Creative Critical Reflection

Click here to view my creative critical reflection. 

Final Project

Click here to view the May Edition of The Sophisticate .

Layin' It Out

For my two page layout, I am looking into designs and different options. I have drawn out two possible layouts that I believe would work well with my vision.

In business magazines, it is not common to put a lot of pictures so I have chosen to use one (although this might change). 

A good design will compliment the narrative of the published articles.

I am confident in my work and note taking on my two page spread that the information given will be interesting. My target audience will be intrigued, and I am proud. 

"Borora Creative | Mary Schoales | Freelance Graphic Designer | Print Design | Magazine Design | Kells | Meath | Ranelagh | Dublin | Ireland." Borora Creative | Mary Schoales | Freelance Graphic Designer | Print Design | Magazine Design | Kells | Meath | Ranelagh | Dublin | Ireland. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Burning A Background

I want the photos throughout The Sophisticate to pop. Through my research and deciding what colors to utilize, I made the decision for a white background to be used on nearly every page of my magazine. As said before, white is clean, pure, and classy which is everything my magazine is. By utilizing a white background the pictures will grab the readers attention, and make the photos stand out more. This shows viewers what matters the most. Human eyes are also drawn to white rather than any other color. 

As of my project, everything is coming together. I have yet to run into any major issues. 

This process is teaching me something new, day by and I am thankful for that. I have learned that time management is key and that I should not get stressed out over minor details. I am very happy with the way my project is turning out. 

"Two Foolproof Ways to Remove the Background from a Photo." Digital Trends. N.p., 28 May 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Interviewing A Business Owner... Shout Out Dad!

When creating my two page layout, I thought "who would be the best/most knowledable business man?".Well I guess I got lucky, having my dad be an entrepreneur, as well as business grad (who knows maybe thats why I choose this topic, it runs in the family). I needed a topic that would not only inspire my readers, but make them confident in their journey.

My dad is the most dedicated, hard working man, I have ever encountered. Working seven days a week, as well as being a father makes him have two full time jobs. 

Jeffrey Gorodetzky, my father is the son of two Holocaust survivors, Sophie and Nathan Gorodetzky. When his parent first came to the United States, they had nothing, and when I say nothing, I mean they came here in what they were wearing, no education, speaking no english, and definitely having no money. After a few years of working as a bust-boy, learning English, my grandfather began his own business; Rego Industries. So how did he become an entrepreneur without an education?His creativeness and aspiration to make this world a better place, allowed him to overcome adversity and create a genuine product that consumers wanted. Nat was inspired to be something more than just a Holocaust survivor. He wanted to be a philanthropist, and donate to survivors just like him. And so he did, he created an empire that allowed him to create a steady income for his family, as well as donate to others.

My dad graduated from Baruch College of Business in 1980. He was inspired by his father, to be his own boss, and use his skills to the best of his ability. After graduating from Baruch, he worked at Valerie Sportswear in New York City on Broadway in the fashion district as a sales executive. As he continued his journey as a sales man he learned many valuable skills that allowed him to create his own company. In February of 1999, my dad began his own company of off-price wholesale. 

I asked my dad a few questions about starting his company.

1. How did you determine whether or not you were capable of starting a business?

"I worked in the industry for a number of years, and was familiar with all the facets of the workplace. From the manufacturing of a garment to the distribution process and the collection of the receivables. I felt I was ready to take on a new journey in my career. I had continual growth in the company and throughout my years of selling for the companies I was working with, I was far surpassing the quotas I was given."

2. Where did you incorporate your business and why?

" I began Carly Paige, Inc. In the state of Florida. I chose this location because after working for many years in the fashion district, I believed my company could strive here, because it was an excellent shipping location."

3. What were the biggest challenges you faced when starting Carly Paige?

"Being able to have enough capital to continually buy merchandise yet wait thirty days to receive payment. Retail stores usually get thirty day terms from receipt of goods. As it expanded, I needed more warehouse space as well as more employees. "

Works Cited

Clear, James. "5 Interview Questions Every Small Business Owner Should Ask." OPEN Forum. American Express Co., 05 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. more.

Harroch, Richard. "25 Frequently Asked Questions On Starting A Business."Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 13 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

Table Of Contents...

Here are two layout of table of contents that I enjoy, an well as Vogues millions of others of viewers.

Table of contents usually feature the main stories of the magazine, but are usually simple feature colors that show purity such as Vogue. Table of contents are used primarily to show the information in the magazine, in order, and as a guide for readers to easily access the articles they want to read. Vogue always issues a "subscription add" on their T.O.C. that may or may not differ from magazine to magazine. This is a point that I will use in my table of contents because this allows readers to get a first glimpse of their issues, and creates a constant target market, creating a constant income. Creative designs can be made using a table of contents, but they are not common.

Friedman, Vitaly. "Table of Contents: Creative Examples – Smashing Magazine." Smashing Magazine. Impressum, 06 July 2008. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.

SHOUT OUT TO JOOMAGS KNOWLEDGE BASE!

This post is written in thanks to those who write and publish their comments/questions/concerns on Joomag. Without you, my magazine would not look as stunning (I am biased) as it does. 

My daily Joomag encounter includes me constantly trying to nit pick my magazine, which I then create into an even bigger mess, but then, I calm myself down by watching one of these videos. This video taught me how to move around, add, delete, and play around with the pages of my magazine. Some of them even have step-by-step guidelines, showing you exactly how to overcome your digital obstacle.

Overall, Joomag is an excellent medium source to choose. I have not run into any (major) issues *KNOCK ON WOOD* and I have been satisfied with the software supplied to me.

Joomag. "How to Delete Pages in the Publication." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Sept. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

COVER UP!

