Monday, 17 December 2012

final first draft



This is my final first draft.
I like the colour scheme I have used and I am going to try and use this throughout my next drafts. I have tried to follow the conventions af a music magazine, but have missed off the dateline, issue number and price, so i will include these in my next draft. I think it could be improved by using a medium close up to make it feel more personal to the audience.

Feedback-
Hits is a very appealing magazine in terms of its colour scheme and layout. However, it is not clear that it is a pop music magazine – this could be indicated using images, a strapline which suggests the focus of the magazine, or something in the main image which relates to the music industry. I find the fonts leave a little to be desired and perhaps could be replaced by ones which are both readable and targets your audience. There is also rather a lot of blank space which could be filled with something – an image or perhaps a puff? Also, how much does your magazine cost? – you have not indicated that on your magazine.

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Ideas

 

This is the type of shot I may use for my front cover.
The first picture is the original image, the second is one I have photoshopped to remove the shadows.
I used the healing brush tool, and the blur tool to blend the background together.

Monday, 19 November 2012

Font and Masthead name ideas

All of these fonts are fonts that I like and may use on my front cover. Also the different names are ideas of what I might use on the front cover.
 

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

Mock up

 
This is a mock-up of a music magazine using images from the internet.
The colours I have used on this mock-up are similar to the type of colours I would like to use on my magazine cover. I have used these colours because they are bright and would attract the target audience, but aren’t too bight to be off-putting. I didn’t make them too bright because the target audience is older students, aged 16-24, and I think brighter colours are more for a younger audience.
I have tried to follow the conventions of a music magazine by using a masthead, a main cover line, cover lines and a main image, but I have missed out a barcode, the dateline, the issue number and the price.
The cover model gives the impression that he is mysterious as he is looking away from the camera and it wearing a dark coloured jacket. But because he is wearing a white top, this could indicate that he is quite an innocent character.
A mid-shot has been used so that the audience doesn’t feel too detached from the cover model, so that it still feels personal to them.

Monday, 12 November 2012

Blumler and Katz

Blumler and Katz uses and gratifications theory 1974
During the 1960s, as the first generation to grow up with television became grown-ups, it became increasingly apparent to media theorists that audiences made choices about what they did when consuming texts. Far from being a passive mass, audiences were made up of individuals who actively consumed texts for different reasons and in different ways. In 1948 Lasswell suggested that media texts had the following functions for individuals and society:
·         surveillance
·         correlation
·         entertainment
·         cultural transmission
Researchers Blumler and Katz expanded this theory and published their own in 1974, stating that individuals might choose and use a text for the following purposes (i.e. uses and gratifications):
·         Diversion - escape from everyday problems and routine.
·         Personal Relationships - using the media for emotional and other interaction, e.g.) substituting soap operas for family life
·         Personal Identity - finding yourself reflected in texts, learning behaviour and values from texts
·         Surveillance - Information which could be useful for living eg) weather reports, financial news, holiday bargains
Since then, the list of Uses and Gratifications has been extended, particularly as new media forms have come along (e.g. video games, the internet)
- http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.php?pageID=audience

In my magazine, I will be focussing on personal identity as my magazine is about upcoming artists and music that can influence audience. I will also be using diversion as well because one of the aims of my magazine is for it to be a good experience for the reader, where they can read about someone else's life and forget about their own for a while.

Focus group

Focus group
How often do you buy music magazines and why do you buy them that frequently?
-I buy magazines every month. I buy them that frequently because I like to be kept up to date with what my favourite artists are doing.
Why do you buy the magazines you do?
-I buy them depending on the celebrity they are focused on. If I’m a fan of the cover model, I will be more likely to buy it than if I don’t like the cover model.
Does the presentation of the magazine matter as much as the content?
-I think it does, if it was not professionally presented then I would be less likely to buy it. I think presentation matters more than the content to be honest.
Would you like to be informed of upcoming festivals or concerts?
-Yes I miss out on a lot of concerts and festivals because I don’t know that they’re on, or I don’t know the dates or where they’re performing. It would be really useful for me.
How much would you be willing to pay for a magazine?
-The most I would be willing to pay would be about £4, but that is only if I am a big fan of the artist.

featured on the front cover. GoAnimate.com: focus+group by paigesummer


Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Overall, my magazine will keep the readers up to date on the latest news on their favourite artists and will not cost over £4 as it is mainly aimed at students who don't have full-time jobs.

