Unfinished double page spread

This is my double page spread so far which I have been making using Photoshop.

Unifinished Contents Page

This is my contents page so far which I have been making using Photoshop.

Unfinished Front Cover

This is my front cover so far which I have been making using Photoshop. 

Summary of Research and Planning

I have researched existing music magazines of my proposed genre to help me create an idea for my own magazine. This has helped me because I could see how they attract their various target audiences, as well as their use of color schemes and images and the effectiveness of this. I am hoping to use this when I make my own magazine so that it appeals to the target audience as much as possible.

I have also carried out my own research to find out information about the target audience and their opinions on music and music magazines. I did this through giving out questionnaires to members of the public who I felt would have an interest in music and music magazines and collated their results. I also gathered information from a focus group where I explained my ideas for my magazine to them and collected their feedback. This has enabled me to get direct comments from the target audience so I know what they will like and what will make them want to buy my magazine. 

When looking at the various media institutions which would be representing my magazine I concentrated on the feedback of my target audience as to what they wanted my magazine to be like. With this in mind I could look at the existing magazines represented by each institution to see how much experience they would have within music magazines and my specific genre. When I chose Bauer Media it was because I felt that they had the most experience, as they own three music magazines, one of which is specific to my genre (Q Magazine). I would want my magazine to be represented by an institution that could provide the magazine with everything it needs to fit its target audience, as opposed to an institution such as EMAP Media, which has little experience within the commercial industry and doesn't represent any music magazines at all. 

Research Summary

Flat Plans for Magazine

 This is the flat plan for my front cover, which I made using Microsoft Powerpoint. I think it will appeal to its target audience because their are various sell lines which could appeal to each person and may attract them. One of my sell lines will feature a competition which may make the reader want to buy it so they can win the competition. Also my cover image is of a music artist of the genre my magazine is based on, so it is likely they will attract readers who will want to read the interview with them. I think the flat plan resembles the layout of a general magazine covers as I used an image over the whole page, their are cover lines in various different places on the page and the masthead etc. is in the left side third of the page. I have designed this flat plan in the style of Q Magazine.

 This is my flat plan for the contents page, which I made using Microsoft Powerpoint. I think it will appeal to the target audience because there are images which show the main articles and provide the page number so you can go straight to that article. Also I think it is organized well so it is easy to find a page you are looking for, as the articles will be listed in chronological order and are separated into sections based on their content. I have modeled this contents page on that of Q Magazine, as I think the way they set out their features is sensible and clear yet still interesting for the reader. 

This is my flat plan for the double page spread, which I made using Microsoft Powerpoint. I think it will appeal to the target audience because the image is the main focus of both pages, so there is less to read preventing it from getting boring. The shape of the image I am going to use means I can set out the DPS in a way that I think will look more interesting, as the article title will be next to her head, the interview will be where the white space is and the pull quote is positioned underneath her guitar. I think the pull quote will grab the readers attention and they may want to read the full interview if it interests them. My interview is going to be set out in columns with the questions and answers clearly separated using different colours. My double page spread is probably similar to that of NME.

Edited Images

Images for my Magazine

I reshot some of my images as the photos produced in my original photo shoot were blurry or had bad lighting. These are the images I am going to use in my magazine:

*The images are of better quality than they look in the slideshow*

Images for my magazine from sienamatkin

Peer Assessment

I agree with the comments provided my Hannah. I am going to upload the posts that are missing as soon as possible.

First Images for Magazine

Here are some examples of the images I have taken on the first photo shoot for my magazine. I will not be able to use these images for various reasons, which I have explained below.

I liked this image and was considering using it for my front cover, however it turned out blurry which I had not realized until later. I am going to retake the image and also look to improve the lighting and positioning to make it look more professional.

I like the pose of the model in this image, however the photo is too blurry to be used. There are also various other problems, for example there too many objects visible which should not be there. Also you can see the sideboard of the room where it was taken which is not something I would want shown in my magazine.  I am going to retake the image to see if it is improved in a different setting.

 

I am going to have to retake this image as it is blurry and shows the background, however I like that she is holding an instrument which proves she is a musician and could be used on the double page spread.

This image is slightly too blurry to be used. I also need to make sure her hair is positioned properly in each photo as it makes it look as if more time and effort has gone into the shoot.

