Great news - I have finally decided on a name. I felt that Blog was just too simple and not very creative. After much thought and brainstorming I had a light bulb moment and thought of the name Blogette!
It incorporates the word blog, which immediately makes the audience/subject obvious and the "ette" implies the female audience. I also think this name gives me the opportunity to create an engaged audience/fan base for the magazine as, in promotional campaigns in the future I can refer to readers as "blogettes".
I am much happier with this name choice and think it's more appropriate for the nature of the magazine. It highlights the main purposes of the magazine and is playful which should appeal to my young, female audience.
Section Six: Cancelled Photoshoot
Sunday 13 December 2015
Jordan contacted me today as she can no longer do the photo shoot on Monday as she has a last minute university group session that she can't miss. Unfortunately we are not available at the same time until late January, which will put the project behind schedule.
We've made the decision to cancel the shoot.
Although I am disappointed that this area of the magazine seems to be quite problematic, it is a good chance for me to learn how to problem solve and manage a project effectively. In a "real life" situation people do cancel, and you have to be able to make decisions in order to still hit deadlines.
I'm hoping to find a new blogger who can model for the shoot before the 10th January and who is a bit closer to Portsmouth as Falmer Village was quite far away. Hopefully having someone nearby will be easier and be less likely to fall through.
Onwards and upwards!
We've made the decision to cancel the shoot.
Although I am disappointed that this area of the magazine seems to be quite problematic, it is a good chance for me to learn how to problem solve and manage a project effectively. In a "real life" situation people do cancel, and you have to be able to make decisions in order to still hit deadlines.
I'm hoping to find a new blogger who can model for the shoot before the 10th January and who is a bit closer to Portsmouth as Falmer Village was quite far away. Hopefully having someone nearby will be easier and be less likely to fall through.
Onwards and upwards!
Section Six: Preparing for a Photoshoot
Saturday 12 December 2015
On Monday I'm going to Falmer Village, to do the Autumn lookbook photo shoot with Jordan. We have been chatting back and forth about the shoot and she has also contributed ideas for things like locations etc as she knows the area better than me.
We have decided on 5 outfits - the idea being that there is one for each day of university - and to shoot in locations that have an outdoorsy yet city vibe. Jordan's style is quite preppy and cutesy (like the unicorn shirt, heart print shorts and hand made tshirt) with tailored, polished items (like the leather tube skirt) which is ideal for the magazine and nature of the shoot.
I have sifted through all of Jordan's outfit posts on her blog and put together these mini "mood boards" of the outfits I want her to wear. I sent them to her to give her an idea of the vibe I'm going for and she is happy to bring along these outfits!
I only created these mood boards to give her an example of what I want however I quite like the style and might end up using a similar layout for the real lookbook!
I'm excited for the shoot and will post my photographs on Monday.
Section Six: Conducting Interviews
Saturday 5 December 2015
I am now well underway with interviews and have already interviewed Corrie, Jemma, Anna and Areeba.
As you can see, I separated them into four main sections. This helped me to progress the questions so that the interview flows well and is easy to follow. Corrie is quite a chatty person and so I expected quite detailed responses, which indeed I got (which is brilliant and very much in the writing style I wanted!).
As I'm no longer including Pixiwoo in the magazine Corrie's interview is now the main interview and she will also be featured on the front cover. The article will focus on how she became a full time blogger and her career so far. These are the questions I sent her:
As you can see, I separated them into four main sections. This helped me to progress the questions so that the interview flows well and is easy to follow. Corrie is quite a chatty person and so I expected quite detailed responses, which indeed I got (which is brilliant and very much in the writing style I wanted!).
I'm very happy with how this article is coming a long and I don't think it requires a lengthy intro and outro.
This interview was conducted via email which was more convenient for Corrie who is in the middle of moving to Shrewsbury. She has given me permission to use photographs from her blog and Instagram in her article.
Jemma
For Jemma's interview, I took a much more relaxed approach. We have a good friendship so I was able to spend a lot more time with her. I decided to conduct the interview "live" via Twitter chat. I made a list of questions and prompts but allowed room for Jemma's answer to lead the interview in a natural direction.
This has lead to a really honest interview that I think will come across well to readers. I think they will feel like they are personally chatting to Jemma which is what I was aiming for. The interview focuses on her launch of The Girl Gang and how it is empowering young women in the blogging industry and beyond (thus appealing to the bloggers and none-bloggers in my audience).
Jemma has also given me permission to use her photographs relating to The Girl Gang community.
Areeba
Areeba
Areeba volunteered to take photographs of her art journal for the magazine and took part in an interview. I sent her the questions via Twitter but it wasn't a live interview, as a lot of the questions required thought out and complex answers.
I tried not to create questions that were too leading as I wanted Areeba to express her artistic style and inspirations to the audience, freely. Below is our interview:
I only gave her 10 questions as I want the main focus of the article to be her artwork.
Anna
The final interview I conducted this week was with Anna from dontcrampmystyle.co.uk for the Blog Space article. I wasn't originally sure about what kind of questions I would ask for this article or how many. The main idea of the post is to show off her blogging work space and schedule, however since she is an interior designer I wanted to get an insight into her inspiration behind the space.
I did some research and found THIS series from Urban Outfitters. I used some of their questions as a starting point and developed some of my own too.
I conducted the interview via email and have received Anna's answers today.
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| Anna's interview. |
Again I have been given permission by Anna to use her photographs in the article.
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Anna and Areeba both speak English as a second language and so I will need to edit their responses a little bit, so it makes more sense. However, overall I am really happy with the interviews so far and think I have a solid start for my magazine content. I am now writing the intro and outros for these interviews and I'm hoping to start working on some other articles later this week.
Section Six: Recruiting Collaborators
Wednesday 25 November 2015
I have started contacting bloggers who I want involved with the magazine. I have sent emails out to all my potential interviewees and have also posted appeals on social media, for applicants for some of the other articles, as you can see below. The main place I posted was a Facebook group called UK Bloggers which has over 4,000 bloggers/members, so it is a good place to find collaborators!  |
| My email to Corrie |
The people I have currently contacted are:
- Pixiwoo
- Corrie
- Alice Spake
- Jemma Morgan (for an interview and to be the agony aunt/blog doctor)
- Dunya (Dearest Deer) and Sarah (TempSec) to model for the cookbook
- Meg McCarthy
- A wide range of book bloggers for the book club
As well as appeals for the other articles.
I have also been thinking about a few other student/uni based posts I could include. One of them is a 'What's in My Bag: Uni Edition'. The What's In My Bag tag is a classic and very popular post for bloggers' and Youtubers to create. Similar to the Blog Space series, it'd be interesting to delve into bloggers' bags each month and see what they carry. Each month could have a different theme, like this month the theme is university.
I have contacted a few student bloggers to get involved with this post, after searching for them under various hashtags on Twitter.
