Magazine advert - Miss Miller

The main purpose of a magazine album advert is to advertise an artist upcoming album however these forms of advertisements are also able to help promote the artist. This works as it reminds the audience of the artist, often viewing them paired with flattering images of themselves, whilst they're being portrayed in positive ways for others things such as their talent and their dedication towards their fans and their chosen genre with various codes and conventions following it. The concept of actually seeing the artist bringing out a new album straight away suggests to the audience that they are doing well for themselves, so to be in a position where they are able to be producing an album and that they are working hard as they have managed to achieve such a goal to an extent that they are being advertised in a magazine which most readers would redeem to be impressive as having bought the magazine or taken the time to read it suggests that they value it and what it's writers have to say. This also helps to promote the artists music video as this urges the audience to become more inclined towards the audience. Say an audience member was on a site such as YouTube and they saw that the artists music video was on their suggested list they are more likely to watch the video if they have heard of the artist before as this suggests to the audience that the artist is relevant. Had they not heard of the artist they would be less interested as this suggests that she isn't as important.

Here is a copy of my magazine album advert:

I used Photoshop CS6 to create my magazine album advert. I decided to use this software as it was a fairly easy to use format which allowed me to both edited the actual image itself as well as put it into the correct sizing format for a magazine advert as well as adding other images such as the stars and the NME logo to as well as the text. 

Prior to creating my magazine advert a lot of planning was put in place. I researched into magazine adverts for upcoming or newly released albums so to get a general understanding of good ways to advertise albums in magazines. Then I filtered my findings to focusing on magazine album adverts for albums of the soul genre because this would help me to find inspiration for good ways to highlight my artist as being of the soul genre. This is an essential element to advertising the album as it means that the audience are aware of the artists genre therefore members of the soul audience know that the artist is aiming towards them which means the album appear more appealing to them as it seems to be something which they shall be able to relate to and enjoy as it appeals these aspects. I found that two of the adverts I liked the most for soul albums belonged to Adele and Paloma Faith so these were the two which I looked at in the most detail so to gain inspiration and take direction for my own. I really liked the simplistic colour scheme Adele used. It was also good as it was conventional to the soul genre being mainly in black and white suiting to the genre as this applies connotations of going back in time hence suiting the genre as it hasn't developed much since it was born in the 50s/60s. I also really liked well Faith used the element of iconography to highlight herself as being of the soul genre this inspired me to include props etc. which would be significant of the genre when participating in my photo-shoot. Hence I included the microphone in the image for my advert which was beneficial as it meant that the audience were straight away able to pick up on this and note my artist as being someone who is able to perform live and it is suggested that she is able to do so well as this element of her is being highlighted rather than something else rather than her body like artists such as Britney Spears. This follows codes and conventions towards the genre as the audience recognise artists of the soul genre as being better at singing/performing live than artists from other genres who are simply recognised for their ability to dance etc. 

The typography I used for both the title of the album, the artist name and the date or release is all conventional as it appears almost as though it has been hand written, this suggests that the artist has put a lot of care and attention to detail into their work as well as the concept that they are trying to getting closer to their audience. Following codes and conventions towards the genre as soul artists are known for trying to create a connection with their audience on a deeper level than their audience simply viewing them as a God like figure. The concept of the artist trying to gain a sense of closeness with their audience adds to their like-ability factor as this suggests that they are a positive role model as their talent has prevented them from remaining grounded and humble traits which people like to see as they are thought of as creating a nice person. The audience is more likely to buy the artists album is the artist appears to be a nice person whom audience members are able to see themselves getting along with and relating to. Working in juxtaposition to the fact that if audience members view an artist to be fairly nasty and someone they couldn't see themselves getting along well with then they are likely to purchase any of their music as they don't want to be spending money on them and helping them with the success of their career. The artists name is in the largest font as this is what I wanted to really stand out to the audience as they are expected to view the artist more as a product than a human being. Therefore her name acts as a stamp for the product of her album, showing that the album is hers acting as a part of her franchise. It also helps to promote the artist which is important as the audience are less likely to buy the music of an artist who appears to be unsuccessful and unheard of and this would indicate that the artists music isn't that strong. Seeing the artist's name in a larger font size to the rest of the text remains the audience of when they see the names of important people in bold/lights etc. hence this connotes to the audience that the artist is someone who is important building a further hype around her making the audience more interested. The second largest font is the tittle of the album. This was done as this really highlights the actual product to the audience. Hence ensuring they are fully aware of what the advertisement is showing them. This technique also helps the audience to remember both the artist and the release of their new album. Making the audience more likely to purchase it as they feel they have heard more about it as they recognise it which indicates that it must be good. 

