Poppy George, Media Studies
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Final Magazine
After completing my music magazine I decided there were a few minor alterations that I could carry out in order to achieve a much better and more professional looking music magazine. After changing these small things on my music magazine, I then adjusted my evaluation accordingly.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Evaluation of Music Magazine
Analysed Survey Results
The below powerpoint shows my analysed survey results. I decided to put these on my blog as I have not used all the analysed results in my evaluation.
Skills Development Journal
Due to the file size, I had to upload my skills development in 2 parts.
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Final Magazine Designs
On my final front cover design I decided to increase the size of the masthead very slightly and also add a tagline underneath the masthead.
On this final front cover I decided to move the page numbers to fit in more with the photos and also rearranged a few text boxes.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Evaluation Survey
http://freeonlinesurveys.com/s.asp?sid=e35lpc76svg7nlq10769
The above link is a link to my survey which I created to collect evaluative feedback on my music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. I used a free online survey maker rather than survey monkey because I was allowed to add an unlimited number of questions to the survey, meaning my whole survey could be on one link, saving people from clicking on multiple links just so I could ask the questions I wanted to ask.
The above link is a link to my survey which I created to collect evaluative feedback on my music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. I used a free online survey maker rather than survey monkey because I was allowed to add an unlimited number of questions to the survey, meaning my whole survey could be on one link, saving people from clicking on multiple links just so I could ask the questions I wanted to ask.
Sunday, 26 February 2012
Final Draft Magazine Designs
After reviewing the final draft of my front cover I decided to make the masthead slightly larger so it stood out against the cover lines and main image.
When looking at my contents page final draft I decided that the image looked somewhat out of place and decided it needed reviewing. I took another photo of 3 girls which I felt fitted the Chart! theme better than the previous photos of a group of girls and then one male. I also added a colour box and page number to the 'Clueless' article.
When I read through the final draft of my double page spread I realised that the pull quote was actually worded very slightly differently to the quote in the main text body. I therefore changed this to improve my double page spread. I also moved the main text body leave more of a gutter around the edge of the photo. Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Development of Front Cover, Contents Page and Double Page Spread
The powerpoint above shows how my ideas have developed from the first draft of the contents page, double page spread and front cover. This powerpoint also shows my progression of skills of photoshop and how I have used the photoshop skills I have learnt throughout the design process.
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Double Page Spread Design Ideas
The above photo shows my original design for my double page spread. I used the same pale blue as used on the contents page and also the same font as I have used throughout my magazine. The text on this page includes a drop cap and a reported by line. I do however feel an improvement on this would be too add a pull quote to underneath the second column of text. I feel a pull quote would work well here because it looks a little empty and bare. I also think the background on the DPS looks very dull and like a blank canvas. I think it could be improved by the use of a brush which could possibly be music related. I have used the masthead in the top left hand corner- as used on the contents page- and kept it the same size to maintain the housestyle throughout the magazine.
I decided, after reviewing and gaining feedback on my previous DPS design, that the background looked dull, blank and boring. I downloaded a music note brush from the internet and used this across the background of my DPS. I feel this works well to break up the background make it more visually appealing to the target audience. I think the column of text which fits around the model works really well.
Contents Page
After reviewing my contents page original design and gaining some peer feedback from my class mates I decided that the design looked too bunched together and didn't have the professional feel that I intended to have for Chart! magazine. I decided to use boxes to arrange the contents page text in. I started by making 3 boxes and alligning them together using the photoshop grid. I then used the text and began to arrange it. I used a few of my own images but also used images from google so that I could effectively design my contents page before actually having taken all the images. The use of pink wellies was the decision for the pink outer glow around the boxes and also the number boxes. I think this design works much better than my previous contents page design as it all looks far more professional and neater. It is quite a simple layout, but I feel it works well to attract the target audience and also is easy to read. The colour works to liven up the contents page without it being too 'in your face'. Overall, I feel this contents page design works much better than my previous ideas.
