XXL Magazine - Project 3

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 Introduction

    This is my favorite project so far. We had to create the October 2023 edition for a popular magazine. The magazine that I chose was XXL. XXL is a rap/hip-hop magazine that presents stories relating to these genres of music. It also offers little take-aways such as: how hip-hop has evolved, how to develop your musical career, personal/career related information about major/underground artists and record labels, and up-and-coming trends and artists, etc. I chose to put the new artist Ez Mil (Ezekiel Miller) on my October 2023rd edition of XXL. He is a Filipino rapper, but he can sing, dance, beat box, rap, produce, and write songs. He can also rap in multiple languages. There is more. He not only raps, but he is a scream vocalist for death metal bands, as well. He just signed with Shady Records, and he has never been on the cover of this magazine. Ez Mil would be a great prospect for XXL’s next edition.

Creative/Design Process

    I did a substantial amount of research on XXL’s magazine, and they go from pretty basic typefaces to big decorative graffiti typefaces. I had a vision in my head to go with something that is large and in-your-face but not decorative.

    I chose a Sanserif font called Nirmala UI Bold for the major headings and subheadings, and as I began adding everything else, I realized I needed a different style to break up the text and separate it from the headings and subheadings. I chose to use Nirmala UI Regular for everything else.

    I chose to use red and white text. Red stands out amongst the greys and blacks. “SHADY RECORDS” is in white because that is the color of the logo for that record-label. I also added a drop shadow to Ez Mil along with a black background behind the smaller red text to make both of them stand out.

    The background began as solid black, but it then changed to a gradient of black fading into dark grey and then back into black, but my final decision ended up being a grey and black brick wall. The brick wall adds texture, and it is grungy like Ez Mil’s style.

    After I chose the background, I selected Ez Mil, and I added a mask. I used the refine brush tool and the brush tool to get rid of unnecessary markings and to reveal some of his hair. I also reduced the vibrance to compliment the background.

    The XXL logo is in the upper left-hand corner where it normally is, and I chose to put the UPC code down in the right-hand corner. I wanted Ez Mil up front-and-center because this is his time to shine.

    The content of the magazine is based off of what XXL includes on their covers, but some of these topics and artists I chose specific to Ez Mil.

    In the finishing touches, I merged all of the layers, and I added an artist filter from the profile section along with a -11 vignette to darken the edges to bring the piece together.

Final Product


Conclusion

    I learned a lot more about photoshop, magazines, XXL and Ez Mil. I was able to implement more techniques in photoshop. I have a better understanding of how to use the tools in photoshop to create my visions. I grow more and more each time I am in photoshop. This was a very successful project for me.

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