Brief One

AIM To capture the feeling of the moment by inventing a concept for a magazine on a contemporary subject.

THE BRIEF Use your imagination to think of a contemporary subject and then follow this up with research into the kind of stories you would like to feature in your magazine.

To get started, brainstorm and create ideas for at least five different magazines (we'll pick one). Draw up each idea on a separate sheet of paper. A masthead (also referred to as a logo) and an outline sketch are sufficient. Play with combining your ideas.

Choose one of the concepts and collect visual material that suits the content of the magazine. Research other magazines that have related content, and clubs or communities that share a similar interest. What is their approach? Visit libraries or their independent bookshops and also seek out online magazines. Start by taking clippings from magazines or photocopies of photographs you think will suit the content. Make a note of any fonts or illustrations that could enhance the storytelling. Keep adding to your collection of material. Take your own photos so you can fill in content gaps with curated photography.

Refine the idea of your magazine into a cohesive ten-word manifesto (or editorial mission), e.g. My magazine is called... It is about... like:

· Esquire is your destination for the latest news headlines, political developments, celebrity interviews, mens fashion advice, and food & drink recipes. 

· Cosmopolitan targets contemporary women, featuring beauty, fashion, career and sex advice.

· Outside Live Bravely. // The  mission of Outside Magazine (链接到外部网站。)  is to INSPIRE participation in the WORLD OUTSIDE through award-winning coverage of the sports, people, places, adventures, discoveries, environmental issues, health and fitness, gear and apparel, trends, and events that define the ACTIVE LIFESTYLE.  Media kit (链接到外部网站。) . (链接到外部网站。)

Create a moodboard (digital, like Google Slides, or analog, like creating a folder with clippings, drawings, etc) that demonstrates the concept of your magazine. Edit down all your created and researched images and stick them on some kind of layout (analog or digital, right?) .

Also give us a few explanatory sentences/paragraphs about the image selection, the type choices and other information we'd need to make a decision. This is called the "Design Note" where the designer explicitly tells us what we're looking at and why. It might seem overly declarative, but it's useful to sell the brief. It doesn't have to be pages of copy, but we do need to have some exposition about your thought process.

The aim here is to create a visual style linked to the content.

Lastly, in InDesign, mock up a cover with some coverlines and think of a name for your magazine. This will become the masthead or logo.