Script of audio commentary to go with evaluation presentation

Due to a problem with uploading the audio commentary, I have had to upload a script instead of the audio to go with the evaluation power point presentation. 

Script of audio commentary of evaluation power-point presentation

Slide one: This presentation is based on evaluating my final products produced for my music magazine and the processes I went through to create my products in the way that I did. 

Slide two: before I could start creating my products I had to make sure I was clear on my target audience and how to attract them to my product the best I could. I decided to go for a target audience of people quite similar to me, as I thought this would make it easier for me to create a successful product. This is why I chose a target audience of people aged roughly between 15-20 years. I chose to target both genders as this would be slightly more challenging to create a unisex product and also because this creates a wider range target audience. I also chose to target an audience of people who like to be different and individual, and also interested in less popular music such as indie rock. These people are more commonly known as “hipsters” and “indie kids” in this society. I chose these kinds of people as my magazine target audience because I thought it would be a fun and interesting challenge to make a magazine that was slightly different from the more stereotypical pop music magazine, and also because there are less of these kinds of magazines being produced.

Slide three:  hipsters/ indie kids are described as people associated with independent music and non- mainstream fashion sense. They wear clothes with floral patterns or Aztec patterns and also may wear brightly colour clothes or less heard of clothing brands. Hipsters may also be into less popular kinds of sports like surfing and longboarding, and also listen to non-mainstream less commonly heard of genres of music.

Slide four: I had to think very carefully about how to use these features listed on the slide to make sure they attracted the hipster target audience I had chosen. Through the language I used, I tried to address the audience with an informal language to really intrigue the audience.  Using this language meant it was easy for the target audience to connect with and having an easy “chatty” language made the text more interesting for the reader to read and attracting them further into the magazine. I also used punctuation like question and exclamation marks. Using question marks created questions that address the reader and exclamation marks made it seem as though the writer was very enthusiastic when writing the magazine articles, which would again attract the reader. The font I decided to use was one that was very clear and simple, so it would make the text easy and straight forward to read, attracting the reader. I used the text in a variety of different ways, for example some parts were in bold and other parts in italic to keep the text looking clear but then also to give it a bit of variety and make it look exciting for the reader to look at. The content of my magazine includes articles about festivals and an interview with a slightly less mainstream indie rock artist, and also some free giveaways. I chose to include these types of articles because these are the kinds of topics that would attract a person included in the hipster target audience. The images I included I decided to edit to make them appealing to a hipster, so I edited the photos to make them look individual and unique which would attract a so called “hipster”.

Slide five: Overall I think my magazine is well suited to the indie social group and I feel my magazine represents this kind of social group as a group of unique individuals who feel passionately about music, particularly acoustic/ indie rock genres, which is typically how they are seen by other people in society. I feel that because of the unconventional features I included in my magazine, these relate with the target audience which makes them come across as individuals with a quirky sense of style who are interested in things that are slightly different from the norm. My magazine uses these unconventional methods in a positive way however, as some people may see being different as a negative thing, where-as I think my magazine has successfully used non-conventional features to represent individuality a positive thing. Some evidence from my music magazine to display these representations of an individual being is as follows. I have edited my photos in creative and different ways to reflect the creativeness and individuality of the specific social group. Also the interview with the main artist in my magazine talks about the meanings of her album that are quite confusing and different, again reflecting back on how people from that particular social group can be seen as quite confusing characters because of how they are so different. Also the way the musician is posed on the front page as hiding half of her face which reflects individuality and having hidden qualities, again reflecting that particular social group referred to as “hipsters”.