After looking at my front cover, contents page and double page spread all together I decided that the pink did not help to maintain a house style throughout 'Chart!' music magazine. I decided to look at the other colours I had used within the magazine design and encorporate this into the contents page. After looking at the photos used, the double page spread and the front cover I decided a pale blue outer glow would look good in replacement of the pink on the previous contents page design. I felt this worked well with the background of the DPS, the photo on the front cover, the background and colour box colours on the contents page and also the photo in the left hand corner of the contents page. Because I have only used the pale blue as an outline for the colour boxes and as small squares to highlight page numbers I don't feel there is too much blue throughout the magazine. On this contents page design I have also replaced the google images with my own original images.
After looking at my front cover, contents page and double page spread all together I decided that the pink did not help to maintain a house style throughout 'Chart!' music magazine. I decided to look at the other colours I had used within the magazine design and encorporate this into the contents page. After looking at the photos used, the double page spread and the front cover I decided a pale blue outer glow would look good in replacement of the pink on the previous contents page design. I felt this worked well with the background of the DPS, the photo on the front cover, the background and colour box colours on the contents page and also the photo in the left hand corner of the contents page. Because I have only used the pale blue as an outline for the colour boxes and as small squares to highlight page numbers I don't feel there is too much blue throughout the magazine. On this contents page design I have also replaced the google images with my own original images.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Contents Page Ideas and Developments
The above powerpoint shows my different design ideas and explains why I chose to change and design my contents page like I did.
Contents Page- Chart!
The above photo shows my design for my final contents page. I decided on a colour scheme to maintain the house style and used the same font as the front cover to also maintain a house style. Overall, I am impressed with my contents page design and think the colours work well with the photo and front cover.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Music magazine front cover developments
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Front Cover
The above photo shows my final design for my Chart! music magazine front cover. It took different opinions from different people to work out exactly what looked best however I feel from my college magazine and popsplash front cover I have really developed my photoshop skills to give a more professional look to my front cover.
Friday, 20 January 2012
First Masthead Designs
The above powerpoint shows and explains different design ideas for my masthead against my front cover image.
Popsplash Contents Page
The above photo shows my 'Popsplash' front cover. This was designed to get me to used to photoshop and to develop some of the skills I had already used in photoshop.
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Magazine Checklist
My Magazine Name:
Chart!
My Magazine will appeal to: my target audience is 14-22 year
old males and females who enjoy social networking, shopping, partying, being
with their friends and drinking. They will be interested in keeping up to date
with the latest music and links to chart music and the new media such as
YouTube, twitter and Facebook. Other magazines my readership may also read:
My target audience for my music magazine will be interested in other magazines such as celebrity gossip magazines like heat or OK, other music magazines such as chartattack.
|
Masthead
|
Front Cover
|
Contents Page
|
Text and Imagery for DPS
|
Double Page Spread
|
%
|
50
|
0
|
0
|
75
|
0
|
Work Needed
To Finish
|
Final design
|
All of front
cover
|
All of
contents page
Re-do flat
plan for contents page
|
Proof read
DPS interview
Choose photo
for DPS
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All of DPS
|
Friday, 13 January 2012
Possible Contents Page Articles
Features
Artists to look out for in 2012
60 minutes with (chart artist)
Exclusive interview with (my DPS)
Your questions for (chart artist)
The best of 2011; a playlist of our favourite songs
Regulars
Competitions
The UK's top 20
Your latest tweets; what have you got to say?
Artists to look out for in 2012
60 minutes with (chart artist)
Exclusive interview with (my DPS)
Your questions for (chart artist)
The best of 2011; a playlist of our favourite songs
Regulars
Competitions
The UK's top 20
Your latest tweets; what have you got to say?
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Popsplash Skills Development Journal
This powerpoint shows my skills development journal for my popsplash magazine front cover. It explains the design techniques I have used on photoshop.
Popsplash Magazine front cover
The above image shows my 'popsplash' magazine front cover. This was a short design task to show different editing techniques and different uses of photoshop. This also helped to build up my skills development journal. Its quite a simple design for a magazine front cover, however it has helped to work with photoshop and will enable me to use some of these design techniques on my final music magazine.
