Friday, 12 March 2010
Evaluation
In what ways does your media product use, develop, or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
There are many key conventions of a music magazine which are needed to draw the reader in and give your magazine the edge over others. One of the most important is the masthead, which will distinguish the magazine from competitors. The font or colours used will make it easily recognisable and give the magazine its identity. The picture is another important feature, as there is usually one main picture of the band or artist, which most of the time is a mid close up. This is explained using the main headline which will be the largest text on the page. There could be various other cover lines symbolising other things featured inside, along with other small pictures. Some magazines choose to position a banner or strapline at the top or bottom of the page, this could give a list of what is included inside, or be used to advertise something, making it unique and differ from other magazines on the shelf. Lexis used is also very important as you don’t want too much information but you need to make sure buyers will want to read your magazine more than others. Typical words used are ‘Exclusive’ and ‘free’ as this is the kind of thing readers want to see to make sure they are getting the most out of what is out there. It also makes it unique and appears that no other magazine can match it.
My music magazine uses many of these typical conventions. By observing various other magazines I decided the most popular, and most efficient place to position the masthead was at the top of the page. I found examples such as ‘Kerrang!’ and ‘MixMag’ have the masthead in the centre, whereas others including ‘Q’ and ‘NME’ have theirs in the top corner. These are all in their own specific font and colour to make the magazine recognisable. I chose my font and made it original by using contrasting colours to make it stand out, which I think gives the magazine its own identity. For the main picture, I used a long shot so I could fit the whole of the model on the cover. I decided to do this opposed to a mid shot to show the whole of the model. For this I gave my model an indie boy look and stance to fit in with the theme of my magazine.
I chose a different font for the main headline on the magazine, as I liked the effect it had on ‘NME’. Similar to ‘NME’ I positioned the cover lines to the left of the picture. I decided to use a black and white picture as I wanted the front cover to have a colour scheme of grey, with a contrasting colour of lime green to stand out, which is used to highlight text in the masthead. I also liked the idea of keeping it quite simple so it’s not too crammed and it’s easy to identify the main features of the magazine without being surrounded by unwanted information or pointless pictures. I included one other picture on the magazine, which I explained using a circular text box, like the magazine above.
This is the finished front cover of my magazine, which has been kept quite simple. ‘NME’ was the main influence for my ideas, as I used their specific key ingredients which give the magazine its look.
For the contents page, I found lots of different layout designs could be effective, whether it had one main picture or various smaller ones. I think the text to picture ratio is important, as you have to consider your reader may not want to be swamped with information, and you can say more with a picture. This is also more appealing than plain text. I decided to again keep it simple by using a minimal amount of text to give the impression that the contents are continued on the next page. I used small pictures which I positioned at an angle down the side of the page.
This is the effect I went for, excluding the background picture. I like the way smaller, bordered pictures are used, as these are more interesting to look at and immediately show the reader what and who is featured inside. I also found the contents particularly effective using one colour for subheadings so each part of the magazine is easy to find. I included a letter from the editor in my contents page to make it more personal and make it clear that the editor values the reader’s opinions. The cover line font used on the front cover is repeated, being personal to this magazine, and again I’ve used a bright colour to make certain things stand out. One thing I have pushed the boundaries on is the amount of space I have used for the ‘contents’ text. I think this is acceptable as its part of the design and is original, as it starts quite far down the page, which isn’t typical of other magazines. The way I have edited the pictures is also effective, as I have highlighted the red and green in the middle picture to bring it out more, as these are the colours I have used for certain text.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I have represented teenagers in my music magazine, and it is mostly aimed at indie music fans as these are the type of bands featured in the magazine. The main headline is talking about an ‘exclusive’ interview with an upcoming artist. He is 21 years old and acts as a role model for readers, as he was previously a normal student like the majority of readers will be. Hearing about his success, readers may aspire to be like him for when they reach that age. The image I used on the front cover also indicates the fashion of someone into indie music, which will appeal to the reader if they want to follow trends. My magazine could also attract readers who are from the same area as the artist, as they could have more of an interest for someone who grew up in the same lifestyle as them as this would make it more realistic for them. As he is from Newcastle I used phrases such as ‘dead excited’ to symbolise his dialect and make it more believable.
Being a teenage audience, they may be put off by too much text as this could seem daunting and most people might ‘not be bothered’. This is why I chose to keep the front cover and contents page quite simple, and rely on the colour and pictures to draw the reader in. I think this is best because teenagers tend to follow trends and go for the best looking magazine as opposed to the ones
that include the most information.
This picture features celebrities that are talked about a lot in the media at the moment, and whether people love them or hate them, they will want to find out why they are included in the magazine and what they’re favourite artists are saying about them. Teenagers are more likely to conform to what other people think, so the opinions of people they admire, such as a particular band, will influence and interest them.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Institutions such as ‘Bauer media’ already publish various music magazines such as ‘Kerrang!’ and ‘Q’, which are similar to the one I produced.
They are all focussed on similar bands are artists of the same genre.
Specific features of my magazine are similar to these, such as:
- Free posters like ‘Kerrang!’
- Use of language to attract the reader’s attention and make it stand out ‘exclusive’ like in ‘Q’.
- Attractive and original fonts to make the magazine unique like ‘NME’.
- It also includes well known artists that are popular at this time.
