Font choices

I have used a vary of different fonts on my front cover to give it more detail, the different colours and sizes will show the importance of different articles and make the main articles stand out to the audience, these are some of the fonts I chose to use with an explanation for my decision:

This is the font I chose to use for the masthead which is shown boldly at the top of the magazine cover. I got this font from the internet, on a website called dafont.com which is a website dedicated to hundreds of different fonts. This specific font is called 'Basic title font'. 

I chose this font as i think it links with the genre of music and completes the representation of the magazine. I also think that as this font is fairly simple it will be easy for the audience to read and understand. I believe that this font makes the front cover look clean and professional but at the same time it has enabled the masthead to stand out on the page as it is the largest text and located at the very top. I also chose to set make this text in capitals as i believe this would make the name of the magazine stand out effectively to the target audience. I chose to make this text black as in my opinion this colour will stand out well amongst the light pink background using the method dark on light. The clean lines could link to the genre of music as it is well known recognisable and easy on the ears.

I chose the font style 'Cabrini (body)' as the main font on my front cover featuring it in the subheadings, sell lines, plugs ect. I chose this font style as it is a basic font that is easy for any age to read and be able to understand what the text says. It also allows the text to stand out on the page  without being too overpowering and without it blending into the background. I also set the font in bold throughout the cover to stand out to the audience.
I have used different sized font to connote the importance of the text and different articles. For instance I have used a larger sized font on the sub headings (sized 24) than on the sell lines (sized 18) so that the audience will notice them first then read the sell lines to give them further information about the article and to entice them into reading it.
I have also used different colours for the sub headings and the sell lines for the same reason, it also helps the layout of the cover in sectioning off the different conventions, making it easier for the audience to navigate and clearly understand the page. I used the colour hot pink on the sub headings as this colour is the stereotypical colour for girls and connotes girlyness, this will appeal to my target audience as they are females aged between 11-20. However these colours could also appeal to the secondary audience of woman over the age of the target audience, thus meaning that the text will be successful in its purpose. These colours also fit in with the house style of the cover, making the page look neat and professional.
I have aso used this style font on the date, price and website URL which are spread on different sections of the page. I have don't this to pull each section of the cover together making it look more professional and well thought out.

I used the same style font  and size on my strap line  however i changed the colour of the sub headings to to white as this would enable it to stand out to the audience as the background colour of the strap line is hot pink linking to the various other sub heading on the page and tying the cover together.

This is the font i decided to use for the headline. It is called 'constantia' and I found this font on the program 'Microsoft Word'. This is the only text I used this font for as i believe this will help the headline stan out from the rest of the text on the page. In my opinion this font looks traditional and professional, it connotes that the artist is also professional in her career and knows what she is doing. I made this text the second largest on the page to connote the articles importance in the magazine and to make it stand out t the audience as it is of the artists name who the audience will know and recognise, they will be intrigued into reading the article thus buying the magazine.

Magazine front cover flat plan

This is the flat plan I created to base my front cover on. I believe this layout of the front cover looks professional and will be effective at getting the information across to the target audience.

Customer profile moodboard

By reviewing questionnaires and online surveys I have rounded up the results and created this mood board to display visually my target audiences profile. My target audience are 70% female and 20% male, meaning that my target audience consists of mainly females. Within this mood board I have included various artists that were most popular within my target audience and that they are most interested in such as Rihanna and Calvin Harris, by doing this I can see the artists that I should include within my own music magazine as these are the artists that would appeal to my target audience. I have also included the most popular TV program, Pretty Little Liars. And a vary of logos throughout such as Facebook and Twitter, Topshop and MAC to show what my target audience like doing in their spare time. As they are users of Facebook and twitter, this could influence how I advertise my magazine as it could be an option to use these social network sites as  source of my advertising as this is where my target audience are likely to see the adverts. Also by knowing that my target audience likes to shop in their spare time could mean that it would be effective to use this im my competitions for example I could advertise a 'Win £500 worth of Topshop vouchers' as my target audience likes shopping at Topshop this would appeal to them. I have included the most popular radio station 'Capital FM' this is important to know as the magazine survey shows that a lot of my target audience listen to the radio and this station in particular which means they like the music which is on this station, this could also be another good way to advertise my magazine as the target audience will e more likely to hear about it. I have also included the 'Apple' logo as my target audience said that they use iTunes to download their music and the majority of them own an Apple product, this means that it would be a good idea to make the magazine as an app also as this could be more convenient to them. 

