'Rays' Shoot Elements: Makeup, Photography, Styling and Model Choice

'Rays' is a series of editorial images that accompany an article on sun protection and how to choose the right SPF. The concept isn't only focused on holiday sun protection, but more how using SPF should be part of our daily routine to prevent the damage that is caused by incidental sun exposure. I want the images to reflect the topic of the article, so will take this into consideration when making decisions about the model, makeup, styling and lighting for the shoot.

Model

I would ideally like to use a model with red hair and porcelain skin for the shoot as this is the colouring that is usually the most sun-sensitive. I see a lot of articles on sun protection that use models with very tanned skin, but personally see this as a bit of a contradiction as bronzed skin is actually a result of sun damage. I have been in contact with a model who I found on purple port that would fit perfectly, so am hoping to collaborate with her on this shoot. (images below).

Makeup and Hair

As the focus of the article is skincare, I want the hair and makeup to take a back seat and just compliment the images instead of being the focus. I want to create a flawless, perfect base but with a few tiny freckles to give the model a fresh faced, healthy glow and replicate the way that someone of that skin tone might react to sun exposure. I really want the model to look like she has minimal makeup on, while still making the most out of the features by naturally sculpting the eyes and cheekbones. I will naturally define the lips with a pencil, but I don't want to use a glossy product that looks as though she is wearing a lipstick or gloss. As with the rest of the look, the hair will be kept very minimal and simple, maybe down in a loose wave or tied back into a relaxed ponytail.

Styling

When choosing clothing for the shoot, I want to choose simple, lightweight pieces that have a very relaxed minimal feel. I did consider swimwear, but have decided against this as the piece isn't supposed to only be holiday appropriate and discusses SPF all year round. I'm currently looking for a lightweight cotton shirt, maybe with a leotard or simple bra underneath, as this article is all about stripping it back to just skincare and focusing on that. 

Setting, Photography & Lighting

The photography and lighting of this shoot will be incredibly important to the final outcome. I have decided to shoot in studio, as I will have more control over the lighting conditions and can't guarantee natural sunlight if I choose to shoot outside. I also want to make sure that the images fit in with the minimal aesthetic of the magazine so I want to shoot against a very plain background. Despite shooting indoors, I want the images to have a really 'sunny' feel about them to compliment the theme of the article. It's really important to me that it is obvious that more light is coming from one direction than others, to replicate the natural highlights and shadows of the sun's rays.

I have organised to collaborate with a photographer called Maarit on this shoot.  She has worked closely with one of my friends before and I have seen the images they have produced so I'm confident that she will be able to help me achieve my desired outcome.


Image Refs:

1. Millman, A. (2017). Summertime Sadness. [image] Available at: https://purpleport.com/portfolio/ashmillman/image/2534623/model/?referrer=layna [Accessed 25 Apr. 2017].

2. Millman, A. (2017). Alien Skies. [image] Available at: https://purpleport.com/portfolio/ashmillman/image/2534620/model/?referrer=layna [Accessed 25 Apr. 2017].

3.  HUNGER TV. (2017). Young Blood: Scarlett Burton | HUNGER TV. [online] Available at: http://www.hungertv.com/feature/young-blood-scarlett-burton/ [Accessed 26 Apr. 2017].

4. Behance.net. (2017). Behance. [online] Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/31460533/TEO-magazine [Accessed 26 Apr. 2017]

5. Zara.com. (2017). NEW ROMANTIC-WOMAN-EDITORIALS | ZARA United Kingdom. [online] Available at: https://www.zara.com/uk/en/editorials/woman/new-romantic-c566146.html [Accessed 26 Apr. 2017].

Focus Group Findings

When writing my FMP Proposal last year, I conducted a focus group to get an idea of my target audience and what type of content they would like to see. Although this was based on the production of a print magazine, some of the information I gathered regarding the design and content of the magazine can help influence my decisions for Beauty Noted. For example, all of the women in the group agreed that there is a gap in the market for a beauty specific magazine and highlighted the importance of design. The word 'timeless' really stuck with me, as although the magazine is now digital and not something to 'keep', I really like the idea of creating something that doesn't become dated really quickly and will be relevant in years to come.

Audience Demographic

The audience demographic for Beauty Noted is the 25-30 year old, creative, professional woman. She is passionate about luxury cosmetics and skincare and is a regular consumer of luxury beauty items.

She has an appreciation for simplistic art and design in all areas of life and is career driven and ambitious, potentially working in a creative profession. Her career is important to her and she always striving for self-improvement.

