Text Inspiration

 These are the logos of Q, NME and Kerrang! magazine, I like these logos because they are in very plain fonts but they are all instantly recognisable. I am definitely going to use a very plain font for my magazine logo.

Contents page inspiration

The use of the ‘NME’ logo in big bold red text gives it a center piece in the page. The gives the reader constant reminders of the company leading the magazine and the resource to research the company on the internet.

The font, colours and house style are all the same type which gives the magazine a bold, but effective way of presenting their pieces. The layout is also very similar which gives the magazine structure and the reader’s a clear understanding of where to find what article or piece.

The use of sub-headings puts each piece of content into easier and clearer categories, making the magazine make sense and clearer. The images used on the contents page feature two big stars making the magazine an even greater prospect as the audience will feel more engaged and want to read the magazine more with music bands like Oasis on the contents.

The audience targeted for this magazine is very clear and obviously doesn’t relate to social groups who like gardening or ‘UK garage’ for example. It has specifically targeted people who enjoy rock and indie music through the use of an Oasis member and features on bands, such as, Arctic Monkeys.

The basic magazine structure consists of a ‘taster article’ on the contents page giving prospective buyers an insight into the content on the magazine. The pronounced use of ‘subscribe today’ is a sly way of persuading and easily showing people how you can get the magazine on a regular occasion. The sub-headings are clear and precise and show you very easily where you can access that content in the magazine. The band index gives the reader and precise showing of what bands will be in the magazine. This may give the readers more purpose to buy the magazine as maybe there could be a feature on their favourite band.

Inspiring Images

These are images from NME magazine interviews that I am inspired by and I would like similar ones in my own magazine. The first one is an english folk singer Laura Marling. The second is Pete Doherty who is the lead singer of Babyshambles and former front man of The Libertines.

I like how Laura Marling looks very relaxed and not too 'polished' I think that this is a good thing because it makes the artist more relatable and when the audience can relate to a person in a magazine and they know that they are just a normal person it makes them want to read about them. Laura is not styled in very fancy clothes and she looks very cool.

This is Pete Doherty from a recent interview in NME magazine, I like this photo as once again it is very relaxed and he looks comfortable. I like how this photo is on a plain background, as is the Laura Marling one. I think that this is a good thing as it means that the reader focuses on the artist rather than their surroundings.

Feedback from my class

These are post it notes from an activity that we did in class where we analysed eachothers front covers and made suggestions on how to improve. I really valued this feedback and I decided to keep the photo on the front of my magazine but I changed the spacing of the text and the colour to make it more readable

MAGAZINE QUESTIONNAIRE

How much money would you pay for a magazine?

What is your favourite genre of music?
ROCK? POP? INDIE? RnB? OTHER? (please name)

What is your favourite part of a magazine?

What sort of features do you dislike in a magazine?

Do you read magazines often?

What features of a magazine do you enjoy reading?

Do you play any instruments?

How many gigs/festivals do you attend each year?

Which way do you prefer to listen to music?

Double Page spread inspiration

This double page spread is from Q magazine and it is obviously focusing on Lady Gaga. We can tell this because of the medium close up of her on the left hand of the double page spread takes up half of the article which shows that this photo has significance. She is also wearing an outfit and posing in a way which would entice readers which find the female form attractive. The editors of the magazine have ensured that the article has some arousing and sexual content as this sort of stuff sells. The photo has been digitally edited to make it black and white.This means that the whole double page spread focuses around three main colours; black, white and red. These colours anchor the genre of Q magazine.

Lady Gaga herself is presented to the audience as being multi-genred, as she is well known for her pop music yet also being more than able to sway into a more of a rockstar sort of role. This picture reflects this as she has very dark heavy eyes and she is wearing chains around her neck.

The enlarged vibrant red L which is featured behind the text, links not only to Lady Gagas alias but also the colour of it anchors Q magazines style. There is no title to this double page spread, only a full A4 photograph of the artist and her name displayed in the upper right hand corner. This entrigues the reader and draws them in as they must read on further if they're to find out what exclusive information Q has on one of the most famous women of the moment.

The first inspiration double page spread is from music magazine Kerrang! I like how one of the two pages is a full image of the band as the reader can have a clearer picture of what the band look like. This is something that I would like to do in my double page spread so my audience know what the artist looks like. I also like how the colour scheme is kept, with the colours red, black and white as it looks more professional and neat. The layout of this double page spread is very organised and the text has been structured together so that it is easy for the reader to follow. All together this double page spread is successful and has acheived it's overall purpose and audience.

