Mood Board

This is my mood board. I used this to sum up some potential ideas.

Flat Plan for front cover

This is my flat plan for my music magazine. I didn't include an image because when I designed it I was still unsure of which one to use. However, I have now narrowed it down to two, either a long shot of a lead singer or a wide shot of the whole band.

Flat plan for contents

This is my flat plan for my contents page. I feel that this keeps with the consistency of my magazine as it is very similar to my front cover. The colour palette would remain grey and white mainly. I feel that this keeps a retro look as the piece appears vintage. The images would be black and white to keep with the authentic ideological feel of the magazine.

Flat plan for my double page spread

This is my double page spread flat plan. I feel that the writing should take up most of the space as this is the only chance I really have to show off my writing ability which is my strongest asset in this creating a magazine process. I still feel like to write so much I will need a strong image. A double page spread could prove the most difficult to create as too much may make it look messy and too little may have it look a little rushed. For this reason, I aim to go for an elegant design where I keep the colour pallette simple and the design looking smart but not overdone.

Flat plan for 3rd page of double page spread

The article I have written is far too long to feature on two pages the way that I plan to format my texts into three rows. I have a lot more images which I feel are just as good as the ones I am using, so this would be a chance for me to get them shown as I feel that the one I have in mind will fit in with the current theme I have going already. On this page I also plan to include a quote which will feature in the centre. The reason that I have decided that this will be a good idea is because the page may look a little plain if it is just an image and the rest of the article, so for this page I want to add a little extra, something that I can show more conventional themes of a magazine.

Flat plan for final front cover

I decided that grey and white was too boring. There needed to be more colour involved in order for the piece to stand out if it were on a shelf, so I decided that a different colour scheme altogether would be a better idea. I think a Rolling Stone kind of font would look good, especially in red with a black outline and maybe some white involved somewhere. I also think that the image should be larger as it didn't really stand out in my first draft. I also decided that instead of having the 'MARLBORO' in red, it would look better in a gold-ish colour, as it looks more majestic... And the fact it was a bit of a bad pun for 'Marlboro Gold'.

question survey

This was my audience survey that I asked 20 students aged sixteen to eighteen doing a variety of subjects to answer. I found that while they had different interests in genres of music the majority were drawn to magazines through the masthead, the model on the cover and the price. I discovered that most of them spent £2 - £2.99 on a magazine once a month. This has helped me choose how much I will charge for my music magazine, and also how regularly to produce it. As the majority of people were drawn to a magazine by the masthead and the model on the cover (as well as the price) I have decided to make my masthead very big and bold so that it will stand out. I will try to make the model on the cover pose in a way that will catch people's attention. For example, instead of using the usual invitational or chocolate box pose that a lot of magazines use I could have someone posing with a 'prop' such as a guitar and make it full length as opposed to a head shot. I hope that the 'prop' will act as a visual aid to help the audience understand that my magazine will be a music magazine and hope that the full length pose will draw people in as if will look different to most magazines on the shelf.

New contents page flat plan

This is my second draft of a contents page. After making my previous one, I realised that I didn't have enough in it, basically the magazine looked a little thin. I felt that I needed more stories inside... Nobody's going to buy a magazine with 30 pages in when there's a similar one out there with 60, are they?
So for this attempt, I decided to take inspiration from a weird place- a rugby goal. I was watching it on the TV and somehow, the idea that the shape could potentially work. After drawing it out, I realised that it wouldn't look so good as it is, but if I raised the horizontal line so that it was above the vertical lines, it would be an almost perfect template for me to work around and experiment with where to put my stories and what I could do to make it look interesting and a little different from other magazines I had looked at.

New contents page

This contents page has more consistency with the other parts of my magazine and looks more like a finished product. I used the Royal Acidbath font again, just as I did for my masthead.

Preliminary Task

For my preliminary task I created a front cover and contents page for a college magazine. I used Microsoft Publisher to do this because I found that it was the quickest and easiest program to use; however for my music magazine I plan to use Abode Photoshop as I want to spend more time creating it and want to edit it in more detail.

