This is my completed research and planning for my AS Media Studies course. Includes a link to my evaluation through Prezi and images of my projects.

1. Tobi
Fagbenle

2. Production Brief
Preliminary exercise: Using DTP and an image manipulation
program, produce the front page of a new school/college
magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up
plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally
candidates must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the
contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.
Main task: The front page, contents and double page spread of a
new music magazine.

3. Preliminary

4. 1. How old are you?
16
17
18
2. What is your gender?
Female
Male
3. Would you like to have a school magazine?
Yes, I would love a school magazine!
I wouldn't mind a school magazine
No, I would hate a school magazine
4. Rank these interests in order of appeal to you.
Polls
Music
Games
Media
Fashion
Sport
Gossip
Images
5. How do you feel about relationships at this age?
Fine and I'm currently in one :)
Fine and I'm looking for one
Fine but I'm not looking for one
Wrong :/
6. Are you a smoker? Plus your opinion.
7. How much do you like reading?
A lot
Somewhat
Not really
Never
8. What genres of music interest you?
Hip-Hop
R&B
Pop
Indie
Rock
Other (please specify)
9. What are your favourite school subjects?
English
Maths
Science
P.E.
Media
History
MFL
Geography
Other (please specify)
10. Would you like to see pictures of famous people?
Yes
No
Questionnaire

5. What is your target audience? Is it all Sixth Formers or a specific group?
From the results of my survey, I can see that my target audience is mostly going to be people in Sixth
Formers who are of all ages, are male and female.
What are their interests?
My audience are primarily interested in music, but also sport, media and games. Along with polls on
certain topics. People who are interested in relationships or even being in a relationship, also literate
people who have different opinions on smoking. Also people who are generally interested in school, also in
celebrities.
What magazines do they buy? How often?
Looking at their interests, they must buy magazines that are based on music, games, media and sport.
Most of them said that they would love a school magazine which suggests that they would buy it and that
it would be quite often they would purchase magazines in general.
What socio-economic group are they?
As my audience are Sixth Formers, they will all tend to be in the socio-economic groups of D and E and
generally not any higher. My target audience are all in near full time education, so they have no time to
be in full time employment which is the only way they could be in a higher socio-economic group.
How else could you classify them?
My audience must be aspirers because they all seemed to like the idea of famous people being displayed
on the cover and inside the magazine. They must aspire to the gracious lives lived by those who have
found fame for various reasons.
Audience Research

6. My target audience of choice for the magazine is students or 6th Formers. My reasons for
choosing this specific age group are that as a 6th Former myself, I have a great
understanding of what the year group is interested in, what they feel strongly about and
what information they need to help them with their studies.
These are students who are between the ages of 16-18 and have finished their secondary
education.
The interests for a student of this age tend to be specific: One of the big subjects that most
teenagers are obsessed with is sport. This is why we are having a sports section which will
be
dedicated to all of the latest sports news that has been released in the editions of the
magazine. Teens are also huge music enthusiasts; we recognise this, so we are going to put
in sections on the latest trending tunes and classics that still get many listens today. Also, on
the cover of the magazine, we will have pictures of lovely ladies who have made it in the
music industry.
If that isn‟t enough, there will be free links to download a classic and a recent track for
your listening pleasure.
Because this magazine is targeted at young students in 6th Form, the socio-economic group
of these people is most likely to be in the range of D to E. This is the unemployed and
unskilled workers.
Target Audience