Update 1: 27.11.15
Great news! I have just received an email from Corrie who has agreed to take part in an interview! I will start preparing questions to send over to her.
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| My appeal in the UK Bloggers Facebook Group which has over 4,000 members |
I have a lead on the 'Love at First Site' article - a girl called Laura who has met TWELVE best friends via blogging. We have been emailing and so far I have asked her just to give me a bit more information on how they met and their relationship so I can decide which direction to take the article in. I am waiting for a response.
Update 2: 28.11.2015
I am yet to hear back from Dunya, but I am hoping it is more positive news.
On the brighter side of things, Alice has already sent me her article! It needs a bit of tweaking (grammar etc) but overall it's an excellent article and I'm impressed with how quickly she submitted it.
I have made contact with Anna from an interior design blog called dontcrampmystyle.co.uk, who will be featured in the Blog Space article. Ironically, she was the person I used for the mock up design back in Section Five, so I'm going to be using and developing that layout for her article.
Update 3 2.03.2015
It's been a while since I sent out emails to both Dunya and Pixiwoo and I've still had no reply. In regards to Pixiwoo, I sent the message via Facebook (as I have them as Facebook friends) and although the message was "seen" the day I sent it there has still been no reply. I have decided not to include them in the magazine as they are hard to reach and response is slow, which could become problematic further along in the project.
There is a similar issue with Dunya. After looking on her blog she has not blogged for a few months and seems to be out of touch with the blogging community at the moment so I have decided not to wait for a reply and will start contacting other bloggers to model in the lookbook.
Update 4 3.03.2015
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| My photo of Jordan (far left) after her catwalk at Bloggers Fashion Week |
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| Areeba's Instagram Feed, featuring some of her art work |
I have also added another interviewee to the list! I found Areeba Siddique, via Instagram. She is a creative blogger from Pakistan, who has recently launched a community for art journallers. Her own work is pretty breath taking, and very expressive of her personality and culture. I thought it would be really interesting to feature her in the magazine as what she does is very different and it'd be great to hear more about her background and artistic inspiration. She also replied very quickly to my email and is more than happy to do an interview and has agreed to take some flat lay photos of some of her art journal pages, to be featured in the article.
Section Five: Experimenting
Logo
Immediately I am drawn to Century Gothic (regular, rather than bold) as it's minimal and modern looking and I like that the anatomy of the letters is quite wide. It's a very clear, legible font that would also work well for body text. I generally prefer the wider lettered fonts such as Geo Sans Light, Neou and Keep Calm over the narrow options like Bebas and Fabrikat.
Papercute is quite visually interesting as it has a lot more personality to it than the other fonts and is also rather feminine and playful, which are characteristics of the magazine that I want to highlight. It has the scrapbook feel to it, that I want to create too so this is was definitely a contender.
The different variations of the Intro Rust typeface were also rather visually interesting. I particularly like the 'Base Line Shade' option, as it's quite youthful - I can see it on a teen/young adult magazine. It's a heavy font so not as feminine as I'd like but I did still consider it.
A lot of bloggers tend to use a brush calligraphy style for their blog logos which is why I considered Modern Love. Similarly to Papercute, it's playful and feminine as well as being quite popular amongst bloggers.
Overall I am probably the most drawn to Century Gothic. Although I do really like Papercute, and believe it has it's merits, it might be too playful for the image I'm going for. I still want the magazine to feel modern and a little bit polished, otherwise it could look too "homemade" and not something you would really see on a magazine rack. A lot of bloggers tend to prefer a more polished, geometric font too as evidenced with 1000's of blog logos/layouts I have seen over the years.
Another issue I had with Papercute is that not all the letters were clear/legible and I'm still not 100% decided on the name of the magazine, so a different name might not be very legible in this font. Therefore I have decided on using Century Gothic. I'd like to use it for the logo and for the majority of the body text, but would also like incorporate other fonts across various spreads in the magazine where appropriate.
- draw thumbnails of ideas
- list of final articles
- looking at font pairings for logo
- screenshots of draft layouts/covers (including pixiwoo ones)
- brainstorming name ideas and final selection
House Style
I have a very clear vision for the house style I want to create. I want hand drawn illustrations to give the magazine/pages dimension and character however I want the majority of elements to be simplistic and modern. The mixture of the two will create a very balanced house style that is simultaneously appealing to a young and older audience, is representative of the creative/playful elements of the magazine but is also appropriate for the more serious topics it will cover.
Below I put together an inspiration board of different illustration styles I am drawn to. Most notably is the work of Sally Cotterill. She is a "beauty illustrator" who has collaborated with some of the biggest brands and Youtubers/bloggers in the industry. Her simplistic, hand drawn style against digital backgrounds is simply stunning. I'm definitely not as skilled as her but I really do enjoy this style and would like to possibly do something similar myself, with the main cover image. I have also included the work of Judit Mallol, who uses a similar approach of combining hand drawn and digital elements.
I am generally a lot more skilled at digital illustration and below is a digital illustration of Pixiwoo by Dimitrios Chonos. The digital brushes he has used gives a similar effect to watercolour and gives the image more dimension than flat rendering. The skin is real watercolour paint, which I think works quite nicely. This kind of style is more achievable for me so I might try doing something like that for the front cover of my magazine.
(I have also included images of watercolour designs on/in existing magazines to see how it works in an editorial setting. I personally think it looks great and definitely want to go down this direction).
After deciding on a logo font and a general house style I played around with front cover and page layout ideas, using Pixiwoo in my example as I'm hopefully going to have them on my front cover.
In the above image I thought of using a similar style to Sally Cotterill, to create illustrations of Sam and Nic Chapman (Pixiwoo). I'd have the illustration of Nic on the top right and Sam on the bottom left. Having them at different heights instead of together (which is how they are traditionally photographed/drawn) looks a lot more dynamic and also fills the space better. Having them side by side would be hard to fit on the page too and wouldn't look as interesting.
As it's the September issue I thought of having a pop of Autumnal colour in the background. I like the look of this cover, it's chic and professional however I think it lacks playfulness.
In these two ideas (above and below) I considered having Sam on the front cover and the Nic on the first double page spread of the interview. Sam has a very chiseled face, with model like features that look striking on a front cover. This isn't my illustration but I enjoy the simple outline, with monochromatic shading for skin and a pop of colour with the lips/eyes. I would find creating something like this a lot simpler than the Judit and Sally style drawings.
I've used the same pop of colour in the background which works nicely and has a good balance of playfulness and chicness. I'd like to develop this style more for the real front cover.
Below is an idea for a double page spread. During my research I took a liking to introductory spreads that feature very large imagery, and a large title with minimal text underneath. I played around with this technique to create the below idea. I used Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to make the image of Nic look illustrated and to make her skin monochromatic, leaving her lips with a pop of colour.
