Contents

With a view to continuing the colour scheme and visual impression of the cover, I gave my contents page a pale grey under layer to start to ease away from the black and white effect that I used on my cover image. Although not a striking shade, I felt that a bright colour would be too different from the simplistic effects exploited on my cover. Considering that the contents page should be an extension of the cover, I needed the transition to look similar rather than distinct.

My first approach was going to be to use the photos of my granddad for the main image on the page, but after doing a trial run of this, I found that the images did not have a good definition to be enlarged as the visual focus of the page. 

Instead, this is my alternative, a photo that isn't overwhelming but starts to introduce the colour onto the page. This was another of my farm photographs that strongly connotes rurality. I haven't referred to Jax's rustic lifestyle on the front cover, and since the magazine will progress chronologically, this will act as the first introduction to his agricultural background. As a result it foreshadows the secondary topical focus of the article regarding his upbringing and heritage. 

The position of the photo on the page is a deliberate attempt to mimic that of my flat plans, with the features taking precedence on the left and the subheadings; reviews, new releases and festival updates following underneath.

I continued by outlining where each section would go before I aligned the text in the available space. This was a sensible step that allowed me to organise the page in a basic layout before I added the detail. The masthead was carried over in a smaller scale to reinstate the importance of the institution (all magazine companies do this) by showing ownership of the product.  I added the 'contents' title in a bold and identifiable font, whilst 'features' was given less prominence. 

The next thing to do was drag over the dateline from my front cover onto the contents page. Like the masthead signifying possession, this is done to establish recency and current relevance. The completed digital structure is outlined in the format above. The bottom half of the page will be dedicated to 3 main areas as covered in my flat plans. The smaller box positioned directly under the image will be the stand out feature which, in this case, is Jax Crowford. The text will be in a larger font here to demonstrate his priority in this issue of the magazine.

I proceeded by editing the top half of my contents page, mainly focused on the features. Taking inspiration from the conventions employed by most magazines, I decided to write the page number, headline and topic sentence in unique colours to give them an obvious association across the page. I gave the page numbers the identical blue colour used on the masthead and the page numbers on the double-page spread. The black used as the headings  stood out in contrast to the lighter colours on the page. If anything, I wanted the reader to notice who the features were about. Consequently if they then showed interest, they would move onto the summary sentence, indicated in white. Contents pages are all about simplicity, so I wanted the layout and colour to be as basic but impactful as possible.

To promote the primary feature of that issue, I used a dark blue border to distinguish it from the other articles. The thin blue rectangle extending from the features section determines whereabouts in the chronology of the layout Jax Crowford's story would go. The three topics that acted as cover lines on the front cover: Jax Crowford, Carrie Underwood and The White Buffalo are also mentioned in this section to express continuity. 

Since I am intending for my audience to be on a national scale I needed some British artists to reference in this list. 'The Shires' are a duo with an intriguing origin, which provides an alternate attraction since it encourages local country enthusiasts. Meanwhile, the features 'Daniel Myers' and 'Ken Ashton' are fictional creations that I developed to serve as other British country icons, so I make some reference towards their heritage in the description. The final two features are Tim McGraw (an acclaimed American country artists) and 'The Hitchhikers', another band that I fictionalised. 

Since the features are expected to be the biggest attraction on the magazine's contents, I used topics like releasing new albums and returning to music after decades of retirement in order to give the subjects some degree of unique importance and justify their presence as feature stories. 

The bottom half of the page tested my creativity, not in terms of visual attraction, but in terms of content. I needed a long list of plausible examples under each category. Starting with the 'Reviews' section, the only reference to real events is the 'New Years Rockin' Eve'  heading which is part of the reason Carrie Underwood is a feature in this issue. This establishes a connection and gives the overall magazine a sense of real time since different features collaborate and happened in the near past. 

Other things on that list all consist of fictional albums released by fictional artists. Despite this I wanted to create variation and a sense of humanity in each of the artists, so I used references to Shakespeare, age and personal loss to humanise my fiction in order to evoke empathy and realism. For example the subheading 'Blackbird' is an album released in memory of the artist's late wife, which inspires sympathy and remembrance. 

Of course since this is the review section, I needed to adopt a critical tone in the summaries to tease the reader's interpretation of whether the review will be positive or negative. An example is in the phrase 'slow but memorable' which doesn't provide an in depth examination, rather a brief summary that reflects the magazine's critical viewpoint.  'Review' is written in a black font to separate it from the features (written in white), because I wanted to imply that the features were more significant than the sub-divisions towards the bottom.

