Final Finished Music Magazine pages

Here are my final finished music magazine pages:

Front cover 

 Contents page

Feature article 

Music Magazine Evaluation : Question 7 - Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have leanrt in the progression from it to the full product ?

I used prezi.com to create a presentation to show what I have learnt and improvements I've made from my preliminary task. 

Music Magazine Evaluation : Question 6 - What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing your magazine?

I have learnt to use a variety of new technologies such as Photoshop, Cam studio and websites such as Stupeflix, emaze and piktochart. 

I have learnt a great deal more about photoshop and its properties, I have created a video to show the process of creating each page in my magazine using photoshop. 

  I used piktochart to show some of the photoshop tools I used when creating my music magazine pages.

Music Magazine Evaluation: Question 5 - How did you attract/address your audience?

For looking at how I attracted/addressed my audience I used Bubbl.us to create a mindmap explaining the different ideas and what I used to attract/address my audience. 

Music Magazine Evaluation : Question 4 - Who would be the audience of your music magazine?

My target audience for my magazine are;

• 15-28 year olds 
• Those who like the style of music : Indie rock, alternative 

I created a mood board using Photoshop to show a representation of my target audience and what they may like and be interested in:

I also made a mood board of what my target audience may look,dress like;

Music Magazine Evaluation : Question 3 - What kind of media institution might distribute your magazine and why?

I used the website emaze.com to create a powerpoint of my ideas for what kind of media institution might distribute my magazine. 

Music magazine evaluation : Question 2 - Representation

The question asks you to consider how your magazine represented different social groups.

To show how my magazine represents particular social groups , I use piktochart to create a slideshow of the images in my magazine and the representation they each show. 

Music magazine evaluation : Question 1 - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products

I used  wordle to create a word cloud that shows all the conventions of a typical music magazine front cover:

I used Thing link to annotate my final front cover of my magazine.

I created another wordle to make another word cloud showing the conventions of music magazine contents pages.

I annotated both pages of my contents showing how I used or challenged conventions of a music magazine contents page. 

I also have created a wordle to show the conventions of a music magazine feature article. 

I have used Thinglink to annotate the pages of my music magazine feature article.

Draft Music Magazine pages - Focus group Feedback

Draft Music Magazine pages Feedback 

As my magazine is aimed at 15-26 year olds, I got feed back from this age range on what they thought about my draft magazine pages.
I used the website Padlet to present my draft music magazine and collect my feedback.

 

Created with Padlet

Original Images for Music Magazine

Original Images 

From my previous post of planning my original images, these are my out comes from my original images.

Here is my Stupeflix video of my original images I used for my magazine.

Colour Scheme for Music Magazine

Colour scheme for music magazine 

For my music magazine colour scheme used Adobe Kuler (kuler.adobe.com) to create a variety of colour swatches . I experimented with different colours that I could possibly use for my magazine.

I chose the basic two colours that are on every current running magazine; Black and white. The use of black and white make sure that the colour of the magazine aren't too over powering to the reader. By adding one or two more colours such as red,blue or yellow give the magazine a hint of colour but ensure its subtle, looks good and appeals to the target audience.

I like 4 out of my possible colour schemes, When it come to making my magazine I think I will experiment with my colour scheme seeing which one looks best and suits the target audience of my magazine.

Font selection for music magazine

Font selection 

For choosing my fonts to use for my music magazine I used DaFont.com. I looked at a range of fonts from sans serif to serif, for my front cover text, contents text and feature article text.from my research i know that i must have a range of fonts that differ but some must be continuous so that my magazine stands out but also has a sense of continuity and house style to create a certain look for my magazine

Front Cover Fonts

For my front cover Masthead font  I chose to have a serif font, below I chose a selection of fonts i liked from DaFont.com and put them all together to compare and see which ones I liked best. From my research work I know that the mast head is key in selling the magazine, that it must be different, large and stand out.