Slide six: The fact that this magazine is based on individuality and is slightly different from other magazines this could affect the different types of institution that would distribute it. I think that institutions such as small newsagents and newspaper stands would want to sell this product because the indie music magazine is a less commonly known genre compared with other genres such as pop or rock magazines, so they may be more interested in selling a magazine that is slightly different and less heard of, because the target audience may be more likely to buy magazines from smaller institutions. Also the larger institutions such as Bauer media might not be as prepared to distribute a product with a less commonly heard of genre and a smaller target audience as this will mean the magazine might not sell enough copies to gain a profit they would be satisfied with. Another reason why a larger institution may not be willing to distribute my media product is because it isn’t a stereotypical genre such as pop or rock, which tend to have a larger scale target audience which would mean more magazine sales and more profits for the company, so they would be more likely to take on a stereotypical pop magazine than one like my own media product, so I don’t think my magazine would fit in well and gain many sales being distributed by a larger scale institution, as it would just get ignored and over ruled by the more popular magazine products.  Smaller Institutions and places like schools and maybe at a small stall outside an indie rock concert would be more likely to sell my media product as the people who are more likely to buy this magazine are teenagers that would be found at a school or at a music concert based on the same music as my media product.  I think my magazine would fit in well being distributed from a smaller scale institution as it would be less likely to be pushed into the background and would be given equal advertising alongside the other media products being distributed by the smaller institution. I think it would stand more of a chance because people search for magazine products like my own from a smaller institution as they tend to sell products based on less heard of topics and genres like indie music, so I think this would be the place where my magazine would fit in best. 

Slide seven: The main theme for my music magazine is based upon an indie music theme. From my research I was able to find out what features make a strong music magazine front cover in general and what things I would need to include giving the magazine a clear indie music theme. My magazine follows a variety of conventional features of a music magazine, but it also carries a few unconventional ones, which I will explain further into my evaluation as to why I have chosen to include some of these unconventional features.  One idea I carried forward from my research was location of the mast head, which typically goes across the top of the page or in the top left hand corner. The mast head is located here because when on a shelf in a shop, the way the magazines are displayed means the first part of the magazine that will be seen is in the top left hand corner, so having the mast head here means it can clearly be seen on the shelf. My mast head follows this conventional feature as my mast head is located in the top left of my front cover. From my target audience research, I found out that people likely to read an indie magazine would like to see something slightly out of the ordinary, which is why I chose to put an effect on my mast head, to make it slightly different from the conventional idea of having a plain mast head of just one colour so that it was suited to my target audience. The colour scheme used to include a salmon pink colour, but from my feedback I learnt that this was not very appealing to a male reader as it looked like a feminine magazine, so to improve my magazine to make it appealing to a broader target audience of both genders I changed the colour to a shade of green, which I think also works better for the magazine and contrasts the bold red of the musicians lips who is part of the main image for my front cover. Again from feedback, I learnt that changing the main image to black and white, but keeping the lips in a bright red would give a good contrast to the other colours and would make the lips stand out as they are also central to the front cover. Also having the majority of the main image in black and white, made the surrounding text and taglines clearer and easier to read as the green contrasted the black and white and made it more appealing to the reader. My main image follows conventional and non-conventional methods. The conventional methods it follows is that it takes up the whole of the front cover and is a close up of the musicians face. Doing this makes it clear to the reader who is the main subject of the magazine which brings interest to the reader, enticing them to purchase the magazine. A method I used which is not seen as conventional is the fact that the musician is covering one eye and has the other shut, so there is no direct mode of address connecting the reader with the musician, however because of the main topic of the article, the main image links in well with it. I think the way the musician is posing also fits in with an indie music magazine as it is a slightly different pose that you would not expect to see as a main image for a front cover, from my format research I found that a typical main image would be a mid/close range shot of the musician looking directly at the camera, giving the illusion they are looking at the reader, drawing them in to the magazine. Another feature of my magazine that is not conventional is the way that the main image doesn’t merge over the mast head, to make the image blend in with the rest of the front cover, giving the impression the musician belongs there and the magazine look whole and complete. I have chosen not to follow this technique because the main article is about revealing hidden meanings, so having the musicians head behind the banner at the top of the cover hides her away slightly, which links it in with the main article topic. From my feedback I was also told to fill in the space located to the right of the mast head as it looked empty and made the front cover look bare, so I took this on board and filled the space with the face book and twitter logo, highlighting the fact the magazine can also be accessed electronically on different online blogs. I thought this would be a good feature to have on the front cover as many people from an indie target audience are in the age range where they would most probably have a twitter or face book account, so having this may make the reader think they would be well suited to this magazine and would find it interesting to read. The logos I chose are slightly different than the actual logos as they have a wood look effect instead of the typical blue colour. I chose this because it again fitted in well with the target audience in that they like things to be slightly different and also because the wood effect complimented the rest of the magazine well. When I was deciding the stories to include on my front cover I took into consideration things I had learnt from my format research with points such as making sure not too much of the story was given away, using the word “you” as a direct mode of address to connect with the reader, using questions that are answered inside the magazine which encourage the reader to buy the magazine, and also having giveaways clearly placed on the front cover which encourage the reader into buying the magazine. My front cover includes several of these features such as having a giveaway announced In the bottom right hand corner of the page and also using a direct mode of address with the word you in bold, underlined, and in a larger font than the rest of the text making it stand out. Doing this means it will be one of the first things the reader sees which will encourage them towards purchasing the magazine.