I countered the demand for lots of examples by including a secondary image to support the visual promotion. This was an opportunity for me to make use out of the photos of my granddad, since I could use him as an aesthetic supplement to one of my stories. The New Releases subdivision allowed me to explore the theme of aged stereotypes, with my granddad serving as an artist who was outdated and retired. His title (indicated in the blue colour to isolate it) is followed with a description that establishes the surprise in his comeback. 'Growing old gracefully is not on the table for Ashley Johnson' connotes surprise and scepticism. 

As well as new albums, I created variety by referring to hit singles.

The final section, Festival Updates, was slightly more difficult. There are not many solely country festivals across the UK, and so I raised this issue in one of my page headings. I created a festival called 'Strum' which was going to be a combination of country, blues and rock music. Adding that in 2016 'country has been selected as the dominant genre' establishes that country music is being given superiority. 

As well as this, I thought that an insightful update could be from the perspective of a festival organiser, hence 'Graham Liston' as an experienced showrunner for large concert projects. 

In terms of layout, one thing that should be recognised is the close similarities to my flatplans. Instead of just a segregated, columnised list, the sections follow on in a progressive format. I did this because if I had a column for each section, I would need to find an equal number of examples to contribute to each column, which appears too unrealistic and structured. 

From the font I wanted to capture two main factors. Firstly, it needed to have a definitive clarity, so that it was penetrating to look at but also easy to interpret. Secondly, it needed to uphold a level of formality that didn't undermine the tone of my magazine but also didn't overpower the audience with broadsheet-style sophistication. 

So, this is a draft of my finished design. The reason I say draft is because I am not entirely convinced that it adopts the right layout, and there are some modifications to the content that I would like to make before I submit my final product. 

Due to this, the above contents page is only a temporary design that is likely to be subject to change. 

Front Cover Part 2

I felt like I still had too much space on my front cover left unoccupied, and so I added an additional cover line. This time I wanted to use an artist who was popular in the industrial fame of country music, since my focus has been wholly rural up to now. Carrie Underwood is a very suitable subject. Using a female balances the gender focus and gives the magazine more of a youthful appeal.  It contrasts The White Buffalo by offering both young and older artists, thus adhering to the broad audience I wanted to draw. She is a famous artist in country music. Her cover line is:

 'Performing in Times Square for New Year's Rockin' Eve' 

This carries an underlying sense of omniscience in the magazine's place on the market. Doing a feature on an event that occurred in America shows that it's reach is on an international level. Although my audience is national, the fact that we are bringing them information from foreign events presents the magazine as a reliable establishment. Furthermore the event took place in the past, and so I have presented a broad time frame across the magazine cover. Jax Crowford's upcoming album is in the future and Carrie Underwood's gig was in the past, reinforcing the magazine's ability to include content that is relevant to future issues but also mentioning events taking place in between issues.  

The final cover line offers generic, extra information that summarises the overall content within. The 'Plus' makes it seem as though the reader is getting more than they paid for, whilst 'much more' exaggerates the idea of having too much to choose from. 

A barcode is a marketing convention included for the benefit of retailers. I placed it at the bottom corner to isolate it and ensure that it doesn't impose on the image. Meanwhile, along the very bottom of the front cover I have included an extra tagline. It reads 'visit us online at www.outlawrhapsody.co.uk for more updates.' Just like how I promoted multimedia platforms but placing the web address on my double-page spread, this will introduce the reader towards a digital medium. 'For more updates' implies that there is too much content to compact into one issue and so the website acts as a supplement to each magazine issue. This promotes the modernisation of news by appealing to audiences with digital access. I used the same colour swatch as my masthead and page numbers to create a link that enforces blue as the main colour scheme. 

I readjusted the central alignment of the above cover line in order to show continuation in structure down the page. My initial decision to use a central alignment was encouraged through the text itself. It was more of an addition rather than it's own cover line, so I wanted to visually demonstrate how it was only offering additional information so that it wasn't mistaken for a feature. 

However I found that a better way to do this was to use hyphens to act as bullet points, thus presenting the extra content in a list format. This way the information is short and snappy. 

This is my first possible front cover, but I don't think I will use it. Although I like the mise en scene and image, I think that my face is poorly lit and consequently doesn't impose enough on the audience.  An additional dilemma was that the bad lighting forced me to use brighter shades of colour in order to make them legible and impactful, which started to impose on the effectiveness of the masthead. 

