Music magazine - intial ideas

Moodboard.

This is the mood board that I have created. I made sure that in my mood board I just used images that linked to my music genre (metal). The reason for this is because the purpose of the mood board is to give me different ideas on the colour schemes and images that are incorporated in metal as a whole, such as the skull and the devil horns symbol. From my mood board, all of the colours incorporated into this are mainly black, white red and yellow. This shows me that these colours are main colours in the metal genre. This is then giving me inspiration of different colours used. I have also included a picture of the band ‘Suicide Silence’ who are a part of the metal genre. The reason for this is so that I am able to see their overall style such as their look and the clothes that they wear.



Taking some of the colour connotation ideas from some magazines such as kerrang, I decided to do some other research into appropriate colour schemes.


http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html


Going through the website, I still decided on the colour red for my font. For my secondary colour, I decided
on the colour yellow. It connotates energy which goes well with the metal theme as lot of energy goes into producing the music and the energy that the band develops on stage.

With regards to my font, I selected some possible ones that I could potentially use. I decided to use Franklin Gothic Heavy, the heavy goes well with the metal. The font is pretty bold and very readable.

I decided to call my magazine 'Iron fist' as the title conatates strength and of course the iron goes with the whole metal theme. I decided on a new name. I decided on calling it 'metal legends', my reason for naming it this is: you only want to hear about the best metal bands, no pop punk etc. Making it clear from the start. I then recieved some feedback from peers and Metal legends doesn't have no real connotation, so I decided to call it 'Revolt. It's short and snappy too.

The genre of magazine that I have chosen to do is Metal and as Kerrang! Is a Rock, Punk and metal magazine it COULD be what I base my magazine on. But I have taken in to account of Metal hammer, this is just basic initial ideas.

A little brief history on Kerrang: it is a Uk music magazine devoted to rock music. Kerrang was named after the onomatopoeic word that comes from the sound made when playing a power chord on an electric guitar showing that this is a Rock/Metal based magazine. Kerrang was initially devoted to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of hard rock acts. In the early 2000s, it became the best-selling British music newspaper.

During the 1980s and early 1990s the magazine featured many thrash and glam metal artists on their covers (for example, Mötley Crüe, Slayer, Bon Jovi, Metallica,Poison, and Venom) but were later made to discard them when grunge acts such as Nirvana rose to fame. Kerrang's popularity rose again with the hiring of editor Paul Rees in 2000 when the nu metal genre, featuring bands like Limp Bizkit and Slipknot were becoming more popular. When the emergence of emo and metalcore became apparent, Kerrang began to heavily feature this musical trend. However, this was not welcomed by all readers and many complaints were received about Kerrang's sudden emphasis on emo and metalcore music. Currently, Kerrang features more Rock/Punk artists on its front covers. I'm going to follow this idea for my magazine too.

For the contents, many pages that are featured in kerrang are consistent such as reader's feedback, artist interviews, relating to the Rock/Punk genre of kerrang and their latest news, competitions, live gig/music reviews, posters, Rock band features, album reviews, a gig guide, The K! Quiz, images of Rock related instruments and adverts for different bands merchandise.

Kerrang’s contents page is always packed fall of what’s happening in the magazine.  It is very tidally set out in order for the reader to understand it. When a topic for a number of pages is being shown it is highlighted. This is a good way to keep the reader engage, in order for them not to get confused and draw them away from the magazine. From the contents you can see that the magazine talks about bands and such things as upcoming gigs. But they are about different subjects on each band such as live reviews on fall out boy and feature on Biffy Clyro. In the content on the top left it gives you a sneak insight on what the next kerrang magazine is going to look like and what it is going to be about. This helps the selling of their magazine by allowing the reader to know what that next magazine is going to look Like and they will notice in it the shop rather quickly. This increase the chance of the reader buying the next magazine. All the pictures of the bands tend to be medium close -ups which allows the reader to identify the band easily if that does not work their names are just below in bold clear writing making it easy for the reader to read.  Altogether the magazine is very simple and plain in order too allow the reader to find an article clearly. So this gives me an idea of how to set out my contents page.

