Front Cover Draft 4

This is my final front cover draft for my magazine. As red and black are typical conventions of a modern rock genre i have decided to use these as a part of my magazine. I like these colours as they contrast well. I have made my masthead large and sticking with the left third. Although I prefer this draft out of all my drafts, this draft would still need improving as i have not included a main coverline or various other posters that would appeal and attract my target audience.  After getting feedback from my target audience, I have decided to base my final front cover around this image as it looks the most conventional of a modern rock music magazine and as my target audience mainly all preferred this one.

Front Cover Draft 3

This is my third draft for my front cover. This is my least favourite design out of my front cover drafts as it does not really resemble a modern rock magazine. The draft also looks quite plain and the colours do not really blend well together. Also the masthead looks quite out of place and looks as though it was only placed there to fill up space. I like the font type on this draft as it loos quite scruffily written and a bit edgy.

Front Cover Draft 2

This is my second draft for my music magazine front cover. I like the contrast of the yellow and grey as it is clear to see the text and the image stands out well and as these colourings are not a typical convention of a music magazine. I also like this font style as it will also connote well with the rock genre due to the edgy, destroyed look. Although i like this magazine front cover, it appears to look to dark and does not nesecarily look like a typical convention of a modern rock magazine. To improve this draft i would have to add more images and ensure that the fonts/colours did not overpower the overall look of the music magazine.

Front Cover Draft 1

 

This is the first draft for my front cover. I have decided to make the masthead cover the whole of the magazine as it states the name of the magazine and because it is a typical convention of a rock magazine to have the masthead displayed across the magazine. When choosing colours i decided that I wanted specific colours that would go well together such as blue/red/black/white although these colour do go well together, the colours do not show very well due to the main image standing out more. I picked the font type as it looked quite grungrey and would refer well to the modern rock genre. If i where to base my final front cover around this image i would have to make the text stand out more and add more pictures as after surveying my target audience 6/10 said they would prefer more then one image on the front cover as it would be more eye catching and they would be more able to relate to the front cover.

 

Colour Schemes

 

I have researched different colour schemes

for my music magazine and have decided to use contrasting colours as although rock music normally has connotations of dark, grungey colours, modern rock music magazines often have quite bright colourings to catch the audiences attention.

Initial Ideas - Names For My Music Magazine

For a music magazine to be effective, it must have a name which is short and catchy, allowing the audience to relate it back to the magazine. For this reason, I have choosen several name ideas for my magazine. The names are as following:

Hype 

• Extravafant or intensive publicity or promotion.

Current

• Belonging to the present time; happening or being used or done now.

Hazard

• A danger or risk.

Rebellion

• The action or process of resisting authority, control, or convention: "an act of teenage rebellion".

Loud

• Producing or capable of producing much noise; easily audible.

Vibe

• A person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to and felt by others.

After researching what my target audience would like the magazine, I have decided to name my magazine Hype as it connotes awareness and publicity which fits in with my idea of a new source of quick updates and awareness for new bands. Also after deciding names for the magazine I looked for various fonts which would appeal to my target audience and which would resemble a modern rock magazine.

 

Moodboards For Photoshoot

I have produced four moodboards for the planning of my photoshoot using found images from various websites. These include :

• Make up ideas
• Location for the photoshoot
• Clothing ideas
• Potential props for photoshoot

Paramore: Lindsey Byrnes Photoshoot

Double Page Spread Mock Up Using Found Images

This is my first  double page spread which is based from my initial ideas. I have used found images from Google featuring Hayley Williams from 'Paramore' which links the double page spread back to my initial first front cover mock up. 