7. Masthead
Straplin
e
Date
Barcode
Price
Splash
Image
Quote
People are used to having
the date in two
distinctive places; on the
top near the strapline or
the bottom near the
barcode. I chose the top
because there was more
space and it was easier
to spot.
I have chosen to make the
masthead a orangey gold
colour to match the colour
scheme. I have also given it
some effects to make it stand
out from the rest of the
normal stories and because
the image rests below the
masthead which allows you to
do more with it.
This quote was used to add more
depth to the whole idea of the
magazine which is to appeal to
6th Formers. It‟s a catchy quote
which can help readers to
remember the mag.
An image is one of the most important parts
of a magazine cover; it has to look
professional, but also have an original edge
to it. I used this image to show that although
I‟m a student, I have a raw, rebellious side as
I used my splash in a way
to emphasise the fact
that the magazine is new
and is at a reduced price,
which draws people in.
The price is one of the
most important parts of a
magazine because it can
persuade somebody to or
not to pick up a copy. I
have made it large and
inside a splash to increase
the emphasis.
My main strapline has
catchy alliteration which
readers will enjoy reading
and convince them to look
further. Also the pink
word shows the relaxed
nature of the mag.
For Barcode: All
magazines have
barcodes to go
with the
conventions of a
magazine cover.

8. Evaluation: Photoshop skills
What did you find challenging about Photoshop?
I found quite a few things challenging when using Photoshop. I found adding effects to things like words and images
very challenging; First of all, I had to find the tools that I wanted to use in order to begin to change everything which
was one of the hardest things already. Once I had found them, making sure that the settings were adjusted to make
whatever was being edited look exactly the way I intended.
How have your skills improved? What mistakes were made?
Before making the magazine, I had little experience of using Photoshop, so basically I have improved in everything to
do with it: Copying the image into Photoshop and editing it to my liking, adjusting the fonts: size, colour, and special
effects. The knowledge of the conventions of a magazine has improved as well. The mistakes I made were: There‟s a
lot of empty space on the mag which makes it look slightly unattractive. Also, I could adjust the contrast of the image,
to look more realistic.
What skills would you like to acquire whilst making the final project?
I would like to master the use of the burn tool which creates a cool looking shadow around the image which brings it
out well. Also I would like to learn all of the different effects that apply to the font, to create a flashy masthead and
straplines.
Are there any tools that had a negative impact on your design?
Not really, There were things that I tried that didn‟t work that I decided to get rid of such as the gradient tool. It
didn‟t work because it ruined the display of the title.

9. Evaluation: Magazine Cover
Image
I think that the image is quite effective but it‟s not perfect: It‟s in colour which improves the
realism of the image. There‟s an attempt to produce a shadow around the image using the burn
tool. It wasn‟t particularly good, but it doesn‟t look awful. There‟s nothing in the background
which makes it look unprofessional; that‟s all been edited off.
Masthead
The masthead is slightly effective, but there‟s room for improvements in it. For example,
because of the length of the masthead, maybe instead of trying to fit it all in one line, I could
have fit it in two or abbreviated the title. Also the colour of the masthead is slightly different to
the colour of the straplines, this brings out the masthead and makes it look more stunning.
Use of Colour
A black and gold colour scheme was used in the design of the magazine, the only exception is the
bright pink word “Lovely” which is a bit of a joke. The colours go with the magazine conventions
of one primary bright colours and a couple neutral colours.
Straplines
There are a lot of straplines that are on the magazine cover, they are the main focus of the
magazine apart from the image. They match the colour scheme of the magazine itself; black for
the title and gold for the information. The straplines all form around the image nicely which
makes it look professional.

10. Layout
The layout seems to be normal like a normal magazine cover. The Masthead is at the top, and it‟s
very striking because it‟s bold and large. There are lots of engaging straplines which are presented
in a clear way to show them. The main strapline is the biggest part of the magazine cover which it is
supposed to be to show its importance. There is a clear puff on the magazine which makes it look
more realistic. The image is in the middle and takes up most of the space of the magazine cover.
The date and the barcode are clearly on the magazine at the top and bottom just like a real
magazine.