By process of elimination this is my completed front cover, and the one that will be used as my finished design. I think that each individual cover line stands out as it's own story, whilst the linked blue colour scheme is emphasised as the magazine's own unique style. 

The image itself has a lighter shade and places the subject in a pale spotlight, enhancing my prominence in the foreground of the photo.

Front Cover Part 1

Having already selected a font for my masthead, I used the image sizing tool to edit the dimensions until it resembled a magazine cover. My final measurements are width: 2448  and height: 3264. 

 I was conflicted with choice as to which image should be used on the cover. From my shortlist I have imported two photos into separate files, and what I intend to do is apply the same features on each and eventually come to a decision regarding which looks more extravagant. Both shots are largely dependent on the mise en scene of nature, but the second image has connotations of farm life through the chopped wood. I have written 'Jax Crowford' in the matura font (my second choice for the font of the masthead) which will serve as my main cover line. 

In order to give the text a bolder impact, I put a black and white layer over the photos to capture an old-fashioned style. I was also debating the choice of colour on my masthead. Although the orange held stronger implications of rurality, it had restrictions in that it appeared tatty and too western. On the other hand the blue offered a modern twist on the retro style evoked from the black and white shade. I decided the specific shade of blue by adding the colour swatch from the the page numbers and quote on the double-page spread. This way, I was creating continuity. 

The black and white layer was not a permanent fixture. This is why I have print screened the updates both with the added layer and without, just to act as a comparison. In this instance, although the colour is a strong indication towards nature and rurality, I feel like the black and white gives the subject more prominence. For example, the lighter shading across my face contrasts the darker grey background, making Jax stand out in the foreground. The result is that the photo is given depth. 

I have also started constructing the cover lines. The font that I have written 'Jax Crowford' in is the same that I used to write the heading of the  double-page spread, further establishing a link that will be identifiable as the magazine progresses. Adding 'The Fire Rises' as an opening statement hyperbolises the success of the subject. I chose a red colour in order to create the imagery of a fire, and the words themselves offer another effective continuation of the extended metaphor regarding 'Ashes to Embers' and the 'burning out' mentioned on the double-page spread. Since the cover is the first thing that will be read, 'The Fire Rises' is a simple but strong introduction to the idea of fire as a metaphoric symbol that I reference in the article and heading. It's typography is different to the one I used for 'Jax Crowford' because it needs to distinguish itself. 

'Talks about upcoming album Charming Shores' gives the cover line recency and relevance. 'Upcoming' emphasises that the album is yet to be released, so it suggests that the article offers a tease and reflection on what to expect. 

These two print screens are of the different photos to act as a comparison when the same features are applied. It should be noted that I have added the statistical conventions like dateline, issue number and price tag along the top. 'January 24th 2016', 'Issue 48' and '£3.99' are the figures that I have allocated. The most relevant is the price; I had compared it with other magazines to establish an appropriate sum. Some magazine included special editions which included a CD and so the prices were around £5.50-£6.50 but otherwise anywhere between £3-£5 seemed like a common cost. I therefore decided to put the price at £3.99 so that it didn't appear cheap but also not too dear. I didn't round the figure to £4 either because the .99 is a common marketing strategy employed because it creates the psychological impression of reduced value. Research states that customers analyse the first digit with more focus. The link below is a BBC topic that refers to why '.99' is a more appealing value. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7522426.stm 

On my front cover I have placed these values in bland colours; black and white have been used because it makes them less identifiable at first glance. Publishers want the customer to be engrossed in the content before they weigh up the worth with the price.

My selling line is 'The Uk's Biggest Country Music Magazine.' Using superlatives is a common linguistic feature of magazine grammar, 'biggest', 'best' and 'most' all express an idea of surpassing competition. Also, it cannot be compared because it doesn't state in what way the magazine is 'biggest', so it allows the reader to simply interpret it as the most popular, even if it isn't true.

The main addition here is another cover line. Obviously the subject needed to be well known, and so I researched other artists that I could include. My first choice was 'The White Buffalo' because I knew from a fan's perspective a lot about his work. Although not the most famous figure in country music, his credited work is ambitious and differentiates from the normal focus of country artists. The line I used to reference him is:

'On covering Bohemian Rhapsody, scoring Sons of Anarchy and why he's just getting started'

Having covered Bohemian Rhapsody, one of the most well-known and acclaimed songs of all time, it demonstrates the artist's vocal and acoustic talent. This is also a reference to another genre, since Queen were the band who originally sung it. Although the focus of my magazine is on country music, it could attract audiences who are less familiar with country and more familiar with rock. 'Scoring Sons of Anarchy' is another achievement for the artist. He recorded and covered many songs for the hit series and so mentioning this establishes the artist as flexible in his line of work, especially since he is branching out onto other forms of media such as television. Finishing with 'why he's just getting started' foreshadows a positive and ambitious tone to be continued in the article itself. 