Friday, 16 December 2011
Original Masthead Designs
These are a few of my original masthead designs, I am not overly happy with the designs, as I feel they are slightly basic and I also feel I could improve these dramatically. I am glad I completed these original designs though as I think it has helped me to understand and view which one I would like to complete as a final masthead. I have chosen to settle for the word 'chart' as my title for my magazine. By knowing the word I am going to use , I will be able to work on my original designs to improve these and make them look more professional. I intend to choose a different font than any pictured above and also use brushes on my final design which will make them more interesting and improve the appearance of them.
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Plan for Photoshoot
I plan to carry out a photoshoot to obtain the 3 photo's I need for my music magzine. I am going to have a 'chart' theme to my photoshoot, and so my female model will be dressed in modern party wear.
My photoshoot will be carried out in the afternoon, so that I have time during the morning to set up my photo shoot and also check my camera and get generally organised. I also feel the lighting and mood of the photo shoot will be better by completing it in the afternoon. I plan to carry out this photoshoot over the christmas holidays because everyone will be dressed up for christmas.
I will take the photos set up against a plain wall, or maybe an award ceremony background. If i can not get hold of an appropriate 'awards' background, I could photoshop my model onto an award ceremony background. Possible props I will use are a microphone, a CD and party poppers as a 'celebration' or being in the charts.
My photoshoot will be carried out in the afternoon, so that I have time during the morning to set up my photo shoot and also check my camera and get generally organised. I also feel the lighting and mood of the photo shoot will be better by completing it in the afternoon. I plan to carry out this photoshoot over the christmas holidays because everyone will be dressed up for christmas.
I will take the photos set up against a plain wall, or maybe an award ceremony background. If i can not get hold of an appropriate 'awards' background, I could photoshop my model onto an award ceremony background. Possible props I will use are a microphone, a CD and party poppers as a 'celebration' or being in the charts.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Flatplan for DPS of My Music Magazine
The above scan shows my original flat plan design for my double page spread of my music magazine. I plan to have a medium close up photo on the left hand page, taking up the whole page and then have the text of the interview on the right hand page. By using a drop cap I feel it will make my interview/text more visually appealing and interesting. I also want to include a pull quote to make the interview seem more exciting.
Friday, 9 December 2011
Draft of DPS interview
When trying to arrange an interview with a top of the charts singer where do you go?! We settled on a café on the outskirts of London which is where we are now, scoffing cake whilst trying to carry out this interview!
Well, haven’t you made a great entrance into the world of chart?
I most certainly have! How many other chart artists can say they’ve gone from being just a normal girl in a big world to being number one in the charts?! I couldn’t believe it when my new single “Just livin’ my life” went straight to number one!
How do you feel when you walk down your local high street and people start shouting your name?
Because I was never the most popular girl at school, I find it incredible that people know my name and recognise me! Im still a homely girl at heart, so I like to spend much of my spare time in my village and the local town which is very close by. When im walking along and I hear my name I have to pinch myself to check it’s not all a dream!
So… what is your day to day routine like?
Well, if im in the studio recording then my alarm usually goes off about 5.30 and my taxi picks me up around 6 which gives me enough time to search out some clothes and put them on. When I get to the studio around 7 I get whisked off to the stylist’s room to have my hair and makeup done. The dressing room then dresses me before im finally allowed to step foot in the studio around half 8. We stop recording around 10 for a mid morning break and someone usually brings in some biccies! An afternoon of recording is then ahead of us, finishing about half 4. By the time I get home, my mum has tea on the table and then I snuggle up in front of the TV with her for an evening of soaps!
And if you’re not recording?
If im not recording it’s a totally different story! Because I still live with my parents, im waited on hand and foot! My mum will bring me breakfast in bed late morning, which actually means it’s more like brunch! Many Saturdays have been spent with me laying under my duvet sleeping... after all though, the *counts on fingers* 11 hour days are a lot of hard work!
Do you have any exciting tours or gigs booked for 2012?
I can’t say, because that really would be telling*with a cheeky grin*, but I can certainly say, 2012 is going to be a great year for my music career! Keep your eyes open on ticketmaster and you never know what gigs you might be attending!
At just 20 you’re still young. Do you worry that your music career might not go to plan?
Worry? When my first single is at number 1 in the charts? Of course I don’t! Haha! Music is a tough industry to get involved in, but even tougher to stay in so of course I worry, but after all, you only live once so why not go for it now whilst I can!
