My images that will be in my magazine + photoshoot schedule

Drafts into all three aspects of my magazine

Sample fonts + colour Schemes

questionaire into choices of music magazines.

Questionnaire




1. What’s your gender and age?



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2. Do you read music magazines?



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3. How often do you read magazines?





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4. What on the front cover interests you when you purchase a magazine?



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5. What genre of music are you more interested in?(Please circle as many as you want)

a. R&B b. Hip Hop c. indie d. popular Pop e. Rock d. Other



6. What is your price limit when purchasing a magazine?a. 50p - £1 b. £1 - £2 c. £2 - £3 d. £3 +





7. What do you feel should be added fixtures in a music magazine (Gossip, fashion ect)

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8. Would you be more inclined to buy a magazine if it had free Give always?



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9. Which Front cover do you prefer and why ?

10. Which contents do you prefer and why what features helped you make that decision?

Results.

This graph shows the age range that was asked to complete the questionairre is ranged from age11 up to the age of 51. We asked several people in differnt age brackets to gain better information and understand how age can affect preferences

The question how often do you read magazines was important as it allowed me to know how interested people are in magazines in general.

Asking the participants what isthe most important feature of a front cover will allow me to add the most popular into my magazine and so it ensure that i please consumers.

Asking what genre people prefer will also allow me to make sure i use bands or artists which are the most popular in genre and the top 3 from  males and females is Indie, Pop and Rock which is what i fundermentally was going to include in my magazine.

Price will allow me to know how much to charge for my magazine.

This question lets me know what added features people want to see in magazines and so i will add them into my contents or even my double page spread.

asking people if they like free giveasways will see if i should include a free cd or other gift in my magazine which i can make into a special feature on my front cover.

Thisjust lets me know what kind of style and layout people like and the Qmagazine with kings of leon was the most popular people said they chose that one because it was differnt and the image and slogan matched realy well.

By also asking which is the participants favorite contents page shows me how i should also layout my contents page and how busy and full on information it needs to be as the second one was the most popular and it was very busy.

evaluation of music magazine double page spreads.

 I particularly like this style of double page spread it is clear and simple yet reflects youth and the modern ideas of a popular music magazine. The picture in the left hand side is the largest and so advertises the band's look and informs the reader of the nature of the article this is also a feature of a stereotypical music artist’s article in a music magazine. The picture is a long shot and the surroundings of a beach pier also connects to the nautical theme which is throughout the whole magazine, the positioning of the band members is natural and casual and the lighting makes the picture also look very casual and chilled out with the setting sun in the background. The actual article wraps around the other features of the double page the choice of written font is very appropriate as it is clear and echoes the theme and genre of the magazine. The text is written in black but the pull quote is written in a blue colour font which follows through the nautical theme but also larger black text is used to break up the themed colours. There are two main pictures of the band used one larger than the other a smaller one used on the opposite page to break up the article. The second smaller picture is of just two band member and it is a black silhouette of the two figures. Both pictures are on the beach and both have a setting sun in them so also adds the mise –en scene of the whole article and images. Down the right hand side of the second page there is added feature called "meet the band" this gives a more less readable way of learning about the band its is more young and casual and is added quirky feature of the magazine which I feel is not used in every issue but works well in this one. The conventions and the layout of the double page spread shows to me that this magazine is aimed for a younger audience of any gender but that an older reader would not appreciate it as much.

Evaluation of music magazine contents pages.

The purpose of a contents page is to give the reader the bit of information about what is inside the magazine and where to find it. It needs to be simple and easy to read.This contents page for this particular issue of NME follows the same theme as the front cover. Of the nautical theme and the colour scheme also follows this and so uses the same colours of blue, red and white and in some instances black is occasionally used. The layout is simple and draws the reader’s eye to the most important areas of the page. The biggest item in the layout is the cover line it is brightest and takes up the middle section of the page its uses just two colours to keep it simple the blue background and the white writing this seems to very effective. This particular issue is a big issue as it is the "Radar issue 2010" and so that is why the title takes up the magority of the page. The actual contents information is always up the left hand side of the page a long and thin box alphabetically letting the reader know what is available in the magazine. This feature is the same in every issue of NME and so this gives a sense of normalisation and good organisation as any reader will know exactly where to look for their favourite feature in the magazine. A more unusual style of text is used on this page this adds to the informality of the whole magazine and makes it modern and fresh. The text that goes along with the title is a very plain and clear font style it used and is placed at a slant to also show the informality of the genre. The smaller article used on this contents page is a “taster” for the rest of the magazine almost like a blurb to describe the features of this particular issue. There is only one small picture used on this page it is a passport size and is just of the Music editor he has also sighed this page this will be a occurring theme in every issue if NME. There is a box across the bottom of the page this is a clear advertisement but is for the actual magazine it is placed there because the reader is more than likely going to switch back to this page because with it being a contents page and so is a good way of adverstising the actual magazine rather than an advertisment for anothe product. The words "January sale" is in red and so stands out alot more compared to the other words this is used well as it is the most important words as any consumer is going to look if they read the word Sale.

 This issue of Q’s contents page is over a double page spread compared to the NME magazine where is just on one page. It is much more effective because it allows for more information both visually and textually andi think it was used as it this issue is particulary big and has a lot in it. There is a range of pictures and text to show the reader what is on each page which is spaced well and gives a lot of imformation on each segment of the magazine. The biggest picture is a cartoon which shows one member of “the gorillaz” which i beleieve is the front man of the band. This image shows the readers that the band involvment in this particular issue is one of the main features of the magazine. The sizes of pictures range from small passport size to larger longs shots this allows for variety and makes the magazine seem not boring. The same colour scheme is used on these pages with the red and white which was used on the front cover and in every issue. The red stands out more strongly against the other colours and this works well because it is the theme colour of the magazine. The layout is a lot busier and seems to hold more information this makes it a much harder to read but also means that the reader will read this page a lot more thoroughly and gain more on the magazine. The magazine follows sterotypical conventions such as a fixed colour scheme and layout. I like the way in which this contents page is layed out and i feel i may use concpets of this in my own product as it is effect in displaying enough information. Plus after asking a few people opnions they also like the way in which it is presented.