Slide eight: When carrying out my format research of contents pages for a music magazine, I used different methods and techniques to help me gather information on how to create a successful contents page for my magazine. I used online research, analysing other music magazine contents pages, and getting feedback and opinions from people associated with my target audience to see what they would like to see on the contents page of a music magazine with the theme of indie music. From this research, I was able to recognise conventional and non-conventional features of a contents page, and also what features work well and which ones don’t. My contents page follows many conventional aspects, but I have also included some non-conventional features, as this is what appealed to people in the indie music target audience. The first feature I put onto my contents page was the logo of the magazine which I located in the top right hand corner of the page. I decided to do this as it is considered a conventional feature to include the magazine title again on the contents page, as this helps the reader to remember the logo so that in the future they will remember what it looked like and will be more likely to purchase the magazine. I also put the logo in the top right because when the reader turns the front page the first thing they will see is whatever is in the top right hand corner, which is why I decided to locate the logo in this position. Another one of the conventional features I followed was clearly highlighting that the contents page is actually a contents page, so to make sure this was clear to my reader, I clearly positioned the mast head across the top of the page on the left, so it is very clear and easy to read, so the reader is instantly aware of what page they are looking at. From analysing existing contents pages, I found out that it is conventional to use either one of two main structure templates. The first is a listing structure, where the articles are simply listed in columns on the page, the other involves using puffs and taglines to highlight the main articles and features of the magazine. However for my contents page, I decided to follow the more unconventional method of structure which involves combining both types of layout together. I decided to do this because a frequent response I got from people associated with my target audience was that they liked to see some unconventional features that make the magazine different and more interesting than other magazines. I think using this structure was successful because it makes it clearer which articles are the main ones, but it is also clear where the other features and stories in the magazine are located. One thing I was very concerned about was making sure that the contents page had a clear layout that made it easy for the reader to see what stories are included in the magazine, and also that it was easy for the reader to know whereabouts in the magazine the story could be found. I spent a large amount of time focusing on how contents pages layout all of their stories without making the page look too busy and disorganised. I found that the most successful methods involved firstly splitting the magazine stories into two groups, the first one being feature stories that are only included in this week’s issue of the magazine, and the other is weekly stories, including the topics and articles that typically reoccur week after week. After doing this and using subheadings to clearly label the 2 different groups, the stories are then listed with the main article title and sometimes a small caption just giving an extra bit of information, making it more enticing for the reader to want to read on, another conventional feature I used in my own contents page. Each story was also laid out with a page number in a contrasting colour from the background. This contrasting colour feature made the page numbers stand out, again making the page clearer to follow. Using all of the above conventional features to organise the structure of my contents page made my contents page clear and easy to follow, but using some unconventional features made the contents page fit in with my target audience theme, making it more successful and appropriate. The number of pages included in my magazine I think is appropriate for the price I have set. My magazine includes around 70 pages for the price of £1.75, which I found out from my format research, is a reasonable price for the quantity of the magazine. The puffs included in my contents page I used to intrigue the reader into reading the main stories. The bottom puff photo is a shot of two musicians but they are unknown at this stage of the magazine, so this brings curiosity to the reader as to who the musicians are, making them want to read on in the magazine. The other two puffs located above that photo, are to do with the big summer giveaway and the photos show some of the prizes to be given away, but not all of them, which again will encourage the reader to read on through the magazine. The main image of the contents page is of the main musician featuring in the main double page spread article. The photo is larger than the others to make it stand out more from the puffs located around the edge. This photo again, encourages the reader to read on, as it features the famous musician that the reader will want to learn more about. Using the photos in this way was a technique that I had learnt from my format research. 

