My Music Magazine Double Page Spread Draft 5

My Music Magazine Front Cover Draft 11

My Music Magazine Contents Draft 5

My Music Magazine Content Draft 4

In this draft, I have added some more information along side the pictures to inform the reader on the contents of each article, I have also moved the posters down to underneath the writing for the articles to make room for an editors note, I thought that this would make the magazine seem more relatable as the editor is getting involved with the audience.

Target Audience Research - Drafts Of Cover, Contents and DPS

Can you identify the music genre from the front cover? Please write it below.

Six out of seven people who answered my research said that they identified my magazine as a rock genre, the final person identified it as pop rock, these results show that the way the magazine looks represents my chosen genre.

Is synergy created between the pages? How?

My audience recognised how singers was created through the use of the same colour scheme used through the pages, along with some of the same fonts. I feel like there is more that could be done to create synergy, one person suggested also adding the magazine web address and name should be added to the contents as well as being on the cover. 

Are there iconic, symbolic or indexical signs? What are they?

The guitar silhouette I used over the page number has been recognised by the entire audience that took part in my research as being an indexical symbol. The dark colours also have been stated as a symbol of rock, along side the leather jacket the model is wearing on the cover.

What do you think the TA is? Age? Gender? Ethnicity? Sexuality?

My research shows that the expected audience based on my current drafts are aged 16-20 although some said a little older, e.g. 25/26. Age 16-21 was my initial target audience so it shows that my magazine is reaching my intended audience.

What representations are created?

The theme of rock is represented through the use of black and white/dark colours used throughout the pages. Leather and ripped clothes also represent a rugged and rock theme. One comment said that there was only a feminine representation and nothing that would attract males so I will work on adding more features aimed at men to expand my target audience.

Is the language formal, informal or a mixture?

The target audience has described the language used as mainly informal as it is aimed at a modern audience, there is some bad language used as this is a feature of rock which could cause it to seem more informal, some also said there was a mix of formal and informal language.

Is there anything missing? Anything you would like to see added? Are there changes you think should be made?

The changes people suggested that I make were to make my price on the cover smaller, and also lower it slightly as a teenage/young adult audience would not want to pay so much for a magazine. It was also stated that I should fill the space on the contents page as in this draft I had not yet finished the contents fully, the audience also said I should add pictures which I intend to do as I progress with my contents. One suggestion said I should lighten the models face on my cover so I will edit this photo to see how it looks. It was also commented that the stand first in my DOS was too small and there was no drop capitals so I will change this in my next draft. 

My Music Magazine Front Cover Draft 10

In this draft all I did was to add more social media links to the top of the banner to make the magazine appeal to a wider audience, also it is a music magazine so the logos I added are for music apps.

My Music Magazine Double Page Spread Draft 4

In this draft the bottom of the text has been rearranged to fit around the page number as this looks more professional and it looks a lot more modern.

My Music Magazine Double Page Spread Draft 3

In this draft I have changed the size and font of the title as it looked plain in comparison to the rest of the feature, I have decided to use a bigger and bolder font in block capitals so it will really draw the readers attention. I have moved the position of the white pull quote down a little so it does not distract from the model. I also realigned the text in the second column to make it more readable and more presentable.

My Music Magazine Double Page Spread Draft 2

In this draft I have added one of the edited photos from my photoshoot and also added another pull quote on top of the image. This quote is one I feel is important from the text and it stands out with the white against the metal background. The image, with the graffiti supports the rock genre and also the red of the graffiti matches the red text used.

My Music Magazine Double Page Spread Draft 1

Before I started using Adobe to create my DPS I wrote the entire feature out in word document to ensure I had atleast 800 words and so it would be ready with no mistakes for when I needed it. I split my A3 page in half to keep half for the image I had taken and half for the text, I then split one half into two quarters to create columns for the text to separate it slightly. I also ensured I used the same page markers (the red number inside the guitar silhouette) as the one used on the contents page to create synergy. The title is bigger than the rest of the text as it is the most important part. The red text at the top creates a brief summary of the feature which will help the reader decide if they want to continue reading this article or not. A pull quote is used to separate the text as it was all in a block and looked boring and teenagers would not want to read that much writing without it being broken up. The same red and black theme is used from the cover and contents to further create synergy.