11. Preliminary Evaluation
How useful was your research?
To be able to do the task, I did a bit of research on how to use Photoshop: All of the different tools that are available to use such as
the Gradient tool and the text box tool. When it came to actually doing the magazine cover, I found some of what I had done useful to
me because I used it in the design of my magazine cover. However others were less useful to me because I ended up not needing to
use them and I could have looked at other parts that could have improved my overall appearance.
Did you look back at it when designing?
When it came to designing the magazine, I had learned most of the tools that I needed to design the magazine so I didn‟t really need
to look back upon the research that I had previously done. It was more common for me to actually just randomly pick one tool and
test it to see if it could be of any use to me in the designing process.
Was it easy to learn from?
For my research, I took it in note form; I looked up what the tool was useful for and I took notes on the most vital parts of the
information. The use of notes was moderately useful for me because I could just look at what I needed to do to use the tool and
simply just copy that. However it was difficult to locate what I wanted to use because they were all in the same colour and page.
What could improve it?
I could have used colour coding to distinguish the differences between all of the tools I wanted to use. I could have put in different
sections which make it easier to find the different tools and increase the speed of the magazine process. I could have looked at all of
the different tools that are available to me so that I would not have to do any experimenting to see if there was anything else that I
could have used to make it look even better.

12. Research

13. Masthead
The positioning of the
masthead is at the top
which makes it very
noticeable to the readers.
Also it is much bigger and
in a different colour to
everything else so that it
stands out and is easier to
remember.
Puff
The puff is meant to
stand out because it
looks as if it‟s not
meant to be on the
magazine.
Kicker
This is in a
different font so
that it stands out
from other objects
on the cover
Quote
The quote is for the
readers get an idea of
what the article will be
about.
Main Image
The main image is to
show the audience who
is the main attraction of
the magazine.
Date
Barcode
Magazine Cover Annotation

14. Masthead
This is the name of the
magazine: It has to be very
clear to the reader because
the magazine want it to be
remembered.
Quote
A phrase that the
cover star has said
which hints at the
main story.
Kicker
This is the main
story of the
magazine. It is
usually bigger than
the other stories on
the magazine.
Puff
A bit of the magazine
that doesn‟t look like
it should fit onto the
magazine. It is used
to show a bit of extra
information.
Main Image
This is the main focus
of the magazine and
links to the main
story. It is of a star
which attracts people
to read the magazine.
In this case it is
Brandy.

15. Representation of Cover Star
The cover girl, Ashanti is sitting seductively on a
small stool with a direct mode of address staring
at the camera. This has the effect of drawing
the readers into the magazine because of its
verisimilitude. VIBE wanted to show that they
are a classy, fashion relevant magazine and they
wanted a beautiful, talented and successful
woman to show that to their audiences. They
have done that by getting Ashanti who is a
stunning black woman with an excellent career
so far with more to come. This appeals to the
different genders in very contrasting ways: For
men, it‟s all about the sex appeal, they look at
Ashanti and they are physically attracted to her
and it makes them want to read the magazine.
Whereas for women, Ashanti comes across as a
role model for young aspiring women with her
excellent weave and expensive jewellery.
Essentially, men want to be with Ashanti and
women want to be her. The text “Love Me”
makes the image more motivated and provides
anchorage for the seductive stance that she is in.
She is dressed in a very revealing white dress,
lots of her glowing brown skin is exposed, along
with some cleavage. Her perfect, blemish-free
skin being exposed connotes that Ashanti is
alluring to male audiences and successful to
female audiences. Making audiences of VIBE
believe they make a magazine that is sexy, but
also professional.
The background is green, while Ashanti is
dressed in white. The magazine are trying to
make her the centre of attention by making her
stand out against the background.
Masthead & Straplines
The Masthead of VIBE is in giant white letters
towards the top of the magazine. It is able to be
white because the background is green, which is
unusual for a magazine. The reason for the
enormous size of the Masthead is so that the
magazine‟s name can therefore stick in your head
because it is the largest thing on the page. If you
know the magazine‟s name, you are definitely
more likely to buy a copy in the future. Also, so it
stands out a lot behind a coloured background. A
slight bit of the cover girl, Ashanti‟s head is over
the Masthead, this is a popular technique used by
magazines everywhere.
The main strapline provides anchorage for the
image: it says “LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME ALONE”
and in the image, Ashanti is in a pose that says
“I‟m sexy! You can get with me if you want or not
and I don‟t care what you do or what you think of
me!” She‟s wearing lots of make-up and jewellery,
she‟s sat in an alluring way and her left arm is up
in a way that suggests confidence in one‟s beauty.
Magazine Analysis

