2. Front cover analysis #1 - Q
The magazine is aimed at young people (from the age of 16 to
early 20s) as bold colours have been used to attract people and
most adults would go for classic colours such as black, white, red
and any dark shades. The house colours have been included along
with the bold yellow and pink to show consistency throughout the
issues. The red helps the white to stand out so that the name of the
magazine can be seen. The handwriting style font of “Lana Del Rey”
makes it more personal for the reader as it’s as if Lana Del Rey has
written it herself. Pink is mainly dotted around the magazine to
help guide the reader’s eye around the whole of the cover. The
reason pink has been used is because it has connotations with
femininity and is also an eye catching colour alongside the yellow.
Using ‘you’ in most of the cover lines helps to include the reader
and make them want to read on. Imperatives like ‘40 songs you
must download now’ demonstrates that the reader has no choice
and has to download the songs otherwise they’ll be missing out.

3. Front cover analysis #2 - NME
The three main colours are classic and unisex, as well as suitable for
any age so this will attract all types of people. The logo consists of all
three colours which emphasises it and sets the house colours. The
direct mode of address from both people in the picture makes the
reader feel more involved and the stern look in their eyes is as if they
are waiting for you to open the magazine and read. The pull quote is
very gripping as for music fans, Oasis is one of Britain’s well loved
bands and for another band to say that they are the bigger than them
is shocking. With all of their cover lines they haven’t included much
text to go with them so that if the reader wants to know about that
story, they have to find it within the magazine. Although the
magazine doesn’t include a lot of information, it seems very busy and
this has been achieved by the use of different sized text to fill as
much free space as possible. Unlike most magazines, this front cover
have used the colours to direct the readers’ eyes from the top of the magazine to the bottom rather
than all around the page. The black starts at the top and then is joined with the red and white in the
sticker above the headline. The white from the sticker then works it way through the headline, pull
quote and the other bands mentioned at the bottom. If you closely look next to the barcode it says:
“Meet you in West Germany/October 1983…” which is a lyric by The Rakes who are mentioned in the
list at the bottom of the cover. The person who designed the cover is obviously a Rakes fan and
wanted to make it a tad personal for other Rakes fans as he knows what they are going through due to
the split, (The Rakes RIP).

4. Front cover analysis #3 - MOJO
One of the main reasons that it will grab people’s attention is
because the main image is of legendary musician Paul
McCartney alongside the other Beatles members. They all have a
direct mode of address which makes the reader feel connected
with them. The colours used are very timeless and classic which
could symbolise The Beatles as they are also timeless and classic.
The colours also match the band’s outfits so that everything
matches and nothing clashes. Because of the colour
choice, anyone could buy the magazine as although they are an
old band, people from this decade still listen to them because of
their timeless music. Red and grey are also included to break up
the black and white and to help guide the reader’s eyes across
the cover. The red highlights different cover lines which
emphasises them. The cover is rather neat and everything is set
out in columns . The magazine also offers a free CD
which will encourage people to buy it for the free gift. Using words like ‘unseen’ and ‘exclusive’
draw more people in as the magazine has something that the world doesn’t know about and the
only way they will know is if they buy the magazine and read the story. It’s shocking to see the
cover line “How I survived… THE BEATLES” whether you are a Beatles fan or not as they were
perceived in their time as clean cut, baby faced boys who wrote love songs and so to see ‘How I
survived’ will intrigue others. Personally, I would buy this magazine because I am a big Beatles
fan and I like to read about them even if it’s information I already know especially if it’s an
exclusive interview with the renowned Paul McCartney himself.

5. Contents page analysis #1 - Vibes
This contents page doesn’t have any bold or bright colours to draw
attention and has minimal text. The majority of the page is taken
up by an image. The background has used black which then fades
into the colour of the outfit the woman is wearing for some
diversity amongst the plainness. Instead of having ‘contents’
traditionally at the top in title form, Vibes have broken the word up
unequally so that the page looks busy even though it isn’t. This
contents page is relying on the image to attract readers rather than
language devices in the headlines and story summaries. This can
be tricky as most people like to read a little bit about each story so
they know what they are expecting and if the stories interest them
but for others, Ciara (the woman pictured) may be their favourite
music artist and therefore will buy the magazine anyway because
they like her. Her direct mode of address will help with attracting
others as it is making a connection between reader and magazine. For most magazines, they
like to make their name bold so that it is known however this contents page has an outline of
a ‘V’ behind the image and ‘Contents’. It seems as though they are depending on the image to
do all the work. There is a lot of flesh bared by Ciara which could be a selling technique as
they say ‘sex sells’ and Vibes may be using her body as a way to grab males attention as well
as young girls who aspire to look like her.

