Analysis of existing magazine titles

I will start by analysing the magazine which has the most influence upon my choice of deciding to design an R&B music magazine.

VIBE Magazine:
Vibe is a music magazine that focusses predominantly on the R&B genre of music. From my research I have learnt that the origins of R&B started with a Jazz influence based on heavy beats. Vibe could refer to the types of emotions and feelings that this type of heavy beat brings to those listening R&B music which is relevant to the content of my magazine. Vibe usually has positive connotations associated with it, for example people will often refer to getting a 'good vibe' from the music they are listening to. The dictionary definition of the word vibe 'is a person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others.' It can also be used in verb form, E.G to vibe to music. Therefore the title vibe could refer to the atmosphere and psychological emotions R&B music brings to oneself.The word itself to me personally has goo connotations. I almost think that it sounds like something enjoyable and relaxing. It is something that sparks emotion within someone. I therefore think that this title is effective for this genre of magazine as it links with the contents and overall general feel of the magazine.







Billboard Magazine:
Billboard magazine is an American Music Magazine that mainly covers chart music, popular music and all new and upcoming music. I researched the definition of billboard to try and get some understanding of what the title could mean. The definition that i found stated: 'a large outdoor board for displaying advertisements; a hoarding.' This links to the general contents found inside this magazine. For example billboards contents page is quite interesting. It shows a copy/ table of the charts in each one of its editions. In a sense this is like a billboard, something which is displaying information to us. This title is effective because in reality, a billboard is something which gives us information. Therefore we can infer from this magazine that there s going to information given to use in plentiful supply about the latest and upcoming music which will attract readers to buy the magazine. The title 'Billboard' also uses alliteration, which also creates appeal in terms of phonology of the text which attracts and entices readers or those considering buying the magazine.









NME Magazine: NME stands for New Musical Express and is a music magazine which is largely associated with rock, indie and alternative genres. This takes a more practical approach with its name than the other magazines I have looked at and uses initialism in its title. The title expresses that the magazine is based around 'new' music so it can be easily understood what kind of music we will be seeing in the magazine, new and upcoming. It also takes a similar style to a newspaper, as NME was originally published in a newspaper style and layout before changing into the conventional music magazine, we can see this through the use of the word 'express' in the title, EG: similar to the Daily Express ETC. However the initialism also has a ring to it and is easy to say. The initialism almost sounds like the word 'Enemy' and is therefore a memorable title for those who read the magazine.






From analysing these magazine titles i have decided that I want to have a name title like VIBE. This will be something that has similar connotations and pragmatic meaning which will link with the style and genre of music that my magazine is going to be based on.

Fonts Research

Analysis of Photographers.

Terry Richardson 

 Terry Richardson is an American fashion and portrait photographer who has produced photographs for many famous, well known and big name brands such as Yves Saint Lauren, Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs.In addition he has done work for several magazines including Rolling Stones, GQ and Vogue. There are a variety of trends seen through Richardson's work. For example he often puts high-profile celebrities in mundane situations. Some examples of this can be seen in the images I have published below. He also has expressed interest in shots which involve exploring sexuality, with some of his photographs often depicting full nudity or showing sexual acts. This is an interesting part of his work for me as R&B style is something which is often perceived in quite a sexual way and many stars do not hold back from nudity in their music videos and the general public images they create for themselves. This can be seen in some of the photos I published when i did my analysis of R&B style and fashion. Some of his work therefore may be what i would expect to see in some of my style models that i have looked at and even in my magazine itself. A lot of Richardsons work was originally shot on white backgrounds, especially in the portraits he creates, however he has now widened his backgrounds to a larger array of colours and patterns. People can often be seen posing in the photographs with Richardson, and often are given his trademark glasses to wear to represent his work. I like the style of these photos and think they would be something i would like to include in my contents page and double pave spread of my magazine. I think this type of style is guaranteed to work well. As we can see in the images below, Richardson has worked with several R&B stars, such as Lil Wayne and Rihanna. The way that the images are taken on the white background allow fine detail to the appearance of the stars in the images which gives us a clear representation of their style.

Tony Kelly is an Irish fashion photographer,  who has produced work for the likes of companies such as Vogue, American Apparel and Playboy. His images are renowned for being overtly sexual in nature and he has described them himself to be 'provocative, hyper-energetic and spontaneous'. He claims that his flashy style has been hugely successful and popular in the fashion world. I think that this style of photography would work well in a magazine such as the one I am aiming to produce. R&B music videos are full of flashy and overly provocative scenes, something which is popular in this genre of music. I have been reinforcing the idea that a style and trend in R&B music is to push boundaries, create new styles and to be daring. Examples of this are seen through R&B artists such as Nicki Minaj, Pharell (his famous hats) and Rihanna (some of her videos are overtly provocative and have even been banned from daytime television due to their sexual nature). Therefore this kind of photography may be something i chose to take inspiration for when i am producing the images for my magazine.

 Ellen Von Unwerth is a photographer specialising in erotic femininity. She has done work for several famous brands such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and I-D magazine. I like the unusual style the Von Unwerth uses in her work, such as the black and white effect which is popular in several of the photographs that she produces. Again she allows a lot of expression in her photo and so the edgy and daring style i am going for is something that i can see in her photographs. She has produced several interesting images also of R&B artists. It is a different way of looking at photography for me when looking at her work.

IPC Media

Time inc., formerly IPC Media is a consumer magazine and digital publisher based in the UK. The company has a large portfolio of magazines, selling over 350 million copies each year.

Currently IPC has its current magazines titled under three main divisions. These are connect, south bank and discover. These divisions are made based on the audience and type of magazine published. There is a division targeting the mass market for women, one for upmarket women, and the final one inspire, targets the market for men. 