From the  research  I have  done  above  it  has  helped  me  to decide what  could  possibly be the content  in  my  magazine making sure that  it all  relates to the rock genre so that my target audience will be attracted. Also I want to include effective conventions to attract my target audience, as well as their general interest in Rock.

Here is a scanned in drawing of my planning for my magazine. It was a rough outline of what I should set my magazine out to have.

I have noticed that all of these Rock genre magazines have short andcatchy names to make them rememorable and easily recognisablewhich I will take into consideration when choosing the name for mymagazine. Also all of these names relate to the genre Rock as theyhave harsh/sharp connotations which is associated with Rock. Forexample Uncut and Revolver have quite vicious connotations relatingto Rock and the Rebellion stereotype of Rock and they also have harsh consonant sounds using  R’s and C’s which I will also take into consideration. Furthermore, as I am basing my magazine on Kerrang! Ineed to bare in mind that using an onomatopoeia may be a good idea asKerrang! uses this as the word Kerrang! is the sound an electric guitarmakes when strummed.

I used the ICT software Microsoft Word to create a diagram of ideas for names.

Music magazine - cover drafts

The first installment for front cover was fairly positive and negative. The first point is the masthead: it's not in the correct place where it should be, it's small too and it needs to be the most noticable thing on the page.
The coverlines are not organised according to rule of the left third either. The main headline takes up too much of the model, it needs to be smaller and moved further down so it's not in obstruction. There needs to be teasing contents as there isn't any. The font doesn't really reflect the genre all that well too. Finally there's no date.

Second: the issue number and price needs to move down. The splash and puff graphics need to be a lot smaller. The headline isn't that very distinctive, you need to use more colours to fully showcase the genre. The photograph is quite poor, the model isn't looking at the front cover to make that connection with the audience. There's finally hardly any coverlines or sellines to entice the audience and drag them in. 'Randy Blythe growls his gut out again needs to be removed as it's too long.'

These are my new and improved draft covers. Upon completion of them, I recieved feedback. "Perhaps decrease the size of the price+place it inside of the barcode, perhaps change the colour of "COAL CHAMBER TO REUNITE?" to yellow to match the "lamb of god" and "black sabbath" headlines"

I responded to the feedback and changed the font. I couldn't include the price in the barcorde, so I placed it near it instead. I then asked for more feedback on this cover. The text 'Coal chamber to reunite' needed to be moved down so it isn't obstructing the model, the free posters needed removing, the masthead needed resizing, I need to use different fonts for article titles and shorten the amount of text used.

My feedback for this draft was quite negative again. I was told to re-do the whole thing again. Look at the conventions like teasing contents, rule of the left third, english language used as anchorage, place a date of which the magazine is issued, the splash needs to be resized too, there needs to be a slogan and finally a completely new front image.



Upon feedback, it was really positive. One particular comment was that the main image was cropped well. Another piece of feedback was "I really like the 'Devil In The Details text as it makes it look quite demonic". The cover lines are organised according to the left third, there is some good sell lines (not brilliant, but better than your drafts) and the masthead is a lot more recognisable, however it may need a re-think as it looks slightly eligible

My final piece of feedback was really positive this time. One person said that it looked really well laid out, that the text is clear to read. However, it is slightly boring. The masthead looks a lot more stronger, which connotates the genre. One piece of criticsm is that could I have edited my model to perhaps reflect more of the genre and could there be a possible skyline?

LIIAR Music magazine - double page spread

Kerrang
Language -  The image that is used is showing a lot of action within it. This is relating to the genre of the magazine which is pop rock. This is because action is generally seen to be within this genre, therefore this image is portraying this. Also in this main image the artist are all young teenagers. This is therefore linking to their target audience of teenagers which is therefore appealing to them even more. The colour scheme that is used in the double page spread are the colours black, white and red. These colours are what is used throughout the whole Kerrang magazine, therefore this is making the magazine blend together. These colours which are used are again very good in the rock/ metal genre as they connote conflict. This is because these colours are very bold and strong colours, therefore it fits in well. Another thing which is good about this colour scheme is that it is eye-catching.