Magazine Summary

After carrying out all of my research tasks and coming to a conclusion with my results, I have chosen to make a chart magazine. I have chosen this genre as it in my opinion the genre which will appeal to the most people as it is widely known and listened to, it is also what I listen to therefore I know a lot about it which will be useful as I already have an idea what the genre is al about and what is related to this genre. I am also within the age range of the target audience of the magazine therefore I already have a greater insight to what my target audience would like to see and read about. The magazine will appeal to the audience as the artists they like and look up to will be featured in the magazine. This will also make them more interested in the magazine and want to read it.

I will include a front cover, contents page and a double page spread which features popular artists that the target audience will know and be interested in. I will also use various conventions which will attract the target audience to the magazine. I will use bright colours and strong images which will make th magazine stand out amongst other competetors.

I will have a vast amount of images throught the magazine with the artists talked about giving them positive representations showing them as happy charicters to match their music and the pop genre and giving the magazine connotations of happiness. I will get these images from conserts I have been to and by taking images of my friend Kai posing as the new artist on the music scene. The images will feature a lot of bright colours and will generally fill the pages as this will appeal more to my younger target audience.

My target audience will be female teens aged 12-18 in section D-E on the audience code. And will be eople who enjoy listening to music, going to conserts/gigs, buying the latest albums and who are interested in this genre of music and want to know the latest news in it.

My magazine will be origional as all of the images will be my own plus I will write all of the articles. This means that each article will be origional to my own magazine. I will also include new artists which wouldn’t be featured in other magazines of this genr, I think this would be affective and would appeal to the target audience.

My main artice will be about the new popular artist on the music scene from America called ‘Kai’. The article will include some background details of the artist and an interview with her where she tells us how she feels about this new lifestyle and how her life has changed, giving exclusive stories and details on her new breakthrough album and hit single. I will also use a lot of images sprawled across the double page spread which will attract my target audience by the way she is portrayed, styled and the lighting used.

I will ensure that my magazine looks perfessional by using the research I have done on various other music magazines of the same genre which already exist and have been successful within the industry and incoperting my findings into the design of my magzine. For instance by analysing their layout of pages and types of images they have used could help inspire me and influence how I make my pages look. This could also influece the font styles use, colour schemes and types of shots I use to be able to display the celebrity well to relate to their reputation and music style when taking my images.

The name of my magazine will be Tune as it is short, modern and catchy. It also corresponds with the music theme and will appeal to the target audience.

Definitions

Representation – The way the person is portrayed

Stereotype – The instant idea of what someone is like based on their appearance or group they belong to instantly thinking that the individual share the same characteristics as the other group members. For instance the stereotype that all woman belong in the kitchen

Target Audience:

Primary – The initial group of people that the magazine is being made for.
Secondary – The people who are likely to read the magazine due to a slight relation to it.
 

Language:
Written language – Things written down such as captions, newspapers, magazines and in backgrounds of images.

Verbal Language – Things that are said out loud e.g. televisions, radio, people having conversations

Non-verbal Language – body language, sign language, facial expressions, the way people look at each other

Visual Language – Images, that have effects on people, camera angles in films are also an example

Institution – The organisation hat creates and distributes the media

Genre – categorising the media according to its form, style and content. Giving it a type

Conventions –The different sections within the content of the media e.g. a magazine has different conventions such as a masthead, articles

Denotation – Is the literal meaning o a word, what is actually shown

Connotation – What the certain features and make you think, what you associate them with giving people emotional suggestions related to that word.

Cover lines – The information on the front page of a magazine about the major articles within the magazine

Left Side Third – The information designed to attract the target audience which is placed on the left hand side vertical third of the front cover page.

Masthead – The title of the magazine/newspaper, usually located at the top of the front cover.

Puff – The words of phrases on the cover of the magazine

Plug – Information about the magazine/newspaper contents given on the front cover

Sell Lines – The information underneath the masthead on the front cover (normally short and catchy) which entices the audience to want to buy the magazine.

Front cover moodboard

Most conventional front covers have a large main image of the artist who is featured in the main article. The image is generally either a close up or a mid shot to make it feel like the audience is coming up close with their idols. I believe that every cover is based around the main image as it is always in the centre of the page with all of the other conventions surrounding it to denote that this is the main aspect of the page and connote the importance of the article it is representing. I also believe that magazines specifically chose the artists they wish to feature on their front cover as they need to have the right look and reputation to make them fit with the magazine itself. the artist must also be popular and well known to the target audience as they could be the difference of the audience buying the magazine or not, if someone who the target audience is not interested in is the subject of the main image on the magazine cover they will be less likely to buy the magazine as it wont appeal to them.