My favourite fonts for my masthead are the 4th and 5th fonts down. The font I have chosen to use for my mast head is LEVI BRUSH, I chose this font as it stood out and looks unusual.Also that this style font looks loose and free hand, which I can relate to the genres of my magazine and the style, as the music and artist topics in my magazine which focus on serious music commentary, music on a personal scale. Indigo is the name of my magazine, however when using the fonts I experimented with a mixture of capitals and lower case. The styles/looks I chose were:

• INDiGO
• iNDiGO
• INDieGO 
• INDIEGO 
• INDIgo
• INDI-GO
• INDI-go 

Cover Line Fonts 

For my cover line fonts I chose three different fonts to use for my cover lines of my magazine. From looking at professional music magazines I know that there can be between 2 and 3 different types of fonts used for the cover lines of magazines. 

The fonts I have chosen for my cover lines are EVER AFTER, CHAMPAGNE & LIMOUSINES and ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES. I like these three fonts the most as they are similar yet different.They wont look to similar on my front cover. 

Contents Page Fonts

when choosing my fonts for my contents page I know that from my research some of the fonts from the front cover are continued to give a sense of house style and continuity. Therefore I have put the two fonts I chose for my masthead as options for my contents page, I also used fonts from my cover line selections. 

For my contents fonts I have chosen are, EVER AFTER for headers, BIKO for the body text and use LEVIBRUSH as the title contents on my contents page. I have chosen to use the same fonts and to introduce a new font as I learnt this from researching into music magazine and looking at the fonts that are used. 

Feature Article fonts 

For my feature article fonts I must chose two fonts, one for the headings to ensure they stand out from the rest of the text. The body text should be sans serif as its easy to read and clear, the headings text could be either a sans serif or a serif font. These are the options for my feature article fonts: 

For my heading font I like two of the fonts I chose for my initial options, the fonts I like are 'TRASHHAND' and 'FLORENCE'. I like these two fonts as the stand out and are serif fonts and could be use for headings in my feature article. For my body text I know that from my research I know that the body text should be a sans serif as it is clear and easy to read. For my body text I like two fonts from my original ideas are, 'GRAVITY' and 'FLORENCESANS'. I like these two fonts as they are simple but are easily read and I think are the best choices for body text. 

Planning original images

Planning original images 


When planning my front cover image I came up with two ideas, my second idea is what i will use if  i am unable to use my first idea due to problems that could effect when and where i take my photographs.

Front Cover Image 
Idea 1 -

• Background/location - Taken outside, next to a tree to relate to the name ‘The Birds’. Girls stood next to or sat in a tree, the girls will positioned around the tree as it relates and links to the name of the band and has the element of nature running through. 
• Lighting - A natural lighting, as due to the image being taken outside I will have to  try to not get too much shadow. 
• Shot size - the shot size will be portrait and on a straight or just slightly low angle, as if the girls are higher up or looking down on the image, this relates again to the name of the band. 
• Costume and props -  The girls (‘The birds) will be wearing ‘hippy’ type clothing, element of nature running through the images.
• Body/facial expressions/positioning within the frame  -  the girl will be positioned around the tree, their facial expression will express their personalities. 
• Intended connotations -  The outside / nature theme relates to the band’s name ‘The birds’ and their outlook on the world.

Idea 2 - 

• Background/location - Taken on a white lighted background, for the models to take up most of the image. 
• Lighting - Highly lit background and models partially lit so there is still some shadow but none that is unflattering. Using the three point lighting system.  
• Shot size - The shot size with be portrait, on a slightly low angle. 
• Costume and props - The girls (‘The birds) will be wearing ‘hippy’ type clothing, element of nature running through the images. 
• Body/facial expressions/ positioning within the frame - The girls will be posed – one with their hands like birds and another showing the rock symbol. This will express the personalities of the band. 
• Intended connotations - The way the girls are positioned expresses the personalities of the band members. 

Contents Images 

Below is a grid I produce to present my ideas for my contents images. 

