Unit 3 : proposal
Purpose -
The purpose of my magazine is to get young people 16+ to explore exactly what Sheffield has to offer. Whether this be new students to the area or simply just those local whom are looking for some different things to try out in their free time. However mainly the focus is to engage younger people in educational activities, music events and introduce them to the cities favored eateries, but above all to inspire them to make a difference. Some sections of the magazine will be used for guidance to those reading, with small sub sections on life at college/university and related scenarios such as mental/sexual health and events happening in the area. The magazine will be aimed toward the C2DE social group, the justification for this is that students and young people rarely have a high disposable income due to other commitments or simply lack of employment hence why promotional material for the magazine will include money off vouchers or free admissions.
Form and genre -
- The form of the magazine I am making is a local magazine
- The genre of the magazine I have decided to make is entertainment.
Content-
I have been asked to make 2 double page spreads and a contents page that gives detailed insight into what is available in the magazine. In addition to this I will make a front cover with a star persona and inferences into what will be available on the double page spreads (ie: main cover image being star persona.
Front cover- On my front cover I will display my star persona central to the masthead which will be in a bold, white sans serif font – above the masthead will be a banner containing information regarding a chance to win a night out in Sheffield (18+). The main cover image is going to be the female local indie artist Abby Betts whom will have an interview section one of the double page spreads, this image will be taken in colour, and a full length shot. The image will be taken portrait as to fit onto the front cover of the magazine, in addition to this the image will have a shallow depth of field to connote the importance of the artist . The reasoning behind the choice for Abby is that she will be relatable for the age group of which I am aiming to target, being a young artist still in education it will be important to show specifically the younger end of the age group that it is possible to have a balance between what you have to do , and what you want to do – reinforcing this idea that it is possible to pursue your dreams regardless of your situation. This is particularly important when it comes to defining an ideal self .I plan to have this image on a white background also with the house style colours providing a strong contrast so that the cover as a whole isn't too plain. The house style colours I plan to use will be grey, green and hot/plum pink which will stand out from the background whilst also relating to the heritage of the city (grey) and the new and fresh events Sheffield has to offer ( green connotes new life and hot pink connotes an ability to be daring). This choice of colors appeals most to younger people which in turn will show them that the magazine has been made with them in mind, this paired with the content of the magazine will reinforce this idea of giving young people a voice. The colours used are reflective of the public transport system in the center of sheffield which will be easily recognised by this specific target audience as it is unlikely at the age/social grading they will belong to will be able to afford private transport. This link will be made all the more easier to recognise due to the name of the magazine being the word equivalent to one of the most popular bus services that runs through the majority of sheffield, the 120.
Contents page – following the banner on the front cover, my contents page will have further information on how to enter the competition to win a night out in Sheffield. This will be in a bright graphic (keeping with the house style) so that it immediately draws the attention of those reading, when putting this on the first page of the magazine in a section that people refer to – there is more chance of it being noticed. On this page there will be short snippets of articles in columns with related artistic photographs, some examples would be a guide of the best venues in Sheffield, where is best to eat out , where students/ young people can go to receive mental/sexual health information etc. to accompany this there will be page numbers so that the readers can quickly digest the snippets and flick directly to the thing that interests them most. To be more specific on the types of images I am going to use, for the main large image on contents page I will have something in relation to the second double page spread that will most likely be the 'you'll thank me one day' street art near to the students hub in the city Centre – this will of course be of interest to particularly university students as it is something that they will most likely have seen before whilst exploring the area. This further enforces the form and genre of the magazine. Places of interest will also be featured in small images next to the corresponding article for example an a photograph of the inside of a popular local eatery (if sufficient permission is granted).
1st double page spread- The first of my two double page spreads will be surrounding a young Sheffield born cover artist wearing an outfit of her choice as to encourage self expression and provide a sense of leadership for young people to follow, for the image of the female artist I will pose her directly on a stool or chair with an instrument of her choosing (more than likely guitar due to the genre of music) . This image will be taken in a photographic studio on a white background and any anchorage such as pull quotes will be in bright sans serif font however the name of the artist will be in more of a handwritten font (serif). The colour scheme which I will use for this page will provide a stark contrast to the house style of the magazine which will connote a sense of being out going which is what the young people today will be looking for in this genre of magazine. The content of the page will be an interview surrounding the attractions and events the artist likes to attend and what with her being a similar age to the target audience, should be relatable to the readers , this section will also contain information about the role models for the artist and further information into her music choices and gig preferences. In between the body copy I will have pull quotes such as 'it's not easy to balance everything' or 'being signed has help prove it can be done' taken from the interview which will prompt the audience into reading the feature.