The idea is to have an illustration of Nic in the same style as Sam, on the double page spread to link the two together. The pop of colour on Nic's lips is used in the title text. I enjoy the layout of the title and think it's more interesting than having the word on one line. I was planning to have a short description underneath the title introducing Pixiwoo and the article. The next page would have the full interview and a lot more text.
Below I started considering how I would layout the main articles in the magazine. I used images from dontcrampmystyle.co.uk and the Blog Space article in this example. I like the idea of having a large main image, with smaller images of things related to the article throughout the other pages. I thought about having handwritten captions for the images but I'm not sure how time consuming this would be and if it would be worth the time it takes.
Colour is really important to me in this magazine. I want to use accent colours in the photography as colour schemes for each page, as shown below with the title text and page numbers matching the orange of the lamp
As stated above I want the body text and the majority of the article titles to be Century Gothic.
Below I considered how I could layout the Blog Doctor section. Again I have used the Century Gothic font for the title and used accent colours from the photo in the design elements. I want to include an image of the blog doctor (here I've used Jemma as an example) and then separate the questions into coloured boxes, either having the question and answer in the same box or separating them into two. If I was to separate them I would have the question in a light pink box and the answers in a darker shade of pink.
This is just a basic idea of how I want the house style and layout of my magazine. I will use this as a base for when I create the real pages.
Section Five: Deciding Content
Tuesday 24 November 2015
Over the past few days I have been brainstorming some ideas for the magazine. I started by thinking of name ideas however I still haven't made a firm decision, so for now I am simply going with the name Blog.
I then thought about the kind of articles I want to include and the collaborators I want involved with each article.
Interviews
For the interviews I thought of bloggers who I already have contact with and have something special about them. Pixiwoo were the first people to spring to mind. They are two sisters/make up artists who create beauty related videos and blog posts. I did their 5 day intensive make up course last year and so I have already built a relationship with them.
They are definitely leaning towards the "blogger celebrity" end of the spectrum, however they still have very relatable qualities that would be great to showcase in the magazine. The interview would cover things like: them being pioneers of the beauty blogger industry, working with each other (and their sisterly bond), being entrepreneurial women with the launch of their make up brush brand Real Techniques, self confidence, beauty and their Tuesday Chat series in which they interview inspirational women from all walks of life.
It'd be excellent to have them involved with the issue as they are very well known which would instantly give the magazine validity with it's audience as well as causing interest in the issue. Unfortunately they are very busy people and the likelihood of them being able to take part is quite low, but it is worth asking since I have a connection with them.
Another person I am keen to interview is Corrie Swaffield who runs the blog and Youtube channel, DizzyBrunette3. Although not as well known as Pixiwoo she still has a huge following of 30,000 and has achieved a lot in her six year career. Furthermore she is only 24 years old so she is more suited to my target audience. She has recently turned blogging into a full time career, something that a lot of bloggers are currently aiming to do. It'd be great to have an interview with her, concentrating on how she became a full time blogger as this is something that'd really appeal to my audience.
Although I don't know her personally she is familiar with me and also quite likely to agree to an interview. She currently lives in Southampton so there is also the possibility of interviewing her face to face but she is also a very busy person, so that's not as likely. I'd like to have either Corrie or Pixiwoo on the front cover of the mag. They are the main people I want to interview but I also thought about a few others. Namely:
- Tolly Dolly Posh - Tolly started her blog when she was only 11 years old! Now 15, she has already launched her own fashion collection, designed a doll, won various blogging awards and is constantly involved with excellent brand collaborations. She is quite an inspirational person so she would be excellent to interview.
- Dorkface (Jemma Morgan) - Jemma is another blogger who recently went full time and has her hand in a lot of other pies. She juggles social media consultancy work and illustration with blogging and has also launched #TheGirlGang - a blogging community the endeavours to unite women and create positive relationships. That's exactly the kind of thing I want to promote with the magazine so I really want her on board. I have friendships with both of Jemma and Tolly so it shouldn't be to hard to get them on board.
I had a brain wave for another interview that features two people who have either become best friends or partner's because of blogging. The article could be called something like "Love At First Site" (cheesy, I know but everyone loves a good pun) and tell the story of how they met and their current relationship. I don't personally know anyone with this kind of story so I would have to appeal for applicants on social media, but of course this really depends on if there is anyone who a) this has happened to and b) if they are willing to take part.
Other Articles
For the other articles, I split ideas into sections of Beauty, Fashion, Blogging and Health, for now. I tried to think of a wide range of ideas for each section however I managed to think of a lot more for the blogging section.
I want some of the articles to be "one-offs" and others to be recurring series. For example, I really like the idea of doing a Fresher's Beauty Survival Kit and that would be solely for the September issue.
I also like the idea of doing a series on bloggers' workspaces, for the blogging section as I think it'd be interesting to see how different bloggers' work.
Final (ish) List
Section Five: Focused Magazine Research
Sunday 22 November 2015
After looking at general women's magazines I looked at some magazines that were more relevant to the topic of blogging as well as some specialist magazines.
Shout
The first one I looked at was Shout. Although this is aimed at a much younger audience than 15-27 year olds this particular issue is the 'Zoella' issue - who is probably the most famous blogger in the world.
As this publication is aimed at a young "tween" audience, it contains a free gift and lots of posters. It comes in a plastic, protective sleeve that is decorated with lots of imagery of bloggers/Youtubers (bloggers and Youtubers are generally synonymous).
The cover is very busy. Instead of having a main image, there a lot of different images and bright colours, with pop up quotes etc.
multi coloured
There is barely any white space throughout the entire magazine, with pages usually having a multi-coloured background. I'm not sure how appealing that would be to the older end of my target audience however I think having lots of colour on the pages is really appealing.
insta challenge
Articles include things like a 30 Day Instagram Challenge which is a great idea for engaging the audience. I like the idea of having a competition or something that encourages the reader to get involved with the magazine.
little mix
I particularly like the layout of the interview with Little Mix. It's broken into sections with a handwritten style font for headings. It's a much more interesting way to layout an interview and isn't something I usually see. Generally a lot of the text throughout the magazine is sectioned off in boxes with imagery in the background.
Stylist
Stylist magazine has a lot of the qualities that I want to include in my magazine. A lot of the articles are intended to uplift and empower women as well as celebrating powerful women. Sometimes the front cover features a model but a lot of the time it has someone who is inspirational such as Katie Piper. A past issue even had Lisa Simpson on the cover, an issue that concentrated on classic literature.
I really want to include "real women" on the front cover of my magazine and not just concentrate on blogging celebrities. It needs to be down to earth and inspire my audience to add value to their lives.
Blogosphere Magazine
The final magazine I looked at was Blogosphere. This is currently the only blogging magazine on the market and therefore my main competitor. It's a monthly publication and the current issue is over 100 pages.
On first glance I was quite intimidated by how well put together the magazine was. It's filled with Youtube/blogging celebrities such as Beauty Crush (on the front cover) and almost every article is written by a different blogger. It features some of the ideas I had like an agony aunt and illustrations on the pages however I do still feel like I have the chance to differentiate my magazine and create something completely different.