What are your plans for your music career in 2012?
Well, im obviously working hard every day recording my newest single, and I hope by the summer of 2012 to have produced my first album! Anything could happen though so I don’t like to plan too far in advance!
Well, best of luck with your music journey and I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of you this year. We’re also keeping our eyes peeled on ticketmaster to see what gigs and tours are coming up!
Thank you very much. Im still not giving it away, but yes keep watching ticketmaster!
Reported by Poppy George for Chart! magazine.
Cover Lines for My Music Magazine
On my music magazine front cover I am going to include a small number of coverlines. To encourage my target audience to read my music magazine I am going to include a number of interesting, exciting cover lines which will appeal to my target audience.
I would like to include a section saying "PLUS" and then a list of chart artists other than that of my feature article. Other cover lines I might like to use are;
The Latest Artists; but who?!
Artists of 2012
"Im really glad to be at the top of the charts" - 2012 chart artist
"There is no competition between us" - 2012 chart artist
New faces of 2012!
These are all possiblities for me to include on the front cover of my music magazine. I have not yet decided exactly which ones I would like to include, however I am going to create a survey on surveymonkey to find out which of these coverlines would encourage my target audience to buy a music magazine, and therefore which coverlines would be best for me to use on my music magazine.
I would like to include a section saying "PLUS" and then a list of chart artists other than that of my feature article. Other cover lines I might like to use are;
The Latest Artists; but who?!
Artists of 2012
"Im really glad to be at the top of the charts" - 2012 chart artist
"There is no competition between us" - 2012 chart artist
New faces of 2012!
These are all possiblities for me to include on the front cover of my music magazine. I have not yet decided exactly which ones I would like to include, however I am going to create a survey on surveymonkey to find out which of these coverlines would encourage my target audience to buy a music magazine, and therefore which coverlines would be best for me to use on my music magazine.
Talktalk's Music Interview with Olly Murs
Olly Murs Interview
When planning an interview for my music magazine I decided it would be beneficial to do some research into other music interviews that I could possibly use as inspiration for the type of questions to ask my interviwee for my own music magazine.
I wanted to look at interviews that didn't focus on just the gossip about the band or artist, but also looked at their progression through music, their style of music and also possible future plans while maybe including a little bit of gossip.
This interview takes a very laid back approach and makes it seem more like a chat than an interview. The questions are also not too intrusive or personal towards Olly Murs and don't ask uncomfortable questions like some music interviews do.
The language used is very much 'every day' language which readers of any age will be able to understand.
When planning an interview for my music magazine I decided it would be beneficial to do some research into other music interviews that I could possibly use as inspiration for the type of questions to ask my interviwee for my own music magazine.
I wanted to look at interviews that didn't focus on just the gossip about the band or artist, but also looked at their progression through music, their style of music and also possible future plans while maybe including a little bit of gossip.
This interview takes a very laid back approach and makes it seem more like a chat than an interview. The questions are also not too intrusive or personal towards Olly Murs and don't ask uncomfortable questions like some music interviews do.
The language used is very much 'every day' language which readers of any age will be able to understand.
Wednesday, 7 December 2011
My Music Magazine Mindmap
The above mindmap shows a few design ideas, features, images, layout ideas, names, and ideas of different use of colours for my music magazine. This mindmap, alongside my reader profile, moodboard and flat plans will really help me to design my magazine and put all my ideas together to create my own music magazine.
My Music Magazine
Chart magazine is all about the latest newest chart music. It focuses on the newest up-to-date music.Chart is the only music magazinee that follows anf focuses on the most up-to-date chart music. Chart magazines strong links to the new media, such as twitter, facebook and youtube make the magazine an exciting way to use the new media.