Feature Article images 

My feature article images will have a similar link/theme to the main image on my front cover. As throughout my article there is a theme/ link to the bands name 'The Birds' and nature, as this makes a more interesting look and link to the band being interviewed.  

Below is a grid i produced to present my ideas for my feature article images.

Media theory

We have explored Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory (1954) and The Uses and Gratification theory.

Hierarchy of Needs Theory - 
The hierarchy of needs theory states that human behavior reflects a range of needs, these needs are ranked in order of  basic needs  to higher aspirations. The unsatisfied needs are those which motivate our behaviors, when one of these needs had been fulfilled such as the need for food , the next need appears and wants to be fulfilled.
Marlow stated that these hierarchy can be dynamic and reversible:  For example that one person may feel the need to only have expensive pairs of shoes whereas someone else my not, Marlow stats that the needs are not always present in the same order in everyone.

Above is Marlow's hierarchy of needs (1954)

The Uses and Gratification theory - 
Another theory we looked at is The Uses and Gratification theory. This can be used to analyse advertisements and lifestyle magazines. The theory suggests that audiences actively use advertisements and magazines to meet some of thee needs as stated in Marlow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory.
McQuail, Blumber and Browm (1972) defined four major areas of the needs, Which the Media activily seek to please.

• Diversion : An escape from our routine and daily problems, it can be used as an emotional release 
• Personal relationships : A sense of companionship, feeling a part of a group
• Personal Identity : Reinforcing our own values or knowledge, through comparisons with other's values or knowledge. ( this could include values or knowledge from the media producers and of celebrities).
• Surveillance : The need for a constant supply of information about what is happening in the world.

 Both of theses theories are relevant as we can use them to analyse and look into music magazines. For example when looking at a front cover there are certain elements on the front cover that can relate to The Use and Gratification Theory.

In the lesson I looked at this magazine front cover, from looking at this i found some points that can be related to the theories above. For example the pull out quote "We were one of the greatest bands ever" can apply to The Uses and Gratification Theory as its past tense meaning that this can apply to the 'Personal Relationship' part of the theory as those who were there at the time the band 'We're one of the greatest bands' many feel a sense of companionship. Also there is a sense of personal identity as the pull quote makes readers wondered what has happened to them, as it states they 'We're' one of the greatest, why are they not now? this reinforces the readers own values and knowledge of the band.

Planning Ideas for music magazine

Planning my ideas for Music magazine 

Below is an Examtime mind map to present my ideas about planning for my music magazine.

by hlea41

Research into music magazine industry

I have spent sometime researching into the music magazine market and industry. I found that the music magazine industry is in decline due to people not wanting to buy music magazines as often. This has been show to be because of online music magazines and news that are free and easier to access  , according to ABC (audit bureau of circulation figures).

Below is my prezi I created on research into the music industry an a variety of different music magazines.

Exploring a feature article

In class I have analysed the linguistic features of a Kerrang! feature article on the band 'THE USED' as well as looking at the layout and conventions to help inform my own feature article...

At the start of the lesson we read through parts of the article on the band 'THE USED'. Then to help when it comes to creating our own articles we had to come up with a headline and a stand first for 'THE USED' article. Here are some of the headlines and stand first...

Headlines

• Interrupted, corrupted 
• The medical mystery of Bert Mccarcken 
• Confused, The Used 

Stand first 

• mad, abnormal or just plain brilliance? 
• Is Bert Mccracken a new music genius or just a typical druggie ?
• Is Bert Mccracken really 10/6 or is he pulling a trick out of a hat.
• The exclusive interview inside the mind  of  Bert Mccracken and the rest of the used. 

The articles linguistic features consist of switching between question and answer, this gives the sense as if the readers are part of the interview and as if they are sat in the room. 

Research and analysis of music magazine pages

Here is my analysis of....

The key learning points about front covers are...

The key learning points about contents pages are...

The key learning points about feature articles are...