The poses of the artists on each cover will be individual to them to connote something about the artist and the magazine. For example on the 'We love pop' magazine cover shows the girl group 'Little Mix' with smiles and pulling funny faces which connotes happiness and fun to the audience, this is appropriate as this links to the bands reputation and the music genre of the band and magazine. A different example is the cover of 'Cosmopolitan' where it displays the artist 'Miley Cyrus' dressed in more mature clothing and posing fairly seductively, this connotes that the magazine is aimed for older people but also that the magazine has a more glamorous theme, this pose and look also links with the heading and various sub headings featured on the cover, I think this is a very smart thing to do as it links the cover together.

Some magazines use more conventions than others, as shown in this mood board Pop magazines which are aimed at a younger target audience tend to use a lot more sub images than for magazines aimed at a slightly older audience, this is done as younger individuals will be attracted to a magazine more if it has numerous images on the front which will appeal to their liking and feel like they are getting more for their money where as slightly older people will like a more mature looking magazine as a front cover with only a main image on the front cover connotes that there will be more mature themes and more educated words used inside the magazine. I personally prefer the magazines which use a single main image to attract the audience accompanied by the title, a heading and various sub headings as I think this looks makes the cover look neat and tidy and look more professional.  

Contents page moodboard

I like how the contents page in a magazine links with the front cover keeping the magazine consistent and looking professional. This is done in different ways such as the house style linking or the cover stories being featured or even the masthead being displayed on the page. A conventional contents page takes up a single page containing the conventions, images and text. However I do also think that the contents that spreads across a double page spread featuring Jay-z also works well and completes its purpose effectively. 

 

There is no set layout for and genre of magazines contents page as they are all individual to the company the magazine belongs to, this gives the magazine something original to stand out with the other competitors. Some magazine use set column layouts  with an equal 50/50 amount between images and text where others use a more basic approach by using  a more overpowering main image. there are advantages and disadvantages of both as an advantage of a more complicated layout more information is able to be displayed and it can also make the audience believe that they are getting what they are paying for, this could on the other hand look a bit messy and if not done in the right way, unprofessional. If the contents page is more basic with a large main image taking up most of the page, there is not as much information being able to be displayed on the page and in some cases the page can look fairly bare, this could look more neat and tidy and therefore look more professional.

 

I prefer a more basic contents page as I believe they will be easier to understand. I think they also look more professional and with one main image means that the subject will drew the reader to the page effectively and connote the importance of the article they are representing.

Double page spread moodboard

The images used on double page spreads vary according to their layouts, for instance in Rolling Stones magazine the layout for the main article generally consists of a full page for the main image only and the second page for the text and the article itself. The pose and representation of the subject in each image varies also depending on the style of artist the subject is. I think this layout is quite effective as the large image will grab the audiences attention to the page and as the artist will be a recognisable artist within the industry, the audience will hopefully recognise them and be intrigued into reading the article. Just like Rolling Stones magazine it seems that it is conventional in every double page spread to either have a main image that fills a whole page of to have a couple of sub images that mount up to fill the same space. This is done to spread the text out and to not make the audience feel overpowered by the text, especially if the target audience is young like mine. The image used also depends on what the article is based on, for instance if the article is based sonly on the artist the image tends to be a close up image of the spoken artist. If the article is based on the products of the artist and what they are currently doing the image tends to be an action shot, such as an image of the artist at work in the recording studio.

 

The background of a double page spread is generally white to make the focus of the page the main image, thus showing the important f the main image in its purpose of attracting the target audience to the page. There are exceptions however which use coloured backgrounds, I think this makes the whole page stand out more as it has a larger mass of colour which will stand out to the eyes of the young target audience as colour appeals to them. in certain cases the background of the double page spread is simply the background scene of the original image, this could also leave a good effect bus can sometimes be harsh on the eyes of the reader.

 

I think that by looking at all of these double page spreads put together I have came to the conclusion that using bright and vibrant colours helps the article stand out and will make the audience want to read it more, these such colours will also connote happiness which will link to the artist and genre of my magazine. It will also make the magazine look more striking and noticeable to be able to stand out against other competing magazines. However it could also be a disadvantage if the use of these vibrant colours is used unprofessionally as they could cause the article to look cheap and untidy, it could also be too harsh on the readers eyes and make it too hard to read.

