My final front cover

I chose to change the font on my front cover to something more bold and conventional so that it looks more professional. I feel this black text is more eye catching and makes the layout of the front cover more clear. I will include this font in my contents and double page spread to create continuity throughout my magazine, as I feel this will also look professional.
If I was to improve this front cover I would experiment with different colours and house styles to see which was more effective.
Over all I am happy with how my front cover has developed, as it includes lots of conventional features and I think the overall front cover looks professional.

Front cover draft

On this draft I tried to mold the words around the photograph as this is conventional in some magazines  and I feel it works really well in this instance. I believe this is by best draft so far.

Front cover draft

On this draft I experimented with a more plain layout, and included less text. I also used a photograph which takes up more of the cover so it appears like it is dominating the page. I like this layout but I feel there is too much blank space. I stuck with the same colours and house styles as I feel its beginning to look professional.

Front cover drafts

I had to re design my front cover with brand new images as I lost all of my work. However this worked to my advantage as it gave me chance to improve and redesign my front cover. It also allowed me to take more photographs which look more conventional for a front cover. I chose the colour red for the main colour theme as it links with the detail on her face which I created with stick on face beads. I chose a loose test as I feel it looks quirky and unique, which I feel will make my magazine stand out. I also feel it makes it look quite professional and tidy at the same time. I chose a clear title this time, as on my feedback of my other front covers I was told it looked too much, so I went for a conventional white and bold title which is easier to read, over all I think this looks better. I have stuck with the house style of red, white and black as I think this looks tidy and sophisticated, its also easy on the eyes to look at. The plain colours also help the photo in the center stand out more. I have text in the first and third thirds of my cover as this is the most conventional lay out for a magazine front cover, I found this out from my research. I have included quotes and famous names which will effectively catch the viewers eye, and hopefully make them buy the magazine.

My best 9

I believe these are the best from my shoot and I feel these will look good on both my front cover and my contnets. I like the way my model is taking up the majority of the frame, however she is centered in the center 3rd which is very conventional of a music magazine front cover. I will experiment with using these on my drafts and see which works best. I will have to edit these photos as my models bra straps are showing as I did not consider this when taking photos but I can do this easily on photoshop.

New photo shoot

In the process of making my magzine I lost all of my work, because of this I had to take all of my photos again. Although this was very time consuming it helped me achieve better photographs as I knew how to work the lighting, and I also had some idea of what poses look best. I chose to continue with the gems on my models face because I think it gives her a very unique and quirky look. On the other hand I chose to change her clothing. This is because I feel she needed a more unique and busy look. To achieve this I dressed my model in a aztec patterned top which is very eye catching and I feel this will draw viewers eyes in when looking at my magazine. She is also wearing a black skirt so that the colours in her outfit also match the house style and link. I experimented with lots of different poses in both landscape and portrait because I am using these photos for both the front cover and contents. Overall I am happy with how my new images have turned out and I feel they will make my magazine look more professional.

Second Draft

 For my second draft of my front cover I took into consideration all the feedback that I got for my first draft and changed some features. I tried to take up the majority of the space with my images and text as I had positive feedback on this last time, however I have tried to use fonts/colour that link better to make it look more professional. I have also included images/patterns behind the text to make them link and to also draw the viewers eye across the page. I adjusted my title so that there is a pink shaddow and I think this helps to frame the darker text and makes it easier to read. Overall I think this draft is better than my first, however I still think there is alot to improve until it begins to look professional. I am going to do some more research on existing magazines and use those as inspiration to make mine look better.

First draft

Audience/Peer Feedback:

Positive Comments - 'I like that there is no blank space'
                                    - 'Good use of colour and text'
                                - 'It's colourful and well layed out'

Negative Comments - '"I'll never trust him again" text looks out of place with other text'
                                 - 'The black text looks too bold compared to other text'
                                 - 'Title isn't overly clear'

To improve upon this front cover I am going to take this feedback into consideration by keeping some features the same and changing some things. I am going to continue leaving no blank space on my front cover as I have had positive feedback on this, I am also going to keep the layout the same however I am going to change some of the fonts so that they link better as my feedback suggests I should do this. Also I am going to take into consideration changing my title colour/layout, but on the other hand I feel this looks good and would only need changing slightly to work well.
Overall I do feel that this front cover can be improved to look more professional, and I am going to adjust the things that I think dont quite work on all my next drafts so that overall I have a professional outcome.