16. Magazine Cover
Analysis 2
Representation of Cover Star
The cover guy Lil‟ Wayne is staring with a
direct mode of address at the camera lens.
This attracts readers because it adds
verisimilitude to the image which audiences
like to see. XXL‟s aim was to show that they
are a raw, hard-core rap music enthusiasts
that don‟t joke about with their music. This
fits with the persona of the rapper Lil‟ Wayne:
a controversial, loud rapper who regards
himself as a hard man, but has a more
immature side. XXL definitely is primarily
aimed at men and men only with the man
staring with a serious expression on his face.
Men look at Lil‟ Wayne and they see a man
who looks as if he is confident in himself, he
believes that he is better than others and that
he can‟t be proven wrong.
Masthead and Straplines
Interestingly, the masthead is placed in
front of the image. This goes against the
usual magazine conventions which are the
opposite way. With the image behind the
masthead, it brings more attention and
significance to the masthead. It could be
saying that although Lil‟ Wayne himself is a
hugely famous rapper, no one is bigger than
the magazine itself.
The main strapline says “I‟m not hot. I‟m
great.” One suggestion the magazine could
be making is that Wayne knows that he‟s not
an aesthetic desire like some of the
beautiful ladies of music, but he believes in
himself that he has major talent in the rap
game. In his opinion that is what matters to
him and what is important in the rap game.

17. Contents Page Analysis
Feature List
This is a list of everything that will
feature in the contents of the
magazine. It gives the number of
the page that the feature is on with
a brief description of what the
article is about. VIBE put the
feature list in an area where it will
be to distinguish it. A feature list
will always be present in a contents
page.
Main Image
The main image tells people
who or what the subject of
the main feature of the
magazine will be. The main
image takes up most of the
screen, which shows the
mass importance of the
person photographed. Ciara
is sexy and talented, which
can connote that VIBE want
to show that they are like
that.
Main Feature/Artist
Information
This gives information
about the artist, Ciara
and a section about why
they have chosen her
for their magazine
cover.
Contents
The way that VIBE
have styled out the
contents page to be
unique by putting the
first and last two
letters on top and
bottom of the centre.
VIBE Logo
The logo is just set in
the background of the
contents page. It is
there to remind
readers that this is a
VIBE magazine, not
just any old one.

18. Contents Page Analysis
2 Feature List
The feature list
shows the reader
what will be
inside of the
magazine. It gives
you a page
number, along
with a short
paragraph
showing what the
feature is about.
Quote
One of the magazine conventions
is to take a quote from the
magazine and put it into the
contents page. It gives readers a
preview of what‟s to come from
that section of the magazine
which can attract readers to read
it.
The A-side
XXL have taken a unique method
used in the past by some magazines
by having two sides to their
contents page. The A-side contains
the feature list and a quote from
the main feature.
The B-side
This side just contains main
stories and more images.
Main Image
The images‟ job is to
inform the readers the
subject of the magazine is
and it gives you a sense of
how they like to represent
themselves. The image
takes up most of the
space on the screen to
show its importance. The
person on the contents
page is also always on the
cover too. Dr. Dre

19. Main image
This gives the readers a visual view of
who the article is about and an idea
of their personality. It appeals to rap
fans, especially Wiz Khalifa fans.
Cross head
This goes just above the
article and it introduces it
by saying who it is who
gave the answers and a
mini bio on them.
Quote
A saying that the
person who presented
the information. The
article becomes more
personal to the artist
involved and you get a
peek at what will be in
the article.
Column
Presenting the article
in columns makes it
easier for the reader
to consume the
magazine. This makes
it more appealing for
the reader.
Giant first letter
This is a common feature of magazine which
brings significance to the article.
Initials
Some magazines use the initials of the artists
that they get. This is a nice touch that brings
attention to the article.

