The document provides an analysis of magazine covers and design elements. It discusses techniques used in existing magazine covers that could be applied to the student's own music magazine cover design. These include limited color schemes, positioning of mastheads, use of artist photos, and themes that appeal to target audiences. The student considers fonts, picture editing, representation of social groups, and potential media institutions for distribution.

1. Evaluation By Samantha Pople Click here to visit my blog. Click here to visit my blog.

2. Ideas and Inspiration I think it was important before I started the creating my magazine, to look at existing magazines of all genres to gain knowledge of how magazine are produced, designed and marketed at their audiences. To do this, effectively I needed to look at existing covers, because they compromise of all techniques deemed best to make a professional magazine. There is a very clear colour theme on this cover, I like this as it presents the magazine as colourful but organised and the cover is not dominated by an over use of bright colours. The contrast of blue and pink is also symbolic because they represent the two genders, making it clear ‘Vibe’ magazine aims to target both male and female audiences . This ‘Q’ magazine cover is also limited on colour, but still attracts the eye, this is ultimately what I think my magazine should achieve. The magazine signature title is slightly obstructed from view, as it is in three of these covers, showing the magazine is well established enough not to need the title centre focus. This is not a technique I could use for my magazine because it is not a well known name . The colours on this ‘Rolling Stone’ cover are much more demure, and maybe represent the artist featured, this is something I could think about for my magazine cover. There is again a limited colour scheme, I definitely think this is something I will need to consider greatly when designing my own cover. Taylor, is also pictured with a guitar, I like this as it is a music magazine, whereas others are more focused on clothing etc. This cover is the most fun and eye-catching out of the four. The colours are bright and bold and contrast a lot, making it very busy. The cover also features a group, rather than a solo artist, and I think that this is what I potentially want to create for my magazine. I went on to further analyse another cover in more detail. See Deconstruction Next Slide

3. Selling Line Establishes magazine from others, shows achievement and popularity. Cover Line Big artists and bands, attract fans. White boxes make them stand out, use of red, white and black. Very small font compared to the rest on the page, shows less importance / interest. All in capitals. Masthead Unusual using just one letter, red and white theme. Serif font. Recognizable title name. Has been altered and changed to suit the band on the cover. Makes the edition stand out. Main image Image of Matt Bellamy, rock and roll reputation. Wearing black and red, dark and bold, suits the colour theme of Q. Barcode, date and price There is an overall theme on this cover of controversy. All the text has connotations of being ‘barmy’ and a bit wacky. The images and masthead add to the chaos to portray music’s insanity. Theme Strange quote, to accentuate the ‘out of control’ theme. It also draws the reader in, and intrigues them into maybe buying the magazine. Quote COVER ANALYSIS. Dark background. Cover is dark grey / black, makes the writing and pictures stand out, and is also a metaphor for the nutty, insane bands and articles. Background Inserted photo. Looks like a Polaroid, an old photo which suits the bands era. Tilted makes it a little less conformative so backs up theme of the cover. Photo Patriotic. Red and white, colours of England. Features an English musician. There are several references to suggest the cover was designed to show England. His jacket is military styled, and there are textual references to the army with connotations of war.

4. Colour Colour is an important part of magazine design, as it appeals to a particular audience and gender or age group. I want my magazine, especially the cover, to be eye catching and aesthetically pleasing, but also not too busy and complicated. TITLE TITLE TITLE TITLE TITLE TITLE TITLE TITLE Contrasting colours: From looking at existing magazines, I will need to choose a colour scheme of between 2 – 4 colours, to achieve a better looking cover. These can also include variations of the colour, either in pastel form or bright, bold colours which create a large contrast. Last Slide Next Slide

5. Fonts Charts Magazine Charts Magazine Charts Magazine After trying all these fonts onto my title page, I have decided to use the third one. I chose this because it is bold and clear, and I think it suited my cover the best. As I chose the text backing to be the natural background from the photo my, I needed to choose a colour that would stand out. I chose not to use white or black because those were the colours that stood out the most. After testing colours, I prefer the black because it looks more professional and sophisticated. I will use this as my title on my music magazine front cover. I have looked at a wide variety of fonts that I could use on my magazine. I know that it should be clear and easy to read, but I would also like it to stand out and be a bit interesting. For my front cover title, I looked at these fonts: Charts Magazine Next Slide Last Slide

6. Picture editing I didn’t have any knowledge of how to edit pictures in the given programs so I experimented with some photos I thought I could use. I cut out this face because I wanted the photo to be a close up of one of the girls. I didn’t use this photo edit in my magazine in the end, but if I had wanted to single anyone out in my photos, I know how to do it. I cut this picture out so I could apply my own background. I used Photoshop to do this, which I had not really used before. I didn’t use this image on my magazine in the end because I felt it did not look professional enough. Next Slide Last Slide

7. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? My music magazine uses traditional graphological features of current music magazines such as a bold cover title, one large image on the front cover, and a running colour theme throughout to link all the pages of my magazine together to look like a group. I have featured typical music articles such as an interview with a popular artist, and a competition. All these things contribute to my magazine looking more professional with the conventions of real media products. The main aim of my magazine is to feature popular music from the charts, and publish new artists that could appeal to the target audience. I think this idea develops one which is seen in some music magazines, but maybe not the top selling charts ones, primarily because this audience is not stereotypically interested in local or unsigned bands. Next Slide Last Slide I feel that my magazine develops typical conventions by being open in genre and catering for a wide audience. Obviously some people are primarily fans of one music genre, and maybe buying a magazine wholly suited to this specific genre is a better option for them, but many people like myself are interested in a wide range of music and this magazine can cater to this need. This is where I feel I have challenged the current magazine market, and their sales conventions. My front cover has a competition advertised, band names, and an idea of what is included inside, which again are all techniques typical of current magazines.

