Evaluation Draft

Evaluation Draft

Contents Page Photo's

On my contents page, I have used a photo from the range of shots that I took for the preliminary magazine at the beginning of the course. I decided to use this photo because the style of the model is perfect for the genre of my magazine (hip-hop/urban) as he looks clean cut and smart. Also, the backdrop is blank and neutral, fitting in with the simple and stripped down style of the magazine overall, so the style of the shot is suitable for the contents page. The model is posing as a young, upcoming songwriter in the magazine and I feel that this photo captures that and it is convincing.

Double Page Spread Article Layout

On my double page spread I have decided to layout the article in to two columns rather than three. I have chosen to do this and go against the conventions of the typical music magazine because I think that having two columns of writing instead of three creates a de-cluttered, simple style, which coincides with the design on the front cover and the contents page. I attempted moving the text into three columns, however this looked too busy and was not consistent with the style of my previous pages. Therefore, after making adjustments I felt that it was best to use only two columns to continue with the modern, simple, stripped down design of my magazine.

Photoshop Work

In this screen shot I am editing some features on my double page spread. I am increasing the size of the margin either side of the article and at the top and bottom of the article. As well as this, minor changes need to be made to the article itself, due to a rethink in the writing.

Simple, Stripped Down Style Covers

My magazine still incorporates a simple, modern and stripped down style as there is not a large amount of text or a variation of colours that feature on it. I used a colour pallette of black, white and red, avoiding any clashes of colour to keep the simple layout. The plain background used also is similar to the covers below as it is plain and neutral, also contributing to the simple, stripped down style. I took inspiration from magazines such as Dazed and Confused, Complex, i-D, and Wire. The examples below represent the style I was aiming to achieve and the inspiration that lead to the design of my front cover - they use simple fonts, colours and a limited amount of text is used. All of these features are stripped down and it creates, what I think is, a professional and modern style which coincides with the hip-hop genre really well. However, in the future editing of my magazine I aim to show a more dominant theme of music and of the hip-hop genre through the design of the front cover.

New Contents Page Layout

I have reconsidered the layout of my contents page and changed it to a more conventional style layout, with the text down the left hand side of the page and images descending opposite. I have continued using the same font style and colours of the page numbers, however I reduced the size of the font and added more text within some of the subheadings. I am planning to schedule another shoot for two additional models that will feature on the contents page of the magazine however I have not yet done this so, for the time being, I have already planned where the photo's will go and have wrote 'photo' to show where the photo's will be placed on the page.

Final Draft Article

Libby Zarong. The name that’s been circulating the office here at Major Magazine for weeks, and the one that would be unfair not to share with you. Libby Zarong, the 20-year-old Londoner has proven to be one of music’s most intriguing new shape-shifters since she started posting songs and videos online a few years ago. Fast-forward to today, and her feisty single “Did You Know?” has amassed more than one million-plus YouTube views. What’s fresh about Zarong is h ow she combines ludicrous charisma with lyrical naughtiness, and ground-breaking bass lines whilst spitting unforgettable rhymes in the process. “I’m aware of the negative audiences I’ll reach through my music. Hip-hop reflects the truth that society tries to conceal, and that is what I intend to voice,” says Libby, who studied fashion before she took to the music industry. Her honesty and attitude fully emerges once she steps in front of a camera, as proven today at the photo shoot for Major. The first day we met her she was somewhere between shy and standoffish. When I showed up at her hotel the morning of the interview she politely invited me to come along, “Just don’t ask me a million questions, please.” Zarong oozes with confidence, not phased by the racial comments being made and stereo- typical views constantly being preached to her that white women should not rap. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore, why can’t a British girl rap?” Libby groans, “I guess it’s just another thing to set me apart from other artists.” Understandably, Zarong doesn’t want anything to affect her speedy, flawless victory that she’s accomplished so far. She’s already collaborated with Pharrell Williams - American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer - and signed a major record deal with Def Jam Recordings, which is yet to confirm the release date of her debut album later in the year. Not to mention that she’s already got her hands on a Brit Award for the Critic’s Choice of 2013. With Def Jam Recordings managing her every move, it’s not surprising that Zarong has already began to crack America, starring and performing on the Ellen Show, “Featuring on the Ellen Show has been a great experience of mine. To be in America and to be doing these shows is just unbelievable,” says Libby. It’s about time that a British girl crashed onto the hip-hop scene and became more than just a one-hit-wonder, and it looks like Libby is about to do exactly that. It’s been quite a journey for Libby Zarong, whose current fame-filled and chaotic lifestyle contrasts to her tough beginnings in life: Her mother died when she was twelve, and so she was raised in London by her father. “I get noticed, even when I’m underwear shopping... It’s weird,” Libby says. “It’s all came at once. For me, a 20- year-old girl from Camden, it’s like... You know... How does this happen?” Libby Zarong has already performed at Coachella festival alongside Azealia Banks, V Festival, and Glastonbury, with massive turn outs at each performance, shaking up the hop-hop scene and changing the conventions of the typical rap artist. We asked her if she has any festivals or gigs lined up already for this year, but all she revealed was, “I like to surprise... All I’ll say is that I am very excited about one festival in particular!” Alongside her unique lyrics and beats, her style makes her stand out from the rest. She’s been praised for her daring outfits that come to her so effortlessly yet look outstanding on stage and has been the talk of the fashion blogs for the past month, Zarong even made an appearance on Jessis Holeva’s “Trend Hungry Blog”, a massive blog in the fashion world. But try calling her a fashion icon and prepare for a woman in denial, “I don’t see myself as some sort of fashion icon... I wasn’t brought up with materialistic things and this hasn’t changed, I just make do with what I have and throw an outfit together.” We asked her to describe her style in three words and she responded quite confidently, “feisty, bold, and chic”. All of these accomplishments from one woman in one year is extraordinary, let alone for a British girl from Camden. Libby Zarong has a laundry list of boldfaced fans, including Kanye West, Gwyneth Paltrow, Karl Lagerfeld, and Nicola Formichetti, who will direct Zarong’s next video. However, Zarong seems almost aggressively un-astonished by the attention. “I definitely have more money and shit,” she admits, “but that’s all virtual stuff.” And if you ask her about meeting the likes of Kanye? “It’s cool, but they’re just people. The skies don’t part and glow orange.” An attitude like this from someone that’s been thrust into the spotlight is refreshing, and is an attitude that the music industry so desperately needs, “But don’t get me wrong, if Kanye wanted to collaborate… I certainly wouldn’t say no.”  Libby Zarong has never been average at anything – when she started rapping, she was already better than any of the boys that she was aiming to impress, she was better than the brothers of the boys she was aiming to impress. To this day, people who knew her before the fame still talk about how eerily good she was at anything to do with hip-hop, before she’d even practiced it, before there was a notion that she might get paid for it. The only criticism you could have given the girl is the inability to recognize her own talents and, if you ask her dad, if it wasn’t for Def Jam approaching her in 2007, Zarong wouldn’t have the same confidence that she portrays now, “My dad seems to think that the label created that [confidence] but it was always there, it just needed a push in the right direction.” I came to the conclusion that Libby Zarong is not at all what she seems at first – There are many layers to this woman and there is a reason behind every dirty, explicit lyric that she spits. The release date of Libby Zarong’s highly anticipated album, “OWN”, will be revealed by Def Jam in April but her debut single “Did You Know?” is available to download now.
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