3 Original Images

These are my 4 original images that I am going to use in my magazine. 

I have decided to use these specific images, because I think they will look very professional when I edit them and make them black and white. I also think that they are good to use because the poses that I told the model to do look like typical model poses in magazines.The clothes that the model is wearing are also good for my music magazine as she looks like she could be a cool indie singer as she is wearing a relaxed tshirt and jeans and a skirt. 

Final Magazine.

My final magazine front cover

My final magazine contents page

My final magazine double page spread

These are screen shots of my final magazine, as you can see I did a front cover, a contents page and a double page spread. I used the same colour scheme for both the front cover and contents page, I did this because I thought it would make my magazine look more professional as most magazines do have a lot of consistency in each issue regarding the colour scheme and layout.

Evaluation - Question 7

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

This is my preliminary task college newsletter which I called Edge Bede. I did this around september time, I had no knowledge of making a newsletter and I created it on Microsoft Office Publisher, which is a basic program which is not used to create professional magazines. I made this newsletter without any help from my teacher or any further knowledge of the conventions of magazines.

As I have already said, when doing my preliminary task, I used a Microsoft Office Publisher to create my cover and contents page, this meant that the quality of my finished task was not as good and professional as my coursework music magazine. This is because for my coursework I used Adobe Photoshop which is a piece of software that professional editors of magazines use. This meant that I could make my magazine look very professional and to a high standard. I did this by editing the photos that I used and even just by positioning things in different places, which is one of the things that I really struggled with when using Publisher as it is very limited as to where you can put things.

I also used effects on the text throughout my magazine which really helped to give it a professional look and feel. I have also learnt how to work with layers on Photoshop making the finish of my coursework to a higher standard as it allowed me to place things on top of one another.

All in all, I think that I have made huge progress from my preliminary task to my final coursework magazine, I have used better a better program to produce and edit my magazine and I have used the feedback I was given from my first task to help me in the production of my music magazine, this has helped me make it into a good final product 

Evaluation - Question 6

What have you learned about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
In order to create my music magazine, Flow, I had to learn how to use technologies that I had not used before, and make use of things that I already had. All of these things contributed to my end product of a cover, contents page and double page spread for my magazine which I think had a professional appearance.

CAMERA - photography

The camera that I used for my photos was not my own camera, I used the models camera as it was much better than my own which is an Olympus VG-120, 14 megapixel with a 5x Wide Optical Zoom. Although this is a fairly good camera, I wanted my photos to be of a better quality so this is the camera that I used to take my photos, it is a Canon EOS 1100D Digital SLR Camera which is 12.2 megapixels.

PHOTOSHOP - editing and making

As well as using physical equipment to create my magazine, I also used the software on the computers at college in order to both edit the photos and create my magazine. The main program that I used was Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.5 which was the edition which was accessible at college. I used Photoshop for two reasons: to edit the photos for my magazine, and also to create the actual documents. I had not really used Photoshop before and I did not know anything about it so it was a totally new experience using it to create my magazine, but I soon got to grips with it and I feel it has enabled me to create a professional looking magazine.

NME magazine cover analysis

NME's audience would be aimed at both genders aged 15-30. We know this because this age range is fairly young and people this age tend to have a strong interest in modern day music. We can also see this by the colours which the magazine uses which are orange, grey and white, so that it isn't too masculine or too feminine and they are colours that work well together but still stand out. The text is selling updated news of the music industry show the readers what in and what not, it also shares musical knowledge to the readers and keep them up to date with the latest and best bands and artists. The main picture on the cover is obviously LCD Soundsystem and he looks very cool and laid back, I can tell this because of the head tilted back pose which makes the reader look like they are looking up to him.

Magazine Front Cover analysis/inspiration - (Homework)

This is the cover for Q magazine from August 2010. I picked this cover because although it is very simple (like all Q magazine covers) it made me want to buy this magazine. I had never bought Q magazine before and then when I saw this cover I decided to buy it. I think this is because it is so simple and looks very classy and professional.


The colours used are red, black and gold which is the classic colour scheme of Q magazine; almost all of their covers feature these colours. This is so that you immediately know that this is Q magazine. This is one of the things that I like about Q magazine, it is always very consistent. It always looks well finished and well put together. 


