getting my act together (get it.? cause act=what I'm doing)

After a weekend generally filled with brainstorming and finding new ways to go about my minimalist content idea, I've settled on a few details that will allow my project to not seem "gimmicky"and more so a concept piece:

-A winter issue, limiting my color pallet to dark colors
-single color outfits on models and a contrasting background
-playing around with lighting (IE. Looking into color lights)

I also settled on a few other things I want to knock out by the end of next week:

-invest into colored wallpaper to hang up to serve as the background of my photoshoot
-Look into color lights
-Testing out camera/lenses/trial shoots
-physical mock of what I want the issue to be (will be done on paper and yes, I will feature some pics)
-Looking at the site I have selected to shoot at
-shop for clothes (realistically, I don't know if I'll have the time for this)

These plans are a bit of a mold that I wanna have to be able to have more concrete goals through out the crunch time of this project.

-Let's get this bread

Hittin the books (which is like, research)

I wanna have a good set of ideas and frames of reference. Because of this, I have launched into a researching spree to be sure to have a few good ideas. I primarily is looked for Alt-fashion magazines in terms of looks, essence, content, and prominence on social media/how they are distributed. This is essentially what I stumbled upon:

Alt-Press discussed the prominence of magazines/brands having hectic social media presence and content geared towards a 16-25 year old audience. They discuss 10 brands with a rather cult following on Instagram. They also lead to the conclusion that reaching an audience through social media ads and possibly a website in which one could subscribe through but still reach consumers online. It is key to keep up with increased digitization, and that can easily be done, as the research shows, through a strong presence online.

In terms of content, looks and essence, the blog site "I Am Attitude" provides great information provided below:

 "Alternative magazines are at the heart of the scene, run by creative teams who are just as passionate about alternative fashion and culture as you are.What makes alternative magazines so unique, is the very alternative nature of each and every magazine, being made by a team of keen writers, photographers and models, who share their love of alternative fashion and culture with each and every edition. It’s very rare to find alternative designers gracing the pages of mainstream magazines, so alternative fashion and culture magazines give them a great platform to get their work out there, where they can reach their intended audience without the restraints of mainstream media."

The article argues for the freedom of Alt-Fashion as self-definable. Due to their small staff size and specialized, niche target looks and audience, they have a larger degree of freedom in allowing themselves to defy fashion magazine conventions and create an ever changing aesthetic.

This is useful, as it gives me a LOT of freedom and a good idea of how I could be able to design, market, and distribute it (Ex: IG, Alt-Press, Bookstores, Online Subscription)

Also I wanna try this new sign off, so here goes :)

-Let's get this bread


https://www.altpress.com/features/10_alternative_fashion_brands_you_need_to_follow_on_instagram/
http://www.iamattitude.com/content/alternative-fashion-magazines/

The name game

So the issue of a name is a very big stumbling block for our magazine. It's not necessarily one we can't overcome, it's just a very pressing issue given the fact people could very realistically be interested or turned away by a good/trashy name.

First of all, I have no idea how a parent can put up with the pressure of a good name for their child. This is a magazine and I'm already regretting the names I haven't even imagined. Second of all, I am very cognizant of the fact that I have to keep in mind how the name will turn out by the end of the project, after all, our name IS our masthead...

Anyway, here's a list of potential names that will be continuously updated:

3/7:

1. Synth kin
2. Utopia
3. Euphony

3/8
We like euphony, it is staying!

We have settled on euphony for now but name will remain a WIP (3/8 Update: it's staying Y'all)

Genuinely speaking, I like the name euphony yet we have both agreed it is far from final name material. The concept of a name, at least to me, is pretty daunting considering it may alter the overall success of our magazine.

Anyway, I look forward to updating this blog as we finish things up on the name department,

Let's get this bread.

Learning how to edit because that's 99% of the project

So, after the quite obvious realization that I do NOT know how to edit/make a magazine's digital copy, Isa introduced me to the godsend that is Canva: what will save my life.

Try 1:

What may look like a super mediocre canva edit for you actually took me about an hour to learn how to navigate and about a few minutes to actually make. It's not like, necessarily good but it IS a good first step. Aside from that, I've found other editing apps for my pictures:
-Snapsy (on phone, more of an IG pic editor but still does the job)
-PIXLR (Actual editing app for pictures on camera, getting the free version, this is gonna be fire)

So yea, I am slowly learning to edit. Heck ye! Let's get this bread Y'all!

Minimalism: a concept

So in the midst of a debate tournament, i had time to google minimalism in fashion once or twice, and it looks like a lot of fun.

Exhibit A:

As this artsy magazine probably demonstrates, there are very clear ways through which a minimalist fashion magazine can be done. These conventions also seem clear:

- Minimal writing
-Simple, sharp font
-Color consistency
-simple name

So my main focus for this week is largely to get started on the magazine project itself, so my next blog posts will concern:
-Contacting friends to cast->Update: I have secured 3 friends: Sil, Veronica, and Camilla
-talking to my partner Isa about ideas->we have talked and we have bounced back and forth several great ideas
-Secure a camera->got my parents to give me our Nikon P500
-leaning some preliminary minimalist editing/photography-> I discovered canva, which is dope


well, I'm in for a busy week. Wish me luck, and let's get this bread

Groups and their feedback

My group in class today was able to provide very good feedback to my project, and I tried my best to give feedback that I felt would help them as they work on their projects. One of the most helpful aspects of the group session was the round table-like style of the feedback, where everyone could give their feedback.

I openly shared my thoughts with my fellow group members and readily received their comments. One of the primary things I shared were my plans/schedule and see how viable ,y group mates thought they were. They gave solid advice, and I will try to list is as best as I can:

1) Materialize as fast as I can

2) Be comfortable working until the last possible second to get everything right

3) Get writing, brainstorming and learning how to edit as soon as possible

4) Define minimalism for yourself, and try to latch on to a specific brand of minimalism


 Though I am still unsure in how to proceed on certain aspects of the project, I do have a better notion of how I can improve. Overall, the experience was extremely positive and I hope we can do it again. Alright guys, I'm very excited, Let's get this bread. :)

I AM SO CONFUSED

Sooooooooooooo...Film is NOT an option given the fact I completely forgot I had a partner or how to fashion in this project so we're back to a fashion magazine. I am not opposed because I high-key have everything figured out, it's now just a matter of readjusting my plans to the fact this is gonna be crunch execution and I also have to like...figure out minimalism (expect a minimalism blog later). Other than that, I am thriving or at least trying to thrive. I'll probably dedicate myself to figuring out stylish minimalism over the next couple of days.