Sunday, 11 November 2012

Genre

The genre of my magazine will be Pop/Chart music. A lot of Pop music is in the charts at the moment, and the some of music that doesn't fall under the genre of Pop, has a sub-genre including Pop e.g. Dance-pop. Also, my target audience would still be interested in some artists that are in the charts, but don't come in to the Pop genre.
These are type of artists that would feature in my magazine:





Sunday, 4 November 2012

Reader Profile


Moodboard




These artists represnt the kind of music that my target audience will be interested in. They are all the kind of artists that I would include in my music magazine.





Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Brief

To design a front cover, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, a minimum of four images must be used.

Monday, 22 October 2012

LIIAR analysis of a music magazine

MOJO front cover
Language- The type of shot used is a medium long shot. This might have been used so that the magazine still feels personal to the reader, even though they aren’t close to them. There is a constant colour scheme of red, yellow and white. All of these colours stand out from the main image as they are brighter than it. Also the colour of the clothes are wearing are a mixture of light and dark, to show that they may have variety in their music. The style of the masthead is simple and bold, like it’s making a statement. The masthead is covered up slightly as it is already a well-known magazine so it can be easily identified. This cover has all of the conventions of a magazine. Institution- The company that owns this magazine is Bauer. They are a multinational media company based in Hamburg, Germany that has grown into a worldwide publishing and media company. Bauer Verlagsgruppe has offices located in other countries such as USA, Spain and the UK. Ideology- The main image conveys that the music genre won’t be pop or rap, it will probably be rock. This is shown by the type of clothes they are wearing and what colours they are. The image portrays that they may be quite rebellious as one of the men has his tie undone and is wearing a black leather jacket, which could mean rock music. The other has his shirt unbuttoned so far, as if he doesn’t follow the rules and isn’t very sophisticated. Audience- The main image may represent the target audience that the magazine is trying to reach, males aged 30-50. This could also be shown by the use of colour on the page. The colours red and black are more masculine colours, rather than feminine. But with the lighter colours like yellow and white, this could also attract a small female audience. Also because the Rolling Stones have a female following, this could affect which gender buys the magazine. Since the price is set at £4.50, the target audience will be well paid individuals with a high disposable income. With nearly 12,000 Twitter followers and over 6,000 likes on Facebook, this magazine could have a larger audience than expected, even if some who read it, aren’t part of the target audience. Representation- This magazine is known as a rock magazine, which instantly makes you think that the artist or band on the front cover will be part of that genre. This is also shown by the type of clothing they are wearing. This front cover puts across the idea that the Rolling Stones are quite interesting yet serious about their music. This is because of the bright red writing and because the men in the image show no expression on their faces. MOJO contents page
Language- The same font is used on the contents page, as the front cover so it is consistent, and the colour scheme is kept the same too. This contents page follows the conventions of a music magazine. It has a heading for each different subject/topic in the magazine, to make it clear to the audience what is going to be inside the magazine. Each heading is a different colour to the smaller text so that they stand out, but still follows the colour scheme. The images on the page take up about half of the page, so that it doesn’t look like there is too much writing on the page, and to give the audience and insight on what might be on a few of the pages. Institution- The company that owns this magazine is Bauer. They are a multinational media company based in Hamburg, Germany that has grown into a worldwide publishing and media company. Bauer Verlagsgruppe has offices located in other countries such as USA, Spain and the UK. They make the magazine appeal to the target audience by considering the amount of text used and the colours used. Ideology- By using the images on this contents page, it gives the impression that is will be straight forward magazine, but will also be interesting. This is because the majority of the pictures have the colour black on, with splashes of colour. This could also show that this magazine will be about rebellious rock bands or artists. By doing this, the magazine may attract an audience that like to think of themselves as rebellious. Audience- The audience of this magazine seems to be males, aged 30-50. This is shown by the colours used as they are darker colours, which can be seen as masculine. As there is not much writing on the page, this could indicate that the audience does not have to be well educated or sophisticated to be able to read it. But because the magazine price is high, this could show that the magazine is aimed at more well educated and well paid people. Representation- The artists and bands in the magazine are all represented as people who are produce rock music and are serious about their music. This is shown by the use of simple colour and images of the artists. In the images the artists are not wearing bright coloured clothes, which shows that the are simply all about music, just like the magazine. MOJO double page spread
Language- The layout of the double page spread is conventional to music magazines. There are 2 large images at the top of both pages, one in black and white, one in colour to grab attention as soon the reader turns the page. The colour scheme is kept constant, by using yellow, red and black, even in the images. A quote has been pulled out of the text to give the reader an idea of what is going to be in the passage. One of the images used is a medium long shot. Using the colour red as a background on this image could represent the passion and love they have for the music they produce. Institution- The genre of the magazine is represented by the different types of photos used on the page. There are some coloured pictures, and come black and white pictures, which could show that they are able to adapt to different styles of music. Ideology- This double page spread indicates that the target audience will be similar to the artists and bands featured in the magazine. This magazine portrays that the band in this magazine are serious about their work, as many images are used on the page. By using many images on the page, this shows that throughout the time they have been around in the music industry, they have always been serious about their music. Audience- The audience of this magazine is males, aged 30-50. This is shown by the type of images used. Some of the images used are in black and white, this gives the impression that they are older pictures and will appeal to the older audience more. Also a lot of text on the page shows that the audience may like reading and may be quite sophisticated. By using a pull quote, this influences many different types of class to at least read it, so see what it is all about. Representation- The artist in the magazine is portrayed in the same way as the magazine is. The both have a genre of rock and are shown in a few different ways and the magazine and the artist both complement each other by doing this. The magazine is represented as a rock magazine because of the type of images used and the colours used. Also the artist in the magazine is represented as a rock band because of the shots used and how the images are presented.