4 best

I believe these are four of my best photographs to use on my front cover of my magazine, I think this becuase they are taken as a conventional medium close up shot which will make it look professional. I chose a white background as this can be easily changed and it will also make things easier when adding other conventional features onto my front cover as there will be nothing distracting in the background. I tried to choose four unique and different photographs to see which one works best with features such as a title and cover lines etc. this will then allow me to choose the best and most effective shot to use on my final draft. I have also vairied my models hair style from a front fringe to a sweeping fringe, this is becasue I want to see the contrast between so I can compare and see which works best, again allowing me to choose which looks best for my front cover.
I took into consideration my makeup and clothing research when dressing and adding make up to my model. I used a top which has the popular cross patterning on so it links to the latest fashion trends, however the top also has cut out shoulders which helps to frame the center of my model, this in effect will draw attention to the center of my magazine. I also included jems on my models face as this is what popular artists are doing, as it is unique and it's something in which they can be recognised by so I feel this will make my magazine look recent and professional.

Face detailing

 

Following on from my make up ideas this is the effect I chose to include on my models face. I stuck these glittery flat beeds to her face one by one making a symetrical and unique pattern on either side of her face. I did this because lots of celebrities are adopting this idea them selves and I want my magazine to look up to date as I feel this would help it sell. I like the final out come of the patterning as I feel it looks effective and interesting to look at, I also feel that it draws the viewers attention into the main features of her face making her face look defined and symetrical.

First front cover shots

These are some of my first final photoshoot photographs I have taken to use on the front cover drafts of my music magazine. I have taken the majority as medium close ups as this is conventional for a front cover.

Practice Shots

Finally I took this outfit into a white back dropped studio, to see what effect I would get and to see if it improved from the last background I chose. Overall I think in the photos where I placed the lighting correctly like in the last few photographs where there is no shadowing in the shot, gives the most professional effect overall. This could also become an advantage as when creating my front cover the white space around my model can easily be filled in with colour, text and images to make the cover look more attractive. On the other hand the white background could be left white to allow any colour text to be used without worrying about it clashing with the background. I feel this outfit also works well in this situation as it makes all attention focus on the model and this is the effect I want to achieve. After my experimenting I have decided that I white back dropped studio with professional lighting will work best for me to shoot my final photographs on as I feel it gives the more professional effect whilst leaving me with the space to choose what colour text I am going to include without the worry of clashing colours.

Practice Shots

These photographs were all taken on the same background as the previous photos. This is because I wanted to see the effect of different outfits on the model. In these photos I also tried to experiment with different framings and angles to make the image look interesting and to see what different effects this gave. I think that the lighting should have been brighter on some of these photos as the background seems to be darker than the model, and this makes the model appear to be blocking out the light which doesn’t look very professional. If I was to photograph in this studio again I would make sure that I had a light above me shining on the background to ensure that it is properly lit. Again this outfit was chosen with the current trend in mind: peplum tops. Some of the fashion research I have done was in Topshop, and here many different styles of peplum tops were on sale and this was very similar to some of them so again I feel this could interest the audience. However I don’t think this outfit compliments the backdrop as the last outfit did. I feel the pink top against the black and white background clash which makes the photos harsh too look at, but again before choosing a setting and outfit for my final photographs I am going to continue experimenting with lighting and outfits until I achieve the professional effect I want.

Practice Shots

These are some practice shots which I took in the studio because I wanted to test how the lighting and background worked together in a photograph. I like this background as it looks very vintage and in trend, and also becaus it doesnt leave a blank space behind the model which would make the photo look very unprofessional. As you can see from these photographs the lighting differs hugely in each, this is because I wanted to see what effect different lights made and also to see how much of a difference the distance of the light made in the photo. I feel the bottom right photo is the best lit, because there is no shaddows and also the background and model are both lit evenly creating a clean and interesting photo. In these photos I also experimented with different framings, for the majority I used mid shots, this is because I wanted to include her outfit and wig which would mean I would have to be a reasonable distance away to include all of this. I think this shot could work as a front cover of a magazine, however the more conventional framing for a magazine cover is a medium close up and this would be fairly closer than a mid shot, as a medium close up focuses more on the face of the subject rather than the clothes and props used along with the model. In these photos I like the way that the models red wig looks prominant against the black and white background and outfit. I think this makes the viewers eye become drawn to her face which is the effect in which I was trying to achieve. The chosen outfit for these photographs was chosen with the current trend of collars and leather jackets in mind as I felt this would interest the audience if on the front of a magazine. Over all I like these photos, but before I choose for definate a this background or lighting I feel I need to experiment with others to see which give the best effects.

Digital Draft

Digital Draft

Digital Draft

Digital Draft

This is a digital front page draft which I made on photoshop. I chose a picture of rihanna as she is a popular, well known and sucessful R&B artist, and I think this will be recognised by the public. I have used a constant house style or 2 fonts and 3 colours to make it look professional, and I have included other conventional features such as a title, date line, main cover line, other cover lines, bar code, a price and a splash. I like the look of this front cover because I feel the black and red colours work well together as they make eachother stand out, however I have also included some pink text to make it look slightly feminine whilst creating an interesting front cover.