Saturday, 3 December 2011
Moodboard for my Music Magazine
In preperation for creating my music magazine I created a moodboard using photoshop. The aim of creating this moodboard was to look at other magazines, colour schemes, magazine photography and font's that I could possibly use when creating my magazine. By creating this moodboard, I have looked at many different magazines, styles and magazine photography shoots which have given me ideas for my own music magazine. I have included a number of different blocks of colours as possible colour scheme and possible colours that I will consider using throughout my magazine, possibly as colours for my masthead or spot colours for my magazine. I have also included a number of magazine front covers, I included the top of the pops front cover because this is a pop/chart music magazine and whilst the front cover is busy it also shows how it uses bright colours. The 'Style' magazine front cover is very simplistic as a front cover, and not too busy which I think looks good and I would like to design my magazine front cover as quite simplistic.
Many photos of singers are also included on my moodboard, and a microphone. These pictures are included because I would like to have a photo of an 'artist' singing on my front cover which will mean I need a prop of a microphone. The reason I would like to include a person singing is because many magazine front covers have very 'posed' photos and I think a natural photo of an 'artist' would be a UPS for my magazine. I really like the way NME's front cover uses the same colour for the feature article as it does for the masthead, I think this works really well and would be an idea I would like to try out on my own music magazine design. I have also included a photo in black and white, I think this has the potential to work well on a magazine front cover and create a very strong impact, however this would be something I would want to trial before deciding to place it on my final music magazine as I am not sure it would work on a music magazine. The 'Q' masthead is on my moodboard because I am planning on creating my masthead in the same sort of style as Q's, with it being a square with one big letter, however mine will also probabaly have smaller letters as well. The twitter, facebook and youtube logo's show how I will link people's love of new media and social networking into my music magazine, making it appeal again to my target audience. The various different fonts on my moodboard are all examples of font's which are avaliable on 'dafont.com' and also examples of fonts I like and think would work well throughout my music magazine.
Many photos of singers are also included on my moodboard, and a microphone. These pictures are included because I would like to have a photo of an 'artist' singing on my front cover which will mean I need a prop of a microphone. The reason I would like to include a person singing is because many magazine front covers have very 'posed' photos and I think a natural photo of an 'artist' would be a UPS for my magazine. I really like the way NME's front cover uses the same colour for the feature article as it does for the masthead, I think this works really well and would be an idea I would like to try out on my own music magazine design. I have also included a photo in black and white, I think this has the potential to work well on a magazine front cover and create a very strong impact, however this would be something I would want to trial before deciding to place it on my final music magazine as I am not sure it would work on a music magazine. The 'Q' masthead is on my moodboard because I am planning on creating my masthead in the same sort of style as Q's, with it being a square with one big letter, however mine will also probabaly have smaller letters as well. The twitter, facebook and youtube logo's show how I will link people's love of new media and social networking into my music magazine, making it appeal again to my target audience. The various different fonts on my moodboard are all examples of font's which are avaliable on 'dafont.com' and also examples of fonts I like and think would work well throughout my music magazine.
Flat Plans for my Music Magazine
The above flatplan shows an inital design for my music magazine. By briefly sketching out a plan, when I come to actually designing my front cover I will be able to look at this flatplan and use it as a guide to my design. I decided to place my masthead in the top left hand corner, my cover price and barcode in the bottom right hand corner and my medium close up in the centre. I do not want to make the front cover too busy, however I don't want there too be lots of white space, as this will distract from the image and the cover and feature lines. By having a 'special features' section along the bottom of the page, this will hopefully catch my readers eye if I put the text in a spot colour, meaning it will interest them and encourage them too buy the magazine even more.
The flat plan above is an inital flatplan for my contents page. I have chosen on this flatplan not to design my contents page in the 'normal' way, with reams of writing and images scattered throughout the page, instead, I have decided to place a main image at the top, of the main feature article again or maybe a musical instrument used in chart music. I have almost cut my contents page in half, with the top half a photo, and the bottom half text. By cutting it in half I think it will make the contents page more visually appealing and interesting. I plan to cut my contents page in half in an interesting way, rather than just a straight line so it looks very military.
The photo above and the photo below both show possible mastheads and name ideas for my magazine. I have designed a variety of mastheads, because then I can choose which masthead is my favourite and then decide colours and sizes for it. On the first page of designs my least favourite are the 'Tune In' one in the bottom left hand corner, the 'Todays Music' one in the middle of the page and 'Listen' in the bottom right hand corner. These are my least favourite because I don't think they are very well designed. On the second page, I really like the 'Chart' one in the bottom right hand corner, and also the 'Chart' design above this one. I think 'Chart' would be a good name for my music magazine because it is all about chart music and I think people would easily be able to associate this with my chart music magazine.