20. VIBE:
The network represents over 25 sites and 19 million unique users a month. The
premier destination for urban music and entertainment. The magazine follows
celebrities and all of their new releases as they are released. VIBE creates as
well as trends music and gives back to the community. A portal to young, inspired
audiences ideas, they are the voice of urban music. They provide a democratic
digital experience which encourages users to upload their own content. VIBE aim
to give the unknown potential superstars a voice to express themselves and those
who are established already a stage to show their beloved talent off to the
adoring public. The magazine looks at not only urban music, but the celebrities,
fashion, lifestyle, media, sounds and businesses. The magazine aims to be
trendsetters, VIBE are the group that inspires a young generation to listen to
urban music and culture. VIBE are excellent promoters of special events not just
linked to music but: film and movie premieres and fashion shows as well.
VIBE also look at the world of technology through gadgets like beauty products
to video games.
Media Kit Link:
http://justmediakits.com/mediakit/1560-vibe.htm
Audience Research

21. XXL:
A magazine that generally aims to bring Hip-Hop to interested readers
in a more intelligent way for a higher amount of readers. They look at
the lifestyle of who is who in music today. The magazine tends to
target readers who are massive Hip-Hop fans and want to be
engrossed in the whole business. The No.1 selling music magazine.
According to the statistics, a massive 78% of their audience are males
and 67% of their audience are African-American. Therefore XXL is
mainly aimed at male African-Americans. This is shown through the
features that are put into the magazine such as: “Step up your rap
game!” – This addresses rappers with under-par lines and tells them
to “Step Up!”
Media Kit Link:
http://www.americasmedia.com/mediakits/XXL%
Audience Research 2

22. Mastheads Analysed
VIBE are a trendy, hip magazine who aim at people who
interested in music and fashion. I can see that the design aims
to be cool and fun and appealing to both genders. The bold,
wide letters makes it looked laid back.
XXL are a rap-based magazine that‟s more male orientated.
The masthead is white with a dark red background. The
letters are thick and sharp and they have not tried to make it
too pretty which is a stereotypical manly approach.
TIME are a classy, more adult magazine with political issues
inside. The masthead therefore is sleek, pretty and elegant.
The font is a classic widely used one that people think of as
acceptable to write documents with.
VOGUE are a more aesthetic magazine that is aimed at females. I
can tell by the name which is a way of describing the appearance
of a woman. The font is very classy because of the stereotype of
women that they are all dignified.
NME are a music magazine that focus on rock music.
Generally, it is aimed at men because of the genre, the
masthead shows this because it is in huge bold, red letters.
This gives the connotation that the logo magazine is strong
tough and explicit.

23. Straplines Analysed
Main Strapline
The main strapline of the
magazine is located at
the bottom of the cover
separate from the rest of
the straplines. The
strapline‟s purpose is to
provide anchorage for the
image and to address the
main story in the
magazine. The words
“innocent” and “guilty”
are bigger and
highlighted, this anchors
the image by explaining
the stressed out look on
the face of R. Kelly.
Strapline
The other straplines
are aligned to the
side of the cover so as
to avoid getting in the
way of the main
image. They feature a
list of other artists
involved in the
magazine. They do
this to attract more
readers into buying.
Puff/Strapline
This is a more of a
puff strapline
because it doesn‟t
look like it is
supposed to be on
the magazine. But it
does give
information about
the contents of the

24. Main Strapline
The main strapline is
in a different colour
to the other
straplines to show
that is the most
important strapline
in the magazine
cover. It provides
anchorage for the
image by explaining
who the cover star is
and what they are
here for. In this case
it is a interview on
Rihanna.
Straplines
The other
straplines are fit
around Rihanna‟s
body so that the
image is still
decently in view
for the readers.
The most
important parts
are in black, while
the others are in
white.
Puff/Strapline
This is a puff like
part of the
magazine which
contains some
information
about the
magazine. The
puff might have
been used to
allow the
magazine to give
more info
without it
looking to much.