Reader Profile

Hair Styles

From looking at celebrity hair styles I have found that each person has their own individual colour and style to make them stand out, so when styling my models hair I am going to use my own ideas to make my model look different from other celebrities. However I have decided to make my models hair long and curly as I feel this looks glamorous.

Styling - Iconography

I have chosen to include this photo on my blog because I like the way in which Lady Gaga has been styled. Firstly I like the way in which her front fringe help draw attention to her eyes and other featured, as I think this will lead the viewers eyes to hers making them connect with the photo. I also like the way which her make up is very minimalistic allowing her to look natural whilst the shape of a lightning bolt surrounds her right eye, agin drawing attention to her eyes. The colour of the lightning bolt and the clothes she is wearing is the same, I think this is to that the photograph looks complete and professional, however the colour black could also connote strength and darkness, this could have been used to show her confidence and strength in the music industry, which also shows her success as an artist. Her white gloves help her hands blend into the background so that they do not take the attention away from her face, however the microphone is highlighted by the white colours around it, this could be to show the more unfamiliar fans that she is a singer when they look at the photograph. The gems on the end of the microphone coulld be used to show her glamorous and wealthy, if this photo was included on a music magazine front cover than it could make the viewer want to buy is as they might want to know how to be as glam and successful as Lady Gaga herself.

Lighting

When I take photgraphs to include in my magazine I need to carefully think about the lighting so that my photo is a good quality and so the brightness is correct for the cover of a music magazine.
The first lighting that came to mind was natural lighting. If I was to work out side I would have to work with only the natural light as that is all I would have. So this would mean the photograph and quality of light could change due to facters such as time of the day, the weather and the location. From research over the internet I have found out that the best time of day to take a photograph using natural light is when the sun is low in the sky, as the light is warm and flattering for photographing people, because of this sunrise and sunset would be ideal. However a down side to photographing at these times can be the shaddows the subjects are left with on their face, as the low light could leave shaddows under their cheek bones or eyes, in this case, anywhere where the sun can not reach. I have decided that I am not going to take my final photographs by using natural light because I dont think this will look the most effective for a magazine.
Another form of lighting which I have considered is studio back lighting. This would meen having a light coming from the back of the subject I am photographing and using my cameras flash to ensure that there is enough light coming from the front. The effect of this would be a very well lit subject with very little shaddow and this would be ideal for the type of photographs which I want to take. I could also consider the settings on my camera when using a backlight, as I have found from research that many modern cameras have a setting specifically for taking back lit shots, this is because the flash on a camrea is usually too bright for this shot, so the spercific setting neutralises the effect of the backlighting, for professional results.
I then looked at using my flash. Usually when photographing to get professional results the flash should only be used when its essentially needed as it mutes the colours and creates dark shaddows that spoil the aesthetics of the photo. However in some cases the flash is needed and I have found out some factors which I need to take into consideration when photographing myself. The first thing is that the flash only reaches about five foot, so if I needed the flash the subject being photographed would have to be in this area in order to get a successful photo. The second thing is that if I was to turn off 'red eye reduction' to ensure my model does not get a red ring in her eyes because of the flash, would cause blurring, and the final thing is if I was to use my flash I would have to ensure my white balance is set correctly because if not the photo will be too bright, which would make me loose essential detail in the photograph.
I have also considered using a tripod. Using a tripod would ensure that my camera was still when taking photos, as it would reduce shaking, which would give a better photograph. This could be useful when taking a photo in low light conditions because in order for the camera to adjust to the lack of light the shutter speed would slow making the camera more susceptible to movement, which can cause blurring.
From my research I have decided to use studio back lighting to light the model for my front cover of my music magazine, as I want there to be minimal shaddows however I want the entite subject to be lit as this is conventional for an image on the front cover of a magazine.

Costume + Fashion

I want my magazine to be current, so I thought it would be useful to research the latest fashion items being sold in shops at the moment and this is what I found. When I researched on the internet for the latest fashion there was a reoccurrence of the cross shape, likewise when I went to look in popular clothes shops myself this is what I found. Ranging from jewellery to clothes and shoes the cross shape/pattern seemed to be creeping across the shelves, and because of this I hav decided that my model for my front cover is going to wear some type of clothing that includes a cross in the pattern, this is so that my magazine appeals to the feminine market as being high in fashion. The shot which is going to be included on the front cover is going to be a medium close up as this is conventional for a music magazine, because of this the clothing my model will have to wear in the cross style will be a top, as in this frame legs can not be seen.

Make up in use - Lady Gaga music video - R&B

Unique makeup ideas

I want my magazine to catch the audiences eye by being up to speed with fassion and acsessories but also by having unique styles. In many R&B music videos I watch, the celebrities have included something unique on their face, the most common being Lady Gaga. She is recognised to have a lightning bolt across her right eye, this in effect makes her stand out and draws attention to her eyes. In addition to this I did some research and thought it would be an interesting idea to include gems on my models face for my front cover. When researching I found many interesting designes of gem patterens on peoples faces, it most commonly includes detail around the eyes and/or down one side of their face. To make my magazine current and in trend with successful celebrities, I am going to create a gem pattern on the face of my model for the front cover of my magazine.