The flat plan above is an inital flatplan for my contents page. I have chosen on this flatplan not to design my contents page in the 'normal' way, with reams of writing and images scattered throughout the page, instead, I have decided to place a main image at the top, of the main feature article again or maybe a musical instrument used in chart music. I have almost cut my contents page in half, with the top half a photo, and the bottom half text. By cutting it in half I think it will make the contents page more visually appealing and interesting. I plan to cut my contents page in half in an interesting way, rather than just a straight line so it looks very military.
The photo above and the photo below both show possible mastheads and name ideas for my magazine. I have designed a variety of mastheads, because then I can choose which masthead is my favourite and then decide colours and sizes for it. On the first page of designs my least favourite are the 'Tune In' one in the bottom left hand corner, the 'Todays Music' one in the middle of the page and 'Listen' in the bottom right hand corner. These are my least favourite because I don't think they are very well designed. On the second page, I really like the 'Chart' one in the bottom right hand corner, and also the 'Chart' design above this one. I think 'Chart' would be a good name for my music magazine because it is all about chart music and I think people would easily be able to associate this with my chart music magazine.
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
My Reader Profile
This is my reader profile which I designed to show interests of my music magazine target audience. By designing this I have shown that I have taken an interest into what my target audience buy and their interests.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Mixmag Presentation
This is the presentation that I gave to my media group to show how the magazine Mixmag appeals to its target audience. I included various different technical features that they have used and the reader profile for mixmag.
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Analysis of Survey Results
Survey analysis
The above slideshow shows my analysis of my survey results. I completed the survey on surveymonkey and then got various people to fill it out. I emailed it to many people of my target audience age and also put a link to the survey on my facebook page.
The above slideshow shows my analysis of my survey results. I completed the survey on surveymonkey and then got various people to fill it out. I emailed it to many people of my target audience age and also put a link to the survey on my facebook page.
Friday, 18 November 2011
Analysis of Music Magazine Mastheads.
I really like the clash magazine masthead because of the way the letters all fit together. The name ‘clash’ makes you think of the sound of cymbals clashing together so the way the ‘a’ and ‘s’ are linked in a ‘smooth’ manner whilst clash doesn’t make you think of smooth and sophisticated.
Although
Kerrang is created using no colour and is completely monochrome it works well because
the letters of Kerrang have different lines going through the letters, breaking
them up and making them more interesting. By blocking in all the letters with a
black border the creators of the Kerrang masthead have made sure this will
stand out from the rest of the magazine front cover or pages where it is placed.
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Music Magazine Survey
By asking a wide range of questions I will be able to assess my target audience's wants in a magazine, the price they would be happy to pay, their lifestyles, their ambitions and their values in life. This will help me immensely with my design.
By putting this survey on my facebook page I was able to target my audience very well and get many of my target audience to complete the survey, resulting in very useful answers.
Friday, 11 November 2011
How does the journalist use written language to appeal to the target audience?
The journalist uses written languages to appeal to the target audience in a number of ways. The journalist uses particular types of descriptive language, direct quotes and specific words. The journalist takes a tone and register on the article.
The journalist has used specific words such as “gotta” and “nah”. Words like this appeal to the target audience because it makes them think of how they speak. This article is quite obviously aimed at teenagers and young adults who use this style of words. When Usher was asked “Why didn’t your mom support you getting married?” he replied “Uh… I don’t know.” Magazines which are aimed at a more mature target audience would edit out this “uh” rather than including it because it would be seen as ‘slang’ and wouldn’t suit a more mature target audience. This kind of response to questions is what most parents get from teenagers, therefore by using these specific words the target audience can relate to the language used. Not just individual words, but the responses from Usher to the journalist’s questions make the reader think ‘that’s the kind of thing I would respond with’ and by engaging the reader with the article, the journalist is more likely to maintain their focus.