Following codes and conventions of the soul genre I chose to keep my advert fairly simplistic. This is conventional towards the genre as soul artists are known as being naturally talented and therefore not needing extras and gimmicks to help them attract the audience in fact these elements are often thought to take away from their performance. Hence I decided to use just one image with a few pieces of text so not to distract from the artist and her actual music; keeping the focus on her work rather than her as a person. This is important as it signifies to the audience that for the artist the actual music she is creating is more important to her than promoting herself and trying to achieve fame. Conveying to the audience that the artists work is of a good standard as this illustrates how much effort has gone into her music and how dedicated she is to it as she clearly really cares about it's quality. 

Through the use of Photoshop CS6 I was able to copy a image of five white stars and an image of the NME logo and put them on my magazine advert so that it appeared the artists album had received a five star rating from the well respected magazine. I was able to do so saving the images from the internet onto my desktop and dragging them onto the open tab on photoshop. From here I had to open up a new row for each image. This was important as this means that I was able to save the images onto my advert and then in there section I would be able to keep track of any extra editing which was being done to them and alter this editing as accordingly within this section; for instance both the NME logo and the image of the stars had backgrounds which came with the images which I wanted to remove as otherwise keeping these backgrounds would have distracted from the main image and looked unprofessional as it would have become more apparent that these images had been taken from the internet. At first this seem to be a rather difficult task as it meant that I having to remove the excess image around the parts of the images I wanted to keep free hand using the mouse which meant I was rather staggered which showed with this leaving a staggered effect outlining what I wanted to keep. In attempts to go other this and fix it I found that I had taken to much of the image away and left them looking slim than I had hope hence I found myself starting the entire process again. Until I discovered a special tool called 'magic eraser' which was able to remove the excess image for me without effecting the parts of the image I wanted to keep.  I chose this magazine purposefully as having an actual music magazine rate the album rather than any tabloid magazine such as Heat or Closer appears more professional as being an actual music magazine it obtains a better understanding of the industry and is therefore more well equipped to comment than other magazines. Although they are many music magazines I could have chose from for instance Rolling Stones etc. I opted for NME I like the reputation the magazine has; despite the fact that it the magazine doesn't always stick to or follow alongside with the mainstream it is still a popular magazine which is well liked via the audience. Hence having a such a strong review from such a well renown magazine encourages the audience to go out a buy the album as they value the magazines rating.  

I cropped and place the image on the advert in a way that the iconography of the microphone would not only be in the image would it would also be a big part of it. I also placed the text and images used within my advert around the microphone for the same reason. I wanted this key piece of iconography to stand out as this represents to the audience the artists love for music. It also comforts the audience that the artist really is someone who is all about the music as she could have been doing anything in the image or represented herself in any way but she chose to capture herself performing showcasing just how important her dedication to music is to her. This is important for the audience particularly members of the soul audience as their genre is less conventional towards the mainstream hence they are thought to take more pride into the genres values and therefore are thought to be more protective of them. Thus if they felt that an artist wasn't living up to the standards expected of the genre they would likely find a lack of respect for them as an artist. Thus it is important to reassure the audience that the artist really does belong to the genre right away this helps to get the audience on side and ensures that the artist is taken seriously as a member of the soul genre. This is also a conventional element towards the genre as soul artists are thought to be much more focused on their music rather than anything else where as artists of other genres are known for allowing other factors of their representation to sometimes take away from the actual factor of their music something which the soul genre wouldn't particularly like as they are use to artists following codes and conventions towards the genre. Hence I decided to focus the artists representation solely around her admiration for the soul genre. 

I also added a list of a few of the songs featured on the album.I done this so to help the audience put a name and a face to some of the artists well known songs which they may have heard on the radio. This helps them to view the artist as relevant as they have heard of her before which makes them more interested in her had they not found anything  on the advert which they recongised they would likely not be interested in the artist as they would have thought to they would have heard of her if she was good and therefore become disinterested. I made sure I included the song which my music video is for (In My Bed) so to encourage the audience to keep both the song and the music video in their minds keeping the idea of the artist being relevant. 

I used fairly simplistic language throughout my advert as it is only an advert. If it was to appear overly wordy then audience members would likely simply turn over the page just viewing it as a boring advert and not bother with it. I kept the writing short for the same reasons and to apply the same effect. Often when writing is short the audience can't help but read because as soon as their eyes register the writing they automatically read it as their isn't much to take in. This is most beneficial as it means that the information is already in the audience minds, again keeping with the concept of keeping the artist fresh in the audiences mind and therefore relevant, preventing the audience from feeling as though they have had this information forced upon them or that the artist has overly advertised herself. This is something to avoid as if the audience feel as though they are seeing too much of the artist promoting herself this can become quite annoying as they feel they've heard too much for this side to her or it may even appear that all the artist really cares about are her sales. This would be a very negative portrayal as she would appear to only be in the industry for the money and fame which would not only apply negative connotations to her but also to her music as it suggests that the quality of it is poor. Because it is often considered that people who are desperate to become famous don't have much talent. 

