The document provides instructions for a media coursework assignment to design the front page layout of a new school/college magazine. Students must produce the front page layout featuring a student photograph using desktop publishing and image editing software. They must also produce a mock-up of the contents page layout. Students will be assessed on research and planning, production, and evaluation.

1. Danielle KingMedia coursework

2. Production Brief
Preliminary task: 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 their program.
Main task: The front page, contents and double page spread of a new
music magazine.
You will be assessed on 3 aspects of the coursework:
 Research ands planning – 20 marks
 Production – 60 marks
 Evaluation – 20 marks

3. Preliminary task

4. Main
image:
The image on
the front
cover, the
one that
stands out the
most.
Puff:
The part of
the magazine
that looks
like it was
stuck on after
it was
printed.
Masthead:
The name of the
magazine,
usually printed at
the top.
Barcode:
The part of the
magazine that
has the price
around it and
gets scanned
through the till.
Price:
Tells you how
much it costs.
Quote:
A cluster of
words taken
from the
main story.
Splash:
The headline of
the main story.
Date:
The date the
magazine was
issued.
Strapline:
Little bits of text
that are around
the main focus.
Anchorag
e:
The splash links
with the main
image.
Kicker:
Written in a
different
type face to
make sure it
stands out.
Conventions of
a magazine:

5. Mise en scene:
This is everything that you
can see on the page, the
mise en scene for
Billboard magazine is:
her body language is
seductive the way her
body is bent and her hands
are covering her chest.
Mode of
address:
There's an image
that is direct
address and so
Katy Perry is
looking directly at
us
Contrasts:
The contrast of
the black font on
the pink
background makes
the title stand out
and also with the
mixture of the
pastel green and
baby blue, this
helps the name
‘Billboard’ stand
out on the
shelves.
Audience:
This magazine is devoted
to the music industry,
including all its genres
that it covers meaning its
aimed at everyone with an
interest in music due to
the covering of different
genres. Its aimed at both
men and women at the
around the ages of 16-26.

6. Audience research results
 Total number of people: 14
Male= 8, Female=6
 Interests:
Most popular- Music=8
fashion=5
sport=4
gaming and programming.
 How many read:
Yes=5 - Female=5 - Male=0
No=9 - Female=1 - Male=8
 Genres:
Most popular- Fiction= 2
music=1, horror=1, take a break=1, fashion=1.
From doing this questioner I have realized that out of the 14 people I surveyed, 8males do not read magazines, with this in
mind I am going to have to make my magazine more masculine and appealing to the male audience but I still need to keep the
balance in order to attract the female audiences. Many of these people are interested in music so I will put in some articles
about music celebs and also what is happening at the Harris Greenwich music department. Fashion is also very popular and so
in turn I will add in articles about fashion and this may also improve the appearance of the sixth form students. Most students
don’t read magazines but some read every month so with this in mind I think that issuing a magazine bi-weekly will please a
number of the students.
As they are sixth form students, many of them fit into the socio-economic group of E meaning that the majority of them are
unemployed, with this in mind a suitable price for this magazine will be around £1.00-£1.50. Most of the students characterises
will be that of the same to a certain extent, for example they all aspire (aspirers) to become successful and gain good
qualifications and go onto university or good employment.
• How often do you read:
Never= 5
Once a week=2
Once a moth=3
• Why do you like specific magazines:
the colour
everything
the subject of the texts
the stories

7. Masthead
Puff
Quote
strapline
Price
Barcode
I placed the masthead at the top in the middle to
make it stand out to the readers and to make it
easier to read and see. I used that font because it
is quite a sophisticated font.
The quote is positioned beneath the masthead
because you're drawn to the next piece of text
and no only this but it ties in with splash which is
underneath the quote in order to make a link to
the next text and help you to understand what the
magazine is about.
The splash is in capital letters to make it visible to
the reader and this intrigues readers to find out
more about the main story. It is also in a different
font to the rest of the magazines and I did this in
order to ensure that readers knew it was the main
topic of the magazine.
The image is in the middle and I chose to get the
model to pose with a guitar because when I did my
evaluation of my quiz I realised that many people
where interested in music and with this in mind I
designed the image like this in order to appeal to
that main target audience. Her mode of address is
directed at you this is done by her eye focus point.
I used red to design my puff because the there is
virtually no colour on the page and so by doing the
puff in a colour makes it bold and it works as the
purpose of a puff should and that’s to look like its
been stuck on. I also added a shadow to the puff
to make it bolder and to stand out. I placed it
there because it does not cover the models face
or any other important information on the page eg
straplines.
Splash

8. Image
Comparison
In order to get my image the way it is on the front cover of my music magazine, I
opened up a new canvas on Photoshop and I then cropped out the background to
create a plain white one. I also brightened up the image to make the model more
visual and clearer to the eye. I also cropped away the top of the original image in
order for her to look more central and to fit the page on my magazine cover.
When using the magic wand tool, I accidently cropped out some of the guitar on the
magazine cover and so in turn I now know when using that tool I have to be observant
when clicking what to crop away.