First draft of my music magazine cover

This is my first attempt at creating my music magazine front cover. 

I have used my chosen title ‘Tune’ and located it in the conventional place at the top of the magazine, in bold, where the audience can clearly see it and understand what it says. I used a basic style font as this means it will be easy for the target audience to notice, read and understand. 

I have used an appropriate main image with the subject staring into the camera lens to give the audience the feeling that they are looking right at them and making eye contact drawing them into the magazine. The subject is also an attractive female pop singer which will appeal also to the secondary audience as well as the target audience. 

I have also used other conventions throughout to persuade the target audience to buy the magazine. For example I have used a bold, red banner saying ‘Exclusive’ which over laps some of the sect and the main image, I have done this so that it is very noticeable to the audience and they feel like they will be getting something ‘exclusive’ to this magazine which no other competitors have. I have also places the main bulk of text containing the subheadings on the left hand side of the magazine as this is where people have been known to look at first as individuals read from left to right.

I have appropriately used left side their as this is where i have put the seal of approval, which contains a competition the magazine is holding to 'Win tickets to see One Direction live', this feature gets the audience more involved with the magazine, the company who runs it and their favourite boy band. 

I have used the colour scheme of my front cover as light pink, dark pink, white and black. I used these specific colours as i believe they would appeal to my target audience and the genre of the magazine. I used the colour pink in the background of my front cover to connote grisliness to the magazine due to the fact that my target audience are young females aged between 11-20 therefore this will appeal to them. I then used hot pink to highlight the stories and different features which are important on the front cover. 

I also used a vary of my own features and cover stories to the magazine to make it original, I have also used a vary of conventional components to make it look professional and to help my young audience understand it. I have used conventions such as the bar code in the bottom right corner of the page with the price of the magazine shown beside it and the website URL above it, I have also included the date of the issue next to the title.

Improvements 

I do however think i can improve this front cover by photoshopping the image, making a smoother edge round the crop and making the image look a better quality, this would also allow me to exit any blemishes or imperfections on the subject to give the image a more luxurious look to it. This would also improve the look of the front cover as the main image is the first thing which draws the audience to the magazine, and will in effect make the magazine look more professional. I also think there is too many blank spaces on this cover which would connote that there also isn't much inside the magazine. I could solve this by using more images and text on the cover  I could also consider putting more detail into the background.

Taking photos for my music magazine

These are a selection of the images I have taken of my friend Kai for my music magazine out of approximately 30, which I will narrow down and choose a few to be featured in my final design. I look them in my home against a pink wall as this is where the lighting was best, to have a good quality effect on the image and to exaggerate her facial features. I chose to make the images high key as I think this would make them stand out more to the target audience sue to the bright colours and effectively make the magazine also stand out. I did however experiment with both high and low key however the low key images I took were not very effective as I didn't take my images in a professional studio therefor the lighting was not powerful enough and the camera I used was not of a good enough megapixel.I dressed my model in a New York jersey and a thick gold chain to give her a modern pop styling to correspond with the magazine and appeal to my target audience. the make up I used was of very basic tones to link with her outfit but with a pop of colour on her lips to make them stand out.

I chose to use a vary of poses throughout the photo shoot to give the reader different connotations in each image. For instance in the first image I have used a pose where my models body is facing the side with her head turned to make eye contact with the camera lens making a connection to the audience, she also has her arm bent with her hand gently touching her face, I have done this to connote innocence as she is the new 'pop princess' and is vulnerable to the media at the moment. The pose however changes dramatically in the third image showing the model closer to the camera with her whole body directly face on in front of the camera lens with her arms raised touching her hair, this image connotes the artist to be dominant and in control which links with the main article where she talks about taking control of her career and the media.

I didn't use many props except for some bubbles which you can see in the second image where my model is shown blowing the bubbles. I chose to use bubbles as they are seen as fun and will connote joy giving the images a young essence as bubbles are related with younger children as that is their target audience for the product and children enjoy playing with them. I also think the bubbles worked fairly well as they gave a bit more life to the image and in my opinion something extra. By using the bubbles it also gave my model something to work and get energy from. They also gave the model a good opportunity to base some of her poses round creating a greater vary of images to choose from. However I wouldn't use any of the images which include the bubbles on my front cover as they could take away the eye contact with the target audience and make the main image less striking not as effective at pulling the reader into the magazine. On the other hand I would use these images either on the contents page or on the double page spread as these images don't have to be as bold and will give an element of fun to the page.