The main direct quote used is “Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer that ever lived. I just want to be the greatest entertainer living”. By overlaying this on the photo the editor has assured people will read the quote. Because of the strength of the quote and how it relates to Usher’s article and ambitions, the target audience will want to read the rest of the article.
The editors of ‘vibe’ magazine have used a variety of design features on this double page spread to interest the reader and enhance the look of the article. Not only have they used a pull quote to focus on one of the main features of the article but they have also used drop cap on the introduction to the article. By using a stand first the journalist has encouraged the target audience to read on. By adding white space and guttering onto the page the editors have made it look less cluttered and more professional.
The overall tone of this double page spread and feature article almost forces Usher into replying with what the journalist wants. The interview questions suggest that Usher could not reply with a one word answer and also want to get inside Usher’s mind. The interview starts off asking about his career and slowly gets more personal. The tone is also quite patronising to Usher and the description given before the interview doesn’t necessarily portray him in the best way possible.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Analysis of NME front cover, contents page and double page spread
The NME front cover is very lively and the use of bright colours attracts the target audience towards the magazine. One of the cover lines is featured in a box to the right of the masthead which means buyers of NME will look at this before looking at the smaller, less noticeable cover lines. The lead article in this issue of NME features The Arctic Monkeys. By using a bright red font and a very large font size the feature article stands out from the other cover lines. The NME masthead is very simple, following the spot colour used throughout the magazine of red. The NME masthead is placed very subtlety in the top left hand corner of the magazine front cover. The masthead doesn't particularly stand out from the rest of the magazine, but works well with the layout of the front cover. The cover price for NME is just under the masthead, and also beside the barcode. By placing this on the front cover twice NME are promoting the price of their magazine, and compared to the other music magazines I have analysed this is the cheapest, therefore they are trying to make this easily viewable and increase their readership. This also encourages downmarket people to read their magazine. The cover lines on NME are all rugged and line the bottom of the magazine front cover. The layout for NME's front cover is clear; a medium close up photo takes up the majority of the page and is centred whilst the cover lines and headline are formatted around and over this photo. There is no whitespace on this front cover, and the lack of this makes the magazine look lively and interesting. The front cover also uses different weights of text which adds emphasis to different articles in the magazine.
NME'S contents page is very busy but has quite a lot of white space but because this is spread out over the A4 contents page, it doesn't look like that much to the reader. Each of the main articles in the magazine is in a box, although not very obvious. Each photo on the contents page also has a caption which tells us about the photo and then a description of what we can expect from the article. The captions for each of the photos on the contents page are also quotes from the main body copy on each of these articles. All of the listings on the contents page have text formatted to flush left, apart from the main feature article which is the biggest in the centre of the contents page and has a ragged margin. A variety of fonts have been used on NME's contents page, which adds interest and variety. The main feature article/lead article has been placed in the centre of the contents page with the largest photo which will attract the readers to this first by instinct. The introduction to the page 'inside this week' has used an indentation on the word week to fit the layout of the page better. The masthead of NME is not actually featured on the contents page, however they have used an advertisement in the right corner of the contents page for two reasons, one to remind you that you are reading NME and two to promote their magazine. By seeing this advertisement in such bright colours it makes you think the magazine is aimed at lower class people and this is reinforced by the price of the magazine too. The lead article of the magazine uses a mug shot to advertise it and the majority of the photos featured on the contents page are mug shots or medium close up's. The spot colour of red also features on the contents page of NME. The different weights of text also create an interesting contents page.
The NME double page spread uses an interesting layout and choice of background colour. This double-page spread takes a particular angle on this story about drugs helping someone, and the title suggests that drugs can be positive. The body copy on this double page spread uses a variety of different techniques to make it interesting; it uses a drop cap at the beginning of the story which enhances the look of the story and makes it more interesting and it also uses the magazines spot colour of red for some of the text's colour which also enhances the look of the double page spread. The editors have only included text on one half of the page, and have opted for a visual aid of a photo on the right page of this double page spread. A section of the text has also been placed in a box which highlights this piece of information. There is a small caption at the bottom of the right page of the double page spread giving us a 'quirky' comment about the photo the editors have used. The double page spread uses a delayed drop by not jumping straight into the important part of the story, encouraging readers to carry on reading the article. The main body text is formatted to flush left which is the format many magazines use on their articles. The gutter in between the columns of the main body text isn't very wide however it is enough to distract the reader from reading across all the columns and almost instructs them to read down the columns. This articles intro actually comes immediately under the banner of the article, giving us a short intro about the article. The photo used is a medium close up shot which works well as there is quite a large space to fill on this page. The text on this page is of varying weights, the thicker letters by instinct are the ones the target audience will read first, and hence why the title is bolder than the main body copy.