In terms of font, I use the matura typography because I had yet to include it on my cover. 

Double Page Spread Part 2

 After I made the decision to replace the image I was using, the first thing I continued with was rescaling the secondary image in the bottom corner. As shown in the print screen above, the photo was slightly too large and so I used the image sizing to manipulate the dimensions in order to correlate the width with the width of the article columns. 

As well as this I added page numbers into the corners of each individual page. I knew that the colour scheme I used for the numerics would need to synchronise with the overall colour scheme of the magazine in order to demonstrate continuity, and so I left the dark blue as a temporary shade. The numbers themselves (14 and 15) were chosen because the main topic of the issue is usually placed somewhere towards the middle of the magazine, so I wanted a number that wasn't immediate but not too embedded in the magazine. 

I had already written the article with the understanding beforehand that I would need to embed a quote of significant meaning and purpose to highlight in bold somewhere on the page. As I wrote in one of my previous posts, I was torn between two particular quotations:

• 'Once you've been comfortable in your own shadow for so long the spotlight can be too much' 
• 'I've got to make the most of the sun now that I'm out of the shade' 

The quote in the print screen above is a version of the first bullet point. I picked it because it has denotations that relate to struggle and link with hardship. It challenges the glamour of the industry which would make the reader engage with this artist since it implies that he doesn't conform to the supposed stereotypes of modern artists.  As you can see the print screen version is different to the one I wrote. I was experimenting with the way that it reads because I knew that it needed to be a concise but easy to understand statement. This is why I altered it back to my original draft, since it wasn't as long-winded. 

Although it is hard to see at a first glance, the smallprint in the top corner adheres to a common convention in most magazines. I have referenced the web address that my music magazine would use, 'www.outlawrhapsody.com'  because this tempts the reader towards more content as well as promotes the multimodal platforms of the company. Minor details, such as '.co.uk' in place of '.com' have been modified in my finished design since my magazine is for British audiences. 

The next step was to include another formulaic convention. On most magazine articles, there is a caption that offers some contextual insight into what the images show. Since I have used two, I used the basic guidelines of 'main' and 'below left' to identity which shots I am referring to. For the main image, I stated: 

• Jax shooting the music video for 'The Ship has Sailed'

The Ship has Sailed is obviously referring to the title of a song in his new album. I selected it because it has melancholy connotations of loneliness but also because there is a traditional vessel on the horizon in the photo (very hard to spot) which offers a connection with the image. 

My description of the secondary image is as follows:

• Jax on his family ranch aged 17, with what has now become his trademark guitar

For the readers who are curious about the context of the photo, this offers knowledge into the artist's background which is essentially his personal life. Consequently they will gain satisfaction from knowing that his guitar is depicted as a part of him, reinforcing the theme of companionship that I wanted to imply. As can be noticed, both the image captions and website reference are in a simple font and colour so as to not distract too much from the subject. 

My vision at this point centralised on layout. I felt like compacting the article onto one half of the page wasn't ambitious enough in terms of visual presentation. I decided to attempt a format that situated the text around the borders. I had to use a blank canvas in the backdrop because the lighting was too dim for the text to stand alone, hence the white boxes. As you can probably see I didn't end up following through with this plan, for several reasons. Firstly, it obscured the image to a point where it seemed incomplete and fractured. Secondly, the boxes I used to give the text prominence gave the overall layout too much structure and as a result I felt like I had lost the natural impression that I wanted to evoke. And finally it lost the sense of conciseness because the text had expanded over both pages and was taking up too much room, creating an uneven ratio from text to picture. 

Reverting back to my established layout, I started to focus on minor details since I had pretty much finished altering the positional phase of each feature. I changed the colour of my quotation from white to a sea blue. This gave it more significance in how the variations of the blue colour across the double page seemed to connect visually, establishing a synchronous effect. 

In continuation of this, I adapted the page numbers to a similar lighter blue in order to stand out and match the quote located directly above it. Another small modification I made was making the quote more concise for readers at a first glance. I simply replaced 'start to get' to 'be'. 