Firstly, the majority of the pages have the same layout and aren't very dynamic. There is little photography and the illustrations don't really go with the sophisticated brand image that is conveyed throughout the rest of the design elements.
The main photo shoot is the strongest part of the magazine and I enjoy the colour blocked backgrounds. It adds something interesting to the pages but the rest of them don't have the same vibrancy.
My Magazine
After researching magazines I now have a clear idea of what I want to do with mine. I want my magazine to be a completely different style to Blogosphere and offer something different to the market.
Firstly, the front cover and articles will feature more "everyday" bloggers rather than focusing on blogging celebrities that aren't always as relatable. I want bloggers to see people they know and are friends with grace the pages of the magazine and feel like they too could be featured.
Although it will cover important, empowering topics like being kind to other women and working hard, I want it to have a really fun and vibrant image/tone of voice; readers will feel like they are chatting to a friend.
I want the pages to be dynamic like in Shout and Look, with each page being slightly different but still having the same house style. The pages will include a lot of bright colours and large photographs, with quotes pulled out from the text.
The main USP regarding the design will be the illustrations. I was considering illustrating portraits of all the main interviewees however I think I'd like to have an illustrated front cover but then just have little illustrations on the pages. I want it to have a "scrapbook" feel to it, and personality to be expressed across each page.
It won't be overly polished or promote a lavish, superficial lifestyle but instead will celebrate women for their brain, talent, creativity and individuality.
Now that I have a clear idea of what I want to create I will start considering the content of my magazine.
Shout
As this publication is aimed at a young "tween" audience, it contains a free gift and lots of posters. It comes in a plastic, protective sleeve that is decorated with lots of imagery of bloggers/Youtubers (bloggers and Youtubers are generally synonymous).
The cover is very busy. Instead of having a main image, there a lot of different images and bright colours, with pop up quotes etc.
multi coloured
There is barely any white space throughout the entire magazine, with pages usually having a multi-coloured background. I'm not sure how appealing that would be to the older end of my target audience however I think having lots of colour on the pages is really appealing.
insta challenge
Articles include things like a 30 Day Instagram Challenge which is a great idea for engaging the audience. I like the idea of having a competition or something that encourages the reader to get involved with the magazine.
little mix
I particularly like the layout of the interview with Little Mix. It's broken into sections with a handwritten style font for headings. It's a much more interesting way to layout an interview and isn't something I usually see. Generally a lot of the text throughout the magazine is sectioned off in boxes with imagery in the background.
Stylist
Blogosphere Magazine
The final magazine I looked at was Blogosphere. This is currently the only blogging magazine on the market and therefore my main competitor. It's a monthly publication and the current issue is over 100 pages.
On first glance I was quite intimidated by how well put together the magazine was. It's filled with Youtube/blogging celebrities such as Beauty Crush (on the front cover) and almost every article is written by a different blogger. It features some of the ideas I had like an agony aunt and illustrations on the pages however I do still feel like I have the chance to differentiate my magazine and create something completely different.
Firstly, the majority of the pages have the same layout and aren't very dynamic. There is little photography and the illustrations don't really go with the sophisticated brand image that is conveyed throughout the rest of the design elements.
The main photo shoot is the strongest part of the magazine and I enjoy the colour blocked backgrounds. It adds something interesting to the pages but the rest of them don't have the same vibrancy.
My Magazine
After researching magazines I now have a clear idea of what I want to do with mine. I want my magazine to be a completely different style to Blogosphere and offer something different to the market.
Firstly, the front cover and articles will feature more "everyday" bloggers rather than focusing on blogging celebrities that aren't always as relatable. I want bloggers to see people they know and are friends with grace the pages of the magazine and feel like they too could be featured.
Although it will cover important, empowering topics like being kind to other women and working hard, I want it to have a really fun and vibrant image/tone of voice; readers will feel like they are chatting to a friend.
I want the pages to be dynamic like in Shout and Look, with each page being slightly different but still having the same house style. The pages will include a lot of bright colours and large photographs, with quotes pulled out from the text.
The main USP regarding the design will be the illustrations. I was considering illustrating portraits of all the main interviewees however I think I'd like to have an illustrated front cover but then just have little illustrations on the pages. I want it to have a "scrapbook" feel to it, and personality to be expressed across each page.
It won't be overly polished or promote a lavish, superficial lifestyle but instead will celebrate women for their brain, talent, creativity and individuality.
Now that I have a clear idea of what I want to create I will start considering the content of my magazine.
Section Five: Initial Magazine Research
Saturday 21 November 2015
Before I began creating my magazine I wanted to look at some existing magazines for inspiration. I started by looking at some general women's magazines.
Glamour
Glamour is a monthly magazine aimed at slightly older women with the average reader aged 35 according to this article. The main categories are:
Just from looking at the front cover there is an obvious house style and brand image. The main image is rather sultry with a sophisticated, muted colour palette. It is evident that Glamour are trying to live upto their name and are aiming to appeal to a fashion conscious, high class audience. This is evident from the magazine name, to the photography and the choice of celebrities (.i.e. classy supermodels). It is also evident from the cover that their is a lot of adult content, with a lot of articles on sex.
As this is a weekly magazine it is considerably thinner than Glamour and also has staple binding.
Cosmopolitan
FRONT COVER
This is a monthly magazine. I particularly wanted to research this magazine as it has a strong affiliation with bloggers', and they even have an annual bloggers awards ceremony. It's very rare to see magazines co-exist with bloggers this way as usually there is rivalry.
In an article on Knoji Cosmopolitan's target audience is described as follows "Studies have proven Cosmopolitan has a diverse reader base. Results show that 69% of readers are in the 18-34 range, and 30% in the 35-49 range. College Store Executives claim it to be the best-selling magazine in college book stores for over 25 years. Cosmopolitan has an average reader age of 30."
Cosmpolitan is one of the only magazines I found that had a coloured background on the front cover instead of a white/neutral background. The use of a bright blue background with bright pink text really helped it to stand out on the shelf!
The sans serif fonts give it a contemporary look. It simultaneously feels like it's aimed at a young, collegial audience, AND a slightly older audience which is hard to do. There a mixure of "fun", light hearted topics balanced with more serious topics such as body confidence and successful businesswomen.
The editor's letter is an average length, longer than Look's but short than Glamour's, and has a balanced tone of voice that is chatty but still puts across important messages like "be kind to yourself" and "eat better".
There is a good balance between imagery and text throughout the magazine and although there is a lot of white space, there are still pops of bright colours throughout.
Overall I really enjoy this magazine and think it's a useful source of inspiration as it gives me ideas of how to appeal to both the younger and older ends of the spectrum of my target audience. After all what appeals to a 15 year old is probably not the same thing that appeals to a 27 year old.