Inspiration - Lady Gaga photo shoot

Colour

When using colour in my magazine designs I am going to try and include both complimentary colours, so certain aspects stand out, and also neighbouring colours so the front cover isn't too harsh on the eye. I have decided to try and achieve this becasue I want my front cover to have various colours on so that it looks interesting but on the other hand I dont want all the colours to over power eachother as this will not leave me with a professional house style, which will leave my magazine looking unprofessional. I believe colour is what draws the viewers eyes to the page so I'm going to carefully use colour to try and achieve this.

Focus Group + Questions

These are the main questions I asked:
1) Would you prefer tp download a magazine app or purchase one from a shop?
2) What do you look for when you purchase a magazine?
3) How much are you willing to pay for a magazine?
4) What would encourage you to buy a music magazine if you don't already?
5) How could existing magazines be improved?
6) What do you like existing magazines to offer?
7) Do you regularly purchase magazines?
8) What type of magazine do you usually buy, and why?
9) Would free gifts encourage you to buy a magazine?
10) Would you prefer to have interactions with the magazine, for example competitions and games?
11) What existing magazines are you interested in?
12) Would you prefare a one genre or a mixed genre music magazine?

Demographics and social status

This is some of my research into 'demographics.' From this I learnt that its used to classify audiences into target groups, this is how many companies achieve larger sales and income by targeting their products to a specific groups of people. When designing a front cover of a music magazine for example they need to consider colour, photographs and layout etc to recognise which group of people they are advertising too. Blue colours could for instance be aimed towards a male audience, where as pink colours would be associated with females more. Other things such as the price of the magazine can be effective when looking it in terms of demographics. The average price of a magazine is around £2-£5, this seems fairly affordable to the majority of people, however the price if a magazine ever came above this price then they would need to take into consideration that maybe they have cancelled out the social grade E,D and possibly C2,C1 from buying the magazine as they might not be able to afford it, in effect reducing their amount of customers which will also reduce income and profit. Overall every aspect in a magazine and all the conventions on the front cover such as the images and stories all help the magazine appeal to a certain target audience through the use of demographics.
The social status and pay part of the demographics plays a big part when pricing the magazine and also take effect in terms of where the magazine is sold. People in the social grades E and D have the lowest income so may not be able to afford to buy a weekly magazine that is over or highly priced as the cost of it will be too much. However if the price was at the lowest end of the scale (around only a couple of pound) people of this social status might be able to afford to buy it, making it affordable for people of every social status. If the price is made this low the problem is people in the social bands of A and B may feel they want a more sophisticated, upper class and expencive magazine as they have the spare money to be able to spend on the magazines. All these points need to be considered when pricing a magazine, and this is why I believe that a price which affordble but not too low is perfect as this means it will appeal to every social status, whilst also allowing the company to make a profit on their product. When pricing my own magazine I will also take these things into consideration, as I want to have the largest target market I can achieve.

Double page spread analysis

This is a double page spread from the MOJO magazine I have been analysing. The conventional features the pages include are: a main image (more than one, however the others may be seen as feature images) a quote, a standard first, text, house style/colour scheme and finally a title. The title is in a clear font which makes it easily readable, it’s also made considerably larger than the other text on the page and this makes it noticeable as the title of the double page, these two features along with the conventional black coloured font all make the title prominent from all other text on the page.  There are many images which flood across the top of both of these pages and I believe this would make the readers eyes look across the page which in effect would allow them to see the photos before reading the text. I believe the first and largest photo at the top left of these pages would be seen as the main image, I think this because the image is of the band of which the story is based around so this would link well with the text, also this image in the largest and it takes up half of one page, this makes it look dominant on the page. Another feature of the image which makes it look dominant is the low angle which this photo is taken, it makes the band look larger than they really are, and this could show their status and popularity to the audience. This photo is also framed so that the entire frame is filled by the band, this makes the photo look exciting and busy, I think it also shows the personality of the band and this could make the reader relate to the band, making them want to read about them on the double page spread. The other photos are slightly smaller than the main image, they include photos of the bands fans, the band themselves both behind the scenes and on stage etc. I think these allow the viewer to see what the bands gigs are like and almost show both what it’s like to be in the band and also what it’s like for the fans when going to a gig. The extra images make the page look more exciting and complex to look at; I believe this makes the page look professional. The quote included is one of the band members, this makes it link with the text. The quote is highlighted by a red box, this not only draws the reader’s eyes to it, it also continues the house style from the front cover and contents page as the colour red is used to highlight and main text as this will stand out and in effect make the viewer read it. The standard first gives us an introduction into the band; this is effective as some readers may not recognise the band from the photos, so this introduction to the band allows the reader to find out a little information about the band. This text is also in red, and in theme with the house style this would show important text in which the viewer needs to read. The main text for the double page spread is arranged in coulombs, over all there are four coulombs on each page and this makes the text look even and balanced, which makes it easy on the eye. The majority of the text on a double page spread is most commonly around 11pt. and usually an aerial font, however some magazines may make their text connote with the genre of the magazine, in this instance I believe aerial is used as is this is the most commonly used and most recognised font which will make it easy to read for every reader. The main text is shaped around some of the images included at the bottom of the pages and I think this gives the magazine a modern and funky look as it leaves less white space around the photo making it look more included to the rest of the magazine. The house style as a whole is continued throughout the whole magazine making each page link; I think this creates a professional looking magazine as it creates a colour scheme throughout all of the pages.