Evaluation of front pages of music magazines.

This front cover of the magazine NME follows major conventions of a music magazine with the use of a strong masterhead, effective mise-on-scene and also a well taken photograph. The actual magazine is well proportionately laid- out and easy to read for any consumer. I feel the magazine is generally aimed at older teenagers and young adults who are clearly interested in certain genres of music such as alternative, rock and indie. The layout is very clear and spacey but manages to show an ample amount of information about the issue of the magazine. It follows the general conventions in the layout as it has a Masterhead and the title of that specific issue. Both of these titles are big and mostly take up the majority of space on the front cover. The masterhead stays the same in every issue as it is seen as the logo of the magazine and is instantly recognisable to most people and so its alignment on the actual magazine stays exactly the same in every issue, so in this case it is the top left hand corner. This specific magazine uses a red, black and white colour scheme to represent their magazine. All of these colours are bright and stand out so this reflects the genre of the magazine and also is a way of attracting potential consumers.  There is a small item that is an advertisement for the actual magazine and not for that specific issue this is also written in the magazines colours so then it is recognisable to all consumers as an item attached to the magazine.  It is also in a circle shape this is the only specific shape used on the cover; all the other pieces of texts are just placed on their own with no border, but this example of text is in a circle so it is instantly drawn by the consumer’s eye and so is an effect way of advertising effectively. The image takes up the majority of the cover it is also the image so it keeps the magazine layout simple so it doesn’t overcrowd the main features and it also makes the image stand out a lot more. It is placed behind so other titles and images can be placed on top to also give the idea of more space. The shot taken to produce the image is a medium close up this works well as it only shows the shoulders and heads of the band and so the consumer can easily see the expressions on their face and this is a way of the consumer feeling as if the models are directly looking at them and so makes the magazine feel more personal.  The fact that the band are all male may also be an advantage to the magazine as females are more likely to buy this than males and it is a common fact that women spend much more money on magazines than males. This specific issue seems to follows a nautical theme with the use of red blue and white colour scheme I feel this was used as the bands interview was taken in the summer and the photos are of the band on the beach as the editor  of the magazine maybe felt this theme should be used throughout.

This particular front cover of Q magazine uses a cartoon like image across the page; this is because the main feature being “the Gorillaz” is shown to the public in the form of cartoon characters and so their form is through cartoon so this had to be used in the magazine.The whole image takes up the main eye line of the front cover; it is very bright and eye catching with strong use of primary colours. There is a text box at the side being the cover line of that specific issue of Q. Its quirky slogan connects to the picture precisely. Actual photographs of people are used but are covered in a blue tinted colour to represent the sea and so it still follows the cartoon theme of the front cover. Across the top of the magazine cover is in black and white so this becomes easily attracted by the reader eye and it reads a quote saying "The Uk's biggest music magazine" this is a clear example of advertisement and with it being at the top and in a completely contrasting colour compared to the other colours used it entirely draws the reader’s eyes to it. I think this magazine could be aimed for a younger audience being teenagers but also any adults above the age of 21, it looks intellectual but also fun and stylish. But I also think it is aimed for a male audience because at the bottom of the page there is advertisement saying what is in the magazine and the topics used are sex, drugs and a football these are typical topics that would stereotypically attract any male and would be seen in any male magazine. The Masthead of the actual magazine remains the same for every issue it stays matching with the colours and the actual geographical alignment of the title remains in the left top hand side corner. The fonts used are simple and bold different sizes are used on different areas the colours of the fonts used are mainly red and white to follow the colour scheme that is associated with the magazine because they are the colours used in the title picture.

Preliminary task final outcome.

Preliminary task reasearch.

A college called King Edward's VI college in stourbridge produce a school magazine every year. The 2007/8 issue includes a main picture that takes up the whole of the front page spread. The whole theme of the magazine is almost clinical and clear with a strong use of white writing on top of the main picture. The colour quality within the actual picture is bright and stands out but also matches the college colours of blue and red so then instantly becomes recognisable to the readers. The title is obvious to the reader that the magazine is a school magazine. Their cover line matches their picture but also displays success within their school so there for advertises their school. At the bottom of the front cover there are eight titles that also advertise the schools success. This magazine is mainly aimed for the students but also in many cases to the parents. When looking at previous year magazine covers they are all different and do not share the same quality's except the magazine name.

In Melrose St mary's school magazine looks much more formal than the first, and looks like it is aimed more for the parents compared to the students. The colour green is dominant on the whole of the front cover it is successfully because it displays the schools colours.Compared to the other magazine there is not one main picture but a selection of smaller pictures which display the schools success and achievements without words. The larger pictures which include a member of the royal family are shown to be of more importance because they are placed at the top so the reader is instantly drawn to them. The four smaller pictures at the bottom are also of importance and show individual events and every day scenes within the school. The title of this magazine is the same as the other because it is just the name of the school but it is placed in the middle of the cover instead of at the top this is effective because it is what the reader will first look at.

Basic Outline

The aim of this task is to produce a fictional music themed magazine through carefull planning and research into simliar products to help to produce a front cover, contents page and an example of a double page spread for my magazine.