Glamour
Glamour is a monthly magazine aimed at slightly older women with the average reader aged 35 according to this article. The main categories are:
- Fashion
- Beauty
- Love and life
- Weddings
- Health and fitness
Just from looking at the front cover there is an obvious house style and brand image. The main image is rather sultry with a sophisticated, muted colour palette. It is evident that Glamour are trying to live upto their name and are aiming to appeal to a fashion conscious, high class audience. This is evident from the magazine name, to the photography and the choice of celebrities (.i.e. classy supermodels). It is also evident from the cover that their is a lot of adult content, with a lot of articles on sex.
In terms of design, Glamour keeps a limited colour palette, with the odd pop of bright colour (in this case, orange) against a more muted, "natural" palette. The magazine uses "perfect binding" instead of staples.
The contents page spans over 2 pages and is split up into categories rather than following a numeric order. I like the fact they have a section for "On the cover" stories and this is something I might do in my own magazine.
The titles of the articles use quite dramatic language, that doesn't reveal too much about what the article is about such as "The most awkward job interview questions, ever" and "What's really on a guy's mind". This is to entice the audience to continue reading. I personally don't like this way of titling articles and would rather have clear titles that show what the article is about. The titles remind me of "click bait" titles on blog posts and Youtube videos which tends to be a big pet peeve in the blogging community so I will avoid doing this.
The articles are very text heavy (including the editor's letter), cover serious topics and use a serious tone of voice. The editor's letter alone is evident of this as it's almost an article in itself. It provides a lot of tips on how to deal with stress etc which is relatable but the language used is quite serious and their is barely any humour throughout the magazine. The photograph of the editor is quite businesslike and she appears to be at a press conference.
Some of the articles don't feature any photography at all and the ones that do, have very small images. I personally want to have a more vibrant magazine than this as I think that'd appeal to a younger audience.
LOOK
Look is a weekly magazine and is aimed at a much younger audience. This is evident in the front cover which is very colourful and more vibrant. The selection of celebrities used is more appealing to a younger audience (such as Little Mix and Kylie Jenner), and there is more focus on lighter topics like fashion and beauty.
It is more image based with photography taking precedence over text. The editor's letter is only one paragraph long and isn't even on it's own page. Instead it features at the top of the contents page which follows a similar style to Glamour's. Again it is split into categories and has a section for cover stories. It has a fashion moment of the week feature which I think is a great idea. It might be a good idea to feature a blogger of the month in my magazine.
I really enjoy the dynamic layouts in this magazine - each page is completely different but still has the same house style. I particularly enjoy the main story page, featuring Kylie Jenner. The huge photograph, title text and colour scheme is really striking and visually interesting. I like the use of drop caps in the text.
I'm particularly drawn to the 'Digital Dumping' page. I like that the main image spans across two pages and that there are sections "pulled out" from the main article .i.e. the 'An App Cured My Heartbreak' section. It creates a more interesting spread and the use of colour is appealing.
As this is a weekly magazine it is considerably thinner than Glamour and also has staple binding.
Cosmopolitan
FRONT COVER
This is a monthly magazine. I particularly wanted to research this magazine as it has a strong affiliation with bloggers', and they even have an annual bloggers awards ceremony. It's very rare to see magazines co-exist with bloggers this way as usually there is rivalry.
In an article on Knoji Cosmopolitan's target audience is described as follows "Studies have proven Cosmopolitan has a diverse reader base. Results show that 69% of readers are in the 18-34 range, and 30% in the 35-49 range. College Store Executives claim it to be the best-selling magazine in college book stores for over 25 years. Cosmopolitan has an average reader age of 30."
Cosmpolitan is one of the only magazines I found that had a coloured background on the front cover instead of a white/neutral background. The use of a bright blue background with bright pink text really helped it to stand out on the shelf!
The sans serif fonts give it a contemporary look. It simultaneously feels like it's aimed at a young, collegial audience, AND a slightly older audience which is hard to do. There a mixure of "fun", light hearted topics balanced with more serious topics such as body confidence and successful businesswomen.
The editor's letter is an average length, longer than Look's but short than Glamour's, and has a balanced tone of voice that is chatty but still puts across important messages like "be kind to yourself" and "eat better".
There is a good balance between imagery and text throughout the magazine and although there is a lot of white space, there are still pops of bright colours throughout.
Overall I really enjoy this magazine and think it's a useful source of inspiration as it gives me ideas of how to appeal to both the younger and older ends of the spectrum of my target audience. After all what appeals to a 15 year old is probably not the same thing that appeals to a 27 year old.
Bust
front cover & contents page
Bust is an American, monthly publication however I have still included it because it really stands out from the other magazines I have looked at. It feels more "down to earth" with organic, pastel colours and less focus on a "flashy" lifestyle. I do quite enjoy the pastel colour scheme as it's feminine and sophisticated but still playful - I might use this kind of colour scheme in my magazine.
The topics are more intellectual, focusing on things like GreenPeace activists and hardworking women which I admire. There are still articles on beauty and fashion but they aren't the main focus.
The contents page is pretty minimal. I like the fact they have used images of the four main articles with the page number over the top as this is useful for someone who is just skimming through the magazine. It also gives an overview of what's inside, and could influence purchasing decisions.
The editor's letter is much further along in the magazine than the other ones I looked at and contains no imagery. The letter talks a about what to expect from the issue and the articles inside rather than focusing on the editor's life. As I am creating the first ever issue of my magazine I think my editor's letter needs to introduce the magazine and what it's core values are. It also should probably explain the issues inside and talk about some of the bloggers featured as not everyone will know who they are.
The articles in Bust magazine really express the interviewees personality which I would like to do in my magazine.
The house style isn't great - there isn't a lot going on and the layouts aren't very dynamic. However I do enjoy the overall message of the magazine and the fact it isn't focused on superficial topics.
front cover & contents page
Bust is an American, monthly publication however I have still included it because it really stands out from the other magazines I have looked at. It feels more "down to earth" with organic, pastel colours and less focus on a "flashy" lifestyle. I do quite enjoy the pastel colour scheme as it's feminine and sophisticated but still playful - I might use this kind of colour scheme in my magazine.
The topics are more intellectual, focusing on things like GreenPeace activists and hardworking women which I admire. There are still articles on beauty and fashion but they aren't the main focus.
The contents page is pretty minimal. I like the fact they have used images of the four main articles with the page number over the top as this is useful for someone who is just skimming through the magazine. It also gives an overview of what's inside, and could influence purchasing decisions.
The editor's letter is much further along in the magazine than the other ones I looked at and contains no imagery. The letter talks a about what to expect from the issue and the articles inside rather than focusing on the editor's life. As I am creating the first ever issue of my magazine I think my editor's letter needs to introduce the magazine and what it's core values are. It also should probably explain the issues inside and talk about some of the bloggers featured as not everyone will know who they are.
The articles in Bust magazine really express the interviewees personality which I would like to do in my magazine.
