Magazine advert reflection

Through my research on other magazine posters I understand that colors, lighting and the representation of the artist is needed in order for the target audience to be attracted to the song and the album. The research allowed me to understand what elements are needed in order to make a good film poster for a dance music video. My ideas and inspirations behind my poster are to focus the colors that we used during the music video, and to follow the concept of one of the boys going to a house with nothing which is placed on the left of the poster and the boy who has a job and family, on the right of the poster. This poster will help me when using photoshop as it will give a idea and the base of my poster when i start using photoshop. I made a paper based version of the poster so that I could get an idea of the layout and details that i wanted to include in the final version.

For my magazine advert, I used inspiration from my artist Avicii who's song we are using 'Wake Me Up'.
The advert that I used was promoting his concert to his target audience using the dance genre. The Avicii sign is the most predominant feature of this poster apart from the artist himself. I therefore tried to adopt this concept by making the two artists the forefront and main theme of the advert. The Avicii symbol is shown at the beginning of the title to show the artists trademark and this is recognisable to the audience. The artist has only included the essential details so that he can promote the concert. The colours used reflect the music genre the Avicii represents. I tried to use this technique as we went with florescent pink and green as our main color theme. I did this in my paper poster by creating a division between the characters in these colors. This looks like a flashing bolt, which is related to the clubbing scene as strobe lighting effects are a strong feature. This is because the lights in the background represent it being dark, linking to the partying lifestyle. I also carried this theme on by splitting half and half of the title in the selected colors. This shows what the audience will expect due to the concept, which will therefore sell more tickets as they want to go to a cool place like this. Avicii's name is at the very forefront of this advertisement, as it is the most important aspect as the audience need to know who is being promoted to them. I also used this technique by putting it horizontally across the page in a big font so it is recognizable. However, I used a different font that makes it unique looking. Avicii has chosen these images in order to promote the concert with a certain feeling. Avicii has given it a cool partying vibe, to attract the audience. This is represented by the bright lights in the background. I therefore tried to replicate this is my draft advert by giving a fun vibe which the audience can enjoy and have the desire to watch this group. 

As you can see in my paper design, I have followed the inspirations I gained through my research as I have drawn the artists at the forefront of the advert and the title of the artists in order to make them stand out. This is so that the audience can build a connection with the artist and see what they look like as they are a new group. I also included the colors that represent our group and that we agreed on, Florescent green and pink. This give the poster a party feel and relates to strobe lighting of a disco or club. I also decided to put the bolt between the characters as this relates to our concept, showing that one is happy and has a good job and family and the other is unhappy with no job or family although they are friends. Also the costumes represent this concept as George has a nice suit on and a sharp haircut whereas the other character (myself) has a dirty shit, scruffy hair and looks unhappy. 

After making this paper-based advert I decided to create the real one on Photoshop as it has a lot of features and tools which will assist me with editing and creating a professional looking advert. This was my product after making some changes to benefit the outcome. 

As you can see I have made some changes between the paper draft and the final version to make it look more professional. Firstly, I decided to edit in a crowd from the party scene as a crowd developed the conventions of dance and connoted people having fun. Also the advert looked quite plain and basic beforehand and this gave it more detail and a better view. Also adding in the crowd will allow the audience to notice straight away that this is a dance genre music video and they will therefore relate to it more. Also because the characters are positioned in front of the party scene, it shows that they are more dominant and have power over the other people there. This will make the audience look up to them as this is quite a cool affect. Next, I decided that rather than using the strobe bolt down the center of the page, that I would use lasers in the background instead. I did this as I think that it is easier to relate to a club rather than just the bolt. Also it is a more subtle affect and the strobe lighting doesn't take the attention away from the main characters. Also it look more crazy as the lighting is going everywhere which creates an intriguing affect. I used pink and green for them again as these colors represent our group and they are loud, fun colors.  I chose to use the same images of Me and George from the first picture although these show us looking more serious. This was done purposely as it portrays a deeper feeling on the audience as it shows that the artists are serious about the work. Also this serious look is seen as cool and the audience will aspire to be like their idols. which I used to connote the emotion that went into writing their album. Also their facial expressions would really draw an audience in as they are looking directly at the audience and the audience will like this as they will feel more connected to the artist as they are not hiding away. Next, I decided to change the font of the title as it looks more appealing to dance genre lovers as it relates to the dance/party scene. It also looks more professional as the writing is more subtle and not so loud.