The main heading for this double page spread is called ‘Teen Spirit’. This is very clever as it is again making it appeal to the band as well and their target market, therefore this will mean that this magazine is right for their target market. The heading that is used is in a white font of a bold red background. This is so that it makes it stand out on the page so that people are able to see this text clearly. The font that is used is not the same as the Masthead for Kerrang magazine but it is very similar. This is because they didn’t want to use the exact font as the Masthead because the Masthead is the logo; therefore it has to stand out away from any other text that is used. Because of this, this is why the Heading font is not the exact font but it is not far off. This is so that people of their target market are able to see that this double page spread still fits in with the overall magazine as it all links in with one another.


The layout of the text is structured in 3 columns. This is to make the article look neat and not all over the place. Therefore it will be easier to read. As well as this, if the text was not structured and instead messy, then it will distract and confuse the reader. It will also take away the focus from the main image. This is one of the reasons why kerrang has decided to have the text structured into 3 columns as well as the fact that it is a usual convention that most magazines follow when writing out their double page spread article. The writing is done in a black font, this is making it look formal and making it look like a professional story while also still linking in with the colour scheme that kerrang uses. The background that the writing is on is in white, making the bold fonts stand out. As well as this, there are little hints of red writing on words for the start of a new paragraph. Using the red colour again links in with the colour scheme but the colour red is also recognised as a ‘strong’ colour. Therefore it is linking in with the strong feeling of the genre metal. This is making it appeal more to their target market and so it is acting as a selling technique.


There is also a quote from one of the band members which is highlighted so that it stands out. It says ‘I just love dancing and screaming. ” Eva Spence. This is made very bold as it appeal to teenagers which are Kerrang target market. It will appeal to them because teenagers are known for loving to party, therefore having this quote teenagers will feel as if they can relate to this band member. Therefore they will feel more interested and so will want to read the double page spread even more. This is very clever as it is enticing their target market.


At the bottom left hand corner of the page they have included some extra information about the band that is featured on the double page spread. This is because people who have read the article will obviously be interested in the band, therefore they will also like knowing extra facts about the band as a whole. Kerrang have decided to put this information on a red background. This is so that it stand out on the page and is eye-catching. Therefore it will make teenagers of their target market want to read it, this is therefore a very clever selling technique.

Q magazine


The layout of this double page spread differs from that of ‘Kerrang’ and ‘NME’. This is because the main image that is used is located on the left hand side of the page. This is very unusual because most double page spreads the main image is located on the right hand side of the page. However, the image still does take up half of the page which is the same as what most magazines do. Therefore it is still in some way following the conventions of a double page spread but challenging it at the same time.

The main image of this magazine is very bold and eye-catching. It does this so that it entices the audience onto this page. The image looks very bold by the colours that have been used such as the red and black checked shirt. These colours of red and black are greatly used throughout the metal genre. They are also very bold, block colours, therefore these colours will attract the audience straight the way. Along with the, the artist has jet black hair with dark eye make-up to go with this. This is again to related to the genre of metal as this is a common trend throughout this genre. Therefore this means that it will attract very well to their target market. The main image of the artist also looks like she is a young artist, more than likely a teenager. The reason for Q magazine to use this artist on the front is the fact that she is a young artist, therefore she will seem more appealing to their chosen target marker. This is because the metal and rock genre is mostly aimed at teenagers as teenagers mainly like this kind of music; therefore for Q magazine to also use a teenage artist makes it more appealing to their target market as they will feel a connection to the overall magazine because of this.

The main heading on this page is a quote from the artist. It says ’people think I’m an attention seeker, but I’m just honest’. This quote straight the way entices the reader into wanting to read the magazine. This is because it is a quote that is representing the main article, and the quote is very interesting and it is showing the reader that within the article the artist is going to talk about what makes her honest etc. This is something that the readers will want to know about because more than likely the audience will be a fan of the artist; therefore they will be interested in what she has to say. Therefore, just by the heading itself, it is acting as a selling technique. As well as this, because this heading is the main thing that is enticing the reader into this page, this is why the heading is the biggest thing and the boldest thing on the page. They have made the writing of the heading very different to other magazines. Instead they have made it looks like each letter is different and stuck down on the page, rather than it all flowing. This is to make it look more abstract and bolder on the page. This is so that it stands out to other double pages spreads and is very eye-catching. They have done this very well as it looks like the boldest thing on the page, as well as this having white writing onto a black background again reinforces the boldness of the writing of the heading.