This magazine cover inspires me because it is an example of “less is more.” It doesn’t have a lot on it but it works very well and it is very appealing due to the classiness of it. I like the way that “KASABIAN” is written across the cover in gold so that it stands out against the grey and the colours of the band members’ clothes. Another thing that I like is that the band members are right in the middle of the cover and they are the main feature and it gives a strong indication as to what is going to be the main feature in the actual magazine. 



This is the cover for Cosmopolitan magazine from October 2011. I picked this cover because although it is colourful it is very simple and not too fussy. This is what I would like my own magazine to be like with a simple layout and colour scheme. I buy Cosmopolitan magazine every month because I like the content and the layout. 


What makes this magazine so simple yet so effective is that it has the layout is always the same. It has the masthead at the top saying “COSMOPOLITAN” in block letters. It usually has a simple colour scheme, for example on this particular months cover the colour scheme is magenta, black, white and green (the green being used on Fearnes clothing.) Cosmo also always has sub headings and sell lines which are always at the side of the main image or even on top of the main image. I like the main image on this magazine because it is very sexy yet subtle; this is the classic chocolate box pose with the lips slightly parted focusing on flawless beauty. 


This magazine inspires me because although it has a lot of information on the cover it is not too messy or uncluttered. You can still see at a glance what the main stories and features are in that particular issue. I like how Cosmopolitan stick to one main colour scheme for the months issue and they use it not only on the cover but all the way through the magazine. The colours used always complement each other and fit well together. 




This is the cover for NME magazine from  10th April 2010. I picked this cover because again it is extremely simple, probably the simplest one I have ever seen from NME. This was a special edition cover; it is one of ten possible covers. You could choose from a number of music artists and an array of colour schemes. I chose Jack White because I like him and he appeals to me. I think the way he is dressed all in black contrasts against the yellow chair he is sitting on and the yellow masthead. 


The main colours on this cover are silver, yellow, black and white which all fit well together as the yellow is so bright it stands out against the other colours. NME is another magazine that has a main image with sub headings and sell lines to the sides of it. Although there is a colour scheme on the front cover, it does not carry on throughout the magazine which I would not do in my magazine. I would like the colour scheme to carry on throughout the whole magazine. I do like the simplicity of this cover as it works so well and you can see at a glance what is in the magazine. It is obvious that it is a music magazine and a music magazine only which is the effect I’d like to create with my magazine. NME always has the same logo as well which is something that I like a lot, the font never changes even if the colours do. 

Evaluation - Question 5

How did you attract/address your audience?

I have attracted my audience by making my magazine stand out. I have made it stand out because a typical music magazine would use bright colours and it would be very "in your face." This is a good thing because it catches peoples eyes, but the problem with it is that it means that it is no different to all of the other music magazines on the market. I have made my magazine stand out and be individual, I have done this by using soft colours on my magazine front cover and sticking to a maximum of 3 colours. These have been light green, white and grey. I have also made my main image of Bekah Dale to be in black and white. This gives the magazine a vintage look which is a selling point as vintage is very fashionable at the minute.

I have also used sell lines to tell my audience what will be featured in the magazine. These are familiar and recognisable things such as english festivals such as Leeds and V and The VMA's which is an awards ceremony for artists.

Another thing that I have done to attract my audience is to have a competition to win festival tickets of their choice. This attracts the audience because obviously it is a music magazine and people who read it will be interested in music and therefore in going to a music festival.

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking as a teenager, I know that when I have money, I want to spend it on things that I need, or that are worth while, and therefore I tend not to buy as many music albums as I used to. On the occasion that I want to buy some new music, I would much prefer to read some reviews about the album, and see what other people either my age or older think about it before I spend my money. I usually rely on NME magazine's 'Reviews' section to inform me of this information, and that's why I thought it would be necessary to include a 'Reviews' section in my magazine. When someone picks up my magazine and flicks to the contents page to see what will be included, they will find that there are a number of reviews which will inform them of which albums are rated highly by professional critics and whether or not to spend their money on them.

Evaluation - Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My media product represents particular social groups because it is very versatile and laid back. My magazine is called "FLOW" and it's slogan is "the way it goes" which reflects the laid back attitude that I was trying to achieve. I also did this by making sure that my magazine covered a lot of different genres of music such as rock, pop, indie rock and alternative. This represents normal people as most people do not just stick to one genre of music and they just listen to whatever they like regardless of what genre it is, they "go with the flow" so to speak. My model is very good looking and she is wearing very fashionable clothes throughout but she is not overdressed. She looks very casual even though she is meant to be a number one selling british artist. I like to think that this also represents my readers as I think that this would make them understand that although someone is famous they are just like everyone else. 

