of my potential magazine will be mostly inspired by musicians, not just other magazines.

Therefore, the style of the actual person/people on the cover will be mostly inspired by the legend Kurt Cobain- and Nirvana in general. One of the many beautiful things about Kurt Cobain is that he literally did not care what he wore or what he looked like. He still, however, managed to pull off any piece of clothing at all-even pyjamas- and looked Godly. One of the reasons why I hope to achieve this particular style for the cover 'model' is because I don't want the assential first impression to be that it's fake, or looks-based. Of course, the magazine would not be fashion-based, it would dedicated to the music entirely; the cover will hopefully achieve putting across this point. Thus, little effort, still resulting in a magical style.

The other person the style will be partially based on is the Punk legend, Sid Vicious. Like Kurt Cobain, he did not care what he looked like, and most people believed him to look a complete mess as well as act like one. I, however, loved Sex Pistols style and admire the carelessness which somehow resulted in a much adored style which inspired Punk-lovers everywhere in the 70's.

A slight problem would be that Grunge and Punk are really quite different styles; if it's an impossibility to successfully achieve both of these styles mixed together, then the cover model will most likely be dressed more Grunge than Punk.