The body width of the text in the columns is all equal. This is because this is the usual way that magazine set out their articles. Therefore this is following a typical magazine convention.

Photos that I have taken

I have  chosen this shot for my double page spread. It's featuring the model holding a guitar which is important so yes I'm using this one.

I decided to not use this one. I was exploring different shots to use for my editor's picture.

Here was another experiment shot of my model holding a guitar. I didn't choose to use this one though as editing it took a lot of time.

Another shot of my model holding the guitar, I decided to not use this one.

I took this as a medium close up for my front cover. I choose to actually use this as he is looking directly at the audience.

I was considering have my editor and main model together for the editor's note but I decided against it as it could just be all about the main model.

I decided to use this medium close up of my model crossing his arms looking serious as it connotes the genre's seriousness and looking superior.

This shot wasn't going to be used at all. It was a test for the lighting.



This was another test for my front cover picture, decided not to use it.

I decided to go for a happy look in the magazine by doing this using the editor as like a welcoming feeling, I didn't use it though as I felt it wasn't really reflecting the genre all that well.

I didn't use this shot. It was just to get an idea of how I could get a successful photograph of the model holding the guitar.

I used this shot as a thumbnail image graphic for my contents page.

Again I did the same for this.

This was my anchorage main image shot for my contents page. I decided to use a completely different shot as opposed to the others so that it's just about one main image and it attracts the audience more by using anchorage.

I decided to use this image for my contents but I would edit out some of the sign so that it doesn't look like a wet floor sign. The reason I chose the wet floor sign is to create a caution effect.

This was another experiment shot when I had the idea of having my editor and my main model together, but I didn't use it.

Music genre explanation

My chosen music genre is going to be focused on ‘Metal’ and any other sub-genres such as ‘Metalcore’ and ‘grindcore’.

The main cultural elements of this genre are its aggressive. Most fans who listen to this genre have long hair and are classified as ‘moshers’ or ‘metal heads’. Most metal bands create massive sound, characterised by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. Heavy metal lyrics and performance styles are generally associated with masculinity. Black Sabbath and the many metal bands they inspired have concentrated lyrically on dark and depressing subject matter such as personal traumas.  It also covers self-explanatory issues which are in the songs 'War Pigs' and 'Hand of Doom.' Nuclear annihilation was addressed in later metal songs such as Black Sabbath's "Electric Funeral", Iron Maiden's "2 Minutes To Midnight", Ozzy Osbourne's "Killer of Giants", Megadeth's "Rust In Peace...” and Metallica's "Fight Fire With Fire". Death is a predominant theme in heavy metal. The more extreme forms of ‘death metal’ and ‘grindcore’ tend to have aggressive and gory lyrics.

Heavy metal songs often feature outlandish, fantasy-inspired lyrics, lending them an escapist quality. Iron Maiden's songs, for instance, were frequently inspired by mythology, fiction, and poetry, such as Iron Maiden's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", based on the Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem. Led Zeppelin lyrics often reference Lord of the Rings as well as other mythology and folklore, such as in the songs "The Battle of Evermore", "Immigrant Song", "Ramble On", "No Quarter", and "Achilles Last Stand".

The usual basic stereotypical attire of metal fans is blue jeans, denim/leather jackets, boots and black t-shirts. T-shirts are generally covered in logos or any other images of favourite bands. There are other elements of clothing which is worn such as chains, metal studs, skulls and crosses, these articles of clothing are stereotypically worn by 'Goths'.

I’ve done some investigating into the representation of metal through things like Album artwork. However, one of the best sources I feel that highlights the distinct imagery is a video game known as “Brutal Legend” “ Brutal Legend” is, in itself, designed as a kind of homage or tribute to the classic view of Rock and Metal music, particularly as far as design goes. In the game, you are thrust into a world based upon the artwork ad themes of metal, such as a hellish underworld, gigantic stone swords jutting out of the ground, massive amps forming cliffs, dungeons filled with spiders spinning string of metal, and other such imagery from different sub-cultures of metal. A great deal of this can be anchored to specific album covers, like so: The idea of ‘ hardcore’ metal really stems from these mythical ideas, These ‘brutal legends’. Modern Swedish metal band ‘Sabaton’s’ latest album features songs that pertain to many significant battles and occurrences within the past 100 years, such as the Greco-Italian war, the Warsaw uprising, and the Holocaust as well as the Second world war in general. This puts a modern twist on the fairly old-style rooted nature of Metal. A lot of these types of images can be pulled from ideas like mythology, particularly Norse Mythology . The extreme types of satanic and gory images draw from the common factors in legends of blood and steel, or blood and metal . These can often be very gritty dark and brutal myths, such as Odin, the Norse god of death, war and battle, often seen astride his eight legged horse Sleipnir.