Evaluation - Question 4

Who would be the audience of your media product? 
The audience of my media product would be 16-25 year old male and females as my magazine is not specifically for each gender. The type of people that would read it would be music enthusiasts who like all different types of music. They would be interested in discovering up and coming bands and artists because this would be one of the main features of my magazine. They would be quite cool people and they would like to try and be different to everyone else as apposed to following the crowd. They would spend their time going to gigs and socialising with friends. 


This is an example of the type of person that would read my magazine. She is a 16 year old that enjoys going to gigs such as The Vaccines, Friendly Fires and City&Colour. She likes to make sure that what she wears represents her and she likes to be different to everybody else. 

Evaluation - Question 3

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

My magazine is very much like magazines such as NME and Q as it is a music magazine which covers a wide range of genres of music as apposed to sticking to one genre like magazines such as Kerrang who do focus more on rock/metal. Although I think that my magazine can be compared to NME and Q, I think this is only because of the content of my magazine. 


The overall look of my magazine is different to the looks of the other two music magazines that I have already mentioned. I think that my magazine on terms of aesthetics can be compared to the likes of NYLON which is edited by Marvin Scott Jarrett.  I think this because NYLON MAGAZINE IS VERY 'COOL' AND IT IS VERY SIMPLE AND WORKS WITH SOFT AND LIGHT COLOURS ON MOST OF THEIR ISSUES. IT IS ALSO NOT CLUTTERED AND EVERYTHING IS SET OUT VERY WELL. 


Krissi Murison took over as editor of NME magazine in 2009, she was the first female editor of the magazine. She has made the magazine very recognisable since she started, which is one of the things that are very important at NME as it is a very old but well established music magazine. She has also made the magazine more accessible to more people and has made the target audience wider as she has made sure that the magazine covers a lot of different genres of music instead of sticking to one genre but still maintaining NMEs 'cool' reputation. 

Evaluation - Question 1

In what way does your media  product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The title of my magazine is "flow" which does not straight away tell my reader that the magazine is focused on music. I chose to call my music flow and have the tagline "the way it goes" because I like to think that music flows and what you like is just what you like. A bit like "going with the flow." It is also a short name that is very easy to remember and recognise. I have taken insperation from NME magazine by having a simple logo in block capitals and in a plain colour. My magazine will have main colours of light green, white and black.

The second screen shot I have taken from my magazine is the barcode and price and issue. This is something that all magazines have no matter what. This is just extra information so the readers knows how much my magazine costs and what issue number it is so they know whether they are up to date with the magazine.

The third frame that I have decided to use is the photographers information. This is a very typical thing for a magazine to have as it tells readers who has taken the photos and when they are from.

Front Cover Analysis - Rolling Stone Magazine

Who are the audience? How do we know this? Tell me more detail about the audience.

The audience for this magazine seems to be for quite young people as the feature is obviously Amy Winehouse who is someone who is not necessarily old in the music business but she is fairly new. I can tell that Amy is the main feature because she is the only picture on the whole cover. Her name is also in fairly large letters. Rolling Stones magazine is a fairly old magazine, it has been around for a number of years and it is very well known. You can tell that a magazine is a Rolling Stones magazine even if some of the title is covered; this particular issue is an example of this as Amys hair is covering most of the title.

What is the text selling?

The text on this magazine seems to be selling some sort of interview with Amy Winehouse. I can tell this because her picture covers over half of the page and ‘Amy Winehouse’ is written in very large letters. It is also selling other bands’ tours which people may be interested in.

What sort of attitude/tone does it have?

The magazine seems to have a rock sort of attitude. I can tell this by the colours that have been used which are red, black and blue mainly. Rolling Stones magazine is well known for only having rock/alternative music in it and the colours and themes in it reflect this.

Magazine front cover - work in progress

This is my second attempt at my music magazine front cover. On my first attempt I used a reddy pinky colour instead of the teal colour on this one. This was because the colour was not very clear and hard to read. I am still not happy with my front cover as the text on the right hand side is still quite hard to read. I will have to work on this.

Introduction

I am an AS level student and  I am going to use this blog to publish my Media Studies coursework and to publish my progress throughout the year by also uploading homework tasks and giving general updates on how I'm doing.

The first piece of coursework that will be uploaded onto this blog is my task to create a music magazine. I have taken inspiration from magazines such as Q and NME for my design of my own magazine. I have looked at things such as the layout and colour schemes as well as the content of these magazines to use in my own.