My magazine is going to be an R&B magazine aimed at a both the male and female population. IPC media currently publish magazines such as teen now. This is a monthly magazine for teenage girls. My magazine is also aimed at a teenage/ young adult audience between the ages of 16-25. Therefore the publishing company has already successful magazine publications aimed at the age range that i am aiming my magazine at. Magazines such as teen now will also include featurettes of music artist such as some of the artists which will be the main inspirations behind my magazine. For example in the image above , artists such as Rihanna and Willow Smith feature on the cover page of Teen now magazine. Furthermore, even the magazines IPC aim at upmarket women feature R&B artist such as Rihanna.  Therefore there is a space in the market for an R&B magazine such as the one i am going to create. It will appeal to those who already read several of the magazines that IPC media are already successfully publishing. The male division of IPC Media currently has no real music magazines aimed at the public. Therefore there is a large gap in the market for my magazine. I think that the genre will also work, as many of the female magazines include lifestyle and fashion magazines that feature many of the stars which my magazine will have connections to.  The company is also based in London, a hotspot for new and developing fashion and music trends. It is a place that is hooked with keeping up with these trends and therefore introducing a magazine based around one of the most rapidly developing music genres in popular culture could be easily successful when published by a company such as IPC media who have such a good reputation of selling their copies.

Audience Profile

Audience Profile

The audience I want to aim my magazine at is those who take a keen interest in the R&B music genre. However, this can be widened to those who enjoy listening to all kinds of pop and charts music as many R&B albums and singles now make up a large proportion of chart music. I would like the magazine to be aimed at both men and women who enjoy the music genre, and therefore may try to achieve this by including both a male and female model in some part of the magazine. I will aim my magazine mainly at the older teenage population and young adults as this is where the genre of music is typically more popular and in demand in current times. Between the ages of 16-25.

Name Rihanna Rae

Fashion: High, slick back ponytail, jet black hair.

               Red Lipstick and smoky eyes.

               Black patterned crop top

               Black, high waisted skinny genes.

               Black Leather jacket with white fur collar

               Black peep toe heels

               Long, gold necklace

Interests: Enjoys shopping and looking for unusual items with an urban twist. Enjoys looking out for branded clothing, such as the latest trainers, but can also dress with sophistication and glamour.

Enjoys listening to R&B artists who dominate the chart scene, such as Rihanna, Drake, Beyonce, Chris Brown etc. But also has a keen eye for new and upcoming artists in the R&B scene and enjoys listening to less well known artist of the genre, as well as old R&B records.

The R&B fashion scene has seen many changes throughout the last few decades, mainly inspired by the famous artists who we see on our screens, in our magazines and on the internet. Whitney Houston, one iconic figure in R&B and soul music presented many different style trends in the 1980's from shoulder pads and leotards, to frizzy hair and pantsuits. The 90's and early 2000's also saw a huge development in the R&B genre. For example, stars such as Justin Timberlake and Nelly were seen sporting oversized t-shirts, denim, and leather jackets. Alongside body piercings and tattoos. The decade 2000 was the time in which we saw a massively influential star, Beyonce Knowles burst into the R&B scene. Her style comprised of low rise skinny jeans, high knee boots as well as tunics worn with a belt. For men Nike Air Jordans, fitted t-shirts and baseball caps became the trend. In current times R&B doesn't follow any one specific dress code. It is all about being edgy, risqué and taking whole new extremes in the wardrobe. Nicki Minaj is the perfect example of this trend in R&B, the more daring the better. We have seen military style outfits, sheer lace outfits, cross body bags, wooden heels and huge and extravagant hairstyles make the spot light in the past few years in the world of R&B fashion. Another trend in the R&B scene is the amount of hairstyles we see each star trending, often extravagant, for example shaved heads and something which catches media attention.

The top image is a good example of the R&B style. From the hairstyle, which shows the side of the head has been shaved, we can see different and unusual hairstyles are common. In additon we can see  the tattoos which many R&B artists trend. The central image shows the daring trends that the R&B stars now sport, such as sheer lace and glitter. Alongside the headscarf she is wearing with big and bold jewellery. The clothing has no underneath layer and is very revealing (adding to the idea of clothing now being daring and pushing boundaries). Again we can see the several tattoos the star has printed on her body. Bold makeup and contouring is also popular amongst female R&B artists.

Chris Brown is another iconic style figure in the R&B genre. The top image shows him wearing a snapback/cap. The central image shows a leather black top worn with a long, gold chain necklace. It also shows his dyed blonde hair. We can also see in this photo the two sleeves of tattoos down his arm, which is a similar trend that we see in some female R&B artists, however i think it is more prominent in men of this music genre. The bottom image shows Chris Brown dressed all in black, with a bomber like jacket, an oversized black t-shirt and black joggers/jeans which are worn low. It also see's him wearing matching red branded trainers with a red scarf in his pockets. Again it shows him wearing  jewellery, a gold chain necklace around his neck and wearing sunglasses. 

Beyonce Knowles shows all of the typical trends shown here of the R&B genre. The top image shows a military style outfit which was worn for her music video 'Love On Top'. The 2nd image shows Beyonce wearing a leotard, with leather boots and extravagant eye makeup. Similar to the 3rd image where she is wearing only a body suit. This shows the daring and adventurous style that the R&B scene typically has. Finally on the last image we can see the sheer lace style, which is a more glamorous side of the R&B genre. As seen in all of the photos displayed in this post, the style can go from edgy and urban to glamorous.

I would like to reciprocate some of the styles seen by these well known R&B stars in my music magazine, by producing an image which is capturing to the eye and which is daring and pushes the boundaries a little.

My magazine cover and contents page.I decided to use an NME magazine edition as i a style model and used this to create my flat plan, however i made quite a few changes later on.