The house style isn't great - there isn't a lot going on and the layouts aren't very dynamic. However I do enjoy the overall message of the magazine and the fact it isn't focused on superficial topics.
Section Four: Swot Analysis
Thursday 19 November 2015
Above is my SWOT analysis for the project.
Strengths
I believe I have particular strengths that will help me to complete the project to a high standard, such as having skills/experience in graphic design, photography and the software I'm using to produce the magazine. As I've also been operating in the blogging field for three years I am also knowledgable about the market and have contacts with people which will make finding collaborators a lot easier. I'm passionate about blogging, designing, magazines and other aspects of the project and so this should hopefully keep me motivated.
Weaknesses
Although I have the skills to produce a magazine I've never created a full issue before and so don't fully know the amount of work/time it requires. I maybe a little overambitious by aiming to complete a whole issue, mainly by myself. Furthermore since I have no client, I am using a lot of my own expertise and idea. Having no second opinion might cause me to create something I like and not necessarily something that the user will enjoy. I will try to research as much as possible in order to ensure this doesn't happen.
Opportunities
The blogging industry has been experiencing a lot of growth recently and there is a large community. This provides me with a large audience and the opportunity to create something hugely popular. As I also have contacts with the community there is plenty of opportunity to find interesting and talented people to collaborate with.
If this project is successful there is the opportunity to show my work to potential future employers which could set me apart from other candidates. The project will hopefully combine a lot of my skills and interests which could be a good impression on employers.
Threats
The main area I need to consider is my threats. If these threats arise then they could seriously slow down the project and cause me to miss the deadline.
There is a slight chance that I won't be able to find anyone to collaborate with or interview. As the blogging community is very large this isn't likely however, there is a strong chance that collaborators could let me down. Bloggers tend to be very busy and don't always fulfil their commitments. I can't control how long it'll take them to write an article and send it to me and having to chase them up could be detrimental to the professional relationship. Furthermore things like interviews will strongly depend on the interviewees availability.
Also there are things like, data loss and printing failure I need to bare in mind. Backing up my work on a USB is a good way to prevent losing all my work however sometimes InDesign can force quit unexpectedly which might happen. I need to leave enough time to allow the magazine to be delivered but it still might not arrive on time.
In order to reduce the risk of threats I need to be able to make quick decisions and have back up plans/collaborators in case I am let down.
I have briefly researched competitors and found that there is already and existing bloggers' magazine! I will be looking into it in more depth to see how I can differentiate mine and give it a USP however this is currently a large threat.
They currently have over 6,000 followers on Twitter and their publications feature a lot of well know bloggers like Lily Pebbles. I don't have contacts as popular as that and usually you have to pay them a large fee for an interview. I want to concentrate on more "everyday bloggers", who might not be as well known but will be more co-operative and easier to get hold of.
Section Four: Work Breakdown Schedule
Monday 16 November 2015
Before creating a proper work schedule (Gantt chart), I decided to breakdown each section of the production phase, creating a brief list of tasks that need to be completed for each.
As this magazine is a new brand, the first thing I need to do is choose a name and create a logo. As shown in section 2, the name must be something that is memorable and relevant to the topic of blogging. I'd prefer it to be one word only as this tends to work best for magazines. As for the logo, it needs to be simplistic so that it doesn't interfere with any of the other elements on the front cover, however it still needs to be bold enough to be seen.
I then considered the different stages of creating articles. Firstly I need to create a list of all the main articles I want to include in the magazine. This list must be flexible as some of them may depend on the co-operation of my collaborators. I will need to be versatile and be able to make quick decisions in the event that a certain article isn't possible, and I need to organise a different one instead.
After deciding the main articles and a list of collaborators for each article, I need to contact the collaborators. Again I need to be flexible and have a list of "back up" collaborators in case my first choices aren't available. I also need to build in time for them to reply as this is something I can't control.
The main people I need to contact first are those who I am aiming to interview. Once I have a confirmed list of interviewees I need to write the interview questions and conduct them. Conducting the interviews will depend on a) when the blogger is available b) when I'm available and c) how I/we decide to conduct the interview and whether or not I want to travel to take photographs of them. It might be easier to conduct the interviews online either through email or "live" via Twitter. This is something I need to consider.
Furthermore, I need to decide which articles require which kind of imagery. I do want to conduct some of my own photoshoots especially for the lookbook. This is going to be a main feature in the magazine and so I need to have control over the style of the photographs, so that they fit with my house style.
For other articles it might be possible to request photographs from bloggers. For example, if someone agrees to write an article on balancing university work with blogging, I can ask that blogger to also take a photograph to go with the article.
Finally, as I am considering including hand drawn illustrations I also need to decide how many I will create and if I want to get someone to help me.
After all the decisions are made I can plan, organise and conduct photoshoots before editing and completing the imagery.
As you can see from the rest of the breakdown there are a lot of other stages I need to complete. With the list of tasks created I then proceeded to make a Gantt chart.
Gantt Chart
To create my Gantt chart I used ganttology. This website allows you to create groups, tasks and milestones, update progress easily and colour code information, all of which I found really helpful. I created 10 groups for each section of the project, in which I then added tasks, milestones and subgroups.
The most "complicated" section I created was section six as this is the main production phase, so requires a lot of tasks and time. I split section six into five subgroups (branding, articles, imagery, design and printing) to fit with my work breakdown structure. Within those subgroups I added the tasks I need to complete such as writing interview questions, conducting photoshoots and designing the front cover. I also added milestones like "front cover complete" so it's easy to see an overview of my progress throughout the project.
I took into account things like Christmas Break as obviously models probably won't be available to do photoshoots over that time etc.
According to this Gantt chart I am aiming to have the magazine completed by Feb 2nd so that I have time to send it to print, taking into consideration how long it takes to print and deliver the magazine. Hopefully the final print should arrive no later than the 29th February.
After this I will need to check it has printed well and evaluate the project.
I will also be sending the magazine out to other bloggers (probably electronically) and asking them to fill in a survey rating certain aspects of the magazine. I can then use this feedback within my evaluation to decide whether or not the project was successful.
Section Three: Final Project Proposal
Saturday 7 November 2015
Summary
For my project I will be creating a magazine aimed at the blogging community, primarily young females aged 15-17 who are either bloggers themselves and/or regular readers of beauty, fashion and lifestyle blogs.
What the Project Entails
I will be aiming to create a full first issue of the magazine that will act as a prototype should I choose to produce the magazine properly after this project. It will be a monthly magazine with this first issue being the September 2016 issue.
It will be around 50-80 pages long, featuring sections on a wide range of topics including beauty, fashion, health, fitness, art, blogging advice and books.
What Users Will Gain
The idea is to provide bloggers' a chance to connect with the community through a different medium and encourage creative collaboration. The magazine will celebrate the current industry, showcasing up and coming bloggers as well as providing a compilation of different subjects from bloggers' perspectives.