6. Contents page analysis #2 - NME
This contents page is very busy and although the colours are
plain and basic, the layout makes them look snazzy which makes
this the perfect magazine for teenagers and young adults. The
colour red is helping lead the reader’s eyes around the page as it
starts at the top on the logo ‘NME’ and then down the side of the
page with the band index. It then moves over to ‘The moment
that…’, goes down the other side of the page with the page
numbers and then finishes at the bottom right hand corner with
an arrow which is a hint to turn the page and start reading.
Everything is arranged neatly as there is a lot of information and
without order the contents page would look like a mess and put
readers off. As well as listing the cover stories and other featured
stories, they have also included a ‘band index’ to make it easier
for readers to find their favourite bands within the magazine.
Also, there are arrows next to specific headlines which read ‘on the cover’ indicating where you’ll
find the stories that were featured on the cover. This makes it quick and easy for the reader to
find the story that persuaded them to buy the magazine in the first place. The headline ‘The
moment that Kasabian got romantic in a church’ is misleading making it more appealing for
readers until they read the summary underneath and realise what the story is actually about.
This is a good technique as the headline is ambiguous and fans of the band will be shocked to
read that. On the bottom left hand corner is a subscription advert for the magazine to help
increase sales even more.

7. Contents page analysis #3 – Kerrang!
This is a very well-organised contents page which will be a
relief for most people as crowded, random-placed information
can be confusing. To make it easier to find your favourite
band, whereas NME made a band index, Kerrang! have sorted
the bands into categories for example: News, Live Reviews and
Features. Basic colours, black and white, have been used
alongside bold colour yellow to keep it simple whilst adding a
splash of brightness to the page. Unlike most magazines, there
are several images with the stories rather than mostly text. This
is a clear sign that it is for teenagers and young adults as young
people get bored and put off if there is a lot of text and so
images keep them engaged. To make it more personal, the
editor has made a comment about a band that featured on a
previous cover and their progress from that issue up to the
current issue. There is a subscription ad in the bottom right
hand corner to increase sales and to keep current readers by
offering a discount. As well as including reviews and
news, there is a competition to win a game console which
would excite any person who is reading this magazine.

8. Double page spread analysis #1 – Q
Lady Gaga looks very elegant in the photo
due to her hair and makeup and adding
the black and white effect to the photo
really enhances the sophistication.
Because of this theme, the rest of the
article is also black and white with the
exception of the big red ‘L’ behind the
text to add a splash of colour. There is no
pull quote or title so the story could be
about anything and plus there is nothing
to give the reader a little taster and incentive to read the article. The magazine are
depending on the image to attract readers which is probably why it is quite
provocative. At a first glance, it seems like a massive chunk of text which is quite off
putting although some of the starting letters have been made bold to try and break it
up a bit. For me, the only thing that is keeping me on the page is the big red ‘L’
because it is the only colourful thing on the page. I think if they added a bit more red
to the page it would seem more interesting. For some people, the double page spread
may be very appealing because it is about Lady Gaga who is one of the biggest
celebrities around in this decade.

9. Double page spread analysis #2 – Kerrang!
The layout of this double page spread
looks very interesting. The colour scheme
is based on what the lead singer is wearing
so that everything matches and nothing
looks out of place. The style of the article is
question and answer so the interviewer
will ask questions that fans would like to
know the answer to. The main image takes
up most of the page so there isn’t too much
text to take in. This contents page has the
typical pull quote and introduction paragraph so that it’s not just one image and a
load of text. The smaller images were clearly taken during the interview so for the
reader it feels as if they are there and it makes it a bit more personal. Because the
title is ‘Dirty Little SECRETS’, the word ‘secrets’ looks dirty and the pictures look as
if they have been stuck onto the main picture with duct tape so it looks
unorganised.

10. Double page spread analysis #3 – NME
From the title ‘Paramore are a bunch of
sell outs’ it seems as if the writer has
written this about the band and it’d be
very disheartening for fans to see that
and would want to read on to find out
why they’ve said such a thing. Although
the layout is organised, there are
elements that are meant to make it look
messy purposely because of their album
name ‘Riot’. There are wiggly red lines
separating the columns, the pull quote is uneven and the page looks as if it’s been
ripped around the main picture which will resonate with the angsty teenagers
that listen to the band. The colours used match the colours of the album so there
is organisation within the chaos. Above all, after reading about your favourite
band you get to enter a competition to win merchandise which will always grab
the reader’s eyes.