Contents Page analysis

 

This is a contents page for a MOJO magazine which I will be analysing, this contents page links with the front cover also analysed as it is from the same issue. The conventional items that the contents includes is: a title, main image, date line, issue number, sub heading, pull quote, and finally a contents box, this page also has a consistent house style of two/three font types and three main colours. This house style is the same as which is used on the front cover, this makes the magazine pages link making a professional looking magazine overall. The conventional item that this cover has chosen not to include is feature images. The disadvantage of not including any feature images is that the reader gets no insight into any other of the stories included in the contents page, but in this instance I think the main image is strong enough to be the only image as it takes up the full page, whilst also linking with the front cover and contents title as we can see a black and white theme beginning to occur. The contents title itself is composed in the centre of the page at the top; this makes it the first thing our eyes see when we look at the page. The title is also the same font and colour as the main title on the front cover which also links the two pages together. The main image itself acts as the background of the page; I think this is effective as it makes the full page look busy. The photo is taken again from a low angle, the same as the main image on the front cover, this makes the man on the photo look like he is dominating the page as it gives him power and a presence, this could suggest to the viewer that he is the main focus of the of the stories in the magazine. Underneath the title the reader’s eyes are drawn to the red lines which create the space where the date line and issue number have been placed. The date being in the first third of the page and the issue number being in the last third, I think it has been laid out like this to make the top of the page balanced as the title above is in the centre, this would make the page appear even and easy to look at. Again, further down the page I believe the  page has been made to look balanced as the main feature of the main image is at the left hand side, and the ‘features’ box has been placed in the left, over all I think the composition of the page is very affective as it appears very neat and easy to understand. The sub heading of ‘features’ is highlighted in a red box, this continues the house style from the front cover, as the cover titles were also highlighted in this way so that they can all stand out and be easily spotted by the reader. The red colour contrasts with the darker colours in the background making it stand out from all of the distractions around it. The subheading is followed by the contents box below it. The box itself is a light grey colour making it fit in with the house style of the magazine, also the page numbers for the stories have been made the colour red, the readers should easily recognise that these are important to be remembered as everything else highlighted in red has been done so because it is important and need to be looked at. The connotations surrounding the colour red are hot and fire, this could suggest that the stories included are hot off the press, and in effect this could make the customers want to buy the magazine to read the stories. Again I think the things included on this page, along with the layout, targets it well to 35+. I think this because the main image is made to look vintage and antique like the front cover and also the layout is fairly plain and easy to understand which I think will appeal to this audience.

When creating my own content page I am going to refer back to this one for layout ideas, this is because I think this contents page is very successful and I think it’s interesting to look at, I would like to create a contents page similar to this, however through my designing process I may need to change some aspects to make it appeal to a younger audience as I want my magazine to appeal to a younger audience, and I believe more colour and a more recent style will appeal more.



Front cover analysis

 

 