My Music Magazine Contents Draft 3

In this draft, I have added the final photo of the male band I wanted to use, I also changed the colour of the puff to a bright and bold pink to ensure it really catches the readers eye. I have added a section on social media and the names of the accounts so people can find them easily and keep connected in a multimedia world. 

My Music Magazine Contents Draft 2

In this draft of my contents page, I have added the date and issue number at the top of the page, this should be included in every issue of the magazine to show convention. I have also added more pictures that I have edited to look like posters for the audience to keep, along side this I have added above the pictures, the name of the feature that is being shown to make it clearer. To fill some white space, I have added a puff to advertise a special offer to make people buy the magazine monthly, not just as a one off, I made the puff the same colour as the blue in one of the Bring Me The Horizon photos however I am not entirely happy with this colour as it is rather light and plain. Also included is some social media advertisement and a link to the magazines website so people can find more information.

My Music Magazine Contents Draft 1

This is the first draft of my music magazine contents page, initially I had planned to do a two page contents however I knew there would be too much blank space to be able to make the page look professional and attractive. In this contents, I split the page in half, the first half is the pictures which are linked to the main articles in the magazine with the page numbers underneath them, I have not yet included all of the photos as I still have one photoshoot left to do and some pictures to edit. The second column is a list of the features included in the magazine, split into different sections so people can find what they are looking for more easily. Synergy is created between this page and the cover by using the same red and black colours, the same fonts and the same models. An iconic symbol of the guitar silhouettes in the corner show the rock genre and make it even more obvious.

My Music Magazine Cover Draft 8

When I went back to edit my cover I had decided that the music and contents that will be in my magazine wasn't metal and so I changed the masthead to NuRock as this is more my genre than metal music. I also made it a different font as my old font in the masthead wasn't large or bold enough and I could not get it any bolder so I chose this one as it is really bold and it has the patches in it so it looks rough and jagged which represents the rock genre. I added the TicketMaster logo to the cover to include more social links and also so people know where to buy their tickets for the tours included in one of the main articles.

My Music Magazine Cover Draft 9

I didn't do much to edit this draft of my cover as I was really happy with the way it looked, the only problem I had was that I was not happy with the Free Download pug in the top corner, I felt like it didn't match the cover and it looked out of place and messy, to remedy this I colour picked a green from the leaves in the back ground and rubbed out some of the shape so it fitted better in the banner across the top, I also changed the pricing as my target audience research said it was too expensive.

My Music Magazine Front Cover Draft 7

My Music Magazine Front Cover Draft 6

My Music Magazine Front Cover Draft 5

My Music Magazine Front Cover Draft 4

Organising My Shoot

After changing my model due to cancelled plans and conflicting schedules I had to change the dates and times of my plans, the rest of the information on my plan was still correct for example the clothing request and the location.

To organise my model I arranged a time and place to meet Emily. We chose to meet at school on Tuesday December 1st after college for the shoot for my front cover as I wanted it to be a studio shot and this would be taken in the drama studio with a black background and artificial lighting. I asked her to wear all black and have a winged eyeliner look to create a rock based look to match my genre.

The prop I used for this shoot was a microphone which will not be visible in the shot as the model was holding it rather low and the shot will be cropped to be a close up when it is posted on my cover.

For the shoot for my DPS we again, met at school on Wednesday 2nd December in the afternoon as we both had study periods and then walked to the abandoned train tunnel I had previously found upon exploring for locations. I didn’t have any artificial lights so the light used was all natural. In the plan I gave Emily prior to the shoot it requested she wear ripped jeans and a leather jacket (iconic conventions of rock) with a white top. She also wore a checked shirt tied around her waist as this is a modern fashion trend and it will appeal to teenage girls as they will or will want to dress like this. Emily’s hair is blonde with a blue/green dip-dye which creates a statement and it looks unique and trendy. I didn’t use any props in this shoot as I wanted it to look more natural.