Battles and war often seem to be a prevalent part of metal songs and their representation. The idea of a battle against adversity to reach a goal, like a road or some such, is a very American idea. Nickelback’s Album “The Long Road” is one such example of this type of iconography. Conversely, going solely from the aspect of legend, the styles can expand into fantasy, such as with the covers of work by ‘DragonForce’ .




The Horns was a phenomenon of heavy metal subculture. Initially it was used by Ronnie James Dio so he could have a hand gesture in the same sense as one of his most respected Metal artists, Ozzy Osborne (Who often raised the ‘Peace’ Sign during concerts). Dio’s Grandmother used to make it to ward off the “evil eye”, a fairly old but traditional superstition, and he took it as his own, turning into one of the representative signatures of Metal. Metal Fashion is typical that of leather, or fairly large, silver or iron jewellery, such as the distinctive belt buckle shown. Glam Metal subcultures go much further, having the dramatically large hair, flashier, brighter clothes and more flamboyant nature, typically.


Magazines that are currently in publication which cover this genre are Metalhammer, Classic rock and Kerrang.

The features they have in their magazines, for example Metalhammer, are brutal. This is connoted by their aggressive facial expressions.


Here are some artists that I feel represent the genre well:

Music genre: youtube videos that are a part of the genre. on Prezi

Music magazine front cover analysis - LIIAR

This is a niche music magazine and from the front cover I can tell that there will a lot about bands and music inside.

The main target audience for Kerrang magazine are 15-19 year olds who are interested in rock/punk/grunge/indie music etc. I get this impression because of the bands listed at the bottom of the cover who will be inside the issue and because of the central image of the magazine.

The main image is a picture of a man who is being tattooed by a woman. They are both heavily tattooed and the picture is quite dramatic. It is obvious to readers that the man is the main focus of the central image and he is looking at readers with a direct mode of address.

The expression on his face is not that welcoming. You kind of get the sense that he is being very protective and is saying stay away…back off. But even though he is doing this it is evident that he wants readers to read about him and to buy the magazine.

The anchorage text says: “Under the skin of Matt Heafy TRIVIUM”
the anchorage text is referring to his tattoos. Some people might get the idea that he is quite tough because of his many tattoos and this portrays the idea of him being rebellious.

People who have “alternative lifestyles” e.g. Goths, punks etc. are being represented in this magazine. They are represented as people who enjoy the “alternative lifestyle” and everything that goes along with it. i.e. hard core rock music and tattoos which are the usual stereotypes.

The design of the block title connotes that the magazine is quite edgy. This is because the title looks like it has been smashed.

The title in particular gives me a lot of information about the entire magazine. From the title “Kerrang” The magazine has something to do with music because of the evident use of onomatopoeia. The word “Kerrang” sounds like a guitar being strummed and again links back to the theme as it is a music magazine. I can also tell what image is trying to be portrayed. An image of roughness, edginess, and uniqueness is being portrayed in this magazine. And the style of the magazine is very dark but at the same time very vibrant.

There are puffs on the front cover and they tell me that there will be free posters inside, and tells me about the bands/artists being interviewed inside. Because of the types of bands mentioned I can see that the magazine is being targeted to maybe teenage girls because the bands are mostly young males. Also because the names of the bands are listed at the bottom of the cover I it will help readers because they can see exactly what will be in the magazine.

The slogan of this magazine is…..LIFE IS LOUD. Again it links back to the musical attributes of the magazine and is linked with sound, noise and gives the image of being live. It might help to attract readers because from the slogan they can tell that it will be a music magazine and one that is quite edgy, loud and typically ‘rock and roll’.