I had almost forgotten to finish copying out the article, but with the layout finally definite, I copied the last of my draft onto the page so that it aligned with the first column. I gave the standfirst a darker blue colour to differentiate it from the quote but also to appear bold in the pale background. 

At the end of most magazine articles, there is often a summative sentence or paragraph highlighting the promotional facts mentioned throughout. This is done mainly for the audience's benefit so that they don't have to reread what was stated in the article. Fortunately it outlines these facts in a different typography to clearly identify them. 

Within my own article, I refer to Jax's UK tour and the upcoming release of his new album Charming Shores, so I remind the reader of both of these at the conclusion of the article. 

The reason it is written in a unique font and colour is that it's significance to the magazine is very limited, it is simply promoting the artist and their work, so I want to express this. 

The finishing touch was a headline. In my early designs I had used 'Jax Crowford' as a basic draft to occupy the space where the headline would potentially be located. In replacement of that, I needed a title that offered a witty but engaging tease into the article that fans of the artist would be able to interpret. I used the reference 'Ashes to Embers' because in the fictional history of my artist I said how Ashes to Embers was the name of his debut album that metaphorically symbolises his growth in fame and talent. It serves the same purpose here, but by adding the rhetorical question 'is the fire still burning?' it turns into an extended metaphor that establishes a sense of danger and urgency revolving around his career. 

The font is bold and the colour correlates with the standfirst. A last possible alteration was to use a drop capital to signify the start of the article, but I thought that is was apparent enough through the difference in colour. 

This is the finished draft of my double-page spread. I am very happy with how each feature has contributed to the overall structure in order to create an organised layout and an engaging visual style. At a later point I may add some subheadings into the article to segregate the large volume of texts, but it may lose the sophisticated formality, so we'll see. 

Double-Paged Spread Part 1

My approach towards the double-page spread had the intention of using one photograph to serve as the main image that would fill both pages. This gives the reader a sense of spaciousness and visual pleasure as they take in the written content. With that in mind I needed a photo that was striking but also relatively empty in terms of mise en scene so that the text could be positioned around the subject without being imposed on by the surrounding composition. My first choice of photo is the one below. This mid-shot frames me in a central position which makes the rest of the frame open enough to place text around the subject. 

Firstly I started by copying part of the article onto the page in order to gain an awareness of where I will distribute the text. The benefit of having a photo where the subject is centralised is that you can divide the text into smaller sections. Consequently this will make the feature seem less overpowering and a more accomplishable read. Furthermore it would create consistency over both pages rather than segregating the photo and article to different sides. 

At this point I wanted to come up with a way of arranging the opening to my article. I gave the standfirst a bold highlight and also added a temporary title that just stated my artist's alias. The font of the headline is as you'll notice, relatively slim. For the moment I think that it compliments the tranquility of the photograph, but once my finished product is nearer completion I might need to adapt it to assert it's presence in a more visual form. 

With the need to include at least 4 photos, I thought that I include an image on a smaller scale to offer additional insight into a subverted topic mentioned in the article. Since the main image is of the beach (referring to the new album Charming Shores) I concluded that it would be beneficial to incorporate a shot from the farm to act as a flashback relevant to the artist's progression. 

In terms of its placement, I thought that it needed to be positioned somewhere that was unintrusive to the composition of the overall double page. This would mean forming the text over two columns to fit the image in the bottom corner. After I had done this, I encountered a problem; I was leaving too much space on the right hand side of the subject. 

I scanned through my article and couldn't find a suitable point to divide it into different sections because each paragraph had a sense of incompletion when separated from the whole text. Therefore my plan to distribute smaller chunks of writing around the artist wasn't working entirely to plan. 

Upon reflection I decided that if the subject was being centralised, he at least needed to have body language and expressions that conveyed significance, which in this particular photograph, I didn't. As a result I chose to find a new picture from my shortlist that either confronted this problem or offered an alternative to this particular layout style. 

Instead of an image that keeps the subject in the centre of the frame I opted for a close up that placed their significance on one side of the page. This way the writing can be placed on the left. Rather than this resembling a layout where the picture is compacted onto one page and  the text on an alternate page, I will place the text in the foreground of the picture so that it doesn't resemble two separate pages. 

The Article

Over the last couple of days I have been working on my article in order to imitate the tone and consistency of a magazine. Bearing in mind that I need a headline and a standfirst in addition to the article, I have edited and drafted my work to come up with something that I think suits my goal. I am going to wait a little longer to come up with an engaging and bold heading, but below is my standfirst, which acts as an introductory paragraph to the overall article. 