Photoshoot Plans

These are the plans I created to ensure I had everything sorted out for my photo-shoots for my cover, DPS and my contents page.

After these plans were written my model for my cover (Maddy) couldn't make the date we had set and was unable to make another time due to work and college times conflicting so I made a new cover plan to suit my new model (Emily).

My Music Magazine Front Cover Draft 3

After receiving feedback on this draft I have been told that my masthead is too long and it needs to be one word. I have also been told to do another photo-shoot to make my model look more rock and have her wear dark lipstick, make her hair brighter and bigger and have her wear a choker or something more rock than a nice necklace.

My Double Page Spread Article

Bold Text - interviewer

highlighted text - pull quotes

Rock sensation Em took the music scene by storm when she released her controversial, yet astoundingly popular new single ‘Liquefied Strength’ after being incognito for almost three years! We get to know the girl behind the music in an exclusive feature of her very first interview since her return.

What is your earliest memory of music?

The first thing I remember is when I was little, my dad took my mother and I away on holiday, it was to one of those holiday camps with the show on at the bar every night, the first night it was a kids disco, I remember dancing around the floor, singing at the top of my voice, and thinking ‘I never want to be anywhere else’

Who do you credit as introducing you to the kind of music that has shaped your career?

Before my break, I would have said maybe Paramore, they were always an inspiration to me, but as I’ve grown up and thought about who I really want to be, I don’t want to be like people that are already around, I don’t want to have to be compared to people, I want to be able to define myself.

Do you think rock music could ever end up having the same recognition as pop music?

I feel like it is becoming more recognised and more popular but personally I think that we need more ground breaking and modern acts in the genre before we can really break through the barrier that’s been built around rock. I think more and more stereotypes and preconceptions are being proved wrong daily so it shouldn’t be long before we’re being nominated at the Brits Awards.

The sound of your new music is significantly different to your last albums, is there a reason why?

When I was making music before, I was still a teenager. My old label and my managers were able to tell me what to do and what would sell and I would listen, but it gets tiring being the media’s puppet. That’s why I needed time off, to really figure out who I wanted to be, it was sending me bats**t crazy. I’m going to make the music that I want to make, the sales aren’t important to me. It’s more important to me that I stay true to who I am now, this is the time people get to know the real me, whether they like it or not, I don’t really give a f**k anymore.

A lot of your fan base try to look like you, they do their hair and make-up like yours and buy the things you do, do you think that this makes it even harder to be your own person if other people are going to do what you do?

I guess you learn to block it out, at first it’s nice to be able to influence people, to be their idol, but I don’t want people to think they should be like someone else, everybody should do their own thing and find their own identity, if that is like mine then that’s great but it shouldn’t feel forced. Growing up my sister listened to whatever bands I would listen to, even though the content was far too mature for someone her age, she wanted to be like me, and I was worried she wasn’t becoming her own person and she was just becoming another me.

Have your friends and family supported your decisions?

Some did, some didn’t. My parents and siblings have always supported me and wanted me to be happy, my wider family were never that close until I started getting my name out there. It’s hard to know who is there for you and who is there for your bank account. When I took the break, some of my friends showed that the end of my money flow meant the end of our friendships, but now I know who is real and who is fake, it all worked out.

It’s rumoured that you’re planning on bringing out a multi-million pound clothing range, any comment on that?

It honestly sounds like a sick idea but I don’t think I’m even fashionable enough to dress myself never mind influence other peoples clothing choices. The idea of it would be a lot better than the reality of it. The money wouldn’t really inspire me to pursue the idea, I’m lucky enough to not have to worry about money so if I were to do it I’d want it to have the proceeds going to charity.

A lot of your fans were getting rather excited about it, you must influence their fashion choices in some ways?