11. Primary research –
Questionnaire
This tells me that the majority of my audience will be females and I
should play on stereotypes to appeal to them e.g.: use feminine colours
like pink and pastel shades although I could use classic, unisex colours
so that I could broaden my demographic.

12. This shows that I should target the younger aged teenagers to meet the answers of
my questionnaire although most things apply to all aged teenagers and not a
specific age so it doesn’t need to be kiddy, it can include more sophisticated
themes as well as young modern themes.

13. The results of this question tell me how much I should price my magazine. Seeing
as the results are split between both working and middle class, my magazine
should be relatively cheap. Most magazines around at the moment are priced
between £2 and £4.

14. The majority of people answered ‘Indie’ which tells me that my magazine should
be an Indie based magazine. Other popular options are Hip Hop and Alternative
although most of the options that had 2 votes fit under the same umbrella of music
and so could be infused into the magazine to appeal to more people.

15. Every response is different however most of the bands/artists stated fit into the
Indie category so like the previous question, it tells me that I should base my
magazine on Indie music.

16. This very clearly shows me that most people would like to see a band on the cover
although the majority of music magazines have solo artists on the front so I may
want to consider that if I want to follow the success of other popular music
magazines.

17. This is a good response as I can appeal to those who prefer images, prefer text and
both so like most magazines I will include an equal amount of text and images.

18. Most of the people reading the magazine would enjoy reading the interviews on
their favourite bands/artists as well as having the opportunity to win exclusive
prizes. But all in all, I should include all of these things to grab the attention of a
wide variety of people.

19. Music is obviously a big deal for all the people that took this questionnaire and so I
should try and cover all aspects of music to keep them interested and to meet all of
their expectations.

20. Although mainly 16 year olds took this questionnaire, they still want quite a
sophisticated looking magazine which will appeal to all ages therefore securing
more sales.

21. Who would the audience for your media
product?
0 My audience are Indie music fans who like an equal
amount of text and images.
0 They would like to see sophisticated colours and read
interviews as well as having the chance to win prizes.
0 They are from working class and middle class
backgrounds so my magazine should be priced
between £2 and £3.

22. In what ways does your media product use, develop
or challenge forms and conventions of real media
products?
I took inspiration from NME for
my front cover as I wanted to add
something extra but I wasn’t sure
what until I noticed that the NME
cover had a sticker on the front
to switch it up a bit. I liked this
idea and added some alliteration
to the text to add some more
punch to it. To include some
extra colour and information
without making it overcrowded, I
listed bands/artists in the footer
in a red block to make it stand
out. I chose to do this like NME
because it’s very straight forward
and tells readers what
bands/artists are included and
they’ll need to buy the magazine
to find out exactly what is written
about them.

23. Q’s contents page really stood
out to me because I liked how
there was an equal balance of
images and text as some
contents pages have a load of
information with only a few
pictures. I also liked how
everything was in columns
and very neat so I based my
contents page on the Q one
and put my photos in
blocks, making the cover
story image the biggest.
Another thing that stood out
was how the page numbers
are quite big, making it easier
and quicker to find what page
has the story you’re
interested in.

24. I really wanted to do something different
with my double page spread. I wanted to
include quite a few images but I didn’t
want to make it seem messy. Vibe’s
double page spread used 8 photos and it
looks exciting and interesting whilst
staying organised. I took this idea one
step further and turned my photos into
polaroid pictures to throw in some fun
amongst the sophisticated, plain colours.
I like how there is a main image in the
midst of other smaller images which puts
emphasise on the bigger picture.

25. How does your media product
represent particular social groups?
My magazine is priced at £2.50 as my research showed
that my demographic was made up of working class and
middle class teenagers. The majority of people that
answered my questionnaire were 16 years old and
requested sophisticated colours. I did this as well as
throwing in a splash of colour with my use of red to
keep the young minds interested. Socially, 16 year olds
are seen as nothing more than kids but my
questionnaire begs to differ as they answered quite
maturely so my magazine will appeal to teenagers and
young adults of all ages.

26. What kind of media institution might
distribute your media product and why?
I think IPC Media would distribute my product as they
distribute magazines such as NME which has influenced
my magazine and I feel there are similarities between
the two so IPC would probably be more likely to
distribute my magazine.