I decided to call my college magazine Bede Times as I felt that it had a formal, mature feel to it, as well as a informative ideology behind- good times, bad times, the magazine says all.  I chose to use the colours blue and white for my colour palette because they are neutral, yet powerful. They work well together so that the content would be eye catching. I want my magazine to look realistic and fit in with the normal conventions of a magazine but mainly stand out if it were on a shelf. 

I would like to think that the colours, as they are neutral seem a good choice as they could encourage the readers to read it because there is no bias involved whatsoever. I hope that the colour scheme will create positive connotations due its neutral feeling. I have discovered that the white text on the blue background really stands out and catches the audience’s attention.

Front cover flat plan

This is my flat plan for my preliminary front cover.

Contents page flat plan

Front Cover

This is my finished  preliminary front cover.

Contents

First draft of my magazine cover

This is the first draft for my magazine. I don't like it at all. I plan to completely change my front cover. I will resize the image (making it bigger), change the fonts to make my masthead stand out (as well as making it bigger) and alter the colour scheme to make it more colourful as this will hopefully attract the reader's attention.

Another set of original images...

More original images

Another double page spread example (verbose)

This is another double page spread taken from an issue of NME. I like how the article runs along the bottom of the two pages. The use of one big image on the right and some smaller pictures on the left is good because it shows what the band is like live which is fitting for the article because it is a review of a show they played in Edinburgh. The font is very simple to read which will help to capture the reader’s interest. Although I like the layout because it is very simple I think I would like to include more writing in my double page spread.

Inspirational double page spreads

This double page spread is about an interview that NME had with Arctic Monkeys. It follows a typical question and answer format which is simple to read and easy to follow. The main image is of the band sitting around a table which is fitting for the type of article it is. I don’t really find question and answer interviews very interesting so I don’t think that this is a very inspirational piece for my double page spread. Instead of doing a question and answer format I think I would have written it up. I would have tried to make it informal and friendly so that reader could have felt like they were actually present when the interview took place.

 

 

 

 

This is an article taken from Kerrang magazine, focusing on American band 'All American Rejects'.

I really liked the look of this double page spread, it's miles away from the colour scheme and overall look I'm aiming for with my magazine, but the basis and general style of this magazine really appealed to me, and in some ways has influenced an idea for my own double page spread.

The colour usage overall is quite dark, and could be described as 'gloomy' but the title distracts from this a tad, as it's got quite a pop of colour in it and helps the article and dps in general to stand out further.

The images are positioned really well on this spread, the main one obviously draws the most attention, but the other images used are not in any way shadowed by the main image as they all have a red coloured border edging them away from fading into the dark background. Most of the text contrasts with the dark background as this article plays on the black and white them quite well and cleverly. In some sense, the images and themes, combined with the colours and props in the actual images give this article almost a Halloween theme!

The language on this article isn't formal in the slightest and could be seen as quite offensive to some audience's, however, as the magazine is aimed to quite a specific target audience I dont think these readers would take offense.

 

 

The way the image overlaps the writing has a very influential effect. The way the writing is tucked into the bottom corner also makes the overall piece look stronger. The image makes Lily Allen look confident and also very confident. The use of the quotation as the title is also something I look to use, as it will give me a chance to sell the artist a little. It will give me a chance to show what this fictional band is all about. What I will change, however, is the use of colours. I wish to keep the simple colour scheme, using black, white and red mainly but also a slight amont of grey.

 

 

The use of the brick wall sums up their working class roots. The hand on the wall suggests that they have marked their territory here and that despite their success they intend to stick to their roots. The use of a metaphor is something I look to think into. Keeping my format simple will make this harder, however, I look to conjure something up, perhaps the choice of clothing or perhaps something he is holding.