‘Bauer’ may want to distribute my magazine as it features similar unique selling points that make their magazines so successful. However, it also offers something different as the target audience is slightly younger and it’s aimed primarily at teenagers. It is original as I didn’t follow any colour schemes from existing magazines, and used a different font that would make it stand out on the shelf. As well as including well known artists, there are also a wider selection of upcoming ones who the target audience can relate to and will hopefully show an interest in.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
I have decided to aim my magazine at 15-18 year olds who enjoy indie music; however it could also appeal to anyone who is interested in new upcoming artists in the indie music industry. It will appeal to both males and females, as it's quite a popular music genre. As the readers are fairly young the price will be quite reasonable, this applies to the average student who may only have a part time or weekend job, and therefore not want to spend too much money. The magazine will include information and interviews with upcoming artists who are trying to make it in the music business, so the audience will be able to relate or aspire to them as they are a similar age and will live the same kind of lifestyle as students. They could perhaps give advice to other people who want to achieve the same kind of thing. The readers will also be able to find out information about their favourite bands and upcoming events where they can get a chance to go and see them.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The front cover was essential to attracting my audience. I used relevant photos, such as a good looking model the audience could relate to and/or aspire to, and pictures from a gig of a popular band that would interest the audience. I also used bright colours for the masthead which gave the magazine its brand identity. One of the main techniques I used is the language of the cover lines. I used the word ‘exclusive’ which is extremely effective in drawing readers in as it makes the magazine stand out from others, and gives the impression that you couldn’t find this information anywhere else. The background colour of grey, with white text, is quite simple and may attract more boys than girls to the magazine, but the use of bright green makes it stand out and works well as a contrast on the dark grey.
I didn’t include too many cover lines as I didn’t want the audience to be put off, as if there is too much going on I think this could seem daunting to the reader. I also wanted to keep it quite professional and grown up, as making it too personal to specific people could put some people off if they aren’t interested in a particular feature. I kept the chattiness for the contents page where I wrote a letter from the editor which is engaging with the reader. In the cover line, i featured theword 'FREE' which will immediately attract attention and gain the interest of readers.
I also included a strap line at the bottom of the front cover which told the audience they could win tickets to ‘V Festival’ inside. This is another unique selling point which gives it that edge over other magazines. ‘V Festival’ is also popular as it features big bands from this genre of music and is a very well known event to the music world.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
After completing my media product, I have gained a better understanding of various technologies such as Publisher, Gimp and Picasa. Gimp helped me the most with my product, as this is what I used to crop the majority of my photo’s and text. It took me a while to get the hang of using all the tools available but after that I found it an easy and precise way to edit things efficiently. I also found Picasa the best programme to use for editing the brightness and contrast of photos. I also found the tool, which removes red eye very helpful.
Like in my preliminary task I used dafont for the text on my front cover and contents page. This was easy to find the type of font I was looking for, as I narrowed my search down to look for distorted fonts.
I am also more comfortable using the blog, as the preliminary task gave me time to try it out and get used to it.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Since my preliminary task, I think the main progression I have made is making the most of the technologies available, such as image manipulation programmes like ‘Gimp’ and ‘Picasa’. I think I used these effectively to produce more professional pictures than the ones used in my preliminary task, as I didn’t do much work on these.
Another thing which has improved is the way I managed my time, as in the preliminary task I took too much time researching which made the final design look quite rushed as I didn’t spend enough time on it. In the final task I made sure I produced a number of drafts for each design, and spent a lot of time tweaking them to get the effect I wanted.
I also spent more time researching the target audience and making sure my magazine was specific to what they want from a magazine. For this I made in depth textual analyses of three different magazines to find all the different conventions and how they reach out to they target market. I also wrote a treatment to identify the specific target audience I was aiming for.
There are many key conventions of a music magazine which are needed to draw the reader in and give your magazine the edge over others. One of the most important is the masthead, which will distinguish the magazine from competitors. The font or colours used will make it easily recognisable and give the magazine its identity. The picture is another important feature, as there is usually one main picture of the band or artist, which most of the time is a mid close up. This is explained using the main headline which will be the largest text on the page. There could be various other cover lines symbolising other things featured inside, along with other small pictures. Some magazines choose to position a banner or strapline at the top or bottom of the page, this could give a list of what is included inside, or be used to advertise something, making it unique and differ from other magazines on the shelf. Lexis used is also very important as you don’t want too much information but you need to make sure buyers will want to read your magazine more than others. Typical words used are ‘Exclusive’ and ‘free’ as this is the kind of thing readers want to see to make sure they are getting the most out of what is out there. It also makes it unique and appears that no other magazine can match it.
My music magazine uses many of these typical conventions. By observing various other magazines I decided the most popular, and most efficient place to position the masthead was at the top of the page. I found examples such as ‘Kerrang!’ and ‘MixMag’ have the masthead in the centre, whereas others including ‘Q’ and ‘NME’ have theirs in the top corner. These are all in their own specific font and colour to make the magazine recognisable. I chose my font and made it original by using contrasting colours to make it stand out, which I think gives the magazine its own identity. For the main picture, I used a long shot so I could fit the whole of the model on the cover. I decided to do this opposed to a mid shot to show the whole of the model. For this I gave my model an indie boy look and stance to fit in with the theme of my magazine.
I chose a different font for the main headline on the magazine, as I liked the effect it had on ‘NME’. Similar to ‘NME’ I positioned the cover lines to the left of the picture. I decided to use a black and white picture as I wanted the front cover to have a colour scheme of grey, with a contrasting colour of lime green to stand out, which is used to highlight text in the masthead. I also liked the idea of keeping it quite simple so it’s not too crammed and it’s easy to identify the main features of the magazine without being surrounded by unwanted information or pointless pictures. I included one other picture on the magazine, which I explained using a circular text box, like the magazine above.
This is the finished front cover of my magazine, which has been kept quite simple. ‘NME’ was the main influence for my ideas, as I used their specific key ingredients which give the magazine its look.
For the contents page, I found lots of different layout designs could be effective, whether it had one main picture or various smaller ones. I think the text to picture ratio is important, as you have to consider your reader may not want to be swamped with information, and you can say more with a picture. This is also more appealing than plain text. I decided to again keep it simple by using a minimal amount of text to give the impression that the contents are continued on the next page. I used small pictures which I positioned at an angle down the side of the page.
