Research and planning blog tasks
Create a blogpost called 'Print brief research and planning' and complete the following tasks to plan and prepare your print work:
1) Research music magazine cover key conventions. Look over the magazine cover key conventions notes sheet and write which of these you will use for your magazine cover. (This is a film magazine example but the conventions still apply).
-Logo/ masthead
-Strapline
-contrasting colours
-headline
-image is usually linked to headline
-usually looking at audience
2) Find at least five music magazine front covers (either current or former magazines as many have stopped their print editions) aimed at a similar target audience to your project (mainstream music audience). For each one, pick out one design idea or convention that you could use in your own print work. A few examples to start you off:
The artist is directly addressing the camera with his eyes.
The artist obscures the title.
The picture is not a studio shot.
The colour scheme is very simple yet striking, magenta always is.
The cover lines are mostly plain white with statement colours highlighting key words. Also, album art.
3) Find at least five double-page spread features from music magazines on Google images. How are they designed? How are text and images displayed? What design tricks can you borrow from your examples?Very symmetrical page layout.
Purposeful use of black and white as well as a reference that will evoke a warm smug glow if you get it.
Studio image taking up over half of the space.
4) Find at least five band/artist tour posters on Google images. How are they designed? What conventions do they all feature? How are text and images displayed? What design tricks can you borrow from your examples?
Image that relates to name of album.
Dates underneath graphic
fancy boarder, relates to the style of the band.
5) Read at least three example music interview features from newspapers and magazines to learn the format, writing style and content for a music magazine interview. You may wish to use the following to help you:
Planning, sketching and writing
1) Plan a title and slogan (sell line) for your new, original music magazine. Sketch out possible designs for the masthead - font, style, colour etc.
title: SCREAM
sell line: A strange and exclusive interview with up and coming artist CYPIS
2) Plan the content for your magazine front cover. Your double-page spread interview will be the main story and image but what other cover lines and smaller images will you include on the cover?
How society brainwashed you into thinking Nickle-back was bad
"Music gives me a break from my thoughts, listening to it is just as important as the act of making it" CYPIS
Win a guitar
My chemical romance come back
3) Plan the content for your tour poster. What image will you use? (Remember it needs to be from a different photoshoot). What cities and venues will your artist play in the UK? This may take some research into venues that are associated with your chosen genre and the right size for your artist.
- The Old Cinema Launderette, Durham.
- St Pancras Old Church, London.
- The Big Comfy Bookshop, Coventry.
- The Old Court, Windsor.
- Stereo, Glasgow.
- Farmers Arms, Penzance.
- The Deaf Institute, Manchester.
- The Salty Dog, Northwich
4) Create a spider diagram or bullet point list of all the issues or topics your double-page feature interview could cover. Remember it needs to include reference to the music video, tour and headphone sponsorship.
5) Write the text for your double-page spread feature. This needs to be a minimum of 400 words and be completely original and include reference to the music video, tour and headphone sponsorship. Make sure you include a headline, subheading and any pullout quotes or sidebar contents.
Already having had a hectic day of travelling, Cypis was unsurprisingly keener on conducting the interview in his native tongue, therefore there will be English translations alongside the original Polish
After getting cozy with a cup of tea and chatting about his journey, I began the questioning.
What inspires you to make music?
Co cię inspiruje do tworzenia muzyki?
Quite often it acts as a way to keep me sane during hard times. When I'm creating I lose track of reality and forget to eat or sleep because it's so therapeutic to focus my whole head on one thing instead of stressing over a billion things out of my control. In some ways this could make me a perfectionist. Mostly, music gives me a break from the drugs.
Dość często działa jako sposób na utrzymanie mnie przy zdrowych zmysłach w trudnych chwilach. Kiedy tworzę, tracę poczucie rzeczywistości i zapominam o jedzeniu lub spaniu, ponieważ skupienie całej głowy na jednej rzeczy zamiast stresowania ponad miliarda rzeczy poza moją kontrolą jest tak terapeutyczne. W pewnym sensie może to uczynić mnie perfekcjonistą. Przede wszystkim muzyka pozwala mi odpocząć od narkotyków.
What was the concept behind the new album and the tour?
Jaka była koncepcja nowego albumu i trasy?
Growing up, I was increasingly getting surrounded by abuse. If not in my own relationships, then I saw the people around me being hurt. The album came from a place of depression where there wasn't really anyone I could go to because they were all dealing with the same issues but worse. I want people to know it gets better and there is support for them out there. The video for "Gdze jest bialy wengorz" touches on those issues. I think it's particularly important for Polish people in the UK to see it because they're in a foreign country where they might not know the language too well, possibly stuck in toxic relationships where they're completely dependent on their abuser for communication. This has definitely become an even greater problem due to COVID further isolating a lot of these people from the outside world.