I didn’t realise people actually liked what I wore, my wardrobe is mainly a combination of other artists brands (like Oli Sykes’ DROP DEAD Clothing) and some bizarre items I find in charity shops. I’m actually so happy they like my clothes, it’s really unexpected.

And finally, what can we expect from you in the near future?

I’ve recorded a few songs that I’m really happy with and I’m currently in collaborations with some inspirational artists to help me write some more. Hopefully soon I’ll have enough to release an album, well, that’s if people actually want to buy my music! I’m not in any rush, I’m just enjoying being back in music and taking it all in, as myself this time, not who I’m expected to be.

My Music Magazine Cover Draft 2

This is the second draft of my music magazine front cover. I have amended how basic the 'interviewing Em' looked by adding a red lining to the words so it matches my masthead and links the page together instead of making it so it looks really thrown together and messy. I also moved the masthead up to make more room for the photograph. I moved the article description so I was able to fit in the barcode which is necessary to have on a magazine to make it purchasable. I rearranged my articles along the sides so that they weren't as cramped but I am still not sure about the colour of the background. I used the colour picker to pick up a colour from the picture from the Bring Me The Horizon concert to use for the rest of the text.

My Music Magazine Front Cover Draft 1

Initially, my model was going to be Maddie McDonald however our schedules conflicted a lot and there seemed to be no appropriate amount of time for us to carry out a successful photo-shoot for a cover, DPS and some for the contents page. This led to a change in model and I am now going to photograph Emily Britcliffe as my main model.

This is the first draft of my music magazine front cover, I tried to adhere to my plan as much as I could. I decided that I don't know if I like the colour of the background boxes along the side as it doesn't look as good with the red in the masthead (which I think looks really effective) as i imagined it would. I want to experiment with different colours here to find what looks best, I will try all the colours suggested by my target audience that they said they would like to see on a front cover. The writing at the bottom which shows the feature article looked rather plain in comparison to the rest of the page so I feel like it needed something adding to it, i added a red shadowing like in the masthead.

My Music Magazine Contents Draft 1

This is the first draft of my contents page of my music magazine, I tried to adhere to my drawn drafts however the title on my drawing is different to the one I have created here as this one looks less childish and more modern, this style also matches the red lining in the masthead and the dark background along the sides on the cover as both colours are used to line the word contents. This creates synergy. There is a space between each letter which means the word will cross the centre line and cover both pages which will break convention as this will make the page memorable and unique as other products do not have this.

The contents is split into different sections as to separate the different types of articles in the magazine as some people will want to read the magazine for certain reasons. Blumler and Katz's theory is applied here as we buy magazines and media texts to diverse and for diversion, to escape into different places. This is why I separated the articles, to make the things people know they want easier to find amongst the many features in the magazine.

The blank boxes are where the photographs I am going to take will go. One photo is going to be a group shot of three girls in modern and affordable clothing that would appeal to my target audience. One will be an image of the artist featured in my double page spread. Another will be a photo of a male on a stage (maybe an image from the Bring Me The Horizon concert I am going to which is mentioned in the contents page). Finally, the last image will show a group of males in an outdoor shoot posing as an upcoming indie rock band. I came across these images online and I like the style of posing and I will take influence from these images for the last photograph on my contents. From the first one I like the background and the simplicity of the idea, I also like the way they are dressed as they look quite rock but I would want darker colours in mine. From the second image I like the way they are stood as it looks more natural and more indie and unique.

My Music Magazine Drawn Draft - Contents

My Music Magazine Drawn Draft - Cover

My Music Magazine Drawn Draft - Double Page Spread

Target Audience Research Analysis

Target Audience Research Analysis from caityduggan

The Blumler and Katz theory asks why people actively seek out specific media outlets and content for gratification purposes. This could be applied to this as in slide 12 the audience could be reading the magazine in order to find out about concerts and gigs to go to and see reviews.

Target Audience Research - Social Media

To get a wider range of people answering my questions, not just people in my media group or close friendship group, I posted on Facebook to ask some of my friends that live a little further away or people who are different and have other views than the people I am surrounded by daily.

