statement of intent

 

NEA pitch slides

 

NEA initial thoughts

 

INITIAL IDEAS:

16-25 'style conscious'- take inspiration from iconic fashion magazines such as Vogue or GQ as these are well known by the age range due to their global reach. More recently I feel their magazines have been getting a lot more plain. social media is reviving the 2000s look, with old trends such as low rise clothing coming back to life. I want to capitalise on this and theme my magazine around this era, making my cover more lively than the modern ones seen today. this will help me attract my audience as it will be something different from the plain covers usually seen today.

‘Middle and up market’- able to promote more expensive products. Audience will be literate and well educated, include intertextual references to keep audience satisfied. 

The age range will have a strong social media presence, my magazine should include promotion of Instagram/TikTok accounts for my brand so my audience is more engaged and interactive. 

Double page spread- discuss any fashion events or trends, could include celebrity drama for the younger audience.  

Typically, these magazines will feature a celebrity on the cover, while I cannot replicate this, I can use the same techniques such as direct address as well as angles and lighting to make my magazine feel as upscale as possible. My model should also wear similar, expressive clothes.  

NEA generic research

 

PAST STUDENT WORK INSPO 

This magazine has a striking and engaging colour scheme. The models have matched their outfits to the palette on the front cover and content page, this creates a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing page that draws in consumers. I want to create a similar, uniform magazine to make my work look as high end as possible. The contents also fit well with the music theme of this magazine, making it appear very authentic. The male models outfit is one which I believe I can follow, the baggy, oversized attire was trending back in the noughties.

These two front covers both use their model as the focal point in their photo, the use of direct address also draws further attention. The colour palette of both is matched to the background and text on the magazine. this makes the covers look more aesthetically pleasing and high end. The contents page for the second magazine continues the green and white colour scheme, making it look more seamless when reading. I will incorporate this type of design into my own magazine to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

NEA audience research

Audience Profile

16–25-year-old middle and up market audience of style conscious people.

 Class demographic: I have chosen the AB-ABC1 class demographic to fit with the middle to upper market with quite a diverse age range. This means my audience will be up to date on current affairs and will be interested in the latest fashion trends. I can also include more intellectual elements into my magazine, as it will align with their cultural competency, satisfying my audience.  

Hobbies: my audience will have an interest in style and fashion as well as being up to date with the latest brands. By having an awareness of any trends, I can draw in my target audience by focussing on these, making them more likely to read my magazine as it will reflect the zeitgeist. My audience will have a keen online presence, I can use other social medias to engage my audience and further promote my work.  

Age: with my audience being 16-25, there is a range of different potential interests. Teenagers are typically still exploring their fashion preferences, while young adults are more likely to have refined their style, and many are looking for ways to express their evolving personality.  

Gender: the target audience will be both females and males, though women may represent a slightly higher proportion of the market, the male segment is growing rapidly in terms of premium fashion consumption, this allows me to target both genders and widen my potential target audience.  

PRIMARY AUDIENCE

SUBJECT 1:

SUBJECT 2:

SECONDARY AUDIENCE

SUBJECT 3:

the big issue infographic

 

media magazine super curricular: pussy riots

 The art of protest: Pussy Riots 

Pussy riot is a Moscow based feminist punk rock protest group founded in 2011 who stage guerrilla performances in unusual public locations which are then edited and turned into music videos which are then posted on the internet. Despite being based in Russia, their views are spread round the world. The group says: “anyone can be Pussy Riot, you just need to put on a mask and stage an active protest of something in your particular country, wherever you may be, that you consider unjust.”  

The article discusses the role they play as punk protesters against capitalism and authoritarianism. An example of their work is their use of protest art which challenged authority, with artists including Rage Against the Machine and other historical protest art such as Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ (1937). Rage Against the Machine are notorious for their politicized lyrics, performances, and CD cover art. They tend to be defined by two key stunts. Firstly, a protest against capitalism that took place on the steps of the Wall Street Stock Exchange in 2006 which resulted in a temporary close in the money market. Secondly, they led a hugely successful attempt in 2009, orchestrated through Facebook, to stop Simon Cowell’s X factor reaching number 1 in the Christmas charts for the fifth year in a row. The campaign asked its million supporters to buy Rage’s classic tune ‘Killing in the name of’ powering it to the top of the charts.  

Pussy Riot is responsible for infamous high-profile protests, such as the performance in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (2012), protesting Putin’s re-election and the relationship between the church and state in Russia. Five female Pussy Riot members entered the cathedral dressed in their signature colourful balaclavas as they approached the male-only alter and began their punk performance of the song ‘Punk Prayer: Virgin Mary, Put Putin Away’. The performance was halted as in less than a minute they were evicted from the building, however, the video they uploaded had millions of views. Their use of the media has helped their message reach and impact a vast audience of people, spreading their message globally. 

 Finally, the Pussy Riots explore the commodification of protest art, pointing out how revolutionary symbols and movements can be commercialized.  Commodification is the process by which capitalist hegemony is preserved; the radical energy and message of the artist and their work is undermined by turning both into something to be consumed and sold in the market place for profit. The article also touches on global movements like occupy wall street, highlighting the spread of protest culture and its presence in mainstream narratives, sometimes diluting their original purpose.  

Overall, the article shows the role of art, politics and protest interaction in modern society.