What Users Will Gain
The idea is to provide bloggers' a chance to connect with the community through a different medium and encourage creative collaboration. The magazine will celebrate the current industry, showcasing up and coming bloggers as well as providing a compilation of different subjects from bloggers' perspectives.
There will be a large section dedicated to blogging advice to help readers in their career. Readers should be able to learn something about blogging from reading the magazine whether that simply be, being introduced to some new blogs, learning how to set up their own or even learning how to turn their blog into a full time career.
Overall the magazine should be something that is both helpful and fun to read.
Overall the magazine should be something that is both helpful and fun to read.
Resources Needed
To create the magazine I will be mainly using Adobe Indesign as well as Illustrator and Photoshop. I'll be using a DSLR to conduct photo shoots and possibly Twitter/gmail to conduct some of the interviews.
I'll potentially be using watercolour paints to create some illustrations for the magazine and will be using photographs taken by other bloggers, with their permission.
To print the magazine I'll possibly be using either Blurb (in which case I'd use their InDesign plugin to build the magazine) or the university printing service.
Section Two: Second Level Questionnaire
Tuesday 3 November 2015
Have you got any name ideas?
A few, but I haven't got a final name yet. I was thinking of calling it Publish because, obviously you publish a magazine, but most bloggers use blogger.com where you literally have to hit 'Publish' to make a blog post live, so it links the idea of the two mediums together.
I was also thinking of maybe just calling it BLOG (possibly with a colon in the middle like this BL:OG as that could look quite contemporary on the cover). It's pretty straight forward and at least my audience would know what it's about. I'm not sure yet though - I'm open to new ideas.
Do you have any specific colour scheme and fonts in mind?
No, I don't have a colour scheme in mind at the moment. However, I would like the pages to be bright and colourful, but still follow a simple and clear layout.
For fonts I am leaning towards using mainly sans serif fonts. They are more modern and feel less informal; something like Futura or Century Gothic would be ideal.
Do you have any themes in mind for this issue?
I want it to be the September 2016 issue. It could follow an autumnal theme which would be made evident with a fashion lookbook.
Maybe it could be a "Campus Edition" with university advice in there too, things like a freshers' beauty essentials kit and articles from bloggers who balance blogging with university studies. We could even have "Blogger Freshman Guide" - an insert that has lots of information for people who are new to the blogging industry. It could have things like a dictionary that explains blogging jargon, a list of Twitter chats and other helpful information.
I don't want to overcomplicate the project but I think each issue must have a distinct theme in order to set them apart from each other.
What are the main sections you would like to include?
A few, but I haven't got a final name yet. I was thinking of calling it Publish because, obviously you publish a magazine, but most bloggers use blogger.com where you literally have to hit 'Publish' to make a blog post live, so it links the idea of the two mediums together.
I was also thinking of maybe just calling it BLOG (possibly with a colon in the middle like this BL:OG as that could look quite contemporary on the cover). It's pretty straight forward and at least my audience would know what it's about. I'm not sure yet though - I'm open to new ideas.
Do you have any specific colour scheme and fonts in mind?
No, I don't have a colour scheme in mind at the moment. However, I would like the pages to be bright and colourful, but still follow a simple and clear layout.
For fonts I am leaning towards using mainly sans serif fonts. They are more modern and feel less informal; something like Futura or Century Gothic would be ideal.
Do you have any themes in mind for this issue?
I want it to be the September 2016 issue. It could follow an autumnal theme which would be made evident with a fashion lookbook.
Maybe it could be a "Campus Edition" with university advice in there too, things like a freshers' beauty essentials kit and articles from bloggers who balance blogging with university studies. We could even have "Blogger Freshman Guide" - an insert that has lots of information for people who are new to the blogging industry. It could have things like a dictionary that explains blogging jargon, a list of Twitter chats and other helpful information.
I don't want to overcomplicate the project but I think each issue must have a distinct theme in order to set them apart from each other.
What are the main sections you would like to include?
- Beauty
- Fashion
- Health & Fitness
- Home/Interiors
- Art
- Blogging Advice (including Agony Aunt)
- Book Club
However I am happy for possible leads on interviews to dictate some of the sections. For instance, if I manage to land an interview with a full time baking blogger then I'm happy to create a small section on baking.
Also as this is the first issue there doesn't need to be too many sections and topics. This is just to present the idea of the magazine to the community and see how they respond. Future issues could include more topics than this if needs be.
Section Two: First Level Questionnaire
Friday 30 October 2015
As I'm not working for a client I used this questionnaire as an opportunity to hone my ideas and really think about what direction I want to take the magazine in. This will help me figure out what kind of bloggers I want to collaborate with and having a refined idea will also allow me to explain it to potential collaborators clearly.
Here is my first level questionnaire...
Have you ever created a magazine before?
No, not a full issue.
Who is your target audience?
Young female bloggers/blog readers aged 15-27.
Theoretically speaking, how often would the magazine be published?
It will be a monthly issue.
How many pages would you like it to have?
Around 50-80. Since it's a monthly issue it needs to be quite thick but not too thick that readers get bored half way through.
Are there any particular bloggers you would like to collaborate with on the project?
I have a few ideas of who I would like to work with. Jemma Morgan from www.dorkface.co.uk is the first person that springs to mind. She is highly active in the community, and is always up to collaborate and help people. It'd be fun to have her on board as an agony aunty or even do an interview.
I would like to interview a blogger who has recently gone full time as this would be appealing to my audience. Someone like: dizzybrunette3, Brogan Tate XO, or dorkface would be ideal.
Apart from that there isn't specifically any one person I'd like to work with. I'm open to collaborating with anyone who wants to be involved. I'd rather have someone who is excited about the idea and co-operative then have my heart set on a certain person and it not work out very well.
Here is my first level questionnaire...
Have you ever created a magazine before?
No, not a full issue.
Who is your target audience?
Young female bloggers/blog readers aged 15-27.
Theoretically speaking, how often would the magazine be published?
It will be a monthly issue.
How many pages would you like it to have?
Around 50-80. Since it's a monthly issue it needs to be quite thick but not too thick that readers get bored half way through.
Are there any particular bloggers you would like to collaborate with on the project?
I have a few ideas of who I would like to work with. Jemma Morgan from www.dorkface.co.uk is the first person that springs to mind. She is highly active in the community, and is always up to collaborate and help people. It'd be fun to have her on board as an agony aunty or even do an interview.
I would like to interview a blogger who has recently gone full time as this would be appealing to my audience. Someone like: dizzybrunette3, Brogan Tate XO, or dorkface would be ideal.
Apart from that there isn't specifically any one person I'd like to work with. I'm open to collaborating with anyone who wants to be involved. I'd rather have someone who is excited about the idea and co-operative then have my heart set on a certain person and it not work out very well.
Section Two: Scoping the Project
Monday 26 October 2015
Identifying Previous Multimedia Experience
As previously mentioned I already have experience of graphic design after studying it at art college. During this course I made various magazine spreads and magazine cover designs, however I have never made and produced a full magazine.
