The House Style

The house style holds because I've used only two fonts throughout the three pieces, and the headlines/titles are consistent, so that the reader will know that these pieces all belong to Palette Magazine, and therefore this differentiates this magazine from the rest. The font sizes of the text of contents page, the front cover sell lines and the double page spread's standfirst are the same/very similar. 

Link to Evaluation Question 1: The reason the style is minimalist is to reflect the new views of a younger demographic, especially of the more artistically inclined. Just like modern art, the style represents anti-establishment and being "free" from conventions and rules of how the audience should consume media. 

The House Colours

Examining my diverse but cohesive three pieces, there were recurring house colours:

The colours are almost exclusively red, blue, white and black. The front cover has all of the colours I will be using as it would be appropriate because the reader would see it as the most significant piece. The reason it is red, black, white and blue is because as mentioned in the editor's note (other than the previously mentioned message behind the textile artwork) - the concept/overall message of this magazine's issue is to do with "life imitating art" - therefore I thought these colours would be great as they are one of the most organic colours. The front cover had an emphasis on blue because of its calm and introspective nature which would reflect my audience - the contents page had an emphasis on red to amplify the unconventional layout, and the double page spread has an emphasis on black and white to make it look slightly vintage and mysterious which would go well with the content of the text.

Analysis of Double Page Spread Text

For the stand first, immediately I started with the words "fresh" and "new" to instantly capture the reader's attention - these buzzwords are extremely important as mentioned in my audience profiling post, my audience will constantly be looking out for new things in the art world, also this would resonate with them as they're young. The style I used to write is vivid and sophisticated with colorful descriptions of the environment the interviewer was in, which should cater to my audience as they would like everything in the magazine to be just as artistic as the actual art (Sammy Davis' photography) - the fact that I'm choosing to add some personality and personal flair into the article will intrigue the reader further and enhance their perceptions of the art I am trying to advertise, instead of merely reporting it in a matter of fact way. Yet at the same time, the dialogue and the conversations are natural and somewhat informal, so that the reader would engage with the article just like they would with a friend.

The persona I had created for Sammy Davis through my language is very much the ideal figure that my audience aspires to be - looking back on my analysis of art magazines helped me decide that the most appealing caricature/stereotype of people in those magazines are strong, artistic, independent, and non-conformist people; Davis' persona (through my choice of portrayal) is headstrong, youthful, eloquent and cultured with an unorthodox work ethic, to which my target audience will strongly identify with/hope to be.  

Analysis of Double Page Spread Design

Click on the picture to enlarge.

The reason for the brush font for "Sammy Davis" was to keep a house style and suggest that Sammy Davis is an artistic person, also by the fact that the drop cap starts with an "A". The fact that the font is messy implies that she does not conform to society, which relates well with the audience (the same principle applies to the contents page and front cover as well). Also, the pinkish red put against the black and white background gives a 60's feel, which could also suggest femininity (male artists are usually written about more frequently).

The reason I chose Paris as the subject of these pictures are due to the fact that I took pictures of historical sites such as the Nôtre Dame Cathedral and the Eiffel tower - and it would really help bring out the vintage feel of the double page spread (as hinted in the sell line "bringing vintage values to modern cinema" in the contents page), which was very much inspired by film noir because it's mysterious, gloomy and somewhat romantic which reflects my audience's appreciation of older forms of art. I put "Artist Feature" to make it clear for the reader, and put "Sammy Davis" as the heading to highlight the artist's importance. I added a pop of blue and red to sustain the house style and colours, and the red helps the name "Sammy Davis" and the pull quote to stand out. The elements of this double page spread are traditional to match the photographs of the artist - a drop cap with a brush stroke was used to help guide the reader's attention to the beginning of the text, and a pull quote was used to entice readers and highlight an important message (which happens to resonate with the nonconformist teenagers, who would be my audience) and a standfirst was used to immediately give the reader the essence of the article and give them an incentive to read on. Alternatively the drop cap could be an acronym for "art" which helps the audience instantly recognise that the spread is about art - or it could look like it's mimicking a teacher handing out a grade (which is appropriate for teens and young adults). This correlates well with the content of the spread - Sammy Davis's art has been criticised due to her age, however she wants to be taken seriously: "Even though I am not a painter, I am an artist." The grade "A" confirms this with the reader.

The picture spread consists of two pictures intercut with each other diagonally, mimicking a jigsaw effect. This creates visual interest and the reader is inclined to spend more time looking at the details, treating it the same way as a piece of painting in the gallery, which links directly to Sammy's claim about her not being a painter but her photographs are equally good as a painting.