Front Cover Mock Up Using Found Images

This is my first front cover which is based from my initial ideas front cover mock up. I used found images from Google which feature Hayley William from 'Paramore'. Paramore is an American band which revolves around the music genre of my magazine: Modern Rock/Alternative Rock

                 

Price

 
After researching three magazines in the chosen genre of my magazine I decided to price my magazine at the average weekly cost of a magazine (£2.20) and therefore, there will be 52 issues a year to purchase. This is because

• Kerrang! which is a weekly magazine has priced their magazine at £2.20.
• NME which is also a weekly magazine has priced their magazine also at £2.20
• Rock Sound is a monthly magazine priced at £3.99 per issue.
• From the poll and focus group I have found that the maxinum pricing for a weekly magazine that a reader would buy would be £2.50 whereas for a monthly magazine the maxinum that a reader would buy the magazine for would be £4.00

I have decided to publish my magazine every week, this will ensure that the target audience are up to date with information given. From researching other popular music magazine, by pricing the magazine at £2.20, the customer will still be able to purchase the magazine even though they may be within the E categorisation.

 

Front Cover Hand Drawn Draft

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Photo Shoot [Official Behind The Scenes]

Hand Drawn Draft - Double Page Spread

Hand Drawn Draft - Front Cover

Initial Idea Mock Up: Double Page Spread

Initial Idea Mock Up: Front Cover

The Wonder Years - Behind The Scenes: Kerrang! Photo Shoot

UK Single Downloads Top 40 Chart

1. Troublemaker - Olly Murs
2. Little Things - One Direction
3. Beneath Your Beautiful - Labringth FT Emeli Sande
4. Something New - Girls Aloud
5. Girl On Fire - Alicia Keys
6. Gangnam Style - PSY
7. Candy - Robbie Williams
8. The Power Of Love - Gabrielle Aplin
9. Ho Hey - Lumineers
10. Locked Out Of Heaven- Bruno Mars
11. DNA - Little Mix
12. Diamonds - Rihanna
13. A Thousand Years - Christina Perri
14. Dont You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia/ Martin
15. Not Giving In - Rudimental/ Newman/Clare
16. Can You Hear Me (AYAYAYA) - Wiley/Skepta/JME/MS D
17. Skyfall - Adele
18. Sweet Nothing - Calvin Harris/ Florence Welch
19. One More Night - Maroon 5
20. Latch - Disclosure FT Sam Smith
21. Hall Of Fame - Script FT Will I Am
22. Shine Ya Light - Rita Ora
23. Give Me Love - Ed Sheeran
24. Beauty And A Beat - Justin Bieber FT Nicki Minaj
25. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift
26. Tidal Wave - Sub Focus FT Alpines
27. Back In Black - AC/DC
28. Anything Could Happen - Ellie Goulding
29. Try - P!nk
30. I Found You - Wanted
31. Love Is Easy - Mcfly
32. I Cry - Flo Rida
33. Va Va Voom - Nicki Minaj
34. Live While We're Young - One Direction
35. Wings - Little Mix
36. Right Now - Rihanna FT David Guetta
37. Wonder - Naughty Boy FT Emeli Sande
38. Do You Think Of Me - Misha B
39. Gold Dust - DJ Fresh
40. Highway To Hell - AC/DC

From looking at the UK Single Downloads Top 40, I have found that no singles are in fact in my chosen genre modern rock, in the general rock genre I can only find 2/40 (5%) this means I would like to encourage others to listen to that genre of music and get more of these singles into the charts. 

Reader Profile For My Magazine

This is my reader profile for my modern rock magazine. From researching various target audiences preferences and from getting information from the focus group, I have collected a mixture of found images to represent my target audience.

Practice Photos

This image would be useful as a background for my images as the use of the newspapers look very music relate and used with the right lighting, clothing, props and model could make the image look quite grungey.

 

This image would not be suitable to use on my music magazine as it does not really relate to my chosen genre. Also the model is not making eye contact with the camera but the image is a mid shot which would mean it could be used on a front cover of a magazine.

 

This image is not appropriate for my chosen genre, as the models used not dressed clothing which would relate to my chosen genre (modern rock). They are also not making eye contact with the camera which is a typical convention of a magazine. Also half of the image is in poor lighting which means the music would be unsuitable to use.