Luckily quite a few of my friends were happy to get involved and so I was able to send them a picture of the questionnaire I had made and send it to them, they then typed out their responses to each question and sent them back to me as shown below in the screen shot.

After I had a few responses on Facebook I tweeted and asked if people were willing to fill out a survey for my media work, a few people replied meaning my research base was expanding and making my magazine more national. The screen capture below is from the response of one of my friends who wanted to help me out.

This research really helped me understand the views of people aged 15-22 and also how the views differ due to gender and age group and even location.

The use of social media has informed me of what my target audience thinks of the features that are a part of existing products and which ones are viewed positively, giving me an idea of what I should include in my magazine to appeal to them. It has helped me decide to use a female model on the front cover, to include an interview as my double page spread feature and to use dark yet bold colours to reflect the theme.

Contents Page Analysis 5

This contents page is from the magazine 'Clash' as shown by the masthead which is in the corner in tiny font. This magazine mainly features articles based on film, fashion and music. These subjects help the magazine stay modern and up to date as new music, films and fashion trends are coming ad going frequently, meaning every issue will be different but still stick to the iconic conventions. The page follows quite a conventional grid, as each page is clearly divided into two sections: text columns and supporting images. This makes the content page, although seemingly busy with text and images, look neat, well-structured and readable. There are 3 text columns representing different features of the issue: features (one off articles for this particular issue), regulars (regular articles featured in most/every issue) and fashion. This is more commonly aimed mostly at a female audience, but also appealing to male readers as their target audience is all genders.
The san-serif font used to title the contents page is also used to title the articles and is used on the puffs to label the page numbers.

 

The supporting images around the side of the article titles are a basic square shape, which adds the accuracy and simplicity along with stylish look to the contents page. The main image, showing the cover story, is bigger than other images, but is still not all that attention demanding, this is used so to persuade the audience that it is not the only feature of the magazine and that other articles are also significant, therefore, would also interest them.
The contents page has a very obvious promotion section, which represents free music download. This is done in order to attract the audience and encourage it to buy the issue. This is used in many issues of 'Clash' magazine and so has become a convention for their magazine.
 All of the pictures on the contents page are marked with the page number in a coloured puff. The colour of it matches with the gender of an artist presented on the photo, except for the circle attached to the main image, which is red in order to immediately draw people’s attention to the main magazine feature.

 

The overall colour palette is black and white, which looks simple and clear. Other bright blue and pink colours add energy and style to the pages and suggest that this issue is based on more on pop music. These vibrantly coloured elements look a bit like sweets lying all over the page, appealing to the people, who are mature enough to be interested in such music and style, but, obviously, are young and energetic like the colours used.
The pink colour used in the banner above the fashion section and in the puffs is the same colour as the top that Wanda Jackson is wearing in the photo representing the article written about her, this is linking all the page together instead of using random colours.

Rock - Magazine Double Page Spread 8

This double page spread is from the modern and popular rock magazine 'Kerrang! and it is based on the rock/metal band 'Bring Me The Horizon'.'This is identifiable as the magazine's masthead is in a small font in the bottom right corner, this is on every page in each issue and so has become a convention of this magazine brand. The font used is very very small so it is not distracting from the feature but it is noticeable enough to keep reminding the reader of the brand.
At the top of the right hand page there is the name of the band in the same size font as the pull quote from the interview, I would have thought this would have been the official Bring Me The Horizon logo but that font and colour would have made the page look messy and un-organized so the way they have produced the magazine is very efficient.
The chart at the bottom of the first page reads 'can you feel my chart' which is a play on words as one of Bring Me The Horizon's most famous songs is called 'Can You Feel My Heart' this secures the audience as mainly people who are fans of the band as not only will they be reading an entire feature on them but they will also understand the joke which will add an entertaining tone to the otherwise rather serious piece.

