Penguin / Developments

This first template highlighted the concept of creating the shape of a noose & also a droplet of blood relating back to the nature of the novel and the book title. Needs refining to create impact in next developments and also more experimentation with a higher quality noose. 

The next set of developments show a more realistic noose, creating a sense of realism to highlight the non-fiction genre and the reality of the murders/execution. Dark themes set the mood for the rest of the novel. Colour choices include the obvious red and a blue, communicating the term 'cold blood'. Two nooses for two criminals. Experimentation with a contemporary font, provides legibility and a modern tone. Again, these are not dynamic enough. Using the treated ambiguous image of the path to the Clutter family's home adds concept and depth, especially placing the image inside the noose as a perfect analogy to 'doing the crime and now doing the time', the killers 'see' the location where they killed those people. 

After experimentation, hand rendered elements were introduced to add chaos and a personal touch. The nature of the brush stroke relates to blood stains and streaks, and also adds a background for the nooses. Outlined looked empty and unrealistic whereas filled in nooses look more striking and impactful, as the brief asks for. Keeping the colour palette to three colours also maintains an uncluttered and overbearing composition, whilst the tilted text, brush strokes and nooses implement a sense of darkness and dread.

After feedback, it was suggested that the edges of the brush were the weakest part of the design, so adding an image that relates to the case was conceptual and adds another element to the composition. The image is the Clutter family house. The nooses dangling above this image help to convey foreshadowing. This final spread will be refined and tightened up before submitting to the competition. 

Magazine / Mark Riddick

Mark Riddick is a 'reputable illustrator for the underground death metal music scene', designing logos for various heavy bands and incorporating a impactful and detailed style which is popular in the metal world. He has also even designed a logo for Justin Bieber in the same style.

Riddick has published two publications under the titles 'Logos from Hell', showcasing his work. I find his work highly inspirational in terms of this project, as I will be designing a metal logo myself to the best of my ability. Since I have never hand drawn a logo like this before, I will need to gather inspiration from existing works such as Mark Riddick, to set a certain standard that the logo will be. 

It will be important to ensure the design looks symmetrical, abstract and even can be illegible. The aim is to create something recognisable as a whole, rather than focusing on it being readable, although a limitation to this is that it is a magazine masthead and it'll be the first thing the reader will see. Combining a metal logo like this with the clean aesthetic will create a dynamic juxtaposition and a unique composition which will engage the audience.

I learned a lot about the construction of metal logos from researching Mark Riddicks work, such as establishing the correct structure, drawing up loose ideas and adding detail later. Although I may not be a master yet, I can gauge where to start and develop from there.

Metal Magazine / Collaborations

I quickly realised that this brief would need a variety of collaboration if it was to be substantial. This will include photographers, local bands and very importantly, writers. Writers will be needed to produce the content, this will take some managerial skills finding individuals who will be interested. I decided to spread the word, I would use my social media presence, posting about it on twitter, facebook and on the LCA collaborations page (as I know there are many people willing to creatively collaborate on projects that may engage them). I also made flyers which were distributed in university and Leeds Uni social hubs. I also reached out to a couple of individuals that I knew had experience writing about the metal genre, and who have extensive knowledge of bands.

Eventually I managed to collate several individuals who were interested in writing for Demon magazine, this was incredibly important as without these people, there wouldn't be enough content. Although I like heavy music, I'm just not knowledgeable enough to write multiple articles. Having a diverse range of people is also beneficial to get a variety of insights and styles of writing. I am also reaching out to artists & bands who may want to be interviewed for the magazine such as Cody Frost (a friend who was recently on the Voice who has an incredible voice and although is not technically in a metal band, would be an interesting person to have within the publication).

Alongside this, I need photographers. So far I have found two photographers, Erin & Michael who are willing to help out and take images of bands, so photoshoots, and also event photos, showing a range of dynamic imagery which will give the magazine depth and avoid monotomy. It also is more credible to try and gather primary sources for the project so its more authentic and not 100% from the internet!

There are multiple bands which have voiced their interest in being featured within the publication which is again extremely valuable. I want to be able to showcase upcoming talent and make these bands more accessible for an audience to discover, which if the magazine was to become popular, would be very useful for local and unsigned bands. Everyone has to start somewhere and it's important to recognise new talent, something that would be part of Demon magazine's ethos.

Metal Magazine / Existing Magazines / Covers

Layout

In comparison, these are all examples of contemporary lifestyle magazines, with inside themes ranging from music to fashion. These magazines adopt a less cluttered composition treatment, containing a dramatically smaller amount of text content on the covers. This ensures the focal point is always the magazine's masthead. A correlation between all of these publications is a large, mostly central positioning, which the audience will naturally read first due to the way we read from top to bottom left to right. As for previous examples of metal magazines, the masthead is usually in a similar placement; but is sometimes obstructed by multiple subheadings. Having one key subheading provides a more focused composition.


Type

On existing metal magazines, the type ranges from sans serif, hand rendered, blackletter and slab serif. They are usually more heavy in weight to connote volume as metal music is notoriously loud. In these above examples, the type is still heavy in places, such as Clash or Dazed, however paired with a more uncluttered composition this enables the mast head to become the dynamic focal point without appearing over facing. Blackletter typefaces can represent calligraphy and a gothic period, which is obviously why rock magazines choose to use these, they communicate an eerie and dark tone. Hand rendered typefaces may be used in existing publications to reflect the anarchy and the rebellious connotations of the alternative subculture.