This is the effect I went for, excluding the background picture. I like the way smaller, bordered pictures are used, as these are more interesting to look at and immediately show the reader what and who is featured inside. I also found the contents particularly effective using one colour for subheadings so each part of the magazine is easy to find. I included a letter from the editor in my contents page to make it more personal and make it clear that the editor values the reader’s opinions. The cover line font used on the front cover is repeated, being personal to this magazine, and again I’ve used a bright colour to make certain things stand out. One thing I have pushed the boundaries on is the amount of space I have used for the ‘contents’ text. I think this is acceptable as its part of the design and is original, as it starts quite far down the page, which isn’t typical of other magazines. The way I have edited the pictures is also effective, as I have highlighted the red and green in the middle picture to bring it out more, as these are the colours I have used for certain text.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?
I have represented teenagers in my music magazine, and it is mostly aimed at indie music fans as these are the type of bands featured in the magazine. The main headline is talking about an ‘exclusive’ interview with an upcoming artist. He is 21 years old and acts as a role model for readers, as he was previously a normal student like the majority of readers will be. Hearing about his success, readers may aspire to be like him for when they reach that age. The image I used on the front cover also indicates the fashion of someone into indie music, which will appeal to the reader if they want to follow trends. My magazine could also attract readers who are from the same area as the artist, as they could have more of an interest for someone who grew up in the same lifestyle as them as this would make it more realistic for them. As he is from Newcastle I used phrases such as ‘dead excited’ to symbolise his dialect and make it more believable.
Being a teenage audience, they may be put off by too much text as this could seem daunting and most people might ‘not be bothered’. This is why I chose to keep the front cover and contents page quite simple, and rely on the colour and pictures to draw the reader in. I think this is best because teenagers tend to follow trends and go for the best looking magazine as opposed to the ones
that include the most information.
This picture features celebrities that are talked about a lot in the media at the moment, and whether people love them or hate them, they will want to find out why they are included in the magazine and what they’re favourite artists are saying about them. Teenagers are more likely to conform to what other people think, so the opinions of people they admire, such as a particular band, will influence and interest them.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
Institutions such as ‘Bauer media’ already publish various music magazines such as ‘Kerrang!’ and ‘Q’, which are similar to the one I produced.
They are all focussed on similar bands are artists of the same genre.
Specific features of my magazine are similar to these, such as:
- Free posters like ‘Kerrang!’
- Use of language to attract the reader’s attention and make it stand out ‘exclusive’ like in ‘Q’.
- Attractive and original fonts to make the magazine unique like ‘NME’.
- It also includes well known artists that are popular at this time.
‘Bauer’ may want to distribute my magazine as it features similar unique selling points that make their magazines so successful. However, it also offers something different as the target audience is slightly younger and it’s aimed primarily at teenagers. It is original as I didn’t follow any colour schemes from existing magazines, and used a different font that would make it stand out on the shelf. As well as including well known artists, there are also a wider selection of upcoming ones who the target audience can relate to and will hopefully show an interest in.
Who would be the audience for your media product?
I have decided to aim my magazine at 15-18 year olds who enjoy indie music; however it could also appeal to anyone who is interested in new upcoming artists in the indie music industry. It will appeal to both males and females, as it's quite a popular music genre. As the readers are fairly young the price will be quite reasonable, this applies to the average student who may only have a part time or weekend job, and therefore not want to spend too much money. The magazine will include information and interviews with upcoming artists who are trying to make it in the music business, so the audience will be able to relate or aspire to them as they are a similar age and will live the same kind of lifestyle as students. They could perhaps give advice to other people who want to achieve the same kind of thing. The readers will also be able to find out information about their favourite bands and upcoming events where they can get a chance to go and see them.
How did you attract/address your audience?
The front cover was essential to attracting my audience. I used relevant photos, such as a good looking model the audience could relate to and/or aspire to, and pictures from a gig of a popular band that would interest the audience. I also used bright colours for the masthead which gave the magazine its brand identity. One of the main techniques I used is the language of the cover lines. I used the word ‘exclusive’ which is extremely effective in drawing readers in as it makes the magazine stand out from others, and gives the impression that you couldn’t find this information anywhere else. The background colour of grey, with white text, is quite simple and may attract more boys than girls to the magazine, but the use of bright green makes it stand out and works well as a contrast on the dark grey.
I think the use of this picture was particularly effective as it shows everyone having a good time.
I didn’t include too many cover lines as I didn’t want the audience to be put off, as if there is too much going on I think this could seem daunting to the reader. I also wanted to keep it quite professional and grown up, as making it too personal to specific people could put some people off if they aren’t interested in a particular feature. I kept the chattiness for the contents page where I wrote a letter from the editor which is engaging with the reader. In the cover line, i featured theword 'FREE' which will immediately attract attention and gain the interest of readers.
I also included a strap line at the bottom of the front cover which told the audience they could win tickets to ‘V Festival’ inside. This is another unique selling point which gives it that edge over other magazines. ‘V Festival’ is also popular as it features big bands from this genre of music and is a very well known event to the music world.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
After completing my media product, I have gained a better understanding of various technologies such as Publisher, Gimp and Picasa. Gimp helped me the most with my product, as this is what I used to crop the majority of my photo’s and text. It took me a while to get the hang of using all the tools available but after that I found it an easy and precise way to edit things efficiently. I also found Picasa the best programme to use for editing the brightness and contrast of photos. I also found the tool, which removes red eye very helpful.
Like in my preliminary task I used dafont for the text on my front cover and contents page. This was easy to find the type of font I was looking for, as I narrowed my search down to look for distorted fonts.
I am also more comfortable using the blog, as the preliminary task gave me time to try it out and get used to it.
Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
Since my preliminary task, I think the main progression I have made is making the most of the technologies available, such as image manipulation programmes like ‘Gimp’ and ‘Picasa’. I think I used these effectively to produce more professional pictures than the ones used in my preliminary task, as I didn’t do much work on these.