Inspirational contents pages

Q magazine

The contents page of Q magazine is very plain, and only includes one large image of the main feature band (probably the band which were on the front cover), with the rest of the page being filled by text. However I really like the band across the top of the page with the magazine masthead and the heading of the page, the date and the issue. Another thing which I like about this contents page is the way in which the magazine's main colour has been used. The colour red is one of the things which attracts the readers eye to Q magazine as the masthead is large and bright red, therefore the way it has been carried on as a subtle 'highlighter' colour on the contents page is very effective. It highlights the subheadings and the page number of each featured article, as well as being used to highlight certain words on the page which the magazine wants to draw the reader's eye to. The main colour of my magazine is purple, and would therefore work well in the same way as red has been used, which is something I'm considering using.

 

 

This is the contents page of NME, once again it has the bold heading over the sections of content which just shows the reader that it is well organised and structured, also this is obviously all regular and relevant content as they all come under the given titles. The colour scheme is consistent and appropriate and matches the NME logo that is the trademark of the magazine. There is a miniature article included on the contents page that will give the reader a taster for how the articles are both written and presented before even going any further into the magazine, this is a good way of filling up the page but whilst still keeping a neat appearance.

 

 

 

This contents page looks good and draws the audience in through the use of multiple small images to highlight certain stories. I like the colour scheme and hope to create a similar colour pallette myself.

 

 

 

More original images

Magazine analysis: Audiences

 

 

 

 

The first magazine I have looked at is this edition of Rolling Stone, featuring Brad Pitt. I have decided that the readers of this magazine could again be male or female; the men reading to see what his new film is and whether they they will like it, the woman may read it as they see Brad Pitt as a sex symbol and he is a A-list celebrity. He is also married to Angelina Jolie, so woman may be interested in gossip and little snippets of information that they pass on to their friends. Overall, I do believe that men will have a stronger preference to buy this magazine, however, I don't think there will be much of a difference. The reason I believe men will be more likely to read this is because I believe that music magazines appeal more to a man, whereas fashion magazines would likely top a woman's interest. I believe that in terms of a relationship, it could be for people in or not in one, even marriage potentially as there is quite a mature theme of politics and culture throughout this magazine. I believe a lot of people who read Rolling Stone will be students so when they are reading the political statements, it would be wise to talk in favour of these people to make sure they are satisfied with their product.

 

 

 

The second magazine I looked at was an issue of Now and I think that the reader would eat a healthy cereal such as Special K because different diet ideas are included in the magazine. In this celeb obsessed world, there is a pressure on young females to meet stereotypes of what beauty is and unfortunately for those that love their food, it is labelled 'size 0'. I think that they are women of different ages because of this as men don’t tend to care about their weight as much as women. I think that the reader would probably drive a car and live in houses rather than student accommodation because I get the impression that they are older. I think that the reader would drink a variety of things and would probably favour water because of the diets featured in the magazine. The TV shows that they would read would be ones like X Factor, The Only Way Is Essex and Big Brother because these are sell lines featured on the front cover. The music they would listen to would be from the Pop genre and would include JLS, Cheryl Cole, Take That and N Dubz because these are some of the bands of celebrities from bands featured on the cover. The reader could possiblt do swimming becayse there is a picture of a celebrity on the beach on the front. They could be either single or in a relationship or married. I don’t think any relationship status is apparent. They probably go on holiday to places abroad such as Spain and Turkey with nice beaches and hot sun. They probably vote for whichever political party appears the most appealing to them and would go to more mainstream bars in Sunderland like Rush, Glass Spider and Liquid.

 

 

 

 

I think that the main audience of NME magazine quite young, starting at around 16 and continuing until the late 20s, and are obviously people who like indie/alternative music. Therefore I think that their kind of breakfast may be something quick and easy such as toast or a breakfast bar, as they would be typically going to college/uni early and would probably be in a rush, so a fast breakfast is what they would be looking for. Either that or they don't eat breakfast at all, which is more than possible.