I am confident using Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator and although I am not fully familiar with how to use photography equipment, I do have photography skills and believe I can create attractive imagery for the magazine.
I am contemplating adding watercolour illustrations to some of the pages. Whilst I can paint and draw fairly well I am not sure if my watercolour skills are up to scratch and so I might have to collaborate with an illustrator.
After writing my own blog for three years I am also fairly skilled at writing and think I can apply those skills to creating some articles for the magazine. However, as previously mentioned I will be collaborating with other bloggers to write and produce articles.
Understanding the Breadth and Depth of the Project
Knowing My Audience
Analysis - From my own personal experience, the blogging industry is one of the only industries to be dominated by young, female entrepreneurs with the evolution of beauty and fashion "gurus" becoming a huge sensation. Many fashion, beauty and lifestyle bloggers have managed to turn their hobby into a full time job which is something to be celebrated.
Not only are these women carving a career for themselves but they tend to be very active within the community, regularly taking part in "Twitter Chats", engaging with other bloggers and supporting each other. Every single blogger event and meet up I have been to, whilst open to everyone, have only ever been attended by females.
Through my own observation these women tend to be aged between 15-27 with some older women run "mummy blogs" whilst still being active in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogging community.
As well as this, a lot of existing magazines are also aimed at this demographic and so this magazine will target young females, aged between 15-27 who are either bloggers themselves and/or regular readers of blogs.
Beauty, fashion and "lifestyle" (lifestyle usually consists of food, health, fitness, homeware/interiors, crafts, books etc) tend to be the main topics these women blog about so I would like to incorporate these subjects within the magazine. Again, these topics are also often covered in general women's magazines so it is something that should hopefully be of interest to my audience.
With this being said, I don't want the magazine to concentrate on superficial subjects, but instead focusing on empowering women and celebrating some of the hard working females that are part of this industry.
I think my audience needs to be entertained, empowered, inspired, advised and motivated through this magazine. It will be something that is both helpful and fun to read, with lots of blogging and lifestyle tips.
Readers should be able to learn something about blogging from reading the magazine, whether that simply be, being introduced to some new blogs, learning how to set up their own or even learning how to turn their blog into a full time career.
For the time being, I will mainly be directing the magazine at a UK audience, however the majority of articles will hopefully apply to an American/European audience as well.
As previously mentioned I already have experience of graphic design after studying it at art college. During this course I made various magazine spreads and magazine cover designs, however I have never made and produced a full magazine.
I am confident using Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator and although I am not fully familiar with how to use photography equipment, I do have photography skills and believe I can create attractive imagery for the magazine.
I am contemplating adding watercolour illustrations to some of the pages. Whilst I can paint and draw fairly well I am not sure if my watercolour skills are up to scratch and so I might have to collaborate with an illustrator.
After writing my own blog for three years I am also fairly skilled at writing and think I can apply those skills to creating some articles for the magazine. However, as previously mentioned I will be collaborating with other bloggers to write and produce articles.
Understanding the Breadth and Depth of the Project
Knowing My Audience
 |
| A recent blogger meet up I went to - all the guests were female |
Analysis - From my own personal experience, the blogging industry is one of the only industries to be dominated by young, female entrepreneurs with the evolution of beauty and fashion "gurus" becoming a huge sensation. Many fashion, beauty and lifestyle bloggers have managed to turn their hobby into a full time job which is something to be celebrated.
Not only are these women carving a career for themselves but they tend to be very active within the community, regularly taking part in "Twitter Chats", engaging with other bloggers and supporting each other. Every single blogger event and meet up I have been to, whilst open to everyone, have only ever been attended by females.
Through my own observation these women tend to be aged between 15-27 with some older women run "mummy blogs" whilst still being active in the fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogging community.
As well as this, a lot of existing magazines are also aimed at this demographic and so this magazine will target young females, aged between 15-27 who are either bloggers themselves and/or regular readers of blogs.
Beauty, fashion and "lifestyle" (lifestyle usually consists of food, health, fitness, homeware/interiors, crafts, books etc) tend to be the main topics these women blog about so I would like to incorporate these subjects within the magazine. Again, these topics are also often covered in general women's magazines so it is something that should hopefully be of interest to my audience.
With this being said, I don't want the magazine to concentrate on superficial subjects, but instead focusing on empowering women and celebrating some of the hard working females that are part of this industry.
I think my audience needs to be entertained, empowered, inspired, advised and motivated through this magazine. It will be something that is both helpful and fun to read, with lots of blogging and lifestyle tips.
Readers should be able to learn something about blogging from reading the magazine, whether that simply be, being introduced to some new blogs, learning how to set up their own or even learning how to turn their blog into a full time career.
For the time being, I will mainly be directing the magazine at a UK audience, however the majority of articles will hopefully apply to an American/European audience as well.
Section One: Project Proposal Form & Approval
Friday 23 October 2015
PROJECT: Bloggers' Magazine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: A magazine aimed at the blogging community. The idea is to provide bloggers' a chance to connect with the community through a different medium and encourage creative collaboration. The magazine will celebrate the current industry, showcasing upcoming bloggers as well as providing a compilation of different subjects from bloggers' perspectives.
ASSESSED ARTEFACT: As well as documenting my progress through the project on my blog, I will be producing a full issue of the magazine, which could be used as a prototype if I decide to properly launch the magazine in the future.
FINANCIAL: Depending on how I choose to conduct photo shoots, interviews and other aspects of the magazine, there could be travel costs involved, which is something I will have to consider in more depth. Printing the magazine will be the main financial implication and will cost around £15-30 depending on which company I print it with and their shipping costs.
CLIENT/PROJECT SPECIFICATION: A full first issue of the magazine.
SOFTWARE & HARDWARE: Primarily Adobe InDesign to build the magazine. I will also be using a DSLR (Nikon D5200) and possibly photography equipment during the photo shoots. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator will also be used when editing the photos and creating design elements for the magazine.
COPYRIGHT ISSUES: I need to make sure the photographs are my own or if I use photographs from another blogger I need to get permission first. Articles need to be original content, written solely for the magazine.
POSSIBLE RISK:
- Bloggers don't respond to the idea of a magazine/don't enjoy content.
- Bloggers don't co-operate/can't find anyone willing to collaborate on the project.
- Computer failure
- Ongoing illness may slow down the progress of the project
SKILLS NEEDED:
- Skills and knowledge of Adobe software
- Graphic Design and typographic layout skills
- PR skills for connecting with other bloggers
- Photography skills
- Illustration skills
TIME SCALE: Aiming to send the magazine to print at least 2-3 weeks before the project deadline so I have time to check and evaluate it and to ensure it arrives in time.
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I have talked through my idea with Claire and she was supportive of my idea which was encouraging. I will now beginning working on the magazine.
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