Another thing which has improved is the way I managed my time, as in the preliminary task I took too much time researching which made the final design look quite rushed as I didn’t spend enough time on it. In the final task I made sure I produced a number of drafts for each design, and spent a lot of time tweaking them to get the effect I wanted.
I also spent more time researching the target audience and making sure my magazine was specific to what they want from a magazine. For this I made in depth textual analyses of three different magazines to find all the different conventions and how they reach out to they target market. I also wrote a treatment to identify the specific target audience I was aiming for.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Weekly Review
This week i have completed my final front cover, contents page, and double page spread of my magazine. I am quite happy with how these have turned out as i have done a lot of work on them and changed layouts and colour scheme's a lot to find what i think works best.
I also made some changes to the pictures i am using, by editing them further to make them brighter or to give a different effect. I think this was especially effective on the contents page.
I am now in my final week and just have some last minute tweaking to do to make sure everything is finished properly and then i will do my final evaluation.
I also made some changes to the pictures i am using, by editing them further to make them brighter or to give a different effect. I think this was especially effective on the contents page.
I am now in my final week and just have some last minute tweaking to do to make sure everything is finished properly and then i will do my final evaluation.
Front Cover Final
For my final front cover i edited up the cropped picture by using a tool on 'Gimp' to select the background colour, and filling in the grey gap that was in between the model's arms. I also used the tool to go round the edges to neaten it up.
As well as this i have added a cover line 'FREE iTunes download' as i thought there was too big a gap. By keeping the cover line simple and in a common font is doesn't take too much attention off the headline, and still doesn't make the page too crammed.
I am happy with my final result as i have still kept it simple which is the effect i wanted to achieve.
Monday, 8 March 2010
Double Page Final
This is my final double page spread. I decided to move the picture back to the second page as the black and white photo fits in nicely with the grey fill of the text boxes, and i didn't thinnk it looked as good on the opposite page.
I thought the bottom right of the page looked a bit empty as there was quite a big gap there so i added an extra piece of text which is talking to the readers and giving them extra information about the artist.
I have also filled the heading in green which is also present on the picture border. This gives the page the colour it was lacking before.
I am happy with the final result.
Contents Page Finished
For my final version of the contents page i have made significant changes to the forst draft! I decided to change the colour scheme on this page, as i didn't want it too look the same as the front cover. I have decided not to use green at all, apart from the masthead which has stayed the same to make the magazine recognisable, as the green gives it it's identity.
I have used dark grey for the text, and red for the parts i want to stand out, such as 'backstage'. I added a grey fill for the textboxes which is different to the last draft, as i though it looked a bit too plain. I have kept the text to a minimum as i want it to seem like the contents continues on the next page. The subheadings are also in grey and red.
I have done further editing to the pictures, by changing the brightness as the bottom picture was a bit dull, and the middle picture i wanted the red and green in the picture to stand out more.
Saturday, 6 March 2010
Double Page draft 2
Here is my second draft of the double page spread. I have completed my interview which i am happy with. I looked at existing interviews in various other magazines to get some ideas for how to open the interview and introduce the artist, and i like what i came up with.
I decided to move the smaller picture onto the first page where it overlaps a section of the main picture. This was to give more room for text on the other page, and also as i am yet to complete the profile so i'm not sure ow much space i will need.
I also changed the border of the picture to black instead of green, as although that was part of the colour scheme of my magazine and tied in with the masthead, i don't think it fit in well with this particular page.
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Weekly Review
This week i have completed the final draft of my front cover and contents page. I have started planning out my double page spread and have completed an initial design which indicates the colour and layout, which again i have kept the same as the front cover.
For my next draft i need to include the interview which i have written a rough plan of already, and need to feature some more pictures, which i am yet to edit.
All that is left for me to do aftr this is completed is my final evaluation.
For my next draft i need to include the interview which i have written a rough plan of already, and need to feature some more pictures, which i am yet to edit.
All that is left for me to do aftr this is completed is my final evaluation.
Double Page draft 1
This is my first draft for the double page spread of my magazine. I have used one of my initial design layouts which i quite like. I used Picasa to edit the picture and give it a sepia effect, and also to change the brightness. I like how it has turned out, as it seems like it's the sun in the picture which is creating the brightness, as it reflects. I used a green border for the side of the picture, as it looked would look too stretched if i positioned it to fit the whole page, and the green compliments the font.
I have also included another small picture on the second page of the 'celebrity' with his girlfriend, which i will write about in the interview. This is in black and white, and has been given a polaroid picture effect by placing a white border around it.
For my second draft i will include the interview, which i have chose to set out in three columns using a question and answer format. I also need to fill in the profile.
Monday, 1 March 2010
Contents page draft 3
I decided to change the background colour of my design to white, so it doesn't look exactly the same as the front cover. However, the colour scheme is still apparent as i have included the blacks, greys, and greens. I prefer this to the previous design as i don't want my magazine to look exactly the same throughout. I am happy with this final design, although i will maybe make 'contents' smaller, giving me space to add some more text.
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Contents page draft 2
For my second draft of the contents page i wrote out the contents that are included in the magazine. I didn't want too many as i didn't want the page to look too crammed. I used white for the text, and green for the words which i wanted to stand out to the reader. I also put various page numbers in big and bold to make it easier to find.
I am happy with my copy of the front cover featuring on the contents page. I think this is a good technique as it ties in with the letter from the editor by making it more personal.
Front Cover draft 2
For my second draft of my front cover i decided to change the colour of the background to a darker shade of grey. This is so it matched the contents page, and i also think the picture and the texts being white and green, stand out more on a darker background.
As well as this i added a caption for the smaller picture on the page, i positioned this in a white circle and overlapped the white border of the picture. I like that the picture and caption is all in black and white, as these simple colours don't steal too much focus off the main headline.