27. Magazine Drafts
I started off with the name ‘VIBES’ because it had a music feel to the name until
I realised that there was already a magazine with the name ‘VIBE’. ‘JAM’ seemed
more appropriate as it’s something a group of musicians do, they just chill out
playing whatever comes into their head which I thought was more fitting with
the Indie theme.

28. Contents page drafts
I was always going to have my images arranged like this and have this
many images as I felt it was a good balance between text and pictures.

29. How did you attract/address your
audience?
The cover stories are
about artists of my
My colour scheme was based on
other music magazines that all
seem to have a couple of basic
chosen colours with one bold colour. They
genre, Indie, and were simple yet looked
they are things that professional and are obviously
have happened effective due to the magazines’
recently and most success.
music fans like to
stay up to date with
what is happening in This story is about
the world of music Glastonbury Festival which
especially if it’s includes bands and
artists they are musicians of the Indie sort.
interested in. It is a very popular festival
and so everyone that listens
to Indie music would love
This sticker stands out to read about it.
because it is different
from everything else
I chose to use Jenny as my model
on the cover and it
because she is the same age as
includes two music
my audience and most Indie
legends which will
Because this is red, it stands out and listening teenagers aspire to be
definitely intrigue
most of the time people don’t bother to musicians so it would be good to
music fans.
look at the bottom so this is a great way have someone their age who
to get people to look at everything on they can look up to.
the cover.

30. Having the colour red To show
alongside the classic consistency, I
black and white helps included the grey
certain things to stand from the front cover
out for example the page onto my contents
numbers and titles of page.
different sections
For people that like
to find out about
I laid out my images in
the story before
a block so that if people
actually reading
prefer looking at
it, they can read the
images, they can look
summaries and
at the image with the
then head to the
page number and go
page as they page
straight to the page.
numbers are
clearly pointed out.
Most of the magazines I looked at had something else other than the
stories, whether it be the editor’s note or an advert for the magazine’s
subscription but I chose to add a review section and count down the
100 greatest Indie albums as music fans like to read about renowned
things that contributed to their favourite genre of music.

31. To keep with the sophisticated theme that was requested in the results of my
questionnaire, I kept my double page spread very simple yet with the use of
several images in a quirky polaroid style it adds to the classy page whilst also
including a fun element. It also lets the reader have an insight to the musician’s
life which is one thing that most music fans would love to know about.
I decided to
make the first
Whereas the
letter of the very
front cover image
first word stand
was very serious
out so that it
and Je’nnay
catches the
seemed quite
reader’s eye and
reserved, this
after looking at
photo shows the
the collage of
other side of
pictures at the
Jenny and it can
top, it will also
be seen like as
seem interesting
I added a pull quote you open up the
rather than a
within the article to magazine, Je’nna
massive chunk
break up the text and to y will open up.
of text.
give a taster of what the
article is about.

32. What have you learnt about technologies from
the process of constructing this product?
When I first went to make my music
magazine, I didn’t know how to use
Photoshop (hence how my school
magazine was made on Microsoft Word)
so I had to get used to all of the various
tools. One thing that was really useful
was cutting out unnecessary parts of
photos and keeping what’s needed, like
I did with my front cover image and
double page spread image. There were
also tools to add shadows and to
elongate certain words so that some
words were emphasised as well as
keeping each sentence aligned. Even
though it was a long process getting
used to all of the functions that
Photoshop has to offer, it was worth it
as comparing my school magazine made
on Word and my music magazine I can
see how more professional my music
magazine looks.

33. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel
you have learnt in the progression from it to the full
product?
I’ve learnt that it’s best to make a questionnaire and see what others think as they
will probably be the people that buy the magazine and so you can’t include
everything that you think is best. Also, sometimes plain is better. Although I used
dull colours like black, white and grey, including one bold colour makes certain
things pop whereas with my school magazine I used red, white, blue and black so it
was all very ‘in-your-face’. The subtlety of the grey and white make the magazine
look refined and mature so it could attract other people outside of my demographic.
Learning about the rule of thirds was very helpful as without it, the magazine can
look messy so I used that knowledge to help create my music magazine and
everything looks in place and organised. From using Photoshop I learnt that by
adding small details like shadows to text or elongating words, it can really have an
effect on the overall feel of the magazine and give it a professional look. Another
important thing I learnt was how influential the media can be which is why you
should always think of your audience before yourself as writing negatively about a
band/artist can lose you readers if the majority of people reading really like them.