Slide nine:  The format research I carried out when learning about the techniques and features that make a double page spread successful, involved me using similar processes and research techniques to the ones I used to do research on making a front page and a contents page. some of the processes I used involved searching the internet for techniques, looking at already made double page spreads and comparing them to see what features were similar and what ones carried non-conventional features, and also asking members of my magazine target audience and my peers what they would want from  double page spread. All of this really helped me gain a better knowledge and a clearer understanding of what I wanted my final double page spread product to look like. However I found it more of a challenge to find out the different conventional and non-conventional features of a double page spread. I think this was because there are so many different ways to structure a double page spread but still have it be successful. The double page spread that I produced follows conventional features but I also added in some features myself to maintain the style theme of the magazine in having some non-conventional features which make it slightly different from other magazines. One of the subtle features I was able to identify was the location of the mast head, which is typically in the top right hand corner of the spread, and this is because it is the first thing the reader will see when they turn the page, catching their attention and making them want to read the article. Something I decided to do myself was to put the mast head on a slight angle, giving it a slightly informal feel, which would appeal to the young target audience for my magazine. Another thing I found out that was very important when making my double page spread, was the length of the article itself. From research and asking members of the target audience for the magazine, I discovered that the reader would be more likely to read an article that was clear and was about a page in length at the maximum. This is because an article of any longer length would bore the reader and they would lose interest in the article altogether. It is also essential that the article is laid out clearly so it is easy and not difficult to read. In my double page spread I used a simple layout and decided to clearly separate the questions from the answers by putting the questions in bold and underlining them making it easy for the reader to distinguish between question and answer, making the article look simple and easy to read, encouraging them to read the entire article. Another feature that I found in every magazine double page spread I analysed was that a quote from the article was taken and put in a larger font. The quote generally tended to give away an extra bit of information about the article but not enough information, and doing this makes the reader intrigued further into reading the full article to be able to fully understand what the quote was talking about. This conventional feature is one I found very important and decided to carry it forward to my own magazine double page spread. Another feature I decided to add myself was putting the quote on a green background, giving it contrast and making it stand out, attracting the reader and engaging them with the article. When carrying out format research of the images used in a double page spread, I found that all of the spreads included at least one large main image taking up around half of the spread, and some of them included puffs, normally on the opposite side to the main image. In  my magazine I decided to only use one main image as there was not enough space for puffs to be included on my spread which would overcrowd the spread and make it look scruffy and make the article look difficult to read, making the reader become uninterested in the article. The main image also has the model acting as a direct mode of address to the reader, as it appears as if they are looking at the reader, which engages them with the musician and encourage them to want to read the whole article. I used this conventional feature and took it into consideration when choosing my final image to use for my double page spread. One other feature I thought of myself to include to further entice the reader to read on through the article was to add a small arrow in the bottom right hand corner of the page next to a small piece of text reading “continues on the next page!” I chose to do this as it encourages the reader to turn the age to finish the article and also makes them aware that there is more of the article to be read. When carrying out my format research I saw that a few magazines did not have a feature like this, and the article continued to the next page, which some people may not be aware of and not finish the rest of the article which may leave the reader confused and disappointed with what they think is an unfinished article.