When Jax Crowford first released ‘Embers’ in 2013, no one knew his name. Now, with sales of over 200 million dollars worldwide he is the leading light in country music. While touring the UK,  the acclaimed singer sits down with us to talk about his simple upbringing and the inspiration behind his next album, Charming Shores.

This was the section that I rewrote the most, because it needs to establish the content and maintain the interest first presented by the headline. I think that this works because I include lots of basic facts as well as some additional comments indicating success. Phrases like 'the leading light' and 'the acclaimed singer' contribute to this idea of respect not only in money but in character. Furthermore I also create the sense that the artist has been on a journey; 'in 2013, no one knew his name' acts as an introduction to how his fame has only been recent. 

Jax Crowford seems very unaffected by his fame. ‘This is great’ he states bluntly as he meets our interviewer in a five star hotel in London. He reveals that he normally chooses his accommodation in the form of a self-catering villa or cabin to try and keep up his independence, since he has hailed from a family of ranchers.  ‘My father was a rancher, my grandfather was a rancher...hell, we’ve probably descended from the first settlers,’ he laughs. 

I had contemplated writing my article in the form of a question/answer layout, as if it was the transcript of an interview. However I thought that it would look more professional by transforming an interview into a full article by embedding selected quotes within. 

The first paragraph of the article starts with a declarative statement: 'very unaffected by his fame' establishes modesty. I wanted to create a sense of character as well as background as early as possible. Using the word 'rancher' in place of 'farmer' is a deliberate attempt at mimicking dialect, since my artist is from Texas.  By talking about how both his 'father' and 'grandfather' were ranchers the audience can already start to derive connotations of a long-term history in the traditional ranching profession. 

Although its very common for country artists to have rural origins,  none have emerged as young as Crowford. At just 23, his global recognition is a sensational feat.  ‘It just sort of happened, you know’ he says modestly. In the space of two nights, his song ‘Embers’ rocketed from 100 000 to  over 5 million views on Youtube. ‘I had to reload the page’ he recalls, ‘I  thought there’d been some sort of  glitch.’  Crowford had recorded  the song independently with a few friends, but the attention it received attracted the likes of Big Machine Records, the same label who signed Taylor Swift. He has since recorded his first full album with them, ‘Ashes  to Embers’, which he released last March. 

After offering some background information and hinting towards my artist's personality, the next paragraph is concerned with industry. This was important for me because if my artist has global fame, he would have experience with the industrial world of music. It acts as a contrast to the symbolism and philosophies that occur later on by making his achievements justifiable. I researched different music labels and decided on 'Big Machine Records' because it specialises in signing country artists. Not only this, but with the alleged success that I have given Jax Crowford, I needed a label with similar praise. Taylor Swift is signed by Big Machine Records, so I felt the need to reference this in order to add credibility to the text and offer a comparison. Using the album title 'Ashes to Embers' is a tribute towards the single that made Jax Crowford globally recognised. I called it 'Embers' because I felt that it captured the essence of progress; not fully alight but starting to catch fire. 

More recently Jax has been up and down America headlining festivals, touring across Europe while still finding time to lend a hand back on his family ranch. ‘I’ve even signed on to do a charity appeal in Africa’ he confirms anxiously. With such a busy schedule, you wonder how he doesn’t crack under all the pressure and publicity. ‘I had a simple start in life,’ he reminds us. ‘Once you’ve been comfortable in your own shadow for so long the spotlight can be too much. It’s certainly a challenge’ he admits, ‘but I’ve got to make the most of the sun now that I’m out of the shade.’ If Crowford is feeling the stress, he’s doing a superb job of pushing it to one side. And a good thing too, since his fame is about to surge again with the upcoming release of his next album. 

Continuing with Jax's story, this paragraph changes to current occurrences, extending the narrative sense of a journey that I wanted to convey. Specifying that amidst the list of scheduled events revolving around music he still finds time to 'lend a hand' back home demonstrates that he isn't overly driven by fame. This is another way of humanising the subject of my article, balancing physical value of wealth with the emotional value of family. There are also several philosophical quotes that I embedded into this paragraph that I thought I could use in bold print somewhere on the page to offer a meaningful or controversial statement. Since I am writing about country music, I figured that the quotes should be passionately reflective about life. The quote 'Once you've been comfortable in your own shadow for so long the spotlight can be too much' illustrates the unseen struggle that artists face. It implies that the publicity of industrial music is an unwelcome change for an artist who spent his upbringing in a rural Western town. The tease that his fame will 'surge' again introduces the focus of the next article about Jax's new album. 