This is a front cover for a MOJO magazine which I will be analysing. The conventional items this cover includes: a title, main image, mast head, cover lines, bar code and price, a splash and it also has a consistent house style of two/three font types and three main colours. The conventional item that this cover has chosen not to include is a date line. The title is in a clear and bold font, I think this is so that it’s easily read and recognised by the public, it can also be easily seen because of the big size of the font which is the largest on the page so it stands out from the rest of the text. It’s also the colour white which contrasts with the darker background behind the title, however the title is covered by the people’s heads in the main image and also by some of the splashes which would usually restrict its view, however because these features are what the public are drawn to it also makes their eyes become drawn to the title. The main image on the cover is related to the main cover line which stretches across the middle of the page and also across the image itself. The link between the two helps the different parts of the magazine link. The main image has been edited into black and white and I think this is so that the cover lines and splashes stand out on the dark background. The main image is taken from a low angle which makes ‘Led-Zeppelin’ look as if they are dominating the page and this makes them stand out of the magazine at they look the largest and only image on the page, they are framed in the center of the screen in a long shot, this is so we can see their whole bodies and I think they have been framed in the center to make the cover look balanced and also so that they are the center piece of the cover. The cover lines are all highlighted by the colour red. This makes them look prominent from the main image and it also allows them to be easily seen which also makes them easier to read. The colour of the text is white and grey this links with the colours in the main image and makes it easy on the eye, this also creates a constant colour theme making a constant house style which makes the cover look professional. The bar code and price are placed in the recognisable bottom right hand corner of the page; this is where we usually expect to see the bar code. I believe by placing it here that it is easily found by the viewer as this is where their hand will reach for to turn the page, this could increase sales and the public will be able to easily see the price of the magazine which is £4.60. The price is also wrote in dollars for the US being $9.99 and also in Canadian dollars being $13.50, this suggests that the magazine is sold around the world which shows its success as a magazine and it also shows that they have a huge market. There is many splashes spread across this cover, one I believe is used to get the attention of the public so that it stands out from all of the other magazines is the ‘FREE CD!’ splash in the top lets corner. Usually when reading we start at the top left hand side of the page so this splash is the first thing the viewer will see, this could be used to persuade them to buy the magazine as they are informed there is a free CD which could mean there is more chance of them buying it. The other splashes give the reader a fun insight into some of the information and stories in the magazine, which again could make them want to buy the magazine so they can read about it. I believe the sophisticated layout and plain colours used in the front cover aim towards MOJO’s target audience of 35+ of both genders. This is also easily recognised by the older band as the main image, and the older generations would most like to read about this band.

I believe that this magazine would be printed by an external company as many of the magazines would need to be printed so that they can be shipped to different parts of the world where the magazine is sold. I can tell by the price tag that this magazine in particular is sold in the UK, America and also Canada, so this shows me that this magazine would need to be shipped to all of these places in order to be sold there. Having such a wide audience would mean that the magazine would make more profit as they would have a larger audience of people able to buy the magazine, meaning more sales and more money made, this would result in profits which is what makes a company succsessful.

I think this magazine cover as a whole conveys a relaxed approach towards the band because of the neutral photograph and also the sophisticated yet interesting cover. Overall I think this is a successful front cover however to improve this magazine I think the date line should be added so that the customers can see which issue they are purchasing, I think this would be the final touch to the front cover.



Double page spreads

Contents

Front Covers

Pie chart - Top 10

I made this in relation to the top 10 charts. I wanted to put the music genres in a pie chart to see the relationship between them and to also clearly see which genre was the most dominant of the charts today. From making this pie chart I can clearly see that pop is the most popular genre in the charts at the moment as overall 7 out of the total 16 songs were of this genre, so this works out as just under half of the songs in the top 16 of the charts being pop. However the second most popular is R&B, as the pie chart shows one quarter of the charts is of an R&B genre, making 4 songs of this genre. As for all the other genres in the charts they do not seem to be as popular and these include genres such as: drum and bass, soul, indie, fold and electro - these all only had one song each in the charts today.
I am baising my music magazine around thr R&B genre and I believe the charts supports this as I can see that it is the second most popular genre of music, this means that I am going to have a fairly big customer base. Also I believe pop and R&B music are fairly similar and in some ways related, and because of the popularity of the pop genre I think this will help my magazine sell too.

Top 10

This is a list of the most recent top 16 songs in the chart so far. From this I can see that four out of the 16 song are of a R&B genre, including Labrinth, Alicia Keys, Rihanna and Little Mix. From this I have found out that a quarter of the songs at the top end of the charts are of an R&B genre so this shows that it is a fairly popular market. However the majority of the other artists are grouped in the pop genre and I believe pop and R&B are very similar styles so these could be listened to by many people. I could refer to the charts in my magaizne to attract my customers as it is clearly something which they are interested in. By doing this it could provide me with more customers to buy my magazine, meaning more magazines would be sold.

R&B CD covers

I decided I would see what type of R&B CD coveres were on sale today, I did this to see what type of audience the genre of music is aiming at by the colours and images included on the CD cases. By studying these, I can see that the main target audience would be between 16-24, I think this because of the photos on the front of the covers, which are all close ups of the artists faces. All of the photos make them look attractive so I think this would appeal to the teen generations, as they may buy their CD for the face they like their phisical beauty on the case. However I believe the target audience could stretch too 25-35, I think this because non of the photos on the CD covers are provocative or revealing, so I think the sensible yet effective photos could also attract this audience. The set out of these CD covers are all tidy, neat and professional, this will attract the public into the music. These cases will attract both males and females at the colours are in most cases neutral.

VIBE

I've chosen to base my research around the VIBE magazine.