The serious tone of the piece is immediately shown through the pull quote taken from the interview which reads 'I started to feel like the band could be over...' and this quote was taken from the lead singer which only highlights how severe the situation must have been. This suspense filled quote will intrigue the reader, especially existing fans as they will want to read about what was so bad one of the most popular metal bands nearly broke up.The text is also in red which stands out strongly against the background, but the red could also represent the severity of the situation.
The drop capital at the start of the article is showing the reader where the text starts and draws more attention than the rest of the text. Throughout the text there is a lot of speech and quotes as it is an interview with the band and this creates a more intimate feel for the reader as it is direct, reliable and real words by the artists themselves not just what is being written by a writer who knows little about their experiences.
The purple used at the top of the pages is the same colour used on the jumper of one of the band members. This also happens with the colour of the chart and the top of the lead singer as the red/burgundy is the same shade.This creates a link between the features on the page and makes it look neat and well put together instead of having different colours spread around the pages.
The photograph used for the article breaks convention as it spreads onto both pages whereas usually the picture will take up one full page, maximum. The magazine also breaks convention as the pages are slightly larger than the usual A4 size but these broken conventions have become conventions of this brand.
I like the use of body language in the image as it suggests searching for something or maybe pushing something away, this could even be seen as them trying to hold onto the band after their near break-up. I'd like to try and make a link between the body language in my photography with the purpose of my text as the subtle links make the work more interesting.

Contents Page Analysis 4

This magazine contents cover if from the popular teen music magazine 'We ♥ Pop.'
The style of these contents pages is always the same, they all include the 'We ♥ Pop' masthead (the name of the magazine inside a white banner) in the top right corner, the title of the contents is always 'WE LOVE THIS...' and the main feature story is always placed in the middle of the page, bigger than the rest of the features, as shown in the photos below...

 

These features are what makes the magazine easily identifiable as it is not that much of a well known magazine and so the constant codes and conventions used with this magazine will start building up a memorable image and the brand will soon be recognisable.  

The magazines masthead is easy to recognise due to the heart emoticon which makes it more modern as teenagers nowadays use 'emojis' on their phones and computers all the time in modern society. It also makes the masthead a bit more fun as most are just writing but the heart breaks up the writing with some colour as opposed to the rest which is just black san-serif writing in a black speech bubble on a white background. The use of the speech bubble adds a more personal touch to the writing as it's like the author is saying that they love pop and they want to share it with the reader, creating synthetic personalisation. 

The main feature's page number on the contents page is always white but the background is always a shade of gold or a gold/yellow colour. This could be highlighting the significance of the article, like awarding it a gold medal at the Olympics as it is the best feature. The other articles that are featured with pictures usually have the same coloured puff for their page numbers but they can sometimes be slightly more yellow than gold.

                                

Only the articles that the producer deemed to be the most important features have pictures along side them, this draws more attention to them as there is colour and visual aid to break up the blocks of text because the reader will not want to read massive amounts just on the contents page as it is not part of the actual reading and the audience is supposed to be teenagers who will not want to waste their time reading things that won't appeal to them.

This contents page only really features three main colours: white, blue and gold. These colours create a nice contrast as blue is quite a cold colour but gold is a warmer colour. In addition, blue is generally known as a more boyish colour while gold is rather sparkly, leading to it being thought of as more of a feminine colour, and white is a very plain and neutral colour, this will mean the magazine can appeal to all genders. There is small sections of other colours, such as in the photo next to the article about JLS, Marvin from the band is wearing red, the same red that is featured in the heart in the masthead in the top corner.

Near the bottom of the page there is a banner which highlights the free products included with this issue of the magazine, in this case there is free posters. The banner shows a small version of all of the posters in the magazine to give a brief view of what to expect and to excite the reader about what is to come in the magazine.

In a banner along the bottom of the contents page there is the magazines website which will further promote the brand, but also help the reader as there may not be some information they would like in the magazine or they may have questions or want to subscribe to the magazine so including the website is a smart business idea and it's one I would definitely use in my own music magazine.