So after playing around on a few websites, I have decided which source I will use... Joomag.  This personally is my favorite because it is easy to manipulate and allows me to create my own 'masterpiece'. A few blog posts ago, I talked about colors. Theres three colors that will be used on the front cover of the May edition of "The Sophisticate"- red, black and white.

As Im sitting designing my cover, I remembered "MAGAZINES HAVE BARCODES, THEY COST MONEY" and freaked out (literally). I start scrambling the internet for information on how to create a barcode, without going to jail (I thought it was illegal, don't ask why) and came across the a barcode creator website. 

If you click here, you'll enter the wonderful world of barcode creating. Where you can design and label, your own barcode. 

I then created my masterpiece. 

Magazines such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, Forbes, etc, contain their barcode on the bottom in either the left or right corners of the magazines, while some others place their barcode on the top. 

*BARCODE:VIEW BOTTOM RIGHT OF BOTH*

After playing around on Joomag for a while, I got to work and started to design my cover.
I started with the masthead.  After doing research, the masthead is commonly what is used to attract the audience, that along with the cover photo(which has not yet been taken) is what attracts the viewers/consumers and makes them want to read your magazine. Mastheads are also consistent... even when there is a 'limited edition' issue. I wanted my masthead to be easily identified, sophisticated, and my target audience. I wanted my cover to stay away from being filled with cover lines, and let the image, masthead, and colors do the talking. 

"Free Online Barcode Generator." BarcodesInc. Barcodes, Inc., 1994. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

French, Nigel. "Understanding the Parts of a Magazine Cover from the Course Designing a Magazine Cover." Lynda.com. Lyna.com Inc., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

"Magazine Rolling Stone #770 January 2016 Australia Read Online Free Pdf." Magazine Rolling Stone #770 January 2016 Australia Online Read, Download Free Pdf. Rolling Stone, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

"Online Gist." Tony Elumelu Is the POWER BUILDER On Forbes Africa |. It All about Infortainment. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

"A Review of 6 Popular Business Magazines." HubPages. HubPages, 21 Nov. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

Williams, John. "Your Brand's True Colors." Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur Media Inc., 06 Mar. 2007. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

SAY MY NAME... SAY MY NAME!

I WRITE THIS POST WITH SATISFACTION THAT I HAVE FINALLY DISCOVERED A TITLE!

My magazine is titled "The Sophisticate", and yes THE is included. 

SOPHISTICATE:

Noun

A person with much worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture.

This is exactly what I want my magazine to resemble, and how I want this edition to be utilized. 

Take Fortune for example, as of March 2015, they have 15,053 viewers throughout their media platforms of print/digital, web/mobile web, and video. 

Fortunes "average" age for viewers is 41.8 (which I guess means 42 years old?). The Sophisticate is going to attract a younger audience, especially with the face that it will be a May, graduation edition. 

The average income of Fortune viewers is $81,010. This means that this magazine primarily attract wealthier, more educated individuals/families. One of my major goals of this magazine is to maintain my target audience of both men and women of ages 20-50, in all classes. 

":: Demographics ::." :: Demographics ::. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

"Fortune: Audience by Platform 2015 | Statistic." Statista. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

"A Review of 6 Popular Business Magazines." HubPages. HubPages, 21 Nov. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

LETS GET COLORED!

When you think of huge corporations, their "color" commonly becomes noticed with their brand. Here are some examples for you...

-Think COSMOPOLITAN, think pink.

-Think Pespi, think royal blue.

The use of colors in a corporation is vital to creating an image that users/customers/viewers want.

Color plays a huge role in memory recall, by stimulating the senses, it instantly conveys (or reminds) us, the message.

So how do I want my message portrayed?

I want my magazine to be sophisticated, and serious, classical, and show dominant power. So black seems to be a perfect fit. Black is also commonly used with wealth, and to make a logo look 'heavy'.

But I want the magazine to also look simple, with spice, so white would also be a perfect fit with the 'fine' black color. White 'connotes simplicity, cleanliness and purity. The human eye views white as a brilliant color, so it immediately catches the eye in signage. White is often used with infant and health-related products.'

RED! Red is the perfect 'extra' color to be added on my cover page because it increases heart rate, aggressive, energetic, provocative and attention-grabbing.

View this article here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/175428

Williams, John. "Your Brand's True Colors." Entrepreneur. Entrepreneur Media Inc., 06 Mar. 2007. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

TOPICS...

Topics... Topics... Topics...

When I think of the word magazine, two up and coming, Cosmopolitan and Success. They are both trendy, yet sophisticated. I want to attract not only one gender, but both. So how can I do this?

When looking at statistics of a business magazine source (InBusiness) sources show that 88% of readers are college grads.  The key word here is 'graduate'. How do I get around this word, and attract college students, and/or soon to be graduates. So, my idea has been decided. I will create a monthly business magazine with a twist- graduation edition MAY 2016!

READY...SET...GO...

As I write my first blog post, I pondered, what is my reasoning for all of this mania?

So I write this post with confidence, that this blog, along with my AICE Media Studies portfolio will portray my thoughts, ideas, and creativity through a source of medium. So why choose to make a magazine? I question my self saying, what really is a magazine? Magazines are defined as a periodical publication containing articles and illustrations, typically covering a particular subject or area of interest. But when creating a magazine, I feel I am trying to mock million dollar magazine corporations such as TIME, National Geographic, Success, People etc. But how can I make my magazine DIFFERENT. I want mine to stand out, and be known for something different, I want it to be one-of-a-kind. 

So lets start here...

1. Lets target a different kind of audience, an audience that know magazine tries to catch their eyes...

COLLEGE STUDENTS-COLLEGE GRADS!

How can i get their attention?

What draws them in?

Stay tuned for my next blog post... As I dive deeper and deeper into the art of designing a magazine.