Monday, 15 October 2012

evaluation of my front cover


Evaluation of my front cover

Language- I have tried to use all of the conventions of a front cover of a magazine. I have used a masthead, cover lines, a headline, a dateline, a barcode, the price and a main image, as well as another small image that may attract the reader. I tried to keep the colour scheme constant, by not using a lot of different colours. I mainly used the colours purple and black as they relate to the Wyke logo. Also I used black writing for both the cover lines and headline so that they would stand out against the background and would be seen easily. I didn’t make the main image too light or too dark; I adjusted the levels of the model in the picture so that the brightness of her matched the brightness of the background, so it looks more realistic.

Institution- If this magazine was to be published; it would be by a small organisation at the college and would only be published in this college. But it could also be published in other secondary schools, like advertising the college, so they can see what happens there.

Ideology- The main image could suggest that the model in the picture is a student at the college, as she looks about 16/17. This could relate the magazine to the reader, so that it feels more personal to them and would influence them to buy it. Because she is smiling, it could show that she enjoys going to this college. Also the people in the background of the main image seem to be doing work, so it creates the impression that the students use their time effectively and enjoy doing so. The picture of Ed Sheeran in the bottom corner is quite bright compared to the rest of the magazine; this could suggest that there will be more exciting things inside the magazine, other than just news about the college.

Audience- The audience of this magazine is college students. This is shown by the model on the front cover as she looks as though she is a student. Also there are no bright colours, which could show that is a magazine for more mature students and people who are serious about their studies. But there could be a small audience of students in secondary schools, who are thinking of coming to Wyke in the near future, so by reading this they can get an idea of what happens around college.

Representation- the model in the main image is represented as a happy person who probably enjoys going to this college. And by using light colours on the magazine, this could suggest that she is a hard worker who gets by without a problem.  These light colours are contrasting to the image, as the clothes she is wearing are quite dark, and some of the background is quite dark too.

front cover


contents mock up


my original images


existing examples


initial ideas


Monday, 8 October 2012

Media survey results


-the majority of people said they would read the college magazine.

-just over half of people said they would like to hear about sport.

-almost everyone said they would like to know about other news other than around the college.

-most people read magazines regularly

-most people would like to hear about music/celebrity news.

-a lot of people said they read music magazines, rather than sport magazines.

Media survey questions


Would you read the college magazine? Yes-        no-        maybe-

Would you like to hear about sport? Yes-           no-

Would you like to know about other news other than around the college? Yes-        No-

Do you read magazines regularly? Yes-        no-

Would you like to hear about music/celebrity news? Yes-        no-

What type of magazines do you read?
-celebrity gossip
-sport
-music
-real life stories
-other

Conventions