Their choice of transport would probably be public transport such as the bus or metro/train, as a lot of the readers are students who either don’t have their licence yet, or can’t afford a car alongside their university fees. If they do have a car, I would imagine it would be pre owned and not exactly in its prime, unless they are from a wealthy family. In that case I think that they might have a vintage car, or a car which is unusual and individual, which is relevant to the magazine’s genre. An example of this would be a mini- the kind on the Italian Job, something suave and British... The middle-class car with the working-class look.

Their accommodation varies considerably, as a large majority of the readers may still live at home with their parents if they are young or can’t afford to move out yet. Another portion of the readers may live away in a university hall with peers while they do their degree. Furthermore, some readers could have their own flat, or even a house, however I think that only a very small amount of NME’s readers would have their own house.

I think that readers of NME drink anything that is quick and convenient to keep up with their busy lifestyle. I also think that they may try and drink things that are cheaper, to keep their budget under control and save their money for more important things such as clothes and gig tickets. These drinks could include fizzy pop and energy drinks. I also think that the readers would drink a lot of alcohol, as students make up the majority of the readers, and they are renowned for going out and getting drunk on a weekly basis.

I think that some of the TV shows they might watch include various programs on the indie/rock music channels such as documentaries on certain bands, and chart shows. I also think that the readers may watch shows such as Two and a Half Men, The Inbetweeners and other American and English comedy shows aimed at a younger audience as the content is relevant towards them.

Obviously, the readers of NME like a certain type of music, and that is indie/alternative/rock music. They probably wouldn’t like generic pop music, and would tend to steer towards bands rather than individual artists. This is because most readers of NME are very appreciative of instruments and live music; therefore bands fit their needs much more than the likes of ‘Girls Aloud’ or ‘The Saturdays’. They also like artists who aren’t as well publicised as others; bands which are ‘up and coming’ and aren’t in the public eye because they either haven’t made it yet or don’t cater to a larger audience.

Their favourite meal is probably something along the lines of a McDonalds or a pizza, as they are young adults who are after quick and easy meals which they can either cook themselves or pick up from a fast food restaurant. The readers also probably prefer junk food to healthy food, and would therefore choose a fatty, sugary meal rather than a nutritious one.

One of the main (and only) sports that I think the readers of NME would watch would be football. This is because I feel that NME is probably more popular with men, who typically watch and/or play football. The majority of the male readers probably only watch football on the TV or have a season ticket to their favourite team’s league, and wouldn’t tend to play for a team.

I doubt many readers of NME are married, however a small minority may be. I think that the majority of readers are either single and enjoying their younger years, or are in a short term/casual relationship with someone their age, who is interested in the same things as them, such as music, fashion and career.

Although it isn’t quite a holiday, a large and popular festival takes preference over a holiday abroad for readers of NME. For example, a lot of the readers probably go to Reading/Leeds festival, which can and usually does cost the same amount of money as going abroad, and would therefore be instead of a holiday. This is because readers of nme are obviously interested in rock/alternative music, which is the main genre at many large festivals, and are students who want to have a good time, drink a lot of alcohol and see some great bands.

I doubt very much that readers of nme vote at all, as they are young and concentrating on what they believe to be the more important things in life such as music, education and having a good time. They are probably quite rebellious, as don’t care at all about government issues and who is running the country, purely because they don’t want to. There will, however, be a lot of people who do vote and those people will more than likely vote the party that offers the most to students in terms of financial and cultural gain. For example, the students in the last election mainly voted Liberal Democrats... Sort of worked against them in the end, though.

Finally, I think that readers of nme would tend to go to local pubs with crowds of friends to have a pint and a  laugh. I doubt they would go to clubs which play dance/rave music as it wouldn’t appeal to them and wouldn’t be the kind of situation they feel most comfortable. They would attend local gigs on a regular basis, because they may be in a band, and more than likely know someone who is. They may also be seen in modern, cool bars in the heart of the city enjoying the night life with crowds of friends. In Sunderland, I believe that the kind of people that would read NME would go to Independent, which is a small local music venue.