 

This image would be unsuitable for my chosen genre of magazine as the models do not have connotations of this genre and because half of the image is in poor lighting. The background of the image also features the green screen which would make it difficult for the reader to not look at it, distracting them from the overall image.

 

This image would not be appropriate to use within my music magazine as the artist is not looking at the camera and as their clothing does not have connotations of a modern rock magazine.

This image would not be suitable to use on my magazine as the image does not connote modern rock and the model is not making eye contact with the audience (some readers would be unable to relate to her)

I like this photograph as it connotes anger and rage which could be used for my modern rock magazine. However, it could not be used as it is possible to see the green screen and the lighting, making the picture look less genuine.

This long shot photograph could be improved by having the artists look at the camera so that they appear as though they are engaging with the audience more. This type of photo would have to be used on the contents page or double page spread as a medium close up is a typical convention of a front cover on a magazine.

After looking at my practice photos, I am confident with what would be ideal for a modern rock magazine and what would not. When I take my own images, I will be concentrating on trying to make the image have connotations of a modern rock magazine and allow this to show through my images with the use of lighting, clothing and props.

Demographics and Existing Reader Profile

As the Rock Sound magazine specialises in similar music as what I would like my music magazine to have, I chose to look at the reader profile section of the Rock Sound media pack. In the magazine, I have found that it focuses mainly on the articles of rock music which I would like for my magazine. As I am creating a modern rock magazine, the audience and statistics of Rock Sound magazine will be roughly the same. 

As Rock Sound targets a similar audience that I want my magazine to target, I expect that the statistic to be similar. I believe the majority of my readers will be in fact male as the rock genre is stereotypically a male dominant genre whereas females stereotypically favour fashion magazines. However my magazine will target a unisex audience. 

Fans of the Rock genre typically attend more gigs then any other music genre so I would expect my readers to spend up to £200 million  a year on buying music or attending gigs. I would also expect my audience to spend roughly the same amount of money £200 + million on different music merchandise or different clothing brands.

Through the use of social network sites like Twitter and Facebook, I could update our readers with information and new updates regarding the magazine through these pages as my target audience (15-24) would find this way of updates more appealing. By using these social networking sites, the reader would be able to access new information easier and give feedback for articles immediately thus making it easier to communicate with the magazine. This is also a way of keeping recently new information available. As more readers would be of the age of using a blog to show others their interest and hobbies, I would use a blogging site such as Blogger or Tumblr to keep them also interested in current updates regarding the magazine.

As my target audience ranges from 15- 24 years old, it is expected that the majority of the readers would be in full time education or attending university as students.  This would suggest that the majority of my readers would earn money to buy the magazine from weekend jobs/ part time jobs. Only a small minority would use money from parents or friends to buy the magazine.

As the genre of my magazine would focus on the modern rock genre, the articles witihin the magazine would focus solely on main information/updates regarding bands and different modern rock artists. The articles would also be based on readers feedback from other issues and they would be able to request articles on new bands coming out.

I would be producing a weekly magazine to ensure that the articles where current, sticking to the idea of having new updates quickly. This means that within a year there would be 52 issues available to purchase. Therefore I would price the magazine at the average weekly cost of a magazine (£2.50). The magazine would be distributed nationally to supermarkets such as Morrison's, ASDA, Tesco, Sainbury's and retailers like WHSmith.

My readers would fall under the classification of E on the demographics table because the majority of my readers do not earn money and are in full time education, training or are students at university (studying to fall later into a higher classification). Those in my demographic who are in fact employed, i would expect to have a part time or weekend job as if they where in full time education, they would be unable to complete full time work and those with part time jobs would fall under the classification of E as it would still be classed as casual work.

Although the majority of my readers would fit under the classification of E, some of the earners within a household in which they live in, i would expect them to fall into the classification C1, C2 or D.