25. Planning

26. Production Schedule
Week 1: For the project to commence, I must know the people that I will target with the production of the magazine. Their age, their wealth, and
other things. It is important to establish the target audience of my magazine, because they are the people consuming the media. To find out which
audience I will be targeting, I will create a questionnaire which I will hand out to both genders and between the ages of 16-25. I will try to see
whether my magazine appeals to teenagers or young adults. The questionnaire will ask questions like what artists they like, how often they buy
magazines, how much they would spend and their general interests in music. The questionnaire will be multiple choice so I can see what answers
were more popular than others. I will record my results in a chart so I can assess them and figure out my target audience.
Week 2: When I have found out enough information about my audience, I will look at how other magazines look at attracting audiences in to their
magazine. This will give me increased information about readers who buy magazines. The magazines that I have used are VIBE and XXL because
they are very popular magazines with different target audiences with age and gender and genres of music that interest them. I will use the
internet, and the magazines’ media kit to find out about this, and I will present my ideas in tables to assess it all.
Week 3: I will use this week to look at different magazine covers. Comparing different magazine covers is important because you will be able to
understand the brand values, ideology and genre of the magazine. I will use VIBE and XXL to compare with each other for ideas. I will look at
different conventions of the magazine like the masthead, straplines and main image. Looking at the magazines will help me for ideas for my own
magazine because I can see what goes well with the genre of my own magazine from real magazines. I will look at magazines that are similar to
what I want to create and some that are total opposites. From this research, I can begin to plan my own magazine cover.
Week 4: After the cover itself, I will start to move on to contents pages. I will look at a vast amount of contents pages to get as much ideas as
possible. I aim to find out the different types of layouts like the feature list, image and others are arranged onto the page conventionally. This will
allow me to make my own one from the information.
Week 5: Then I will move on to the double page spread. I will look at many different ones to see how certain magazines spread out their main story.
I want to get a better understanding because I believe that different magazines lay out their double page spread according to the genre of the
magazine. I will choose magazines that have different brand values and ideologies. I will then plan the double page spread, looking at the language
used to appeal to the target audience.
Week 6: For this week, I will look at magazine mastheads, and give myself options for the final magazine. I will use lots of different colours and font
styles to see which type of masthead would work for my magazine. After that, I will make a decision on which masthead works the best for my
magazine and explain my decision. Then I will look at the conventions of other magazines and how they have placed everything, then decide on the
straplines and what appeals to my audience, along with different colours and font.
Week 7: Once I have found my perfect mastheads and straplines, I will look at finding images for my magazine. The image is a very important part
of the magazine cover, contents page and double page spread, so my photos have to be excellent: The styling has to be great. I will take multiple
photos and the one that I’m happiest with I will use them for all of the projects involved. Then I will use Photoshop to alter all of the pictures to my
liking like contrast and brightness. I can compare what works best for my magazine.
Week 8: I will assess the end results and see if I am happy with the cover, contents page and double page spread, and make adjustments if needed.

27. Mock-Up Contents page
List of Features
I decided to put my
list of features on
the right hand side
like VIBE magazine.
This is important
because it informs
readers of what
they will read
inside.
Main image
The main
image lets
the audience
know who is
the main
attraction of
the main
article is
about.
Slogan
Lots of
magazines have
a catchy slogan
that readers
remember
about their
magazine.
Date
The date lets readers know
what edition of magazine they
are reading. Magazines do this
because they release monthly.

28. The age of my audience will be from 16-25 year olds, the gender of the magazine will be of
both genders almost equal to each other and the level of ABC1% readers will be reasonably
varied; I would say about 50-60%. My magazine will be more like VIBE than any other
magazine. It will also have aspects of XXL too. It will be like VIBE because they have a huge
focus on urban culture outside of music like fashion and media. They focus on Soul and R&B
music as well as Rap and Hip-Hop which is a huge passion of mine. The audience of VIBE is of
both men and women, their audience are interested in entertainment, culture and fashion.
My audience are interested in fashion and design. I will release my magazine once a month like
VIBE would because a monthly release of my magazine means that the quality of it is of a
higher standard. This builds up the anticipation levels of the audience because they are forced
to wait longer for the next one. My audience will be interested in seeing pictures of famous
musicians, reading celebrity secrets, likes to read magazines, be interested in rappers such as
The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z and singers like Ciara and Brandy. They like going to see
concerts, seeing studios, meeting famous artists and travelling. Other ways to classify my
audience would be by their attitude and mind-set, their ethnicity and the region they live in.
The mind-set of my audience is they are passionate lovers of music and the urban culture
behind it. They are determined to know everything about this by reading the magazine. With
ethnicity, I mean the difference races who read my magazine like White British and Black
British. And the percentages of those audiences that read it. With region, I mean the different
areas of the UK and how much they read it and the other continents like Europe and Africa. I
based my audience upon the results of my questionnaire and my general ideas.
Audience Profile

