Review: Hype Magazine

Editor-in-chief Manny (Aurelieke92) has created the debut issue of Hype Magazine! Here I'm going to break it down and review it! Note: in my somewhat controversial last review of Muse Magazine, please remember that I was asked by both the owners of Hype and Muse to review their magazine. The only magazine where the owner did not ask me was Forever Chic. I have nothing against these writers/editors but view their magazines with a completely unbiased eye.

Click the cover to view  Hype Magazine and follow along with my review.

Remember, whenever I mention this [4/29] that means flip to that page of Hype to understand what I'm talking about. This issue has 29 pages in total.

Graphic Design: 6/10 Although the models look good and their clothing is nicely done (and there is one model sitting on a car in a more complicated pose [10/29], props), the drawing lines are still there (pencil marks, if you will). The poses are ok, up until I get to [12/29] the girl in the white blazer and British bow. Don't get me wrong- she looks great, but her clothes don't. The largest problem is the graphics are two-dimensional for the most part- give them texture, shadows, etc, for a higher score! Also when the hair is blowing [16/29] it looks like one huge matted piece, which just seems like she's in dire need of a shower. On [20/29] there is a serious problem with head size and [21/29] I'm not sure if she intentionally cut half of her hair off or it was just a graphics burp. Overall, I wouldn't say anything really extraordinary, but about average. My best advice? Work on the fine details.

Fashion Editorial: 6/10 Though the editorial has good ideas for the season, it looks like a classic quick photoshop [23-25/29]. There really wasn't enough time spent on something that is centrally important to a fashion magazine. These clothes could be copied and pasted so quickly in and out of Photoshop that I could be done in a half hour! The problem is the fashion editorial should be the most time consuming to create, and it shows when it's presented in the magazine. I appreciate that the items are Stardoll made so they're accessible to our dolls, what I'm looking for is fashion I could wear in real life, even if it's not affordable. Remember the magazines that would likely score solid 95% and above's on my scale (Eternity, Fierce, etc.) always do have real life clothing editorials. Otherwise, I'm not complaining!

Creativity: 7/10 I really enjoy the make-up tutorials [26-27/29], they're really unique. However, they're hard to understand and breaking it down into smaller windows would obviously make it better. And, honestly, even after reading the Urban Chanel article [4/29], I still don't really have a true grasp on what it means. Having visuals are absolutely the right way to go! The more pictures, the better.

Trends Shown: 4/10 There were too many interviews, too little fashion. Limit your magazine to one covergirl interview and one short, as there is only so many interviews the reader can truly take. There were no trends shown outside of the fashion editorial and makeup, and as you can see both have been covered and completely exhausted. Words to live by: quality over quantity, as shorter magazines are acceptable if they are truly high quality.

Writing Style: 7/10 There are some slight grammar problems (things being in the wrong tenses, words in the wrong order, nothing to get too flummoxed about), but the highlighting of words that help "POP!" the words to me, the reader, help greatly. The interview style is great [5-9/29] with the covergirl and I find myself enjoying reading it. However, in the "Structure. Foundation. Chaos." article [15-18/29], I don't see a point to the article as it doesn't serve a central theme of the magazine. It makes me wonder why I'm reading it. For an idea of what to write as these articles, real life magazines usually veer towards seasonal topics, such as "Tanning and summertime," or "Eliminate allergies," or even something that isn't really seasonal but always on our minds, like "Diets, are they healthy? Facts here." Go for something that grabs our attention, a hot topic if you will, and expand on it with facts and statistics. The ratings in this section will skyrocket.

How did this magazine score?

29 out of 50 total points, at 58% or F

My Final Comments: Not bad for a debut issue! Few magazines, if any, get it right on their first try. Rewind back to the first issue of Eternity and you'll realize Mary herself may not have scored much higher (it takes time to get it right!). Also, remember I'm a tough grader. Keep working hard on what you're doing and never, never give up. I hope to be reviewing your next issue with a possible high C grade or maybe even B-! Keep working hard and make sure it's perfect: it'll help you land a perfect score here!

MDM, what do you think? Comment!

Copyright Sierra Lang for MDM. Any reusing is considered infringement. Ask permission first.