The colours used on the front cover are quite dark, there is a lot of black and the colours reflect the stereotypes of this type of music. Surprisingly I do find the colours attractive but other might not agree. The fonts used are not to complex or fancy but they are all bold and thick which again gives an idea of toughness. The cover of “Kerrang” magazine always has a range of rock sub-genres so that it attracts as many of the audience as possible.

The magazine uses a prize to help entice readers into buying such as posters. They do this to keep the current readers satisfied and might even do special offers such as free CD’s, stickers and calendars etc. to help attract new ones.

The target audience for this particular magazine are young males who are interested in musicians and bands such as ‘Trivium’, ‘Madina Lake’ and other bands of this nature. I can tell this because both of the bands that I mentioned are featured on the front cover and these bands take up all but one of the puffs on the front cover. The magazine is looking to attract readers who are into this “pop-rock boy band” image, people who enjoy this type of music and take pleasure in going to gigs and festivals to see these musicians perform.

The cover image is of a band named You Me At Six and the way in which they are addressing the audience is in quite a cool manner and reflects their ‘pop punk’ persona. They are all looking directly at readers but the lead singer is making a face. A face that looks as if he is screaming in shock, which again adds to their persona and gives the band an edge.

Also the anchorage text leads me to believe that the band is quite new on the scene because of the phrase: “Rocks New Hotshots You Me At Six Doing It Their Way”

This also leads me to believe that they are quite edgy because it says that they are doing it their way which means they must be different from other bands. Also the band have a very strong base and the editors know that these fans will buy the magazine because the band are on the front cover, so in turn they most probably will help to boost magazine sales.

The message that the band are sending out is a message of happiness and they are quite welcoming. They are connecting with readers because of them looking directing at the audience and the smiles on their faces. Their poses also portray them as quite laid back and are showing them in a positive light.



There many other anchorage words on this cover such as ‘new’ and ‘hotshots’. This adds life to the cover and makes the band seem more exciting. I think that the use of many buzz words on this page is very clever as it draws readers in when they glance at the cover.

The title of the magazine is written at the top of the page and it has a kind of broken glass effect. This could be interpreted as the smashing of a glass or mirror maybe by a guitar which links back to the rock and roll lifestyle that this magazine is trying to portray.

The title is black which is a neutral colour and because the artists are placed over the title it shows that the magazine is quite popular, because it can still be identified without the title being in full view. Also the magazine builds up its image as it uses the same colours on every cover which is black & white.

The puffs on the front cover are all involving white males who are the target audience for this magazine. They suggest the magazine will be solely about these types of boy bands and music of that particular genre.

On the front cover a wide range of colours are used but black is the colour that stands out most. This is typical because this colour is associated with males and is seen as quite a hard and rough, colour. This again shows that the magazine is targeting towards males. There are other colours that are on the page such as yellow, green and red which could be seen as them also trying to attract people that are not necessarily part of their target audience.

The magazine uses competitions such as “free posters” to help attract readers to make them feel like they are getting more for their money. Using this strategy is very clever as some people might even buy the magazine just so that they can get the free posters.

NME is a niche music magazine and from the front cover this is very evident. This shows readers that there will be information about new bands and new music being delivered very fast to people who will to read the magazine.

The target audience of this particular magazine are young people who are interested in new up and coming rock/indie musicians & bands such as Kaiser Chiefs and the Arctic Monkeys who are featured on this particular cover, males in particular. I can tell this because in one of the puffs on the page it is featuring a new band and telling readers that it is their very first interview.

The cover image features the Arctic monkeys and the way in which they are addressing the audience is quite friendly & approachable. The lead singer is looking straight at readers and the rest of the band look quite laid back and are smiling. This shows that they want the readers to like them and they want a good connection with their fans and readers of the magazine. This may be due to the fact that the Artic Monkeys found fame from Myspace so they do have a dose relationship with their fans. Also the picture of the band is in black and white which is associated with the past. This could be interpreted as the magazine trying to show that the band have almost become classic and are like the great bands of the past years.

I think that the magazine editor chose to have the Arctic Monkeys on the front cover because they represent what NME is. They were new and up and coming on the scene until now. Now they are well known and quite a successful indie/rock band in the UK. They appeal to the target audience who buy this magazine and by having them on the cover it could also boost sales as they are the band that everyone wants to read/ know about at the moment.