The reason I did not include a photo of the artist is to not only follow the typical convention of art magazines, where photos of artists are rarely shown, but to highlight the fact that Sammy Davis' artwork rather speaks for itself. 

Final Double Page Spread

Double Page Spread Progress #5

I added some colour and changed the font of the "artist feature" to make it more consistent with the other pieces. I also made the drop cap the same font as the magazine's font to make it more noticeable and unique.

Double Page Spread Progress #4

I have made some changes - I changed the font of the headline in order to maintain a house style and to also modernise it slightly, and also in order to make it stand out more, so that the readers' eyes will drift immediately to the headline. It's also more interesting because of the juxtaposition of the loose shapes of the brush font letters and everything else (the neat and tidy text and the layout). Additionally, I expanded the "Artist Feature" box slightly more to the right so that it would occupy more of the page. 

Double Page Spread Progress #3

I think that this design is much stronger as a product; I felt that having only one full image that the reader could see of the artist's work would not fulfill the purpose of the spread which is to introduce and showcase a new artist. However, I didn't want to just include a montage of pictures next to each other so therefore I replaced the image of the Eiffel Tower with two images, each divided into two horizontal segments like a jigsaw. If you look closely the top left image is the same image as the bottom right image.  I also corrected the text wrap and the alley between the columns. I added "palette magazine // november issue" to embed the name of the magazine as well as this issue into the reader's mind, making the spread more memorable. 

Double Page Spread Progress #2

I added the page number, and added a pull quote inside of a circle - this helps the page stand out more. I adjusted the color intensity and lighting setting of the image on the left so that equal emphasis would be placed on the image and not just the text. However there were still many things I need to improve upon. 

Double Page Spread Progress #1

I started with this idea, inspired by the black and white double page spread that I have analysis previously. 

I added a second image of my own to make it look less plain. 

Final Contents Page + Analysis

Because it's an art magazine, I wanted the contents page to be very visual based and so I conformed to its conventions and so based the layout and format on an image I have taken of a mural at the gallery ("Giant" by Polish artist Grzegorz Drozd) - the artwork depicts boys climbing over a red wall (connotations of the female gender) - this connotes escapism and youthful rebellion from social obligations, with the female model unable to get over the wall. Alternatively, this image (the model reaching into the white) can also represent salvation. However, linking with the front cover, there is a narrative - red can symbolise life and vitality like in the front cover, therefore the contents page develops the encoded message of the front cover further, detailing life as well as "the other side". Nevertheless, there is an encoded message no matter the interpretation, which is what my audience would like to see because they would like to be informed about social issues from an artistic and open perspective. 

There is an editor's note placed in this contents page - the high contrast between the white background and the red font makes it easy to read. Additionally, I had a model pose to be part of the image - which correlates to what I have mentioned in my editor's note which was "life imitates art" which is the notion that an event in the real world is inspired by a creative work. I went over the red background with Photoshop to turn it into a flat color. I duplicated the model in order to grab the reader's attention and to ensure that I'm able to carefully balance the elements on the page, and moreover it creates a a modern feel but adds a little mystery, which should work well with a brooding teenager who would like a new fresh twist on the traditional format of magazines.

I continued using the brush font with "contents" to maintain the house style, and also makes it look more dynamic and less tightly structured, reminding the reader that it's an art magazine so it needs to be wildly creative like the font suggests. 

 The sell lines cover a range of art topics (I used my survey results), and include buzzwords such as "young" and "newest" to appeal to my young audience, as well as by including social media plugs and links (the use of synergy and convergence). Again, the clothes featured in this piece are what typical teenagers would wear, so I made sure that it reflected that. 

The language is serious and appropriate for an art magazine due to the fact that it has technical vocabulary and its tone is right for my audience since it still isn't overcomplicated. 

Final Front Cover + Analysis

I chose the title to have a color gradient so that it would reflect the masthead, which is "palette", which implies that this art magazine has a variety of content, and also makes the reader sweep the masthead with their eyes. Blue is used to create contrast and bring attention to the masthead. In one way, this cover challenges the conventions of an everyday magazine due to its minimalist layout, however at the same time this is typical for an art magazine as this sort of style is what my audience responds to the best. 