8. How does your media product represent particular social groups? I think my magazine represents a wide range of social groups. Each of the artists I have chosen to feature in my magazine, have their own target audience and perform a different genre of music. The cover features a female singer, which could appeal more to a female audience, however each issue of this magazine would feature a different band or artist corresponding with that weeks UK charts, so in the long term my magazine would build up a gender balanced audience. There is the same issue with age, the girl on the cover is young, but this would not be the case for every issue, although as most chart artists are younger than 40, the audience of this magazine is not likely to exceed 40. The clothes she is wearing will attract a female audience with a similar sense of style, and may put off alternative dressers. This issue’s front cover is therefore representative of 16-20 year olds, interested in pop music. The colour scheme throughout is designed to appeal to both male and female audiences. Through using the colour scheme of red, blue and white I think it is quite gender neutral Last Slide Next Slide

9. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why? A company like WorldWide Magazine Distribution ltd , could distribute my magazine. The company distributes a wide range of magazines, but most importantly the UK’s most popular music magazines such as Rolling Stone, NME and Q. This is important because the company already deals with magazines of the same genre and would be likely to know more about this area of the magazine industry than some smaller companies. Another suitable company would be Gold Key Media . They distribute well known magazines and newspapers to hotels, airlines and rail companies in the UK and Europe. This could potentially help my magazine because these places are the most likely to sell a lot of magazines to passengers. Last Slide Next Slide

10. Who would be the audience for your media product? The target audience for my magazine would range in age from around 16-30. I think this is a suitable age bracket because they are the most likely to buy, and listen to chart music. Due to the language choices I have made for this product, it is most appropriate for working/middle class people, although the price of £1.99 for an issue of a magazine published every week, maybe be too expensive unless the buyer has a job. In this issue I have featured Beyonce, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Arctic Monkeys and my own made up band The Postcards and singer Summer Lewis. They all appeal to very different audiences, and represent a variety of music, I have aimed my magazine at no specific genre, leaving a wider market space for this kind of product. It targets a wide range of social groups and ages, as the music featured is the from top selling singles, artists and albums each week. Chart music has a wide appeal, as it is greatly dominated by new songs from well-known and up and coming artists. As music sales contribute to the features of this magazine, every issue should be in-keeping with the interests of the public, and its target audience, ensuring it would move on with trends and artists. In the music industry this is important as new technologies develop and singers and bands produce new albums. not just one specific genre. I feel this makes the magazine stronger because it enables the reader to have an interest in different music styles. Last Slide Next Slide

11. How did you attract/address your audience? I have aimed to attract my audience by featuring music that will interest them. As the audience is broad, and the features and genres are also, the magazine will meet the needs of its target audience. I have tried to make my magazine aesthetically pleasing, although with little experience of the software, I found this part of the production hard. The graphology is magazine typical, and I have used bold fonts and colour to attract the target audience as much as I can. Last Slide Next Slide I have addressed my audience, the other main technique is my lexical choices, Lexis can be used specific to a genre, so I have tired to limit the vocabulary used in the articles and headlines in my magazine to conform to magazine conventions. I have also used colloquial lexis and a chatty undertone to the text, making it appear less formal and more friendly and casual, as most magazines would use. As most chart music is sold to under 30’s, I have featured artists that fit this age group, primarily to appeal to this age, but also define the target audience of my magazine. This is one way I feel that fonts and images, and using colloquial yet relevant language explaining the magazine content at a first glance, and therefore hopefully capturing the target audience’s interest. As a combination, I think the use of aesthetics, language and content of this magazine make it suitable to my target audience. They work by drawing attention with attractive

12. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product? Throughout this project work, I feel that I have learnt quite a lot about the computer programs that I have had to work with. I started with no experience of either In Design or Photoshop, and I feel that I have tried to learn about them whilst constructing this magazine. Some particular techniques I have learnt and feel that I have benefitted from are how to convert images into jpeg form, insert pictures into documents and how to screen capture. I have used these techniques a lot in the creation of my magazine. Last Slide Next Slide

13. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product? I think I have mainly developed my understanding of how to use the programmes required. I have learnt more about how to edit and use pictures and change text. I think it shows in the conventions I have used on my final cover, that I have studied and analysed many magazine covers, by the techniques presented on it that make it look more professional. I have learnt a lot about magazine techniques and what is effective and what isn’t. I think my music magazine cover is, in comparison with my student cover, well thought out, easy and clear to read, and more aesthetically pleasing. However, I am not totally happy with how it looks, and if I had more time or a greater understanding of Photoshop, I would have liked to add effects to make it look professional and individual. I feel that doing to preliminary task helped me because I had never used In Design or Photoshop before, and I was able to learn how to do basic things. I also liked so aspects of this task which I used later on to create my music magazine. One of these was to focus on one main colour for the front cover, and add little bits of other colours around it. Last Slide My Magazine First Slide

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