There is however a few weaknesses to the these photos, such as the location where I took them as the lighting wasn't the strongest and the camera I used to take the photos does not have a very high megapixel which left the images slightly pixelated. I could have improved the lighting by taking these images during the day when the sun was out as this would have made the room brighter with natural lighting, this also would have reduced the amount of shadow in the background of the images and on her face in certain images. I think these images would have also been improved if I had taken them on a more plain background with no other objects in the way such as in these images, the door, light switch and cupboard.

Model confirmation

This is evidence of confirming my model for my music magazine. I specifically chose this individual as they are confident in front of the camera, therefore she will be more comfortable while doing the certain poses and will make them look natural by doing so. She also fits well with the look and style of my magazine as well as fitting in with the genre. I am planning on dressing her in modern stylish clothing which will appeal to my young target audience, such as a baggy jersey and a thick gold chain, this will convey her as a fresh faced artist within the industry. And I plan on using quite basic make up with a splash of colour in her eyes to draw the attention to them, I am also going to tie her hair up in a messy bun as this will show off her facial features well. I think this would appeal and look attractive to the audience.

Music magazine survey analysis

Music Magazine Survey

Gender:          [7]  Male          [11]  Female

Age:          [0]  10 or under          [15]  11-16          [3]  17-20          [0]  21 or over

What genre of music do you listen to?
[11]  Pop
[7]  Rap/R&B
[4]  Rock
[8]  Indie Rock
[6]  Dance
[7]  House
[2]  Other            -Deep House
Why do you listen to this style of music?
Because its good [5] I like/enjoy it [8] makes me happy/good mood [3] matches my personality [1] calms me [1]

How do you listen to music?
[17]  iPod or phone
[12]  Internet
[11]  Radio
[9]  CD
[0]  Other

How do you buy music?
[10]  Stores
[7]  iTunes
[12]  Download it
[1]  Don’t buy music

Do you read music magazines?     [11]  Yes        [7]  No
If yes what music magazine(s) do you read?
NME, Q, We Love Pop
Why do you read these magazines?
Has good music in it, Like it, has good stories and features, features my favourite artists, enjoy it

I created this questionnaire and gave it to my class at college to complete. My class consists of 11 females and 7 males, most of them at the age of 16 in full time education. This means that the majority of the individuals who filled out my questionnaire are within my target audience. However I have to consider that as these people are students most of them will not have any source of income therefore will not have a lot of spare money to spend on magazines, therefore my magazine should not be within an appropriate price range.

By reviewing my magazine survey results I found out what my target audience like, dislike and what they prefer to see inside a music magazine. I have found from the surveys filled by a selection of members within my target audience (female aged between 11-20) that they prefer the music genres Pop, rap and R&B. I also found out why they like to listen to this music genre, getting answers such as ‘it makes me happy’ and ‘puts me in a good mood’ therefore the magazine I create should be in a design which connoted happiness and articles that are joyful too, to resemble the target audience and the music genre of the magazine. I also asked the question ‘What magazines do you already read?’ and with the answers given I was able to see what these certain magazine provide inside their magazines and take inspiration from them. The most popular music magazine i found which my target audience already read are NME and We Love Pop. Both these magazines use a vary of images that appeal to their target audience which show the subject in their images looking happy and showing a positive representation of them. I also found how they listen to their music and how they download it, this means I know what multimedia links to include inside that magazine that will appeal to them and they will be interested in. I also learned by asking these specific two questions which way would be best to advertise my magazine to its target audience as when asked 'How do you listen to music?' the most popular answers were internet, radio, iPod or phone this means these would be a good way to advertise the magazine.

I have used the information I have found by doing this survey to influence what I do my music magazine on and what I will include inside it. I have now chosen the genre of my magazine to be Chart music as this is the genre which was most popular within my questionnaire therefore is more likely to appeal to my target audience and be more successful with them. It has also influenced what content I will put inside my magazine including what I will base my main feature on and what to include on the front cover to attract them, such as their favourite artists as if they see them on the front and recognise these artist who they may look up to and be fans of they will more than likely want to know what is happening in their life and why they are featured in the magazine.