I have put three smaller white circles in varied sizes leading from the picture to the headline as i think this gives a nice effect.
I like that the design is quite simple and there isn't too much going on which is the effect i was going for. However, i may include a quote from the interview to fill the gap on the ext draft.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Weekly Review
This week i have completed a first draft of the front cover and contents page of my magazine. I am happy with the colour scheme that i have chosen of grey and bright green, as i think it stands out well and will draw attention to it.
I also like the layout of the front cover so far, as i want to keep it quite simple so it's not too crowded, so when i put the cover lines on i need to think about where to position them effectively.
I still need to edit some pictures to use for my contents page, as i have the layout ready but not the pictures. To do this i will again be using 'Gimp'.
This week i will start workig on a draft of my double pag spread, and then develop each of these.
I also like the layout of the front cover so far, as i want to keep it quite simple so it's not too crowded, so when i put the cover lines on i need to think about where to position them effectively.
I still need to edit some pictures to use for my contents page, as i have the layout ready but not the pictures. To do this i will again be using 'Gimp'.
This week i will start workig on a draft of my double pag spread, and then develop each of these.
Monday, 22 February 2010
Contents draft 1
This is the design i want to use for my contents page. I am continuing the colour scheme from the front cover, and just need to fill in the information of what is featured in the magazine.
Front Cover draft 1
This is the first draft of my front cover. removed the background of the picture and put it in black and white. I like the colour scheme of grey and bright green, and will continue this for the contents and double page spread. I still need to make some changes and write cover lines for the magazine.
Final title design
This is the design for the title which i am going to use as the identity for my magazine. It is going to appear on the contents and double page spread as well to continue the colour scheme of the magazine.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
Editing Pictures
I used Gimp and Picasa to edit my pictures. The top picture is the main photo i am using for my front cover, firstly i put it into black and white and changed the brightness and shadowing using Picasa. Then i cut around the picture in gimp so i can put it against a dark grey background on my front cover, which is shown in the picture.
The second picture is when i was using Picasa to change the brightness of the photo, which will be featured in the contents page. As the original picture was quite dark i found Picasa the best way to change this.
Pictures
Here are some photo's i have taken to use on my magazine. The model used is an upcoming artist who will be featured in the interview of the magazine. I have taken three photo's in various settings, which also shows him in different clothing. I have also taken picture's of a crowd at a gig which i can use on the front cover or contents page.Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Weekly Review
This week i have made some initial designs for the layout of my magazine. For the front page i tried various colour scheme's as well as different layouts. And for the contents page i tried it without the colour, as this will just be the same theme as the front cover. I still need to do some double page spread layouts, and need to start writing my interview.
Also i have chose the final font for my front cover and edited it to fit in with my front page. I used 'Gimp' for this which allowed me to crop and cut each letter out to paste onto my front page. I have decided the colour scheme is going to be a grey background, which black text and lime green straplines and things to make certain things stand out. I have chose a different font for cover lines on the magazine.
Next i will complete a design of my front cover using the inal fonts and colours chosen, and also apply these to the contents page and double page. Firstly i will do these without pictures, as i will put them in after. I still need to take various different pictures for my magazine.
Also i have chose the final font for my front cover and edited it to fit in with my front page. I used 'Gimp' for this which allowed me to crop and cut each letter out to paste onto my front page. I have decided the colour scheme is going to be a grey background, which black text and lime green straplines and things to make certain things stand out. I have chose a different font for cover lines on the magazine.
Next i will complete a design of my front cover using the inal fonts and colours chosen, and also apply these to the contents page and double page. Firstly i will do these without pictures, as i will put them in after. I still need to take various different pictures for my magazine.
Cover Line Font
This is the font i am going to use for the cover lines on my magazine. It is called 'Charles S' and is also off dafont. It is black and grey so fits in with the colour scheme.
Monday, 8 February 2010
Final Font
This is the font i have chose to use. I got it off dafont and will edit it to fit to the colour scheme of my magazine.
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Double Page Layout Designs
This was my 1st idea, which i tried out using the colour scheme for my magazine. The actual interview only takes up the bottom half of the page, and is in four columns so that the text doesn't overlap the fold of the pages. There is a box to the right which gives the profile of the band/artist, which overlaps a small part of the interview. The pictures have a thick green border to make them stand out, and the heading will be in the corner of the page as oposed to in the middle.
This was my second idea, where i decided to separate the pages by using the whole first page for a picture, with the heading at the bottom of this. On the opposite page i have used 3 columns for the interview, and included a profile at the bottom, with another smaller picture overlapping this at an angle.
Contents Layout Designs
Idea 1This was my first idea for a contents page. It includes the masthead at the top so it is recognisable to the magazine. The word contents is big and positioned at an angle so it stands out from th other text. There are 4 small pictures down the side to show the main features of the magazine whch will attract the readers. They have borders around to stand out from the background. There is a strapline at the bottom which could have more featues, or advertise a competition.
Idea 2
This was my second idea. Contents is written in the top corner of the page, with the masthead smaller in the opposite corner, again to give the magazine it's identity. The picture of the main story of the magazine will take up the majority of the page, and there will be two smaller pictures overlapping each oter next to it. They are at different angles so they look separate to the main picture. The bottom section of the page will show the features and page numbers. It also features a letter from the editor to make the magazine seem friendlier and to show that it is interacting with the reader. This is in a circle shape to differentiate it from the rectangular pictures.
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Weekly Review
This week i have wrote a treatment, identifying the target audience and purpose of my magazine. I also started reseraching what type of layout i am going to use by looking at some existing magazines to find out what colour schemes and things i thought worked best. I then made some front page designs of my own, and next week i need to d the same for the contents page.
I have also decided to call my magazine 'Flux' and looked at some possible font ideas. I now need to do some more initial designs using these fonts, and start designing the contents and double page spread.