Slide ten: Comparing my preliminary final product with my fully finished music magazine products, I feel that I have learnt a lot about what makes a magazine successful and have gained a large understanding about how to professionally and successfully structure my products and what to include in them. When working towards my final preliminary product I did not think I needed to do very much research. I soon realised how important it was to carry out detailed format research as this constantly improved my knowledge on how to create my products successfully. There are a lot more features to take into consideration than I first thought when it comes to making a music magazine and even details as small as the location of the bar-code can determine whether a front cover is successful or not. I also learnt about how to effectively edit photos appropriately and also how to use in design effectively, meaning I could use it properly to create a professional final product to the best of my ability. I also learnt that one of the best ways to keep improving is to receive feedback of each product to see where improvements can be made. In comparison with the knowledge I had when making my preliminary task product compared to the knowledge I had after carrying out my format research for my final product, I feel I have learnt a large amount about how to create successful and also the professional products many different things that need to be taken into consideration when creating these kinds of products.  I also think that my full final products are much improved from my preliminary final product  and show a much higher level of professionalism and the skills I have developed through my format research working towards my final products.

Power point presentation of evaluation of final products

Final Products Of Music Magazine

These are my final finished products from my full task, including a music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread.

Final Double Page Spread

Here is my final double page spread product for my music magazine, which I have improved from my previous draught version from the feedback I was given.

Feedback on how to improve Double Page Spread

Feedback from James Bartlett on double page spread:

"I like the overall layout of the double page spread and think it all looks very complete and professional. The colours compliment each other well and i like the way the text box is slanted at the top of the right page. some small changes i would make to improve would be just to make the questions in bold and a slightly larger font, so it is as clear and as easy as possible to distinguish between the questions and answers. another thing i would suggest doing to improve is to add a green border to the white text box at the top of the right page similar to the green box in the bottom left corner of the left page. this will maintain a consistent style and structure and also give the white text box a bit of contrast to make it stand out a bit more".

Draught Double Page Spread

This is my first attempt at creating a double page spread for my music magazine. I will ask people for feedback on how to improve the spread and make the necessary changes to make my final double page spread.

Final Contents Page with improvements from given feedback

Feedback of Draught Contents Page

Feedback given from Miss gingles (media studies tutor)

"I like the contents page, it has a funky style fitting to the needs of your chosen target audience. I think its fresh and innovative and gives clear information and a clear outline to the structure and the content of the magazine. I think the photographs are where the main improvements need to be made. The photos need to be seperated out and have a little border inbetween them, as they all sort of merge together and look like one big photo. the photos also need to include a tagline, just so it is as clear as possible what photos link to what stories of the magazine. Also, in comparison with the front cover, the green colour is a slightly different shade, just make sure they match perfeclty, and maybe add another photo or a tagline to the white space next to the main image just to make the page ass full as possible, but other than that, I think this is a good contents page and looks like it is from the same magazine as your front cover."

Final Front Cover

This is my completed front cover that has been improved as much as possible according to the feedback I was given and the format research I carried out.

Feedback on colour choice for final front cover

I asked several different people including my media tutors and a number of people that fit into my target audience which color they preffered, and out of 15 people, 12 said they preffered the green colour scheme. The main reasons I was given by these people was that the colour was slightly more eye catching than the blue, and also complimented the vibrant red colour of the lips more. Another main point I picked up on was that the green was easier to read and was generally a better colour that will appeal to both genders, making the target audience broader for the magazine. 

More feedback on how to improve front cover draught

Feedback from Mrs Kalyan:
"To improve this I would add something to the pink box in the top left, it looks a bit empty so you could maybe add something there or get rid of it altogether. Another thing I would say is to somehow merge the top of the persons head to be infront on the title, as this is quite typical on a magazine cover for the main image to merge over the mast head slightly. Another thing I would suggest is to outline the mast head with the same colour as the pink box to maintain more of a theme."