Demographics Explanation

Demographics is the classification of  a type of population categorized together depending on their characteristics such as age, gender,  or income. Demographics is important to understand because it helps the researcher learn about the consumer and use different advertising strategies to appeal to their target consumer.
It is possible to categorize demographics into 5 age groups: 
<  15

•15 – 24

•24 – 35

•35 – 55

•55 >

The groups can also be divided into male and female audiences too.  

The National Readership Survey's social grades are used in advertising and market research. They are also used by all institutions regarding audiences. 
These social grades are largely based on profession and estimated related income. 

 
  
A 30%

B 15%

C1 23%

C2  28

D 18

E 13%

 

Modern Rock Genre Moodboard

Focus Group

Do you buy music magazines, if so how often?

What makes a music magazine appealing?

How much would you pay for one?

How much would you want it to be published?

What would encourage you to buy a magazine?

Do competitions in magazines make you more likely to buy?

What freebies do you like?

What music do you like?

Music Genre

Double Page Spread Of Music Magazine - LIIAR Analysis

The media language used is consistent throughout the magazine as NME want to attract the same type of audience. They will do this my using the same type of camera framings, style of writing and the same colour schemes to maintain NME's house style. The use of pull quotes on this article suggests the article is solely based on one member of the band and gives an indication of what will be featured in the article. As the pull quote "THE BRAIN IS A FRAGILE ORGAN. MINE'S MORE FRAGILE THEN MOST." is used in white it contrasts with the dark image and as some of the text is larger then others, the use of the words fragile repeated suggests that the singer is vulnerable and fragile still after suffering the breakdown. 

By the use of having a long shot of the front man of the band, Passion Pit it gives the impression that the article is solely about one member of the band. As the article is based around the mental breakdown that Michael Angelakos suffered, by featuring him without the band it suggests that he was dealing with the breakdown on his own. The use of dark purples surrounding him relates back to his breakdown that he suffered suggesting that it was a dark moment in his life. In the image used, there is no eye contact made between the front man and the audience, giving the ideology that he was truly alone with his breakdown or that he is ashamed that he suffered from it. As he is wearing a casual purple shirt and jeans it suggest that the front man is just a normal person like the audience so that will make him more relatable to them. 

The only institution used on the double page spread would be of the large rectangular purple gradient box that says "Dark Side Of The Sun" this is because it features other bands/artists with similar pop songs which have a dark outlook on them which relates it back to this article. 

The target audience for this particular article is for people who enjoy Passion Pit's music, people who have suffered with a mental breakdown or know people who have because this will relate to them more. 

The representation of this article will be the same throughout the magazine as NME have wanted to appeal to the same audience to keep in with this particular style of the magazine. This particular article is focusing on the mental breakdown of Passion Pits front man so he has been represented in a way which suggests to the reader that he was vulnerable and fragile but now he has overcome his breakdown to tell his story. 

Front Cover Music Magazine LIIAR Analysis

On the front cover of the magazine, the main image that has been used is a long shot of a well known front woman of the band, Florence and the Machine. The use of this type of framing, draws the audiences attention to the microphone in her hand clearly showing that she is performing to a crowd- relates it to the fact that it is a music magazine. As it also is a live shot it makes it clear that she is performing which will appeal to the reader if they attended the festival or have a particular interest in the band. The main coverline of the magazine and matches the masthead which is larger then any of the other text on the front cover (convention of a magazine).  The use of the words "Flo's T Party" as the main coverline is a play on words as the festival that she is performing at is T In The Park and implies that it was a effortless performance from her.  As Florence is wearing a black dress the main yellow coverline contrasts well making it stand out more. Also helping to link it to the rest of the coverlines. As the issue is reviewing the overall festival of 2012 three images on the left side have been used to show the reader what else is in the magazine. The use of the large red circle with the words "Heroes Special Inside" contrasts with the rest of the magazine as it is red making it stand out from the rest of the magazine. By using the underlined words "Heroes Special Inside" it tells the target audience that it is a unmissable edition which they should read. At the bottom of the front cover it features the Barcode with the date and pricing at the top which is a typical convention of a magazine. 