For the image filling my magazine advert I used a close up of the artist. I done this so to encourage the audience to form a bond with the artist as they feel closer to her as she is physically closer to the lenses and isn't shying away from the camera or trying to hide herself. Which represents that she wants to become closer to her audience and that she isn't hiding anything from them but simply letting her true self run through hoping that this shall be able to benefit them. In doing so the artist is able to show a side to herself which is not only relateable to the audience but also something which they find remarkable about her. Also aspects encouraging the audience to purchase the artists able as they look up to her as a positive role model due to the admiration coursed by her actions. 

At first I found using Photoshop CS6 rather difficult. It was completely different to anything I'd used before or any other forms of photoshop I'd come across before when I studied photography. This meant that it completely through me at first as it all felt rather alien. However once I got into the swing of it it was all alright. Whereas before I had only worked on formats which were created simply to photoshop and not all of the added extras which would then turn my image into an advert I was unfamiliar with them and didn't know what tool and what icon and what they all did. This simply lead to a matter of trial and improvement until I had worked my way around the format and knew what I wanted to create. For instance there was a time when I was trying to change the colour of my front to white from black but it kept changing to yellow even though I had changed the colour settings however I didn't realise that I needed to activate this action at first.

Using this software I was able to apply all elements I wanted to include so to make my image appear as a professional magazine advert whilst allowing my to position it all in the correct places so I am happy with it and feel that it effectively meets it's job critic.

I enjoyed changing the tones for my image and felt this worked fell as it provided more of a finished touch. However I didn't want to over do it as this could lead to my image appearing overly edited which would take away from the persona the artist is trying to create. As artists of the soul genre are thought to put more effort into their work the idea of them putting this much effort into their appearance away from the conventional theme of women's fashion apparent when the genre was born is rather subversive as you would expect to see them putting more effort into their musical abilities.

I've generally stuck to the plan for my advert however I did use a different styled image as I felt this appeared to be a more personal image which helps to convey themes of the soul genre as it demonstrates codes and conventions towards it. Both through the element of the artist trying to be relate-able and connect with her audience as well as the fact that this style of shot highlights the artists chosen style of make up suiting her to the genre.

My advert appeals to my target audience as I have applied various different codes and conventions towards the soul genre so to entice them. For instance the representation of the artist is very suiting towards the genre of soul. As the artist adopts the style of a typical woman living in the 50s /60s which is to be expected from the genre as the soul genre was born throughout these periods. Periods of which the genre hasn't developed much from as the fans of the genre are so inclined towards the classic themes and vibes of the genre. Henceforth connotations towards these times applied throughout the artists work are conventional towards the genre and therefore able to interest the audience as they are recogniseable elements to their chosen genre. The artists's representation is able to shape the artist is such a way uses of Mise en scene including hair and make up are demonstrated within the image which are suiting to that of the period, for instance the artist is showcased wearing her hair in a rather big do, this is conventional as it was fashionable for women throughout these times to wear big hair dos. These codes and conventions highlight the artists genre to the audience and prove that the artist really is of said genre as she understands what it is made up of and how to suit it. Showing the audience that the artist really is of the soul genre and she isn't just something pretending to be so to earn money as a performer. This would course audience members to take a dislike to the artist and feel as though her music wasn't of a high enough standard as in their eyes she wouldn't be seen as a true performer certainly not of the soul genre. Another way in which the image is conventional and therefore encourages the audience of the soul genre to listen to the artist is that the image has been filtered in black and white. Being a conventional element towards the genre as it reminds the audience of times before colour filming hence providing an element of going back in time which the genre is known for doing as it still relates to and revolves around themes which were first developed when the genre was first created. NME was a good magazine choice for this genre in-particular being that soul is a genre fairly away from the mainstream meaning that it's audience are considered to be much more picky than audience members of other genres suggesting that they would follow this up which considering who to actually take note of when hearing musical critics. Audience members are much more likely to respect the fact the artist has praise from NME  than most other magazines as not only does the magazine base itself around the music industry but it is also known for having some of the best journalists with a reputation that many music journalists want to write for the magazine hence suggesting to the audience that to receive such praise from the magazine the artist must be doing well.

Creating a magazine advert to promote the artists album is beneficial as like I've said before it keeps the artist fresh in the audiences minds and therefore keeping her appear relevant. A magazine is a good form of advertisement as mixing this different media forms together means that the advert is more likely to go to people who are interested in the music industry as they are already entertaining themselves with one form of media. Being a form of media which often refers to various others such as TV and film. Suggesting that the reader is likely to be interested in the multi-media therefore this is a good place for the artist to advertise.

After listening to/reviewing my feedback I decided that to apply the constructive comments to my advert so to improve it:

One of the most notable changes I made was to the lightness of the advert which I made by taking away the black and white filter as well as altering the brightness by turning it down on the brightness bar. I did the same with the saturation and the sharpness this meant that the image felt a lot harsher which was beneficial as this meant that it provided a more welcoming feeling so the audience felt  more welcomed by the artist. I also used the clone tool so to remove the lined box around the NME logo as I cloned a sector of the brick wall and went over the line with it so to sink it in with the background so to look more professional.