Within the above examples, sans serif is a popular choice due to its contemporary quality and legibility on a shelf. Magazines usually aim to attract shoppers passing by, so the cover needs to stand out among the rest and ensure readability. Serif typefaces have also been used such as on Russh and Fantastic Man; conveying a sense of elegance and sophistication, which can also communicate that the publication is of a high quality and luxury. Something to note when recreating my own publication. These magazines also contain a more minimal contemporary treatment in comparison to the textured 'grunge' nature of magazines such as Kerrang! and Rock Sound.


Image
Contemporary lifestyle magazines usually have one key image in relation to the issue, this can range from full bleed (Wonderland) to central (Fantastic Man, the Gentlewoman). The use of one image is again clean and focused, with no unnecessary distractions. The backgrounds are usually solid colour as demonstrated above, again providing a clean appearance. Metal magazines from the examples utilise multiple images throughout the cover, such as smaller scale icons promoting posters and other bands.

Magazine / Metal Style in Pop Culture

There has recently been a trend of major pop influencers choosing to adopt the 'metal style' into their own branding and merchandise. 

Justin Bieber recently reinventing his merchandise and tour collateral through the work of Mark Riddick, an artist who has designed many logos for bands such as Dethklok, The Black Dahlia Murder, Suicide Silence, Devourment. 

Similarly is Kanye West, who used a logo that is borrowed from the likes of Metallica's iconic logotype: 

Then there is also Rihanna who used a death metal style logo for her own name during one of her shows: 

These examples demonstrate that many artists who do not produce metal music are utilising the aesthetics rather than the content to push a very focused theme, likely influenced by each other. Although it could be viewed as a negative by many die hard metal fans out there who don't care for Justin Bieber at all, it is also a way of interpreting the image of metal as a more accepted genre. Metal has always been a culture of acceptance of the 'different', embracing and uniting in the way people express themselves and a love for heavy music - and sometimes individuals who are part of this subculture have been penalised because of it. These icons emerging in pop culture can be a sign of the times, in that icons can be borrowed to utilise a brand rather than communicate what the content is, and it is slightly misleading. 

However, in terms of my project, it is interesting that these artists are using icons like this, as it shows that picking and mixing various aspects of the metal style can be done, however I need to ensure that the magazine can do this in a way that still shows the content is about metal, even if the composition is more 'modern'. 

Magazine / Name

To start with I made a general mind map to generate some ideas for potential magazine names. This included anything in relation to metal music/aesthetic and themes. Then I moved onto types of metal in terms of the music and also material. If the name of the magazine was a metal material this would offer context and also an abstract concept. I also explored names for ores, as these are usually quite interesting and raw. I highlighted the most appealing names and narrowed it down to the ones I felt would encapsulate what I was aiming for within the magazine's ethos and aesthetic. 

• Cobalt 
• Anthracite 
• Mercury 
• Thrash 
• Doom
• Concrete
• Black Pages
• Demon
• Marble

Cobalt has a strong phonetic structure, and is also a type of metal. Anthracite is a more obscure title which refers back to the material of iridescent coal - taking something that is viewed as dull and worthless, and making it beautiful. It also has a similar sound to the metal band Anthrax. Mercury refers back to the shiny liquid metal, showing that it is malleable and changing, it can also refer to the planet. Thrash and Doom are types of metal, however both are too related to Thrasher and Doom comic. Concrete has a hard feel, which would be reflected in the type of music the magazine would feature. Black Pages sounds similar to the yellow pages, conveying that it is informative and has a strong theme. Black is usually the colour that is associated with this subculture and music genre, so I found that it would be a fitting name. Demon refers to the evil connotations that is associated with heavy music, for example bands such as Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden have always included themes such as 'the number of the beast'. It also reflects the sign shown by metal fans all over the globe, the ubiquitous 'devil horns' hand sign. In taking this name, it could also be shown in different light, communicating a juxtaposition between the magazines aesthetic and the title. It also sounds phonetically dynamic. Marble refers to the material which has streaks running through it, representing the many avenues metal music has, and the subgenres that are part of it.  

Through the development period, I decided on multiple names and because I wanted it to be just right, I did change my mind a couple of times. Finally, it was decided that 'Demon' was the most suitable name, conceptually. 

Ceramics / 'Problem' & Solution

In a world full of pain, war and a man with a last name that means fart running the most powerful country in the world it's hard to stay positive. This brief was created for the simple reason of making others smile, making myself smile and forget about everyday stresses for a moment. I also wanted to complete a brief which included ceramics because of how much I enjoyed it during the COP module. I wanted to take a moment to tune out from 'graphic design' and have fun making things with my hands, that can then be made into a graphic design brief as a product. So, back to spreading happiness —I sat and assessed what made me smile a lot and I concluded that this was beluga whales. They are the most brilliant animals, and in my opinion, are a bit under rated outside of hell, woops I mean Seaworld. Everyone I have ever struck up a conversation with about belugas has always ended up declaring their love for them or cracked a smile (usually because I force photos of them on anyone who will look). 

The solution to all this was to create a charming set of ceramic beluga whales which will help spread a little bit of joy to all who encounter them. I also will aim to include a charity that helps belugas and preserves them naturally, such as part of the 'profit' hypothetically made, going to this charity.