The name of the magazine is NME, which stands for New Musical Express. This gives the impression that the magazine delivers new music and updates to the reader within every issue. The use of the word "Express" implies it is delivered quickly meaning that with every issue, new information about music or bands will be updated within the magazine. This relates to this particular music magazine as in this issue, the magazine is reviewing the overall T In The Park festival. As in the main image, Florence is photographed level next to the NME masthead it gives the audience the idea that the magazine rated her performance very highly as it gives the impression that she is worth enough to be positioned next to the NME title.

The target audience for this magazine would be teenagers or young adults and who enjoy the rock/indie  genre. The use of the images on the front cover would probably appeal more to the female target audience with the help of the bright yellow/red colours used but would also appeal to the male audience as the images are more male based. 

The use of the main image connotates a typical festival as the front woman is singing to the audience which would appeal to festival goers. Many of the readers may be able to relate to the main image if they attended T In The Park and saw Florence and The Machines performance or enjoy the bands music. As Florence appears to be in a dress it represents the idea that performing at this particular festival is an important event for the band.  

Common Conventions Of A Double Page Spread In My Chosen Genre

On all three of these music magazines, the main image of the band/artist covers at least one page of the double page spread. Also some of the text is often dragged over the page allowing the pages to relate to one another. There is a continuous colour scheme on the pages which helps the two pages relate together so that the audience is aware that the article is a double pages spread. The pull quotes are typically highlighted and larger then the rest of the text on the pages to allow the reader to understand what the artist is saying within the article. The article itself, is usually written in columns helping it to be clearer to read for the audience. Another convention on the double page spreads, is that there is often an introduction to the article which usually tells the reader what will be talked about in the article or information about the band. 

Front Cover Common Conventions Within The Modern Rock Genre

All of the three magazines I have chosen have coverlines/ images in the left third as this is a convention of a music magazine as when presented in stores, this section of the magazine is what you can only typically see. Kerrang! and Rock Sound have the masthead presented in the centre of the magazine so that it is possible for customers to clearly see the title of the magazine whereas the NME magazine sticks to the left third format. By using a specific colour scheme to each music magazine, it creates unique identity to the magazine - (housestyle) for e.g each of the mastheads colouring on the three magazines match coverlines or anchorage text, helping to connect the band/artist personally to the magazine. The colouring is also bright and eye-catching  linking it with the coverlines appealing to the target audience. On the front covers there is typically a large full page image (featuring a particular band or artist) of one of the main articles featured within the magazine. Typically the bar code is displayed in the bottom right or left corner of the magazine, usually with the price beside it. Another convention of these three music magazines is that the main coverline is larger then the rest of the text and presented either underneath or next to the main image so that the two texts are clearly linked together. 

My Choosen Genre

I have decided to use modern rock music as my genre simply because I enjoy this type of music. I want to base my magazine around modern rock artists that are still currently producing  music rather then those on hiatus.  As I like to hear about new and upcoming bands first, I have also decided to use this idea as the focus for my magazine. I believe that by appealing to this genre of music, I would be able to target a diverse range of people interested in buying the magazine because it will attract readers who listen to modern rock artists currently out and those that are upcoming. 

Several songs from modern rock bands that I enjoy listening to and will use as inspiration for my magazine:
The Killers - Mr Brightside
You Me At Six - No One Does It Better
Deaf Havana - Little White Lies

Brief

Main Task: The Front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All text used must be original, produced by you - minimum of four images. 

Final College Magazine Front Cover

Evaluation Of College Magazine Front Cover

On the front cover of the magazine, I have used the main image of a medium shot of a young girl which would present that the target audience is 16+. I have used this type of framing as it draws the audience’s attention to the blue/white contrast of text on the models folder, which is also the same colouring as the masthead and that the girl looks happy and confident, giving the college a positive representation. The use of the blue masthead and the pink cover lines (used as the models scarf is pink) creates a colour scheme for the magazine - using the model as the main focus, connecting the model within the college. By having the image of the girl on a plain background it shows that the girl is the main focal point. 