Feedback for how to improve first draught front cover

I asked a number of people on ways to improve my first front cover draught and this was the feedback I was given:

Feedback from Miss Gingles (Media Studies Tutor):
"I think the magazine cover looks really promising, but to improve it further, I would maybe edit the main image to make the red lipstick stand out more. Perhaps making the rest of the photo black and white will help to acheive that and also might make the magazine look more Indie to suit the target audience."

Feedback from Sam Scholey:
" I would change the peach colour to make the red lipstick colour stand out more, and also to make the magazine more appealing to both males and females, as it looks like a magazine more aimed at females. to make the magazine look more indie aswell, in the sticker on the bottom right hand corner, I would maybe put a daisy in the background to give it more of an Indie feel and make it more appealing to it's target audience."

First Draught Front Cover

Evaluation of front cover mock up

Written format to verbal interview from Megan Phillips on successes, and improvements to be made on mock ups of front page:

“For the front cover, I think the structure could be very strong, it has a main image central to the page which is going to stand out and make the magazine look appealing. Also I like the way the text fits around the main image, acting like framing to make the main image stand out even more. For an improvement, I would maybe have some more photos as well as text, just to give the reader something else to look at because it is a front cover and it needs to look as interesting and exciting as possible because it gives me a first impression to the magazine and what the rest of it will be like, so if the front cover is no good, then I probably won’t want to buy it to read the rest.”  

Conclusion to what the target audience is looking for in an indie music magazine

A brief summary of what the target audience want to be included in an indie music magazine

From my interviews I found out that my target audience want lots of photographs and images on the front cover and throughout the magazine. They would also find the magazine more appealing if it included some freebies like posters or a free EP. They also thought the idea of having something interactive in the magazine for example, a crossword or word search for some extra recreation. Bold colours were also brought up on a few occasions as they make the magazine more appealing to young people who are more likely to buy an indie genre music magazine. Clarity and simplicity was also highlighted from someone I interviewed to make it easy to read, but not too simple that the layout looks boring. Also on the front cover, have the main image central to the front cover makes it more appealing than lots of small photos. The target audience preferred one large image with a few smaller ones located either side of the main photo.

Summary of what i have learnt from my format research

From the interviews and research I have carried out towards finding out what people want from a magazine and the typical trends found in an indie music magazine, I found out a number of different elements which I thought were key in making my magazine and I am going to carry those things forward to create my own magazine. I found out that most people said they would want plenty of images in the magazine to make it interesting, so from this I am going to focus on my photo shoot to make sure I have a diverse range of photos to choose from that I can put in my magazine to make it interesting and relevant to my magazine genre. I also picked up on similarities in front page layouts, which typically consist of the mast head being located in the top left hand corner of the page. The main image is central with a large tagline and is normally surrounded by extra text and small puff images to make the magazine look busy, but not cluttered. The text on the front cover, gives enough information to entice the reader into wanting to read the magazine further but without giving away the article topic altogether, making it pointless to buy the magazine. Colour schemes are also normally consisting of about three colours or so, any more make it look unprofessional and messy. The colours normally consist of two very contrasting colours and one other colour similar to one of the colours already chosen for the colour scheme. When researching about contents pages, I found that it is very important to make sure everything is laid out clearly and simply so the reader can find what they are looking for with ease. The majority of magazines consist of about 50-70 pages, so I am going to take this to use for my own magazine to make it full of information and to a professional standard. I am going to use page numbers to make it clear what article is where in the magazine, and also use some images to highlight the main articles in the magazine. I will also use captions for each article in my magazine just to give an extra bit of curiosity to the reader. The main double page spread article for my magazine will consist mainly of photo as I found out that for an indie music magazine target audience, they would prefer to have a large photo with a short but informative article, as articles that are too long they find boring and will cause them to eventually lose interest in the magazine. I will include enough text for the article to be worthy of a double page spread, but have a good balance between the image and the article that goes with it.