2nd double page spread- The second of my double page spreads will link nicely to the street art featured on the cover page as the entirety of the page will be young peoples opinions on the variety of work that is in and around Sheffield. To get the opinion of students a variety of images of street art will be shown to them in a questionnaire type format and pull quotes will come directly from the feedback given. This section will somewhat serve as a debate to explore the outlook on the art and hopefully will contain the input of a local street artist. The colour scheme for this page will be mainly black, white and grey to provide a strong contrast against the vivid colours displayed all around sheffield ( the 'you'll thank me one day' piece being bright pink ) as to make it easier for the reader to digest – any more bright colours may prove to be a distraction away from the main information. The body copy itself will be in white coloumns with a grey drop capital and interjecting flashes of colour when in comes to the pull quotes wrapping around the text. The headline will be a humorous question relating to whether the young people of sheffield count the murals on walls as art or graffiti – using a pun or something similar will make the article as a whole more seemingly appealing to a younger audience, especially when it contains something they can argue their point about. An example of what this might be are 'Art reyt?' which is again appealing to both a young and local target audience by using local dialect and slang – this also gives inclination that the article poses a question that needs to be answered , leading to the debate. The main colours for the entirety of the page will come solely from the street art itself hence for the use of less daring colours for the masthead and graphics.
Content -
The reasoning behind the choices for the above content is based solely around what a young person would deem as fashionable, interesting and relevant. Younger people are naturally attracted to all things colourful yet sophisticated as mentally they feel much older than they are – therefore the balance between muted colours (black, white and grey) and more eye-catching vivid ones (pinks, greens ,blues and yellows) will give them exactly what they would be looking for in an entertainment magazine. The actual content of the magazine is not only useful in terms of information about health services and frequently asked questions relative to this , but also for saving money which is a common interest for many young people due to a lack of disposable income. A debates section as part of the magazines main body copy will help give the voice to students that is often lost due to age – it can often be seen that younger people are overlooked due to a lack of life experience therefore asking questions about the local area and giving them chance to feature in a local magazine would be appealing.
The justification for my genre of magazine is that I believe this type of magazine is underestimated in the market and there isn't a defining one for Sheffield. By directing the magazine at young people aged 16-25 you are capturing a large target audience, this will never die out of fashion as there will always be students, always be a need to save money and information on mental and sexual health is priceless until eradicated. The brief outlines the fact that the magazine should be aimed at a Sheffield audience therefore by including local names, places and venues for live music and social events we are appealing to this narrow target audience. In addition to this when looking at the double page spreads by using particularly local street art we are creating links to the audience as they will recognise and appreciate the relevance of these artists in relation with the city.
Target audience
Resources and personnel:
For the production of ONE20 I will be taking on the roles of photographer, editor and graphic designer . To create the magazine I will need hardware such as a DSLR camera in order to take the images, and then software such as photoshop, InDesign and illustrator to modify images and create different pages for the content of the magazine. I will need only one female model for the front cover and one double page spread , this will be the aforementioned local artist who will be used in order to draw attention to talent in Sheffield whilst also commenting on the ability to follow your dreams whilst still being in full time education.
Marketing and Distribution of One20
What with One20 being a local magazine, marketing will be one of the most important factors to consider when attempting to retain the highest readership figures possible. The magazine is aimed primarily at those aged 16-24 whom are either in full time education or have recently branched out into the working world prior to studying at university, therefore it is important that the magazine is marketed in a way that is both accessible and appropriate to this. The most ideal way in which this could be done is through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter which is a method of communication preferred by Digital natives – for this to work effectively we would have to attempt to get other local businesses favoured by younger people to post links to the One20 Facebook page which further encourages the audience to seek out a paper copy, suitable pages for this would be local music venues such as the Leadmill and Vintage clothing stores. Because of the potentially small circulation of the magazines, ideally below the line advertising such as leafleting and posters would encourage our target audience to pick up a copy or even just research the content to decide whether or not it is for them – to make this process of creating synergy easier it would be important to ensure that all material used to market the magazine, uses the same house style to familiarise the audience with the appearance of the magazine (which is important as this is one of the main selling points to a younger audience’.
Because the magazine is intended for students it is important to distribute in areas where it would be easily accessible for them to grab a copy, ideally this would be around the two large university campus’ in nearby shops, restaurants and clothing stores as in relation with the student life comes the ability to explore your surroundings and try new things. Around Sheffield there are numerous live music venues which allow small amounts of print around the building for example on tables near the bars which would be an ideal place to have copies of One20 as it would contain features of up and coming local musicians and venues in which to see them – therefore the perfect captive audience.
The main areas for distribution would cover S1,S10,S2 and S11 as this is where a high population of students live and visit during their social times – this runs through the city centre and both University campus’ where it is more likely that the target audience of the magazine will have access to a copy.
The advertisements featured in One20 will be specific to the target audience I am trying to appeal to , mainly students have interest in local events, nights out , music venues and saving money therefore they will be tailored to suit this. For example around Sheffield there are numerous vintage clothing stores that regularly have 'kilo sales'/'pound sales', the reader profile for this magazine would suggest an interest in an indie fashion therefore an advert on saving money with fashion relative to the reader would be appropriate. In terms of promoting music events, I would ensure to include advertisements for the big local music venues such as The Leadmill and O2 academy Sheffield as a large section of the magazine will focus on local musical talents.
Print specifications –
Double page spread: Safe area 350mm x 248 mm Bleed Area 356mm x 254mm
Full page: safe area 175mm x 248mm Bleed Area 181mm x 254mm
Half page: Horizontal 164mm x 113mm
Vertical 80mm x 228mm
Quarter page: Horizontal 56mm x 164mm
Vertical 80mm x 113mm
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