9. Main image:
This is the biggest
picture as it is the
main focus of the
magazine.
Features:
This is the list of
features in which the
magazine covers.
Placed it here as it has
enough room to have a
clear description of
what the articles are
about.
There is advertisement at the bottom of each page and I
placed this here because it is next to the main image and so
it will grab readers attention.

10. Music Magazine:
Research.

11. Genre
Alternative rock indie rock other
pop electronic acoustic
pop punk
BAND
FATM Bastille FOB Nina Nesbitt
Genders
Male Female
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Gossip
Stamp collecting
photography
fashion
gaming
gadgets
films 1
sports
Other interestsArticle type
Interviews Other Charts Editorial Reviews
AGE
14-16 17-19 20-24
This shows that my
main audience will be
14-16 year olds.
I will aim my
magazine at both
genders.
I will put pop, indie rock and
alternative rock in my magazine to
meet the audience preferences.
This chart shows a list of the
audiences favourite bands and so
from these I will choose the
most popular to put into my
magazine.
I will place an interview in my
magazine as this is what my chosen
audience are more preferable of.
Although the magazine is a music
magazine this chart shows other interests
that may influence my decision for extras
throughout the magazine.
Results from questionnaire: This shows what my target audience are and aren’t interested in
within what thy want to read in their magazine

12. My magazine audience profile
My magazine will be aimed at people who have an interest in
independent (indie) and alternative music.
The ABC1 target for my magazine is lower to middle class.
The age range will be between 16-14.
The magazine will be mainly targeted at females.
The magazine that I have analysed that’s most like mine is NME. My
audience is similar to theirs in terms of age that the people are and also
the genre of music that will be talked about.
Like NME, my magazine will be published weekly as the reading habits of
magazines I have analysed states that they issue theirs weekly.
The interests of my audience is that of old fashioned clothing,
Photography and music and new clothing.
My questionnaire revealed that my target audience have a keen interest
in fashion.
My questionnaire was helpful in terms of determining what genre of
music to choose but for other interests it wasn’t so useful.

13. Interests of target audience:
From the research carried out I have created a mood board to what I
believe my target audience will look like and have an interest in.

14. Images from photo shoot: This shows the range of photos
taken in order for me to choose which photo best fitted each part of my magazine

15. Magazine research

16. The puff is a blood splatter, the colour of it is red. The
connotation of red suggests danger and violence. The
puff ties in with the strapline ‘‘IT WAS VIOLENT. WE
WERE LIKE PITBALLS…’’ This links to the audience
because rock and metal music is known for its
conduction of violence.
The masthead is black in colour and bold capital
typeface, it has an exclamation mark. It has lines going
through it and this could suggest that it’s broken or
smashed up. This ties in with the theme of rock as rock
bands are well known for smashing up their guitars and
instruments after a gig. There is a contrast of colours
(black font on a metal grey background) and this in turns
helps the masthead to stand out, not only this but the
grey backgrounds helps to emphasise the contents of the
front cover of metal music.
The strapline ‘you me at six, inside the film premiere of
rocks hottest band’ uses the superlative ‘hottest’ and
this is used in order to ensure that the readers focus on
this as they have done an interview with this band. The
word ‘hottest’ suggests that they're quite significant to
this issue of the magazine Kerrang.
The use of the yellow texts helps words in particular
stand out and in turn draw your attention to them. The
words ‘BY CLOWN’ link with the image on the page and
help to emphasise the main story.
The use of the image being in a jumpsuit connotes
prison and rebelling against things. This appeals to the
target audience of the magazine because they tend to
agree with rebelling.

17. The connotation of the green pigment of the background shows a
rustic and independent look/feel, this links to the target audience of
NME because the type of music is ‘Indie’ and their interests are that of
old and independent things. Additionally, it links with their audience
because the colour pigment of the green background links with
photography and old fashion photos which appeals to ‘indie teens’ as
it’s retro and this appeals to them.
The costume in which Florence is wearing, ties in with the ‘indie’
theme of the magazine this is because the hat is quite old fashioned
and also due to the waist coat and necklace. This links to the target
audience because they have thought about the clothing in which
Florence is wearing and also what sort of clothes their audience wear.
The use of the strapline ‘Free iconic joy division posters’ engages their
target audience because people who listen to this type of music
usually tend to like posters.
Florence's pose is that of uncertainty and fear and this is also evident
with the facial expression. The text too anchors this as it reads ‘her
fear of messing up’
The colour of the bands are in black and this helps them to stand out and this is vital as the magazine is a music
based magazine.