Layout mock up for double page spread

Layout mock ups for front cover

Interviews with target audience to find out what they want from a music magazine

Written format of recorded interview with Sam Scholey:

“What are the main features that make you want to buy a music magazine?”

I only buy magazines that draw me in, and make me want to read whats inside. I think it is very important to have a strong front page but then to also make sure the pages inside maintain the same high standard. When I see a magazine front cover, I look for a large brightly coloured mast head which is easily recognizable so I can access the magazine easily, I also like them to give enough information to entice me to read on, but not too much that the main stories are given away so there is no point buying the magazine. I think that have a large image central to the magazine is important and making sure it has been well edited and looks professional.”

Written format of recorded interview with Pip Marsden:

“What are the main features that you would want to find in a music magazine contents page?”

I personally think that maybe having a few images makes the contents page a bit more interesting, otherwise they can look quite boring, I would also want it to be clear and easy to find the article I want to read and what page they are on with the aid of page numbers, and maybe a little bit of further information from what is given on the front cover just to make me more interested. I think colours are important to make sure the text and background colours don’t blend in together too much which can make the magazine difficult to read.”

Written format from recorded interview with Kaya Allnutt:

“When buying a music magazine, what would you want to be included in the main double page spread article to make it interesting and exciting to read?”

I would definitely want large image of the main celebrity or artist involved, I like the way some magazines merge the text over the image so everything looks like it belongs together on the page. I also like the way important parts of the main article, usually quotes, are enlarged and maybe put in a different colour to interest me into reading the article. The article itself I would want to be of  decent length, not babble that it is too long, but not too short that it doesn't give me a satisfactory amount of information. I wouldn't want the article to be too complex either, I buy magazines for recreation and light reading personally.” 

Written format from recorded interview with Jessica Langley:

“In general, what features would you want to see throughout a music magazine?”

Images, lots of images. Images that kind of look like a poster I find quite cool. I also think if there a few freebies inside that would make me want to buy a magazine. I would want bright colours that work well together and are maintained throughout the magazine, but nothing too complicated. Simple bright colours I think are just as effective. I like articles which are about a page or maybe slightly more in length, but nothing too long with unnecessary information, interviews with musicians I really like, I feel like it helps me to get to know the specific artist a little bit more. An advice column or a music review is something I find quite interesting to read about too. 

Ideas for costume and camera shots for magazine

Brainstorm of ideas for music magazine front cover

Associations with target audience for indie music magazine

I have chosen indie music as the main theme because i enjoy this type of music so i would be interested in creating a magazine based upon that theme. i think this will help me with the layout and the contents included in my magazine because if i find it boring, then other people who are interested in indie music will also find it boring aswell. i created a mind map based on things i associate with an indie target audience and also through research.

Ideas for magazine theme

Ideas for the main genre that my music magazine will be based on:
indie and indie rock music
folk music
pop music
drum and base
heavy metal 
dubstep
rock

Evaluation Of Music Magazine Analysis

what i have learnt from my analysis to include in my front cover, contents page, and double page spread.

front cover:
- put the logo in the top left, so it can be seen when on shelves
- include a main image with suitable editing to suit target audience, and have people included in main image as a direct mode of address, looking as though they are looking at their reader
- maintain a colour scheme of about three colours
- include puffs and taglines

contents:
- put page numbers in bold so it is clear.
- use block or list format
- use a mast head stating that it is the contents page
- include an image or two
- put an arrow in bottom right corner to entice reader to turn page

double page spread:
- use up the majoritof the page with a photo
- have the photo on the left and a small article on the right
- use a quote from the article to entice the reader
- use puffs next to article on the left, to fill an empty gap between the article and main image.

Analysing Music magazine front covers, contents pages, and double page spreads.

Final Magazine Cover for Preliminary task

Here is my final product from my preliminary task with improvements from feedback compared with my previous version.