Camera Shots & Taking Successful Images

Magazine Inspiration

I chose to use Pinterest to make an inspiration mood board for my magazine and in particular the front cover. Link: 

http://www.pinterest.com/sienamatkin/media-magazine-inspiration/

Colour Samples

This is a breakdown of the use of colour in my magazine. It also shows the magazines whose colour schemes I have taken inspiration from and examples of their magazine covers using these colours.

Font Samples

(All fonts were sourced at www.dafont.com)

I have been sampling different fonts (shown here) to find fonts that would be suitable to be used in my magazine, for example on my masthead, sell lines and in articles.

 I have chosen to use Font 14 (Lemon Milk) as the font for my masthead, as I think it will stand out, is easy to read and is suitable for my magazines genre.

I may use some of the other fonts in my magazines, for example my sell lines will need to stand out to attract the reader. 

Blog Feedback

Positive Feedback:

• Wide range of programmes used (e.g. Prezi, Slideshare)
• Very detailed
• Appropriate use of statistics
• Good understanding of tasks

To improve:

• Upload reader profile
• Upload colour shceme and font post
• Provide explanations on some posts

I agree with the comments and I am going to modify my blog to suit this. I uploaded my reader profile just after the feedback was completed and my fonts/colours posts will be uploaded as soon as it is completed. I am also going to going through my work and see if there is anywhere I could add an explanation to improve it.

Reader Profile

This is my reader profile which gives an overall view of my target audience, detailing their jobs, incomes, ages and interests etc. 

Magazine Institututions - My Decision

The media institution is very important in to making a magazine. It is involved at every stage - the institution contributes to the production of the magazine, as well as with the marketing to increase its popularity and the number of issues sold. It is also involved in where the magazine is distributed - which shops it is in for the customer to purchase it. To successfully produce and sell your magazine, it is essential to be represented by an institution that can cater for its needs efficiently. 
Based on my research, I have decided that I would want my magazine to be represented by Bauer Media. They are the UK division of the Bauer Media Group, which as a whole owns over 300 magazines in 15 European countries, as well as websites, TV and radio stations. Bauer Media own three well known music magazines - Q, Mojo and Kerrang! - which are arguably the most successful of their genres on the UK market. Q, for example, was read by 369,000 adults in June 2012. The majority of its audience was of the age range 15-34 (62%)  with the age range 35-44 having 20% of readers. This shows that the readership is primarily younger readers with a secondary target audience of people slightly older. 70% of its readers were of the ABC1 socio-economic class, meaning the majority have reasonable income to spend and are more educated.
In my opinion Bauer Media would have more experience with a music magazine than other institutions - for example EMAP, which releases informative publications concentrated within industries, as opposed to lifestyle magazines (music, fashion etc). I think being published by an institution such as Bauer Media would make my magazine look better, as they have a good reputation within the media industry. I have researched the current music magazines they represent and all of them - despite being of different genres - attract the same type of target audience - young adults onwards, mainly of the ABC1 socio-economic code. This is the target audience I want my magazine to appeal to so I think that the institution would know how to attract them. They would also know how to advertise it and where to distribute it so that it would be in the focus of the target audiences mind.