18. Billboard magazine is aimed at not only music fans from around the world but
it also targets Lawyers, tour promoters and so on. This maybe due to the fact
that it covers a wide range of music genres, not only this but the magazine
also serves as an industry magazine as well as just a magazine for fans. There
is a broad age range that this magazine type appeals to due to the different
socio-economic audiences, for example a lawyer is Upper Middle Class in
comparison to music fans that are in Lower Middle Class.
The NME (New Musical Express) is aimed at people with an interest into
alternative and indie music and the socio-economic audience of NME is aimed at
lower middle class and working class this maybe down to the language that is
used throughout the magazine. NME target their magazine at this age range 16-
24 year olds
Q magazines target audience is music buyers of over the age 25 years old and of
both genders. The socioeconomic group for Q magazines group D and E.

19. Comparison:
The Mise en scene in NME ties in with genre of the magazine, this is because the use of props on
the image for example the hat and waistcoat that Florence is wearing is. This is done to help
emphasise the ‘alternative’ look/feel of the magazine. Similarly, Billboard use mise en scene in
order to make Ke$ha look quite glamorous. This is done by the use of make-up and this is done to
target their upper middle class audience but also though the use of the image of Ke$ha (who
predominantly aims her music at 14-22 year olds), this appeals to the lower middle class. The
masthead of NME is in capital block typeface and this then allows the magazines name to stand out
when placed on shelves due to it being eye-catching to the readers eye. Whereas Billboard uses a
contrast of colours, white on black background and the use of colours helps to allow the masthead
to stand out and be eye-catching. A criticism of doing this is that using white and yellow together
counterbalances the colours and merges them together and this in turn can make things
particularly hard to read. Q magazines target audience is aimed at a higher age group in
comparison to NME this is because they aim to please an older generation of music lovers who
aren’t being targeted by other music magazines. The masthead of the magazine is a lot more
sophisticated than the others , this is due to the font type and also the image and use of mise on
scene (make-up and hair) and this is turn makes the image of Florence look classy and glamorous
which appeals to its target socioeconomic group.

20. Magazine:
planning and analysis

21. Main
image
*To entice the
audience in and to
also help support the
what the main
article is about
MASTHEAD
*This is being placed
here due to it being
more noticeable
when on a shop
shelf.
BARCODE
AND
strapline
strapline
strapline
strapline
MAIN STRAPLINE
&quote
Date issued
Front cover
plan

22. Masthead
BIZZAR
Bizzar
I have decided to base my masthead on the type
seen in NME magazine and they use capital letters
and this for me is what makes the magazine stand
out on the shelf. I chose to use the word ‘bizzar’
as my magazine is based around independent
music and from questioning people a frequent
word to describe this music was ‘odd’ or ‘bizzar’
or 'weird’

23. Contents page analysis:
NME’s contents page has an index running
along the left hand side reading what
bands are featured in the magazine. This
appeals to the audience as they're
interested in many different bands.
The articles are numbered in accordance to
the page numbers in which they appear on,
this is a good clear way to lay out the
information and its clear for the reader to
see what page their particular interests are
on making it more convenient for the
readers.
The information is broken down into
sections which also makes the information
easier to follow for the reader.
The date in which it’s issued is very
specific this is due the magazine being
issued weekly.
They advertise their magazine which in
turn will mean they keep their audience as
it’s advertising their magazine on offer.
There is a main image with a strapline to
emphasise the main article and entice their
readers.

24. Contents page analysis
There is a web link at the top which shows that
there is two media platforms coming together. This
can appeal to he audience as they live quite bust
lifestyles and so by having an internet version of the
magazine then it helps widen their target audience
as it branches out to them.
There is a review section which is good for the
target audience of the magazine as it shows other
peoples opinions.
There is a main image that helps the page to look
more attractive and appealing to readers and it also
helps emphasise the main article.
Like NME, the contents are under one main heading
but unlike NME they're not then broken down into
more.

25. heading
Main image
Supporting images
Features and
reviews
Editors note Advertisement
Contents page plan:

26. The image is the main thing on the page and it links to the article as Florence is sat posing on the American flag
which links to the name USA got the love. This is also linked to the artists song ‘you’ve got the love’ and the U
in USA anchors this.
The introduction links to the image as well because it reads ‘with America at her feet’ and Florence I treading
all over the American flag.
The text is all to one side and in equally spaced columns. Which allows big chunks of text appear easier to
read.
The text ‘Florence Welch’ is in blue and this helps it stand out so people can remember her name and also
what she's done
The mode of address is looking directly at the reader and this to engage the reader and also to emphasise the
word ‘love’ and looking into someone's eyes can connote love.

27. The article links with image because the image is unsightly and so are the words for
example ‘vomiting’.
The text is columns which allows the text to be read easier.
The colour of the text is consistent throughout which therefore links it back to the title of
the article.
There is direct mode of address from the person in the image. This in turn entices you into
reading what the article is about and it also catches your eye in order to make you start
reading the article.

28. Double page spread plan
MAIN IMAGE
MAGAZINE TITLE
STRAPLINE
ARTICLE OF THE MAGAZINE
SUPPORT IMAGE

29. Final products

30. Final piece: front
cover

31. Final piece: contents
page

32. Final piece: Double page
spread

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