I have also decided to call my magazine 'Flux' and looked at some possible font ideas. I now need to do some more initial designs using these fonts, and start designing the contents and double page spread.
Possible Fonts
Possible names
For my magazine, i wanted a title that was original and that would appeal to the target audience. As the magazine was focused on indie music and upcoming talent of young people, it had to fit in with that.
- Distinct
- Captured
- Uncovered
- Bite
- Flux
These are the names that appealed to me. As i haven't really got time to get feedback from other, I have decided i am going to use 'Flux' as the title for my magazine, as i think because it's short it's more effective. Also it means 'always changing' which is what happens in the music world!
Magazine title: FLUX
- Distinct
- Captured
- Uncovered
- Bite
- Flux
These are the names that appealed to me. As i haven't really got time to get feedback from other, I have decided i am going to use 'Flux' as the title for my magazine, as i think because it's short it's more effective. Also it means 'always changing' which is what happens in the music world!
Magazine title: FLUX
Front Cover Layout Designs
Idea 1 This was my first idea for a front cover design. I chose it because i want my magazine to be quite simple so everything is clear and it's not too crowded. The cover lines are positioned so they don't take too much focus off the picture, and there is a strapline at the top and bottom of the page which could be in a contrasting colour to stand out.
Idea 2
For my second idea i am using a black and white picture to take up the whole background. It also uses red and yellow to make the 'exclusive' stand out.
Monday, 1 February 2010
Planning my photoshoot
For my photoshoot, i am planning on taking pictures of a boy in his late teens who will be the new artist my magazine is focusing on. He will be dressed quite stereotypically indie so will fit in with the theme of the magazine. I am going to take quite a few pictures, all with different set ups, so i can write about him in different setting and situations. Most of these will be mid or long shots.
I will need different pictures to feature on the contents page of the magazine, so i am hoping to get some of a crowd at a gig to advertise an upcoming event or to give information about one that's already happened. For this i will use different angled shots and they will probably be long shots.
I may also find other models, maybe female, to show other new artists.
I will need different pictures to feature on the contents page of the magazine, so i am hoping to get some of a crowd at a gig to advertise an upcoming event or to give information about one that's already happened. For this i will use different angled shots and they will probably be long shots.
I may also find other models, maybe female, to show other new artists.
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Examples of existing magazine layouts
I found some examples of existing music magazines to try and get some ideas of the layout i want to use for mine. The first thing i noticed about all of these is that they all use mid shots of the particular band or artist shown.
My favourite colour scheme is 'Spin' as i like the grey background used and it uses plain colours such as red and white for the cover lines, which make the picture stand out more.
I also like the way 'NME' uses colour, and how Lily Allen's outfit matches the masthead and banner at the top and bottom of the page. I think the graphics used are good, as the font is original and looks modern and quirky due to the different sizes, which fits in with the picture taken from a slightly offset angle.
'Q's' use of 'World Exclusive' makes it stand out from the others, especially being the only text in yellow, as this gives it a unique selling point.
These are the sort of ideas i want to incorporate into my magazine.
Treatment
Magazine name:
Target Readership: I have decided to aim my magazine at 15-18 year olds who enjoy indie music, however it could also appeal to anyone who is interested in new upcoming artists in the indie music industry. It will appeal to both males and females, as it's quite a popular music genre. As the readers are fairly young the price will be quite reasonable, This applies to the average student who may only have a part time or weekend job, and therefore not want to spend too much money. The magazine will include information and interviews with upcoming artists who are trying to make it in the music business, so the audience will be able to relate or aspire to them as they are a similar age and will live the same kind of lifestyle as students. They could perhaps give advice to other people who want to achieve the same kind of thing. The readers will also be able to find out information about their favourite bands and upcoming events where they can get a chance to go and see them.
Form and style: My magazine in an a4 colour magazine which recognises the talent of new artists who are trying to make it in the music industry. It will also incude chances to win tickets to popular gigs or festivals, and interviews with new artists. The models used in the main photograph on the front cover, and people featured in the magazine will be of a similar kind of age to the target audience. The colour scheme i will use will be mostly grey, as if it was primarily a bright or girly colour, this could put male readers off. I will also choose a few other colours suck as yellow and white so they stand out. The front page won't be too crowded, but will show cover lines of competitions, highlighting words such as 'FREE!' which will grab readers attention. There will also be a few small pictures to preview what is inside. At £1.99 to magazine is affordable for the target market.
Themes and typical features: My magazine will feature interviews, competitions, and reviews from new or upcoming songs from popular bands. The interview will include questions that will interest the reader as it will talk about how their life has changed from being a regular student like the target audience. Artists featured will be favourites of maes and females so it doesn't put anyone off. The language used will also be focused at this particular age group.
Potential advertisers: A range of brands who have a connection with the music industry will be advertised in the magazine, such as HMV, ticketmaster, and maybe certain clothing brands that will appeal to the target market.
Editorial team: The editors of this magazine will be both female and male to ensure both genders are appealed to. Each issue will feature a letter from the main editor on the contents page as this makes them seem friendlier. The team will be made up of primarily students as the can relate to the target audience better. Readers will have a chance to contribute to the magazine to voice their ideas.
Target Readership: I have decided to aim my magazine at 15-18 year olds who enjoy indie music, however it could also appeal to anyone who is interested in new upcoming artists in the indie music industry. It will appeal to both males and females, as it's quite a popular music genre. As the readers are fairly young the price will be quite reasonable, This applies to the average student who may only have a part time or weekend job, and therefore not want to spend too much money. The magazine will include information and interviews with upcoming artists who are trying to make it in the music business, so the audience will be able to relate or aspire to them as they are a similar age and will live the same kind of lifestyle as students. They could perhaps give advice to other people who want to achieve the same kind of thing. The readers will also be able to find out information about their favourite bands and upcoming events where they can get a chance to go and see them.