The choice of image: the model wearing teen hipster fashion immediately appeals to my audience. I deliberately chose to have an Asian teenager pose in this because in my personal opinion, young people, let alone Asians are often underrepresented in modern media and youth culture as people with artistic skill, and as people who are able to deliberately reject the stereotypes instead of having to live under it. Thus, this was part of the reason I decided to write create this front cover and the DPS in a certain way. The model is standing in the middle, looking down and away from the camera, adding to the intrigue and mystery of the magazine. The model is posing in contrapposto which means that her weight is distributed only on one of her legs so that her figure looks more graceful, flowing and dynamic as opposed to her simply standing straight into the camera. She is wearing "hipster" clothes - the audience identifies with this (uses and gratifications theory). 

The background is in fact part of a textile art exhibition, its texture creates visual interest as it's not just a flat color. The caption next to the work of where I took the picture describes the artist's intentions with the work - the red connotes life, the blue connotes decline and the black connotes death. This resonates to my audience because this links to youth issues - the fact that there is a vast amount of red suggests the life and vibrant things ahead for teens, but instead the teen model is looking down at the black. Due to the way the elements are positioned, the visual point of interest is firstly the model and then the black at the bottom, so the eye movement reflects the model's pose.

There is a strong contrast between the blue masthead and the red background, which grabs the attention of the reader. 

The sell lines are brief but concise and specific - this is meant to intrigue the reader to find out more. Alliteration is used in "vintage values" which makes it more memorable and catchier. 

Final Draft of DPS Text

Art isn’t the same as it used to be,” sixteen-year-old 

artist Sammy Davis said wistfully as she sits comfort-

ablyon her cozy, paint-stained couch. She looked like she 

was both in and out of place in her own apartment - 

the vintage curtains of her living room matched 

her clothing, however it was the absence of 

wrinkles and a youthful disposition that 

made her stand out. 

     When I had walked in the room earlier,

 she greeted me cheerily and invited me to

sit. While she walked to her kitchen to brew 

some tea, I was able to get a glimpse of her 

latest photographs, lying on her work table. They

were a vision of black and white. 

    “When did you take these?” I asked curiously.

    “In the springtime,” she replied. “That was several               

months ago. I’ve been avoiding it because I’m don’t feel

very inspired right now–my muse comes very rarely.” 

    The pictures were reminiscent of 1970’s Parisian 

nostalgia - the essence it captured was beautiful, dark 

and mysterious. At the time, I was mildly shocked by 

her implied indifference towards the beauty of her work.

But as the day progressed, I got to understand why. 

    “So, let’s talk about yourself. You were a student - now

a photographer. How did that come about?”

    “I had just started sixth form back in London, and 

I wasn’t thrilled with the way my life was panning out. I 

was so engrossed in painting, but I wasn’t a natural 

painter. It was painful for me–to not excel at something 

you really love doing. Sooner or later, I turned to photo-

graphy and it’s been a creative outlet for me. It allowed 

me to achieve things visually that painting couldn’t. I’m 

not moving forward with any projects just yet–just wait-

ing for inspiration.”

    I asked her about the influences behind her photos. 

She informed me about David Lynch, renowned film dir-

ector/creator behind the 1986 neo-noir film Blue Velvet. 

“The shadows, the colour palette - I was inspired.” 

It was interesting to see Davis giving credit to

Lynch for inspiration, considering the fact that her

photos were arguably more nostalgic. I comme-

nted on its originality, and curiously

        inquired her about her decision to not do work.

“Back in the day, around the time my 

                  grandparents were born, people made 

                   art whenever they got inspired. You 

                   always hear them say ‘inspiration’s for

                  amateurs, artists get to work’ and I could

                understand that. I’m still in school, so I 

              still have time to be flexible and have the 

           idea find me, not the other way around. But

       I also think that it’s important to have a muse

without forcing it–every photo idea of mine, 

from conception to realisation I always saw it 

as a delicate thread. Trying to rush just felt very

contrived for me. It’s not like I’m cutting edge 

with my work or anything, but I think I am bringing

something that our generation hasn’t seen.” 

“You are one of the youngest artists to 

date–every local museum wants to work with 

you. How do you feel about that?”

She smiled. “Very humbled.”

I pressed for more, and she explained, 

“it really is an honour to sort of represent the 

young artists. I always thought I was going to be

alienated by the art community due to my age -

but I realise that there are many other artists 

like me who are struggling to be taken seriously. 

To breakthrough gives me hope because it’s

about time a young artist is recognised as a 

creator of art, not of some Key Stage 3 crafts 

project. Because even though I’m not a painter,

I am an artist.

Davis’ photos are now part of a current 

photography exhibition in the Paris Museum

of Modern Art. www.mam.paris.fr/en