As I wanted to create a college magazine that would appeal to the students at Wyke College, I specifically aimed students who are solely focused on achieving and always aspiring to be better. This is why I eventually named the magazine "ASPIRE" rather than the initial "College Life" idea. I decided against this as when it came to choosing fonts and sizing of the masthead, it didn't look very appealing as it looked overcrowded. I also wanted the masthead to be quite large as it is a typical convention of a magazine to have the masthead presented in this way. By using the name College Life, it was hard to fit the word Life under College as it covered up half of the models face. As the masthead and the girls’ folder are blue, it gives the connotation of relaxation, calmness and knowledge which links with the name of the magazine. Also by using the blue colouring, it makes the magazine look more gender neutral rather than if I used more pink text and makes the magazines colour design more consistent. 

The overall presented ideology of the magazine is to give a positive impression of the college. The model is smiling on the front cover which signifies that she is working in a hardworking but happy environment and that she enjoys working at college. The use of the models clothing would appeal to the target audience as she is dressed very casual with her coat and scarf which gives the impression that she is relaxed and may be off to attend her next class. For my front cover, I took a couple of photographs - centered around the model looking confident with her college folders which gives the ideology of her being happy tying her nicely in within the main Cover line "Coursework Confident?" I am happy with my main image as it fits in with the conventions of a confident, hardworking student, as the model clearly looks happy and this gives the reader the idea that the colleges aim is to be a positive and hard working environment. The model has been placed in bright lighting to present that college is a positive place to learn but also to show that the audience will have a bright future if they attend the college or read the magazine. 

I positioned the bar code in the bottom right hand corner which is also a convention of different magazines. Although college magazines usually do not have bar codes because they are usually free of charge, I decided to use on as it makes the magazine look more professional and could be sold in general stores or if the college wanted to charge for the college magazine. The magazine would appeal to students as it is named Aspire, which to different students would mean different things such as aspire to be greater or aspire to be successful within college. By using a model which looks to be the same age as a student makes the magazine more relatable to college life and to the reader - this would encourage the reader to read the magazine as the articles featured would appeal more to them.

I have used language such as "Meet the students behind the crew" as at Wyke College we have a student crew which would help the reader relate to the magazine more. I also used different cover lines to appeal to a college student such as "coursework confident" as many students could relate to this article as often they struggle to balance their studies with other coursework subjects. Exclusive interview is in a white text because it stands out more from the magazine and because I wanted to show that I have used a pull quote on the front cover. "College made me succeed" this would appeal to the target audience because it gives the idea that without college you would not succeed which links in with the masthead aspire and with the model looking confident and hand working. I chose to use a selling line which says "Win high street vouches for school supplies and save money with your NUS card" as many students would read the magazine to see how to win as many of them may need to buy new college supplies but not have the money. 

Overall, I think my magazine front cover has several conventions of an actual magazine, if I were to recreate my magazine I would probably use more cover lines to interest the reader as my magazine looks slightly plain and simple. I would also plan my idea more so that I could improve the appearance and concept of my magazine. If I did anything differently it would be the use of my pictures, I would in fact use a higher quality image of my model and use different facial expressions.  

Mockup Of Layout For Contents

Unused Photo 3

This photograph will not be chosen for my front cover because although it is the location of the college it does not represent the whole college (quite a plain scenery and not much colouring) and if i tried to put coverlines on the sides it would make the photograph look quite cluttered and would make it unclear to see properly.

Unused Photo 2

I have decided not to use this photograph because it would not be suitable for a front cover as it does not portray the college as it is quite plain and boring. Also this would not interest the reader because the photograph does not represent college life and readers would not be able to relate to it.