Evaluation of Final Product for Preliminary Task

my final product i feel follows a number of different conventional features that make it successful as a front cover. the first being that there is a large mast head clearly located at the top of the page, which makes it clear to the reader what the magazine is. the mast head has also been given a special effect to enhance it and make the text look more exciting and appealing to the reader. the effect also makes the mast head stand out from the rest of the front cover and makes it one of the first things the reader will look at when seeing the magazine. the front cover also has images on it to make it more visually appealing and this will encourage the reader and make them interested in the magazine for longer. the front cover also highlights some of the main stories and articles that are included in the magazine, which again encourages the reader to the magazine and makes them want to buy the magazine to read the stories inside. i think there is a level of professionalism about this product due to a maintained colour scheme and a consistent font being used through out. this makes the product look organised and clear, making it easier for the reader to read. also the two lower down images that are included are merged together which makes the product look more professional and whole, meaning it will appeal more to the appropriate audience. from this task i have learnt the importance of maintaining a professional theme and organised structure and also how much information you give away about the contents of the magazine. this is important because you don't want to give away too little that it doesnt interest the reader, but you don't want to give away too much that there is no point in the reader buying the magazine to read the whole article. i have learnt about the improtance

Terms for magazine front covers

price- how much the magazine costs

central image- the main image located in the centre of the page

anchorage text- used in media to attach meaning to something 

buzz word-  word or phrase connected with a specialized field or group that usually sounds important or technical, most commonly seen as a slogan

puffs- Words or phrases on the cover of a magazine used to boost status

title-The nameplate is the publication's title and logo, which is on the first page of a newspaper or a magazine cover

graphic features- extra picture effects to add attention to different sections of text or pictures in a magazine

images- photos included for visual effects and improving layout

direct mode of address- Modes of address can be defined as the ways in which relations between addresser and addressee are constructed in a text

Analysing another school magazine cover

bold masthead in red across top of the page to make it easier and clearer to read. it also grabs the attention of the reader.
main image located on the left had side of the page of model looking up into the camera lens gives the impression she is looking at the reader, drawing them in to the magazine and making them interested.
rhetorical question used as a cover line to intrigue the reader and make them want to read inside to find the answer to the question.
prom photo puffs encouraging the reader further into buying the magazine.
colours blue and red are bold and compliment each other to make the magazine look bolder, again drawing in the reader and creating an interest.

Analyzing other school magazine front covers (successful)

successful magazine cover

Mast head straight across top of the page in the largest font size, this makes it clear that it is the title.

Simple font maintained across the front page, makes it professional, varied colours and some words are written in bold to make some cover lines and anchorage text more important than other text.

Pale colour scheme, all colours complement each other to make the magazine professional.

Anchorage text highlighted to make it more important and catch the readers eye to entice them to buy it, highlighted effect makes the magazine look like a school related magazine.

Main image is central with text fitted around image framing the photo making it draw the reader in, also the girl is looking into the camera lens, which gives the effect she is looking at the viewer, again drawing them into the magazine.

White background makes all the text and image stand out, makes the front page look organised and easier to read. 

Draught ideas for front cover layout

Possible magazine Colour schemes and text fonts

Ideas for the type of text font i will use for my magazine:
- Lucida console
- Gungsuh
-  MV Boli
- Impact
- deja vu sans mono

Ideas for Colour schemes:

Ideas For School Magazine Name

Possible names for my magazine  

- Misbourne news 
- Misbourne
- TMN (the misbourne news) 
- "misfits" 

Ideas for school magazine front cover photo.

Idea for main image front cover:  

- high angle shot looking down on a student working
- student in uniform working on an artpiece
- student playing an instrument/ working on computer software
- headteacher
- school logo
- teacher teaching a class photo from back of the room 
- student looking over their shoulder through camera lens

Camera being used: gopro/ sony SLR

Research and ideas for preliminary task

I am researching different features to make a successful front cover (colour schemes, font, picture layouts etc) for my magazine to make it stand out and look professional. i will analyse different magazine covers looking at the similarities they have and what makes them successful or not. I might start experimenting with different layouts and ideas and also start thinking about a name for my magazine.