Charming Shores is due out next month, and Jax decided to take inspiration from an unlikely source. ‘I love the beach...in fact it’s got to be my favourite place’ he emphasises, referring to the times he spent as a child on holiday up the Miami Coast. ‘We couldn’t afford to go abroad, but the vast shorelines were like a new world in themselves’.  He notes that the lyrics to his new songs are largely dedicated to his own feelings and experiences. ‘When you write a song, the only way to be authentic is to be true to what you’re writing about.’

Referring to an 'unlikely source' creates anticipation, that something is happening outside of conventional norms. This paragraph is all about contentment, expressed philosophically. I combat the negative idea of poverty by mentioning how he 'couldn't afford to go abroad' with the pleasure gained by simply travelling up the coast. 'A new world in themselves' is a hyperbolic metaphor that suggests contentment is gained through shared experience, not money. I also talk about the lyrical authenticity and how these relate to his own adventures. 'Be true to what you're writing about' is almost a lesson to musicians, and thus engages the readers through this advice. 

This album diverts from the traditional country roots to focus on the immersive symbolism of the coast. ‘I feel like country music is so stereotyped nowadays’ Jax contemplates. ‘The expectation that all of the artists originate from rural Western towns is very outdated.’ This may seem hippocritical since Crowford himself is from a small town in Texas, but he has a point. ‘You don’t want to feel limited because you’re identified as a country singer’ he mentions. ‘I like to sing about everything from belonging and contentment to decay and death. My latest work will be a reflection of this.’

This paragraph gives an opinion on country music as a whole, and I wanted to do this as a way of initiating a point of debate for the reader by talking about wider issues. The quotes refer to identity, stereotypes and the pressure to conform to certain conventions which perhaps offers a contrast to how fans perceive music. But the reason that I wanted to mention the conflict is that it presents Jax Crowford as aware of the industrialisation of the industry and thus makes him trustworthy. He appears wise and knowledgeable but also a bit of a rebel, establishing him as bold. 

Charming Shores is likely to be a huge success both critically and financially if the number of preorders is anything to go by. ‘I get lots of positive messages from fans’ he smiles, obviously appreciating the encouragement. ‘It shows that I’m doing something right.’ With such a modest attitude and an extreme passion for his music, it is easy to understand why Jax has become an idol to many. 

Although a relatively short paragraph, I felt that it would be an advantageous strategy to include some compliments directed towards the fans, since they are the ones who will likely be reading the articles. 'I get lots of positive messages' demonstrates that he appreciates the support and even has an awareness of how he is admired, which evokes encouragement from the reader to continue. 

When asked about who he takes inspiration from, he sits there for a good few minutes. ‘Obviously I love Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson’ he states, ‘but I also love the underrated artists. Those artists for me are the ones who truly have a love of music. They don’t appear on talent shows, they make music just because they love it.’ One of his favourites are The Forest Rangers, who like him, have only recently released their first album. 

All musicians have idols and inspirations. Although strong individual figures, every artist takes key techniques and skills from the generations that preceded them. Therefore giving the audience insight into who caused Jax's interest in country music is a way of accessing his professional mindset. Just like some readers admire him, he admired others. It gave me the chance to express the magazine's omniscient awareness of the genre. I listed well-known figures like 'Johnny Cash' and 'Willie Nelson' to give the audience a sense of shared respect with Jax, but also underrated artists like 'The Forest Rangers' in order to give the readers a surprise. I quote that Jax Crowford loves 'the underrated artists' because it presents him as an underdog who still finds time to listen to acts who sing passionately rather than professionally. 

However despite this, the last couple of years haven’t all been about excitement. ‘I need a personal life too’ he jokes. ‘Whenever I can I go back home and take a break from it all. Family is the most important thing, and I always want to remind myself of that.’ That being said, it is doubtful that he will be heading home any time soon, because his tour has only just started. ‘I’ve got to do a gig in the 02 next week, and then it’s up to Manchester, then Edinburgh...then I have to check my calendar’ he chuckles. Those are only 3 of the 7 pit stops on his list. But one thing we can be sure of is that Jax Crowford has got every intention of bringing a taste of Texan’s finest to our shores. ‘Let’s just wait and see’ he dismisses humbly. 