They are connecting with readers although they are not all addressing them directly because of their laid-back attitude and the smiles on their faces this message is still being projected.

In this magazine a certain group of people are being represented. A group of people who are interested in rock/indie music more specifically white males. The magazine represents them as glad and laid-back and are showing them in a positive light.

There is anchorage on this cover which is “kicking off” which makes the band sound more exciting and adds a sense of danger.

The title of the magazine is written in bold and is does not really blend in with the rest of the font and text on the cover. It stands out. This shows that they want the title to be noticed by readers and even though there is a cover image to be focused on the title is still very important. Also the colour red shows vibrancy and again can also represent danger which gives the magazine an edge. This links to the readership of the magazine, people who are edgy, vibrant and unique.

On the front cover a wide range of colours are used but pink is the main colour that is noticeable. This is unusual because of the fact that the target audience for the magazine are young, white, males. But this also shows that the magazine might have done this to maybe attract people who are from other backgrounds and females as well. All the colours on the cover are quite vibrant, lively and are quite pleasing to most people. All the fonts used are bold and again this shows vibrancy and energy.

The magazine uses phrases such as “their first interview” and “backstage at the UK’s hottest tour” to help attract readers. Doing this makes readers feel that they are getting inside information. The latest news and can really help to attract more readers.

Convention terms of a music magazine cover

Left Third: they're graphics that take up the left third of the magazine.


Cover line: A caption on a magazine cover


Masthead: The title of a newspaper or magazine at the head of the front.


Sell lines: It's a method of selling: to attractive buyers and be popular on the market.


Barcode: is the small image of lines and spaces that is affixed to retail store items. The code uses a sequence of vertical bars and spaces to represent numbers and other symbols.


Dateline: A phrase at the beginning of a newspaper or magazine article that gives the date and place of its origin.


Splash: The whole front cover


Credit: A line acknowledging the source or origin of a news dispatch, published article, or other work.


Kicker: A message that 'kicks' the user from page to page. 


Teller:  the subheading that informs the reader what the article's about.


Skyline: A line above the masthead.


Flash: advertising free CDs for example.


Graphology: The study of handwriting, especially when employed as a means of analyzing character.


Anchorage: Fixing of meaning


Colour scheme: The colours which are used within the magazine.


Vocabulary: Words used to attract buyers.


Screamers: A catchy headline.


Images: the pictures used in magazines to attract the buyer. Helps to make the page more interesting. It can add understanding of a story.

The brief - music magazine

Main task - the cover page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, produced by myself - minimum of four images. The presentation of the research, planning and evaluation may take the form of any one, or combination of two or more of the following: a presentation using slide show software such as PowerPoint, blog and a pod cast.

Ideas for online version

GoAnimate.com: Ideas for magazine online version by Dan.T

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Promoting the launch of my magazine.

GoAnimate.com: How you would promote the launch of your magazine by Dan.T

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LIIAR evaluation of my own work

Language - My college magazine uses the following conventions which are: Anchorage. This is shown by the text "Psychology student aces test" This brings the audience's member to the student who is holding the psychology texts back and makes them wonder what the student could have possibly done to be featured in this article. The student holding the psychology book is the main brand image on this college magazine cover. He is dressed in a sophisticated smart manner. For example, he is wearing a leather jack which gives off the sense of high class. I have chosen what the model wore for this carefully. In the picture he is wearing a scarf which ties in with the autumn term. I choose psychology as it's a really academic subject which reflects Wyke's high expectations.

I have positioned the headline at the top (which is where it usually is in typical magazines) and made the main headline stand out from the other tellers by using the colour purple which is the house style of Wyke college. I have used an thumbnail image which is the Wyke asterisk, I decided to use this as it's used in other Wyke products such as the prospectus and it keeps a house style. There is a mini lead which is the UCAS article, the 'UCAS' is in capitals to emphasise how important a successful university application is and how it must be constructed correctly to get into their desired university.