Analysis of Music Tech front cover, contents page and double page spread
The MusicTech magazine clearly states on its front cover, "the magazine for producers, engineers and recording musicians" instantly making anyone who is not one of these think that they are not the target audience for this particular magazine. This also limits the readership for MusicTech.
Although there are many pictures on this front cover, there are no captions for the photos, instead cover lines telling the readers what they can expect to find inside. The cover price for MusicTech is just above the barcode which is where most people would expect to find it. On the left hand side of the front cover the cover lines flush left and on the right hand side of the cover the cover lines flush right. This creates a jagged look on all the text in the centre of the front cover. A number of different fonts have been used on the front cover of MusicTech. The layout of MusicTech's front cover is very busy and quite cluttered which makes the readers of it think the magazine will be quite busy and will provide them with lots of relevant and useful information. It is difficult to tell from the front cover what the lead article is in MusicTech because of the wide range of varying font sizes and weights. The masthead for MusicTech is very simple but informative. The masthead used on the front cover is not only the title of the magazine, but the explanation of who the magazine is for underneath the title too. The title actually works as WOB on this particular front cover; however this is not the case for all the issues of MusicTech. The images used on the front cover of MusicTech actually look like a photomontage rather than one image featuring all the items of technology. The spot colours for Music Tech are both mainly red and yellow as these feature throughout the magazine.
The contents page of MusicTech is actually a double page spread. This reinforces what the magazine front cover tells us about the magazine being very busy and including a lot of information. The contents page makes it slightly clearer, with links to the front cover of what the main article is; the spread on creative distortion. We see that the angles of the stories are from a music technological angle front the contents page. The MusicTech masthead has not actually been used on the contents page, however another style of font has been used to say 'MTM Contents'. The issue number and month is located on both the front cover and under the words 'MTM contents' on the contents page as well. The body copy of the contents page is featured on the far right hand side of the right page. This body copy is the text which explains which item is on which page of the November issue of Music Tech. The body copy is placed inside a box to highlight that it is all the listings of the magazine. By using pictures/relevant images MusicTech have made it very clear as to which articles they have mainly focused on and which articles they think will appeal to their target audience. There are captions with each of the photos which explain what they can expect to find out if they read the spread which relates to the image shown on the contents page. This magazine contains the majority of editorial rather than advertisements. The majority of the typeface on the contents page has been formatted to flush left. By using the headline 'Creative Distortion' and making this a different weight to the rest of the font on the page the editors have made it clear this is the feature they want their readers to read. A house style font has been used for the box of all the listing in the magazine, however hasn't been used across the whole of the double page contents spread. The creative distortion article on the left page of the double page spread's text is unjustified. At the top of both pages of the double page spread there is white space.
This double page spread of MusicTech is the lead article of MusicTech's November issue. It uses the spot colours of red and yellow and the 'MTM' masthead which featured on the contents page also features on this double page spread, however isn't the same masthead as the main one used on the front cover. The angle of this story is from a technical editor's view and the language used reinforces the target audience of this magazine.
The body copy of this double page spread uses the spot colours and WOB. The text across this double page spread also uses different weights to emphasise on different parts of the body copy. The body copy is only situated on the left page of the double page spread, and the right page features only a photomontage of relevant photos. The body copy starts with a drop cap which enhances the look of the page and the first lines of the main body copy are arranged around this. By using a spot colour alongside the drop cap the editors have enhanced the look of the page majorly.
The main body copy on this double page spread has been formatted to range left whilst also indenting the text. The layout of this double page spread is very clear; text on the left page and a photomontage on the right. The word creative has been reversed out to attract readers to the headline of this page.
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