Opening with 'however' implies that there is going to be a change in tone. Despite this, it is a misleading technique that suggests the content will revert to something negative. But I wanted to conclude with something that would reach the audience of the British nationality in order to make it seem like the artist has relevance to the UK. Therefore offering information regarding his tour creates a local excitement. The final quote I use is a response to the exaggerated praise of how he will bring something extraordinary to our shores. 'Let's just wait and see' is a statement that does two things from a pragmatic perspective. It establishes his humility and modesty by reminding the audience that he doesn't perceive himself as an acclaimed figure, or it could act as an invitation teasing that he has something big in store. 

Jax’s first UK tour; ‘Wandering Afar’ kicked off last week, and his album Charming Shores is released February 14th

Conclusively, most articles end with some statistical information regarding the topics covered within. This gave me the chance to create a title for the tour, and I came up with 'Wandering Afar' since it links with his first tour in the UK and the fact that he is far from home, reiterating his value of family and belonging. 

That is the completed article that I intend to use on my double page spread.

A Fictional Story

A double-page spread, as analysed in my flat plans and deconstructions, largely varies depending on the magazine and the layout. It can have minimal text with the main focus being on the photography, or the text can provide lots of information and thus accompanying the image with equal importance. 

In my opinion, if an entire two pages are dedicated to one artist, a reader expects this space to be justifiable with sufficient text offering both unknown and controversial information regarding the subject. Otherwise they feel unsatisfied with the amount of insight gained into the artist's life. As a result, my double page spread will include a very prominent image as well as a detailed article. 

The problem, of course, is that I need an alias for my artist but also a topical focus for the article to revolve around. 

Alias

I considered using many different names and looked at artists for inspiration. Very common names included 'Keith', 'Bradley', 'Billy' and 'Johnny' but I think that these are too generic. For my own artist I wanted to have an appropriate but also unique title. Quite like my interest in country music, I have come up with the name 'Jax' from the television show, Sons of Anarchy.  It is a nickname or shortened version of 'Jackson,' another typically Western name. But I concluded that the shortened variation of 'Jax' was more memorable and offered connotations of youth. 

Surnames were far more difficult to choose from. The most frequently common American names that I found are examples like 'Hanson', 'Johnson', 'Shaw', 'Crawford', 'Smith' and 'Wade.' The patronyms like '-son' and '-ford' sound traditionally western for me. After experimenting with pronunciations and different possibilities I settled with 'Crowford.' I have intentionally adapted the 'Crawford' example because it didn't sound as impactful. Jax Crowford is the name I will be assuming. 

Backstory

I was torn between giving Jax Crowford a British origin and using him as a patriotic idol, or instead giving him a traditional American origin. I decided to go with the latter, principally because it carries more meaning to the reader. My regional audience will be the UK, so if the main feature of the magazine is from the UK, it feels like less of a feat because they are more accessible and local. 

On the other hand, if they are from the country that first defined the genre of country music and have offered to feature in a magazine that is based in another country, then their presence becomes heightened. For example, if Tom Hiddleston featured in a British movie magazine it wouldn't have the significance of a foreign sensation like Tom Cruise. 

So, I am going to allocate Jax Crowford a stereotypical country background; working on a ranch whilst having a family in the cattle business.  

Feature

If the article has a large word count, then it likely diverges into subtopics along the way. To give the story relevance, I want my artist to be talking about an upcoming album. This makes the audience feel engaged because it is like he is opening up about something that isn't yet public. To keep the story even more relevant, I am going to call the new album 'Charming Shores' in order to relate to the coastal setting where I took some of the photos. 

Additionally, to give my character a multidimensional personality, I will refer to how he hasn't come from a wealthy background and has had to work for a living, which resultantly makes him appeal to the masses through relatability with the working class. Finally, I think that readers engage with an underdog. Therefore I want to give Jax Crowford a quality of self-doubt,  humanising him beyond the extent music. 

The Complete Picture

Jax Crowford will be a Texan born country singer who worked hard with his family on a cattle ranch from a young age. During his teenage years music became a passion and he used to record songs independently with his friends. One of his songs, 'Embers' became an overnight hit on Youtube and attracted the likes of a music company (yet to be named) who signed him on. His first album will be called 'Ashes to Embers' because it highlights how he has started to burn brighter in fame. 

He has since toured globally and is currently in the UK doing his first tour (this gives the reader a sense of urgency because he will only be in the country for so long) but he is mainly being interviewed about his next album, 'Charming Shores', which differs from typical country settings and pays tribute to childhood holidays up the Miami Coast, thus offering a personal insight. He will also reference other country artists who he admires. 

In addition to this, all the quotes I will use of Jax Crowford will refer to themes like modesty, honesty, and appreciation.