Form and style: My magazine in an a4 colour magazine which recognises the talent of new artists who are trying to make it in the music industry. It will also incude chances to win tickets to popular gigs or festivals, and interviews with new artists. The models used in the main photograph on the front cover, and people featured in the magazine will be of a similar kind of age to the target audience. The colour scheme i will use will be mostly grey, as if it was primarily a bright or girly colour, this could put male readers off. I will also choose a few other colours suck as yellow and white so they stand out. The front page won't be too crowded, but will show cover lines of competitions, highlighting words such as 'FREE!' which will grab readers attention. There will also be a few small pictures to preview what is inside. At £1.99 to magazine is affordable for the target market.
Themes and typical features: My magazine will feature interviews, competitions, and reviews from new or upcoming songs from popular bands. The interview will include questions that will interest the reader as it will talk about how their life has changed from being a regular student like the target audience. Artists featured will be favourites of maes and females so it doesn't put anyone off. The language used will also be focused at this particular age group.
Potential advertisers: A range of brands who have a connection with the music industry will be advertised in the magazine, such as HMV, ticketmaster, and maybe certain clothing brands that will appeal to the target market.
Editorial team: The editors of this magazine will be both female and male to ensure both genders are appealed to. Each issue will feature a letter from the main editor on the contents page as this makes them seem friendlier. The team will be made up of primarily students as the can relate to the target audience better. Readers will have a chance to contribute to the magazine to voice their ideas.
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Weekly review
This week i have completed my textual analysises. I used three different types of music magazines all aimed at different target audiences so i could indentify which features are similar and how they appeal to these readers. For 'Kerrang!' i analysed the front cover, contents page, and double page spread. Although this magazine doesn't appeal to me, it is focused at it's specific market of rock lovers.
I also did an analysis of 'Mixmag' front cover and contents page and found that it uses a lot less pictures than Kerrang but to it's advantage as it doesn't cram up the page too much and makes the main pictures have more of an effect.
'Top of the pops' is aimed at a younger audience than what i am thinking of using for my music magazine, but it was helpful to see how the layout and colour scheme worked.
As well as my textual analysises i have completed an audience questionnaire to find out what type of thing people look for in a magazine. Hopefully i will get lots of feedback and this will help me determine what target audience to aim my magazine at and know what people are looking for.
I used pollcode.com and developed a poll to find out what genre of music is most popular to people of my age. This works with the questionnaire to help my research to find out what target audience i am going to use.
Next week i will choose my target audience and start thinking of some photo shoot ideas and do some more research into the genre of magazine i am going for.
I also did an analysis of 'Mixmag' front cover and contents page and found that it uses a lot less pictures than Kerrang but to it's advantage as it doesn't cram up the page too much and makes the main pictures have more of an effect.
'Top of the pops' is aimed at a younger audience than what i am thinking of using for my music magazine, but it was helpful to see how the layout and colour scheme worked.
As well as my textual analysises i have completed an audience questionnaire to find out what type of thing people look for in a magazine. Hopefully i will get lots of feedback and this will help me determine what target audience to aim my magazine at and know what people are looking for.
I used pollcode.com and developed a poll to find out what genre of music is most popular to people of my age. This works with the questionnaire to help my research to find out what target audience i am going to use.
Next week i will choose my target audience and start thinking of some photo shoot ideas and do some more research into the genre of magazine i am going for.
Monday, 25 January 2010
Textual analysis of 'Mixmag'
Mixmag is a British dance and club music magazine which was formed in 1982. It covers dance event and reviews music and night clubs. The new relaunched Mixmag is now aimed at the wider world of dance music, not just a specific type, and features other things such as a fashion section. It is published monthly and comes with a free mix cd with every issue. The cost of the magazine is £4.20, which i think is reasonable as cd's are worth a lot.Front cover
The background of the magazine is a wood colour, which makes the main colour scheme of white and yellow stand out more. These colours signify that the magazine is vibrant and fun, as yellow is a bright and happy colour. The masthead uses a modern and stylish font and is positioned at the top of the page. Above this there's a strapline in a smaller white font which reads 'The world's biggest dance and clubbing magazine'. This is to make the magazine seem better than competing magazines and encourage readers to buy it usng words such as 'biggest'. In the left corner there's some text going across the first letter of the masthead. This is in black with a yellow font stating that there is a 'free' mix cd. This is at the top of the page as this is where readers look first.
To the right of the masthead there is a picture of someone clubbing. Although it's quite small, it stands out as it's the only other picture used on the magazine front cover. It's white and yellow block border also helps it stand out. The text box features the company 'Don't stay in' who work closely with the magazne to promote events and supply photo's. In this issue, a last minute NYE party guide is included, which will appeal to the target audience as it's a big night of the year to go out clubbing so people want idea.
David Guetta is on the front cover, this will attract readers because he is so well known in this genre of music. The photo uses a mid shot of Guetta, with him wearing a purple t shirt to contrast the yellow text on the page. His head is partially covering up part of the masthead so it seems like he is in the foreground. The text overlapping this picture says 'Guetta load of this!' This is a pun used to combine his name with a tag line for the picture. It saves them having to use more text to write his name and helps readers identify him. This is in small font, with the larger font used for the main headline '2009: f*** me, what a year!' It's all in capitals to make it stand out even more, and uses white and yellow. The font is bigger than the masthead and stands out with a black outline around the text so it is the main focus of the page. The censored language shows that it's not aimed at a young audience, and makes people want to find out more about the success of his year.