She is knowledgable about beauty and therefore enjoys reading about beauty in more depth than that offered by commercial magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Harpers Bazar. She has an understanding of the ingredients in her products, cares about the quality and wants to read informative articles that aren't packed with overselling and marketing techniques.

She shops mostly from retailers such as Space NK, Cult Beauty, Net-a-porter and Beauty Bay as they stock a carefully curated selction of unique, quality brands such as ByTerry, Chantecaille, Becca, Sunday Riley and Aurelia. However, she loves being introduced to smaller, niche brands.

She doesn't shop exclusively at designer stores, but mixes investment pieces with fast-fashion items from high street stores like Whistles, Zara, Cos, Topshop, & Other Stories and H&M.

She uses social media such as Instagram and Twitter daily to find inspiration for fashion and beauty trends, keep up to date with the latest launches and developments.

She reads online blogs such as Lydia Eliesse Millen, Caroline Hirons, A Model Reccomends and Samantha Maria, as well as online magazines such as Into the Gloss and Beauty Bay EDITed.


While I feel that Beauty Noted would appeal to a far wider audience than this, this is what I have identified as my core audience, and the reader I will be taking into consideration when structuring my content and designing my magazine. Identifying this core reader has helped me to think about how to market Beauty Noted. For example I will be using Instagram to promote the magazine and get it out there to a wider audience as I know that is a platform that my core reader would respond to. It has also helped me identify which brands to feature in the magazine, or what style of clothing to choose for an editorial.

Project Development: Changing Beauty Noted to a digital magazine

Due to time constraints and I have decided that I need to consider changing Beauty Noted to a digital magazine. Although this is really disappointing to me as I really wanted a printed outcome, I'm hoping that I can still capture the feeling of a printed publication through the design of the magazine. I have also realised that being available online will make the magazine accessible to a broader audience, which will definitely have a positive impact on the potential growth of the magazine, especially while it is new and still trying to build up readership. I will still be creating a website, but instead of being able to purchase the printed magazine from there, readers will be able to download a PDF magazine. An additional benefit of this is readability on iPads or phones.

The reason I have chosen to go with a downloadable PDF instead of a online/webpage magazine is that it still allows me the freedom to play around with the design as much as I like and to lay the magazine out as if it would be printed. This way, if I do end up having time to print or if I ever want a printed copy in the future, I won't have to completely redesign the project in order to do so. I need to speak to John about how to set up a download link for my PDF, to ensure it is really easy, and looks professional to the readers.

Magazine Design Inspiration

Inspired by the likes of magazines such as Kinfolk, Jungle and the Gentlewoman, design will be a key element of the magazine. Taking from the minimal, muted aesthetic of Scandinavian design, Beauty Noted targets an audience that appreciates beauty, not only cosmetically but in all aspects of life, embracing art and and design through their personal appearance, clothing, home and lifestyle.

Looking back on the findings from a focus group I conducted last year, the majority of the group noted that design is an important aspect to them and is an element that would set a magazine apart from it’s competitors. Originality was key, as so many commercial magazines are now so similar in both design and content. One member of the group commented that she would like to see a magazine with a cohesive colour scheme/theme running throughout, and this is what I want to achieve with Beauty Noted.

I originally planned to create a print magazine, that was designed to be flicked through leisurely and read multiple times instead of skim read in a hurry and thrown away. Even though the magazine will now be in a digital format, I still want the aesthetic to provide a calming, relaxing feel for the reader. The colour palette will be mostly monochromatic using white, grey and black, but offset with pops of green foliage and natural skin tones. The page design will be far more minimal than that seen in commercial magazine titles, to let the imagery be the focal point as opposed to loud, distracting advertisements and garish colours. I want the magazine to have an almost scrapbook like feel, using smudges and lines to create an undone 'print' feel to the pages.

Update: 13/02/17

There has been a delay in starting the project as I was offered the opportunity to do a work placement throughout January and the beginning of February. This involved commuting to London every day and working long hours, therefore I've had very little time to think about anything else. I'm feeling very concerned about the time that I have left now to produce the magazine, especially as with it being printed, it would need to be finalised by mid April. I'm going to spend this week getting in touch with models and photographers to work with as finding people to collaborate with can often be one of the most time consuming parts of shooting, and once I have my shoots planned out I can work around those with writing my articles and creating the other content for the magazine. Although I'm now very behind on the schedule that I planned out in my FMP proposal, I think as long as everything goes to plan with the shoots, I should still be able to finalise my magazine in time.