The mast head 'Wyke college' is placed at the top (as per usual in traditional magazines), it is the original Wyke title which is featured in all of it's publications and I thought it would be best to use this as it keeps consistency, people can easily recognise it and it keeps the house style. It is purple and this colour represents wisdom, these connotations reflect the attitude and characteristics needed from a student at Wyke and which is why I choose the original title.

The revision posters are a insentive to possibly purchase the magazine too as it may help with their revision schedule, it could be classed as a teasing content as it's placed along the bottom. The text 'revision techniques' is a puff which promotes the revision poster inside. There is slight intertextuality usage which is the 'back to reality' text which is originated from the phrase 'back to school', I decided to use this as it marks another year at wyke.


Institution - The magazine would be made by Wyke college. Because it would be improving performance such as the revision content which is inside and it informs the audience the lastest news.


Ideology - The message which is conveyed through this magazine is that Wyke is a  college which takes it's subjects seriously because it wants people to succeed. This is shown by the revision material which is offered. It has sophisticated values which is shown by the student wearing the leather jacket and by him smiling which reflects his postive attitude to learn. Because it wants to show off the best, to compete with  It's conveys the message that students can have fun whilst studying there which is shown by the New York trip because it's important to balance studies and social life so that the student has a good life at college.

Audience - The target audience for the magazine will be 16-19 year old students within the college. The magazine is aimed at students at demographic E level which is students who are working to be somebody in life. I aimed to attract the audience by offering revision posters, they may be looking for ways to revise and this will intrigue them as it may help the audience. Another way in which I use to attract the audience is the New York trip, it's a chance to go abroad and they be intrigued by this opportunity. It could be aimed at seperate audiences, such as one side who are finding out about trips, social events such as the freshers party and the other side could be just looking at it for educational purposes, such as the revision.


Representation - My magazine represents what a stereotypical male student would look like. He's wearing a leather jacket which is rather stylish and gives off the impression students at wyke dress well. It represents a positive view as the model is smiling in the picture. The student appears to be reading a Psychology book which represents the studying and so from this the audience can create a mental picture where lot of students revise and study during their spare time. Psychology is a high demanding subject which represents the academic levels at Wyke, you have to own the right grades to succeed. It sort of represents students in a negative view as you can see a earphone wire embeded in the scarf. Stduents aren't supposed to be listening to music during studying. However, if they're quiet and get on with their work; it's acceptable.

Audience Feedback

Picture is effective, The white colour doesn't look too attractive in a few areas, would leave more space in the photo taken for the headlines

Contents page has simple+effective colour scheme, would maybe add a small border on the pictures to make them look more attractive

This was said by Danny Mail.

I think the picture used goes well with the colour of the text, which also has a good layout. The shot of the picture in the library shows off the facilities that the college has, as well as providing a good background setting for the picture.

The contents page is quite effective in the way it's presented, and the use of a pin on the top of the contents make it look like it's on a notice board, which is again effective and relates to the school based theme.

This was said by Michael Hill

Finished front cover and mock up contents page

With the recieved feedback, I have used up more space so that it fills the magazine cover but not that much. I have put on a headline which relates to the brand image which is "psychology student aces test" and made it purple so it stands out. I have added the price tag too. I have decided to make the text white as that's more visible as opposed to bright green and purple.

Front cover. 

Contents page.



Target Audience

The target audience for the magazine will be 16-19 year old students within the college and teachers too, if they're interested. The magazine will feature articles such as how to revise properly and guides to create a successful UCAS application. Because some students may struggle in revision and writing a successful application. It will feature social aspects of the college too, for example the Wyke Halloween party and the New York trip so there's fun elements to it. The magazine overall covers educational and social articles so there's a mix which creates a wider audience. The magazine is aimed at students at demographic E level because they're people trying to create a living.

ICT drafts of front cover and contents

Front cover.

Contents

Cover drafts and feed back

Feed back: "The lighting is suitable, the model can be seen well. The text seems a bit bright and a bit difficult to read. There's no headline which relates to the actual image. There is no price tag, so you could add one."

"The lighting is a bit dull in this cover, the text can be easily read which is good. The colours chosen relate to the Wyke house style which keeps theme. There's still no headline which relates to the image."

"The colours purple and green relate well to the Wyke theme. However they are a bit bright, so could they be toned done? The lighting is very good, everything is visible."