The genre I have chosen is

This is a list of music genres that I have found

College Rock, Goth Rock, Grunge, Indie Rock, New Wave, Punk, Anime, Blues, Acoustic Blues, Chicago Blues, Classic Blues, Contemporary Blues, Country Blues, Delta Blues, Electric Blues Lullabies, Sing-Along, Stories, Classical, Avant-Garde, Baroque, Chamber Music, Chant, Choral, Classical Crossover, Early Music, High Classical, Impressionist, Medieval, Minimalism, Modern Composition, Opera, Orchestral, Renaissance, Romantic, Wedding Music, Comedy, Novelty, Standup Comedy, Country, Alternative Country, Americana, Bluegrass, Contemporary Bluegrass, Contemporary Country, Country Gospel, Honky Tonk, Outlaw Country, Traditional Bluegrass, Traditional Country, Urban Cowboy, Dance, Breakbeat, Dubstep, Exercise, Garage, Hardcore, House, Jungle/Drum'n'bass, Techno, Trance, Disney, Easy Listening, Bop, Lounge, Swing, Electronic, Ambient, Downtempo, Electronica, IDM/Experimental, Industrial, Enka, French Pop, German Folk, German Pop, Fitness & Workout, Hip-Hop/Rap, Alternative Rap, Dirty South, East Coast Rap, Gangsta Rap, Hardcore Rap, Hip-Hop, Latin Rap, Old School Rap, Rap, Underground Rap, West Coast Rap, Holiday, Chanukah, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Holiday, Thanksgiving, Indie Pop, Christian & Gospel, CCM, Christian Metal, Christian Pop, Christian Rap, Christian Rock, Classic Christian, Contemporary Gospel, Gospel, Christian & Gospel, Praise & Worship, Southern Gospel, Traditional Gospel, Instrumental, J-Pop, Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz, Big Band, Contemporary Jazz, Cool, Crossover Jazz, Dixieland, Fusion, Hard Bop, Latin Jazz, Mainstream Jazz, Ragtime, Smooth Jazz, Trad Jazz, K-Pop, Karaoke, Kayokyoku, Latino, Alternativo & Rock Latino, Baladas y Boleros, Brazilian, Contemporary Latin, Latin Jazz, Pop Latino, Raíces, Reggaeton y Hip-Hop, Regional Mexicano, Salsa y Tropical, New Age, Environmental, Healing, Meditation, Nature, Relaxation, Travel, Opera, Pop, Adult Contemporary, Britpop, Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Teen Pop, R&B/Soul, Contemporary R&B, Disco, Doo Wop, Funk, Motown, Neo-Soul, Quiet Storm, Soul, Reggae, Dancehall, Dub, Roots Reggae, Ska, Rock, Adult Alternative, American Trad Rock, Arena Rock, Blues-Rock, British Invasion, Death Metal/Black Metal, Glam Rock, Hair Metal, Hard Rock, Metal, Jam Bands, Prog-Rock/Art Rock, Psychedelic, Rock & Roll, Rockabilly, Roots Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Southern Rock, Surf, Tex-Mex, Singer/Songwriter, Alternative Folk, Contemporary Folk, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Folk-Rock, New Acoustic, Traditional Folk, Soundtrack, Foreign Cinema, Musicals, Original Score, Soundtrack, TV Soundtrack, Spoken Word, Vocal, Standards, Traditional Pop, Vocal Jazz, Vocal Pop, World, Africa, Afro-Beat, Afro-Pop, Asia, Australia, Cajun, Caribbean, Celtic, Celtic Folk, Contemporary Celtic, Drinking Songs, Europe, France, Hawaii, Indian Pop, Japan, Japanese Pop, Klezmer, Middle East, North America, Polka, South Africa, South America, Traditional Celtic, Worldbeat, Zydeco.

Main task - Music magazine brief

Main task (Music Magazine):

- The front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.
- All images and text used must me original , produced by the candidate, minimum of FOUR images.