Dorastając, coraz bardziej otaczały mnie nadużycia. Jeśli nie we własnych związkach, to widziałem, jak ludzie wokół mnie są ranni. Album pochodzi z depresji, w której nie było nikogo, do kogo mógłbym się udać, ponieważ wszyscy zajmowali się tymi samymi problemami, ale gorzej. Chcę, żeby ludzie wiedzieli, że jest coraz lepiej i że jest dla nich wsparcie. Wideo do "Gdze jest bialy wengorz" porusza te kwestie. Myślę, że jest to szczególnie ważne dla Polaków w Wielkiej Brytanii, aby to zobaczyć, ponieważ są w obcym kraju, w którym mogą nie znać języka zbyt dobrze, być może utknęli w toksycznych związkach, w których są całkowicie zależni od swojego sprawcy w zakresie komunikacji. Z pewnością stało się to jeszcze większym problemem ze względu na dalszą izolację wielu osób ze świata zewnętrznego przez COVID.
When I first heard your music it really connected with me but you were still quite underground, how have you grown into an up and coming artist in such a short time? I hope you don't mind me saying but you've been making music for quite a while.
Kiedy po raz pierwszy usłyszałem twoją muzykę, to naprawdę łączyło się ze mną, ale nadal byłeś dość undergroundowy, jak w tak krótkim czasie stałeś się wschodzącym artystą? Mam nadzieję, że nie masz nic przeciwko temu, że mówię, ale tworzysz muzykę od dłuższego czasu.
Thank you so much. Well, one of my songs blew up as a meme and was spread around in the 11-20 age bracket in the west, which really supercharged my career. Sony saw the potential and picked me up for a contract. Then weirdly I got a sponsorship from Samsung and double checked my contract to see if that was allowed, it was, so I had the extra money to make the music video and tour in the UK and hopefully I can connect with some more people. Whatever profit I make goes back into my music. I think one of my main selling points is that it all comes straight from my heart and lived experience, so people can project themselves onto the songs even if it doesn't quite match their lifestyle.
Dziękuję bardzo. Cóż, jedna z moich piosenek wybuchła jako mem i została rozpowszechniona w przedziale wiekowym 11-20 lat na Zachodzie, co naprawdę przyspieszyło moją karierę. Sony dostrzegło potencjał i wybrało mnie na kontrakt. Potem, co dziwne, otrzymałem sponsoring od Samsunga i dwukrotnie sprawdziłem, czy moja umowa jest dozwolona, tak było, więc miałem dodatkowe pieniądze na zrobienie teledysku i trasę koncertową po Wielkiej Brytanii i mam nadzieję, że będę mógł nawiązać kontakt z większą liczbą osób. Każdy zysk, jaki osiągam, wraca do mojej muzyki. Myślę, że jednym z moich głównych punktów sprzedaży jest to, że wszystko pochodzi z mojego serca i przeżywanego doświadczenia, więc ludzie mogą projektować się na utwory, nawet jeśli nie do końca pasują one do ich stylu życia.
Wonderful. I definitely get a sense of kinship from your music. Lastly, What are your next steps?
Wspaniale. Zdecydowanie wyczuwam pokrewieństwo z waszą muzyką. Na koniec, jakie są twoje następne kroki?
Hopefully I can keep doing what I love and get a core following of listeners. I've never been too bothered about being rich or famous but I do want people to remember me for my music. Although my life has improved drastically since the memeing and I truly am privileged in my day to day life now, I'd still like to share stories from people who haven't been so lucky. Look forward to some harrowing collaborations.
Mam nadzieję, że będę mógł dalej robić to, co kocham i zdobyć grono słuchaczy. Nigdy nie przejmowałem się zbytnio byciem bogatym lub sławnym, ale chcę, aby ludzie pamiętali mnie za moją muzykę. Chociaż moje życie drastycznie się poprawiło od czasu memowania i jestem naprawdę uprzywilejowany w swoim codziennym życiu, nadal chciałbym dzielić się historiami od ludzi, którzy nie mieli tyle szczęścia. Czekamy na wstrząsającą współpracę.
Thank you so much for your time this has been wonderful.
Dziękuję bardzo za poświęcony czas, to było cudowne.
6) Produce an A4 sketch of your front cover including the key conventions and design tricks you have studied in existing magazines and then planned in planning task 1 above.
7) Produce an A4 landscape sketch of your double page spread design now you have chosen the subject matter and planned the photoshoot.
8) Produce an A4 sketch of your tour poster including the key conventions and design tricks you have studied in existing tour posters and then planned in planning task 3 above.