How will it inform my work?

Looking into these front covers,contents page and feature articles will help to inform my work as I have  greater understanding of the conventions of music magazine pages. Also looking at these pages in detail has given me new ideas and inspired and has helped to inform my ideas for my own music magazine.

Prelim task review

Prelim Task - Final outcome

Here are my finished prelim task outcomes - Sixth Form magazine and contents page

You can find below my Prezi which analyses all the aspects of my prelim task.

Planning ideas for Sixth Form Magazine

Planning ideas for Sixth Form Magazine

Here are my ideas for the front cover of my Sixth Form Magazine including taking into consideration elements of Mise-en-scene:

The Masthead for my Sixth Form Magazine is FUSION which will dominate the left and middle top thirds in a black or deep navy blue serif font.
 I also had other ideas for my Masthead such as;

• Imprint 

• F.A.S.F 

• 1.2.3

• Falli Fusion

• 6th print 

• Fusion

Ideas for cover page; 

• In the right top third of my cover is the issue number and date of my magazine which is vertical text.

• Underneath my Masthead , is a tag line 'Fallibroome's Fantastic, Fresh ,New 6th From Magazine' 

• The cover line of  'WINTER BALL WONDER' dominates most of the bottom three thirds, with a short tag line underneath of 'Confused on what to wear' 

• The image for the front cover is a medium close up of a girl predominantly place inn the right and center thirds. 

• The costume, will be a formal dress such as for the winter ball , however the model will wear a bow tie as to relate to the story of 'Confused on what to wear' , the make up will be elegant to match the theme of the 'ball'. the models hair will be loose and flowing in an elegant style. 

• Where as I also have another idea for the costume of  having the model in a shirt and bow tie, with a tight black strapless dress pulled up to low chest line. This relates to the story of being 'confused on what to wear' 

• The facial expression of the model will be looking confused.

• The back ground will be white to a light cream, to contrast against the dark front on models clothes.With some shadow from the model. 

• The extra cover lines in the left third of the cover will in deep blues and light red fonts 

• There will be a menu trip along the bottom thirds , advertising revision techniques and study skills.

•  The Winter ball aspect as the main story in the magazine. The models costume will be black,white and may also have some blue to tie in with the cool contemporary colour scheme.

• Ideas on Winter ball fashion 

• What to do after Sixth Form 

• Ideas on music, movies etc. 

• Driving lessons 

• Revision techniques and study skills 

Type faces for Masthead;

I chose FUSION as my magazine is a Sixth Form Magazine for school I also wanted to incorporate fashion, music, movies etc. into the magazine as if its a fusion of school and lifestyle. 

These are some of the font ideas for my Masthead, I chose fonts that were Serfi and that looked like  a collage/school type font, I chose fonts that were bold and that stand out for my Masthead. My three most favourite fonts from the ones above are;

'Friday Night Lights' I like this font as it looks like a classic collage font, I like the white outline of the font and the effect of the font that seems like lights.

'Campus Relief' I like this font as the black bold outline makes the font stand out more, I like the drop shadow on the font. The font looks similar to classic collage fonts however I like it because it doesn't fully resemble a classic collage font.

'Retrohand' This is my favourite font out of the three fonts as I like the style of the font.I like the way it looks like some of the letters have been stitched together and look slightly jumbled up.

Colour Schemes; 

For my colour scheme I wanted some simple colours like creams and then other colours that were bright and stand out. My favourite ones are the third one and the fifth one, as I like the third one as I like calm colours of the white and the cream/grey. I also like the brightness of the blue and the lilac as they stand out from the other colours. I like the fifth one because I like the lighter colours as they contrast against the light pink and deep red. 

Ideas for the contents page; 

• Images of winter ball 
• image of 'scenes from the silver screens'
• university application/ ucas /revision techniques 
• images of students studying 
• someone looking confused 
• someone looking stressed
• image of sixth form logo
• pictures have numbers allocated to story titles on the page.