The cover lines are all located at the outside of the magazine so they don't cover up too much of the picture. They all use quite small fonts but some are bolder than others. Down the left of the page some of the contents are shown so readers have an idea of what to expect inside this issue, and can see from a glance without having to look inside. The colours alternate from yellow to white each line. Underneath this,. in line with the headline, there is a white text box which highlights the mix cd that is included in this issue, with the word 'free' in bold to attract attention. This is repeated incase readers didn't notice it at the top of the page, as it's a key selling point for the magazine. Some more of the contents are continued below this. Right at the bottom of the page the photographer is mentioned in a small font, also it states David Guetta's name.
On the right of the page there is a yellow text box in a circle shape which shows it's the end of year issue. The word 'special' will attract readers attention as it makes it seem exclusive and will give them the edge over other magazines. Underneath the masthead there is a slightly bigger font which says about the top DJ's and clubs which will be revealed. The word 'revealed' makes it seem exclusive to the magazine. There are also some more features at the bottom right of the page, which are again alternating between white and yellow.
ContentsThe background of the contents page is black and doesn't consist of many pictures. The main picture is of somebody clubbing, and is an advertisement for a new years eve party which is meantioned on the front cover. The picture is a mid shot of a woman taken from an offset angle. She is wearing a black top and has red and, and the lighting is quite bright and red, so it stands out from the background of the rest of the page. The picture takes up just over half the page. The page number of this is indicated at the bottom left of the picture is large white writing, and there is a brief strapline stating that there are tickets to be won for an event similar to this.
The other picture is positioned to the right of this but is only about a quarter of the size. Is shows a mid shot of David Guetta posing, and the page number is again quite big. The features of the magazine are the stated below this picture. It uses a white font with the page numbers shown in yellow. The font is quite small which makes it not take up a very big proportion of the page, and not steal focus away from the picture. A few features mentioned on the front page are shown, with the title's in bold so readers can scan the page to find what they are looking for quickly.
There is a banner along the bottom of the page which gives information about the free cd included in the magazine. This is separated from the rest of the page by a white line. It shows a picture of the cd case and shows the tracklist, with the number in yellow, the name in bold white, and the artist in white. This colour scheme is continued from the front cover and works well with both background as people's attention will be attracted to bright colours, even if the font isn't that big.
Sunday, 24 January 2010
Front cover analysis of 'Top of the Pops'
Top of the Pops magazine was formed in 1995 and is a suppliment of the BBC television programme. It was originally described as a mix between 'Smash Hits' and 'NME' but over the years the format has changed, with the magazine featuring less music information and is primarily aimed at young girls with features that include celebrity gossip and fashion and beauty advice. The cost of the magazine is £2.30 which is quite expensive for a magazine aimed at young teens, who won't have much money of their own for luxuries so would have to rely on their parents for finance.The first thing that catches my eye about the front page is it's bright colour scheme. The background uses pink tiles but we can only see parts of this as most of it is covered up by feature boxes of what to expect in the magazine. The magazine uses pink and yellow which makes the target audience obvious as these are typical girly colours.
The main picture is of Cheryl Cole, a popular girl band member who is a role model for a lot of young girls, not just for her talent as a performer, she is also a fashion icon and spends a lot of time in the public eye due to her fashion choices. The picture is a mid close up so you can see her hair style and make up clearly, as people always expect her to look good. Her head is the only part not covered by a cover line and blocks out part of the masthead. This makes only the words 'top' and 'pops' visible to the reader, as these are most important.
The cover line which relates to the main story of the magazine is positioned at an angle and is overlapping the picture. It is in a dark pink text box, the same as the outline of the masthead, so it stands out. The box starts with the words 'World Exclusive!' to differentiate the magazine from others making it seem like this is the only place the reader can find this information, and gives it the edge over competing magazines. The cover line reads 'It's scary being me!' which is a quote from the interview with Cheryl Cole and will interest the audience as they will want to find out more about her life and the fact that someone so famous finds it scary would be a shock.
The is a banner across the bottom of the page, also in dark pink, which shows the 'hot' posters that are included in the magazine. The word 'hot' is a mode of address used because the magazine are trying to reach out to the target audience my using similar language. This is followed by pictures of the 6 people, not all of them being involved with music, which indicates that the magazine is edging away from being primarily about music and just being aimed at various things young girls are interested in, such as Edward from the film Twilight who is loved by lots of young girls.
Beside the picture of Cheryl, there is a small picture of Alexandra Burke in a white box. This is so it stands out from the pink background. The cover line is about a 'new year makeover' which will appeal to young girls as they would aspire to be like the stars. There is a similar box on the left of the page featuring JLS, also off the popular TV show 'The X Factor'. This is to advertise that inside the magazine you can 'WIN!' signed JLS hoodies. These celebrities aid the sales of the magazine and fit in well as 'The X Factor' is so popular and the artists they produce are known for topping the charts.
There are various issues not involving the music business that are featured in 'Top of the Pops'. At the top of the page there is a cover line of a quiz featured in the magazine which relates to friendship issues, which is a popular subject for young girls to worry about and need advice for. As well as this it uses a black circle shape which includes information about being safe online. This is more advice for the target audience, as online safety is very important and younger girls are more vulnerable. The fact that this is in black makes it stand out from the rest of the page, and sort of symbolises danger as its the only dark colour used.
At a glance, the front cover includes different shades of pink and yellow and different shapes which the cover lines are written on. This is so all the different features stand out from each other. It also makes the magazine easily recognisable to regular readers, and will definately draw the attention of the target audience of young girls when on a shelf surrounded by various other magazines. All the cover stories say the page number so if someone is flicking through it, they can find what they're looking for easily.
The language used on the magazine also indicates the age group it's aimed at. Words such as 'OMG' which is used frequently by girls of this particular age groups to communicate with each other. This shows the magazine is trying to relate to them and lure them in by using similar expressions.
In my opinion, the layout is too crammed with various pictured and too many strap lines. I think it will work for the target audience as they will rely more on the cover of a magazine when they are choosing to buy it so will want as much as information and unique sellings points as possible on the front page to draw them in.
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