29. Masthead Ideas
LIVE
MST – Music Station
I have chosen this name for my magazine because I believe
that this name connotes the style of my magazine. In terms of
colloquialisms, the word LIVE suggests something fun and
enjoyable. My magazine aims to be exactly that in the way it
is represented. Also, the name is similar to VIBE which is the
magazine which my magazine has the most inspiration from.
I have chosen this name because It is catchy and goes with some of
the conventions of a music magazine. The MST abbreviation is
popular amongst lots of famous music magazines like XXL and NME.
The word station is commonly used in music to describe the name of
radio companies, so I thought it would be conventional to include it
in the name of the magazine.

30. Masthead fonts
 MST
MST
MST
MST
MST
This idea of fonts are so that my magazine looks like a decent
blend of something that looks serious but also laid back at the
same time. The masthead will be as usual on the top, but
because it‟s not very long I will align it towards the left of the
magazine cover so that it will look more professional. Out of
there fonts, I have to say that my favourites are Bauhaus 93 and
Verdana because they fit the conventions the most and they
look very appealing to me.

31. Masthead fonts
LIVE
LIVE
LIVE
LIVE
LI
These fonts I believe will be the perfect ones for
my magazine because I want my magazine to be
simple but nice and clean looking. I believe that
all of these fonts achieve the simple, nice and
clean look that I am aiming for. My favourite
fonts are Narkisim and Bodoni MT Black because
they look the nicest to me and they fit the
conventions that I am trying to achieve with the
making of the magazine. I have decided to use
LIVE as my masthead because I believe that that
title is more suited for my magazine because of
the conventions of my magazine suit this name.
My magazine fits the conventions of the name
live.

32. Strapline Ideas
 More Than a Woman - Main Strapline
 The cover star of my magazine will be a woman, so this strapline seems perfect for my
magazine. The magazine will be music linked so I decided to use a strapline that relates to
music. “More Than a Woman” is the title of a famous song by the singer Aaliyah. The reason
for the strapline is that it will give anchorage for the image which will be of a woman that
is multi talented: She can sing and play instruments. The strapline is suggesting that the
woman can do much more than just look pretty, but incredible things with her voice and
with her hands on an instrument. This will be the main strapline in my magazine and it will
sit underneath the image in bigger font size than everything else but the title. The word
“More” will be in bold and underlined in order to exasperate what is meant by the strapline
and the word “Woman” would be in a feminine colour like a purple or pink.
 What to Wear?
 As my magazine will try to explore music as a culture rather than just its lyrics. This is why
I have decided to include this strapline in my list of ideas. There‟s some alliteration with
the words “what” and “wear”; alliteration is fun to read because it brings a little laid back
light-hearted feel to it. It will be about getting people to know about the latest trends and
what musicians recommend that people wear.

