Philippa Weston is researching the genre of pop music magazines to create her own magazine. She identifies several key components that define the genre including using bright colors, a large masthead and titles, a full-page model photo, different fonts and text sizes, and a messy informal layout on the cover with a more structured layout on the contents page. She will apply these elements, such as using a model in jeans and a fun top against a white background and incorporating pink throughout, to design her magazine in the style of popular pop music magazines.

1. Researching Genre
By Philippa Weston

2. My genre
For my magazine I am going to do a pop music magazine. To
create this genre I need to add components like:
• bright colours
• a big clear mast head and titles
• use one large image of a model that fills the front page
• use different fonts, colours and sizes for the text
• make the layout messy and informal
For the contents page I need to use:
• several small images around the text which is split into
sections
• make the layout messy and fun

3. Developing the components
Using bright colours
From the example below you can see each use bright colours on their front
cover. They mainly use the colour pink which suggests the magazine is
targeted at women however by using bright and bold colours it makes the
magazine more eye catching when you walk passed it so you are more
likely to read it.

4. Developing the components
Big, clear mast heads and magazine titles
All the magazines use big, clear and striking titles to attract the audience when
passing. Also, by making the titles bold and clear you can easily know what the
magazine is about. Pop magazines use striking colours in the their titles to fit
with the colour pallet.

5. Developing the components
Models
All the magazines I have researched use a large posed model that fills most
or all of the page, this focuses the audience’s attention to the picture. The
model poses looking directly into the camera in a simple pose that is slick
and edgy. This is typical to a pop magazine as for example a rock magazine is
more dark and unhappy. Lastly, all the models in the pop magazines are
posed in front of a white background.

6. Developing the components
Using different fonts, colours and size text
All pop magazines use different: fonts, colours and sized text on their front
cover and contents page. The different fonts are used to convey a feeling or
mood about the story to the reader. Pop magazines use different bright
colours in their text to make the page more vibrant and lastly different font
sizes are used to highlight the urgency of the story to the reader.

7. Developing the components
Layout
The layouts of most pop magazine front covers seem messy and disorganised, this
creates a fun element to the magazine which appeals to younger people. However, in
the contents page the layout is much more organised so is easy for the reader to
navigate around the page to find what they are looking for.

8. Developing the components
Contents page
In the contents page pop magazines uses several pictures on the page in a structured
layout. Also, the text is organised into sections to make it easier for the reader.

9. My magazine
Overall, for my magazine to be recognised as a pop
magazine I need to use:
• A model of a women on a white background in a happy position
looking directly into the camera. She would wear a fun top with jeans
• Use different colours, fonts and sized text for the: body of my text, the
mast head and the magazine titles. Preferably I need to use pink in my
work as most pop magazines use this colour.
• A messy unstructured layout on my front cover to add the fun
element of most pop magazines. I need to add shapes onto my cover
to achieve this. However for my contents page I need to create a
structured layout and put boxes around the images I use.
• Bright bold colours (such as: red, blues and pink) through out my
magazine. However, I need to limit my colours to create a colour pallet