Magazine Spread Mockup

I created this magazine spread mockup to properly envision what the magazine advertisement would look like in a real music magazine.  From this I can see that the white t-shirt blurs out the website address at the bottom.  This has informed me that I can't put Ella in something white for the photoshoot otherwise the same thing will happen again.  She also can't wear black because I need her to stand out against the wall behind her.
Overall though, I'm mostly happy with the overall design and think the contrast of the white text against the dark background really stands out.

Magazine Advertisement Mockup

Peer Feedback - Second Edit

Sitting down and getting feedback from the whole class was really helpful, but it was also really good to see it on a big screen myself.  I noticed a few things that I wasn't happy with that I didn't notice whilst editing on a smaller screen.  Without this opportunity I probably wouldn't have found out so I'm really glad and also thankful for all the feedback I received.

Feedback:

Strengths:

"That was sick"

"The pace was really good"

Areas For Improvement:

"The lip-sync was out a bit"

"There wasn't much lip synching in the middle"

"The balaclavas were a bit intimidating which might take away from the whole point of black people being innocently killed by police"

"The ending might work better if you wait until the music has stopped to do the BlackLivesMatter hashtag

Making these changes will help me get to a stage where my next feedback session can be with my target audience who can advise me on whether this suits the genre and whether the actual content fits

Magazine Advert Sketch

Second Edit of Music Video

Changes made:

Improved the timing of the lip synching
Refined the quality of some clips by changing the speed from slowed down to a medium speed
Added some more footage in to break up some longer footage and make it more aesthetically pleasing

I also added in the fist image from the digipak insert as this is a visual motif that I feel represents BlackLivesMatter and shows solidarity between members of the black community and also allies who want to help create equality

Magazine Advertisement Flatplan

Music Video Research

Based on my peer feedback, I wanted to do some research on balaclavas and their meaning.
As a young woman who watches hip-hop and rap music videos, I am used to seeing balaclavas and have a natural understanding of their meaning and purpose.  I wanted to further develop my understanding of them to ensure that this was something I wanted to have in my music video.

This text post is the exact reason I want to have balaclavas in my music video.  "A full on balaclava, the latter of which had one man looking at first glance like a bank robber. (Upon closer inspection, though, he was of course instead the lucky owner of limited-edition hood from MoMa's first fashion exhibition in 73 years)". This man was walking around at New York Fashion Week, (where there are lots of peculiar outfits) yet because he was black and wearing a balaclava, they assumed he must have been a bank robber, yet if you look at Cara Delevigne wearing one during London Fashion Week, I doubt anyone would have thought the same about her.

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https://www.standard.co.uk/fashion/is-the-balaclava-fashions-latest-trend-9024218.html
https://www.wmagazine.com/gallery/new-york-fashion-week-mens-street-style-fall-2018

Digipak Insert Right First Draft

This is my first draft for the right insert of the digipak which is a foldout poster.  I wanted to create something that would allow Jaden's fans to connect with him and this was the best way I could find.
I have written out the message from Jaden in a handwriting font, and have given it a silver colour.

Digipak Right Insert Planning

Digipak right insert planning

For the right insert of the digipak I wanted to have something more personal from Jaden Smith.

As much as I know a lot of his target audience are Black Lives Matter supporters and protestors (given most of them have a black heritage and are likely to have experienced racism at some point in their lives) I also know that this is a promotional package, and a chance for his fans to connect with him in a more personal way.

A sincere message on a poster is the perfect way to do this.

Digipak Insert (Inside Left) Option 2

Digipak Insert (Inside Left) Option 1

Below is my first draft of 2 square sheets of stickers to go into the left insert of the digipak.

After my research on stickers and understanding that my target audience not only likes them but uses them to express themselves, I decided to do both black lives matter stickers, and ones that represent Jaden Smith as an artist.  These are also all themes and images that come up in the music video to create brand identity and fluidity between the promotional package

Digipak First Draft

This is the first draft of my digipak.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out and feel as though it keeps to the house style of my music video and the general theme of the song.  I designed the CD to be quite plain but still interesting to contrast against the background of the buildings.

I have kept the left and right inside panels quite plain too as they will have inserts in both of them.

The left insert will have the booklet of stickers inside, and the right insert will have a fold-up poster inside

Editing Digipak

I wanted to use this photo but didn't want the big 'ellesse' text on the jacket to take away from the text on the digipak so I removed this by using the colour picker and painting on the grey colour over the letters.

Digipak Insert Planning - Visual Motifs

After deciding on having stickers for one of the digipak inserts, I started thinking about visual motifs that I wanted to use.

After uploading something on Issuu, I saw this magazine which inspired me to use the 'fist' symbol.

The phrases 'power of the people' 'London united' and 'paying tribute to the city's resilience in the face of tragedy and terror' all spoke to me in relation to the Black Lives Matter campaign, and I know this is a symbol used often to protest our fight against racial discrimination (as seen below)

I also want to have some stickers with quotes relating to my music video and the theme of racism to keep a link between the products and create a continuous brand identity.

Magazine Advertisement Analyses

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Digipak Insert Research

Recently while attending a hip-hop DJ event in a local bar, I noticed the use of stickers on personal items.  My friend had his laptop covered in fashion and music stickers, and the owners of the bar had covered the bar area in stickers and allowed people to add their own.

This made me think about having stickers relating to my music video and the Black Lives Matter movement in the digipak insert.  I spoke to my friend who was DJ'ing and he loved the idea and told me that he collects them and uses it as a way to express himself.


I wanted to explore all ideas, so I made a mind map online using Popplet which meant I could have it stored online, I can add to it whenever I need to, and can look at it any time I need to easily.
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