33. The best thing to happen to music since MJ
For my next strapline, it will be about the cover star and how they are a brilliant influence to
music. So much so that they can be compared to the King of Pop Michael Jackson. The strapline
will provide anchorage for the image by explaining who it is and why they are so important. I
have chosen to mention Michael Jackson because he contributed the most to music out of my
favourite musicians. Although he has passed away, he still remains the biggest influence to me
musically. Also using MJ will attract more people to read the magazine because he is a huge
name in music. The word “best” will be in bold or in a different colour to represent the
superlative in a more open way. Also Michael Jackson‟s name will also be in a different colour to
represent his star power.
‘90’s or ’00’s: Which era is best?
The last strapline will be of two eras of music. The „90‟s and the „00‟s. It will be a part on which
of the two produced the best Hip-Hop and R&B music. The 90‟s and 00‟s bit will be in the biggest
font size and be in bold letters, which represents the subject matter in a more clear, visible way.
In magazines in general, the convention is to have numbers on the cover, so that explains my
decision to include numbers. I believe that this is a perfect strapline for my magazine because
my audience are teenagers who are obviously interested in music from the 00‟s and possibly
from the 90‟s too. The music will be from both singers and rappers which conforms to the aims
of my magazine: for males and females.

34. These images are the choices that I have for the magazine cover I am going
to create for coursework. I explored different poses and props to see which
would fit the magazine the best. I used face on mode of address along with
side on photos. Also with and without headphones for a more casual
appearance.
Process of images

35. After inspecting all of the images from the
pictures I took, I decided on this image for my
front cover.

36. Mock ups
Masthead
The masthead is the
name of the magazine.
This is usually placed at
the top of the magazine
and spread across the
whole page. This makes it
clear to the reader and
makes the name more
memorable.
Straplines
My straplines are along
the sides which is how
most magazines position
their straplines on
magazine covers. They
are brief, catchy
passages that inform
about the stories.
Main Image
My main image is
right in the middle of
the cover. Almost all
magazines have their
main image, because
it makes it the centre
of attention which is
correct because it
links to the main
story.
Main strapline
The main strapline
goes towards the
bottom of the page
conventionally. Mine
will be in a large font
and a colour suited to
the magazine.
Web link
Some magazines
have their website
on the front
cover. I liked the
idea and decided
to use it.

37. Features
The list of features
is normally on the
side of the contents
page. This is to
accommodate for
the image being
very large and
taking up lots of
space.
Main image
The main image is
massive on the
contents page; it takes
up most of the
contents pages‟ space.
It shows who is the
subject of the main
story in the magazine.
Contents
This normally goes
on the top of the
contents page which
makes it more clear
to the reader. Also it
is usually on the
right hand side of
the page.
Web link
Web links are
optional on a
contents page, but
I like the idea so I
included it.

38. Main image
In a double page spread, there
is a lot of space reserved for
the main image.
Conventionally half a page is
used for the image.
Article
The story of the double page spread.
This is usually on the right hand side of
the spread. It fills up half of the page
as well.
Web link
The web link is sometimes on the bottom of the
magazine, and to one side. This keeps it out of
the way of the main features but still in view.
Cross head
Magazines like VIBE use the idea of a cross
head to briefly introduce their story to
readers. I liked the idea of a cross head,
so I used it in my DPS.
Page number

39. Language used in DPS
In my double page spread, I have opted to produce an interview with the cover star: A
famous musician. The musician is asked questions about her life in music and outside of it
so readers can get an exclusive insight on her life. The interview is a blend between
formal and informal because the questions are just asking you about a topic, but they
allow you to expand your answer further past just a “yes” or a “no”.
Some questions link to the production of the magazine itself such as the first question on
the album and the tribute edition question. While other questions relate to music like the
musical influences and collaborations question.

40. Questions
First of all, how do you feel about your new album “More Than a Woman?”
Who are your musical influences?
What songs do you sing in the shower?
How do you feel about R&B‟s sexualised style?
What is your best collaboration and somebody who you would like to collaborate
with one day?
What do you think of the idea of the Tribute Edition to Aaliyah, Michael Jackson,
2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G.?
How much time do you spend with your family?

41. Technology
I will use a Canon SLR to take the photos of the cover star
that I will have on the magazine project.
I will use two software's on Adobe called Photoshop and
InDesign. Photoshop will be used just for the front cover,
the first project of the coursework. InDesign will be used
for the final two projects: The Contents page and the
Double page spread.

42. Link to My Evaluation
http://prezi.com/jidlpp1jw3f7/as-media-studies-
evaluation/

43. My Projects
Magazine Cover, Contents Page and Double Page Spread.