On my final front cover I included the following conventions; masthead, skyline, cover lines, a splash and a main image. I chose to use a simple but bold font for my title because I wanted it to stand out to the public when they look for the magazine in a shop among all the other magazines as the title would be easy to read. Another way I made it look prominent is by making the text red, as the connotations around the colour are passion and love however red is also associated with danger, I believe the red colour will catch the public's eyes as the red colour will stand out as being important, whilst giving off the impression that the magazine is about students that have a passion for college and who love learning, over all I believe the title on my front cover will be successful in getting the attention of the public. The sky line which I included above the title I chose to colour black and to also make the font size reasonably smaller, I did this because I didn't want it to take the attention away from the main title, however I wanted it to be easily seen after the title had been read by the public. For all of my cover lines I placed them in the first and third thirds of the cover, this is because when analysing existing magazine covers this was the most popular layout for the cover lines so I thought it would work well on mine too, and I also though it looked like a tidy and professional lay out. The subtitles on the cover lines I coloured red, this is so there is a link of colour running throughout my cover, creating a good house style, but also it makes them easy to read as the colour stands out against the background. I chose to make the text fairly small but easily reasonable, and I also included a little insight into the story underneath to draw the reader into the stories, I did this so in a small black font so it could be read but so it did not stand out too much as this doesn't need to be seen at first glance by the public. The splash I decided to include was a competition to win an IPhone 5. I chose to do this because teens and students are always on track with the latest gadgets and there are always new ones coming out, so I though by including a chance to win the latest apple product out then this would make the public want to buy the magazine so they could see for their selves how to win. This in a way makes my target audience students ages 16+ because of the generation the product is aimed at, but it could also span to adults wanting to know about the student and college life. For my main image I chose to use a easily recognizable college entrance in the back ground, but the most prominent past of my main image is a student holding folders. I believe this would clearly show the public what the magazine is about. I shot the girl at a mid-shot so that I could include some background whilst also allowing us to see the majority of her body. I took the photograph at eye level so that the picture did not look intimidating, and also so that the public can relate to the girl as it could make them feel like they are equal with her. I chose to have my model smiling as it is an inviting expression and it also shows that she is happy, this could show to the public that she is happy with her college life, and this could promote the selling of my magazine as students may want to buy the magazine to read and find out how they can have the same experiences. I think this cover will represent students in a positive way as the girl on the front cover looks successful and organised with all her work as she is holding her folders with pride, this could increase my target audience as parents may want to buy the magazine for their children to read before they begin college life. Overall I believe I used colour well to create a professional looking magazine cover as in my house style I chose to use three colour and three types of fonts to make the cover look interesting. My magazine would be printed by an external company as a lot will need to be printed in order for it to be sold in various shops, so I could achieve a larger market

Contents page

This is the draft of my contents page. I tried to link the colours with what I wish to use on my front cover. I also tired to use a neat and eye catching lay out so its easy for the public to read. I used photos that give an incite into some of the story's in the magazine making the public want to read on. I feel this would work well with my front cover however I think if I was to use this is would include more detail by using a background or more images.

Photos I have taken around college

These are some photos which I took whilst around college. I could use these photos in my magazine to establish a college setting, but the main reason I took these photos is to see which  shots work best with different settings. The majority of these photos could be used as establishing shots whilst others show more detail as they are taken from fairly close up.

Camera shots

The first shot of an ECU (extreme close up) is usually used to show emotion, as it clearly shows facial expressions. This shot is often used in television drama and films to emphasize emotion.
The second of a CU (close up) is a shot that just includes the subjects face, this shot also clearly shows emotion.
The third shot of a MCU (medium close up) shows the subjects face and chest, this shot could be used to shot someone talking in a television drama. It briefly shows what the subject is wearing and their body, whilst still showing there facial expression.
The next shot of a MS (mid shot) shows the subject from the hips up, this is the ideal shot to use for my main image in my college magazine cover.
Next is a low angle shot, this makes the subject look bigger than they are, and this could be used to show power and dominance.
The next is the opposite and is a low angle shot, this makes the subject look smaller than they are which could be used to show a vulnerable character.
The wide shot or long shot is used so that we can see the entire body of the subject whilst there is a little room above and below them.
I included a group shot in my camera shots because I thought it could be used in my magazine at some point to show a sense of community and togetherness. This image could be used on a contents page with a page reference number to entice the public to read the story behind it.
The final shot is a high angle shot whilst also being a long shot, this shot would not be useful in my magazine however it could be shot in a TV drama to track the character, or could be used to show people are watching.

Sketch of front cover

This is a quick sketch of for I would like to set my front cover out. I want my title to be at the top as this is recognizable and it would stand out as i'm going to use a big text, a clear font and also the colour red because of the connotations of love and passion surrounding it.

I'm going to include 3 cover lines all in either the first third or the last third of my magazine, so they are easily read and spotted by the public. These cover lines are going to be titled in the colour red so that they link with my title and so there is a colour theme running throughout my magazine which in effect will create a good house style.

The bar code and the date line are going to sit at the bottom left of the cover as these don't need to stand out to the public or it could take attention away from the cover lines, however they need to be included so that it can be sold and also so the public can check if they are getting the latest magazine out of this type.

I think I am going to include a splash, as a competition so that the public will want to buy the magazine even more as they may feel they could win!

The main image of my cover is going to include a mid shot of a girl in front of college, I chose this because I feel from first glance the public will be able to see what the magazine is about.

i feel this will benefit me when designing my cover as i now know where to place everything.

Brain storm

This is a brainstorm of my ideas for my school magazine cover. By doing this I can see all of the things I need to include, and it also gives me various ideas for stories, and colours to include, whilst making it appeal to my target audience, gender and age range.

I believe this will be helpful when creating my magazine cover as the brainstorm lays out all of the things I need to include whilst reminding me of other aspects of designing that I need to consider.