Q Magazine reader profile 

EMAP Media

Time Inc. Media

Immediate Media

Bauer Media

Evaluating Previous Work

This is a previous students music magazine that I analysed in a group with people in my class. We have done this to get a better understanding of what we need to do when it comes to making our own magazine. We gave this magazine a B overall, with individual marks for the front cover, contents page and double page spread.
We gave the front cover a B+. We thought that it was very well suited to its genre (rock), due to the font and colors. This person seems to have taken inspiration from Kerrang Magazine. The effect on the text to give it a worn appearance looks professional and matched the look you would expect 'Dragon Genocide' to have. We also thought the photograph stood out and caught the readers eye. We thought that to improve, more sell lines should have been used, as the three not relating to the cover artist were clumped together and were quite small, making them harder to read. Part of the reason for this may have been the closeness of the image, as there may have been an issue with sell lines covering parts of her head. We thought the image should have been a medium close up instead, so that there was more room for sell lines to be spread out over the page. Overall, though, we thought that this was a good front cover that showed understanding of what would attract the target audience. It also looks professional - the essential information and barcode are displayed as they would be on a real magazine.
We gave the contents page a B. It fit its purpose well - the articles were listed in chronological order with page numbers that were easy to read, and each piece of content was sectioned into one of three three catergories ('News', 'Reviews' and 'Interviews'). The colour scheme was  the same as the front cover - black, red, white, yellow and red - and matched the genre. Despite this, we thought the contents page overall looked slightly rushed, and more cauld have been done to make it look like existing magazines. The contents only lists up to page 43, whereas most magazines have at least 80-90 pages. We thought she could have added more to her contents page to make it appear there were more articles. We also thought she could have used a variety of different fonts for each catergory, as it would have grabbed the reader's attention and drtawn them in to each piece of information. We also thought that the image she used should have been a different person to the front cover, as it there would be something different for the reader to look at and it would show she had gone to the effort of interviewing/photographing more than one artist for her magazine. The contents page overall is suitable for the magazine and shows information clearly, however we thought more could be done in the design to make it look more professional.
We gave the double-page spread an A. For us, this was the best part of her magazine, as it looked professional and in keeping with the rest of the magazine whilst still interesting to the reader. The image of the artist is large and clear, and looks attractive to the reader. The artist's face stands put against the background of the image which catches the reader's eye. The image takes up about half of the double-page spread, which you would expect, as it reduces the amount of text there is to read. The article's title is a quote from the interview, which is clever as it hooks the reader in to read on. The interview is written in the style of an existing magazine. The questions are written in red and the answers in white, which clearly differentiates who is speaking at the time. It has been displayed in columns and it is easy for the reader to see where the next piece of text is. To improve, a pull quote could have been used somewhere on the double page spread, as this may further interest a reader in the article's content and covince them to read on.

Focus Group Feedback Analysis

Question 1: Comments on name

• Jacob stated that "The title is appropriate to the articles". I would agree with this feedback because the artist on my magazine cover will be someone who has popular music and may influence you to buy their single/album etc.
• Ellis stated that "The name links with the theme of the magazine". I am going to try to make it clear what the magazines genre/sub-genre is and why it is called Influence. I may use a slogan such as 'New music now' to show the magazines about the newest, most popular music of the times.

Question 2: Comments on front cover / double-page spread

• Hannah stated that "Using a guitar as a prop on the front cover suggests the artist has music talent and may interest people in the double page spread". I agree with Hannah, and for this reason I am going to use a guitar. If the target audience sees they have a musical instrument this may interest them more to know they can play as well as sing. They then may be more likely to buy the magazine and read the interview inside.
• Emily stated that "An interview is more interactive with the reader than a feature and should therefore be used for the double-page spread. Using sell lines will help to attract the target audience". I agree with Emily as I think the reader can connect more if they know the words written were actually spoken by the musician and feel like they find out more about them. I will take her advice and use sell lines also, as they may catch the readers eye bring their attention to the magazine.

Question 3: General comments

• Robyn stated that "The front cover's image will draw the reader in to the main article (double-page spread). I suggest advertising a music-based competition or offer within the sell lines (for example winning concert tickets) to further attract the reader". I am going to take note of Robyn's comments; it is a good idea to advertise a competition as it may convince someone to purchase the magazine. If it is music based as she suggested it will suit both the target audience and the socio-economic code - people with some money to spend, but not necessarily enough to afford to go to a concert regularly.
• Jacob stated that "There are some good ideas proposed and the simple nature of the magazine will make it achievable within deadlines. Be careful not to over-simplify in case the magazine looks boring". Taking this into account, I am going to work on putting comments from the feedback of the focus group into practice, for example catchy sell lines and competitions.

Question 4: Comments on colour and image use

• Ellis stated that "The colour scheme of red, black and white are gender neutral which appeals to the masses". This is what I am aiming for, as I want the magazine to be able to engage a wide target audience rather than one specific small group.
• Robyn stated that "The colour scheme is good as they are not gender specific colours. Try to use each colour for certain things so they have a uniform style". I think this is a good idea. I will try to separate each colour so that they have a purpose, for example using red for the masthead, using black for sell lines and white for essential information (date, price). I may also try and use a bright colour such as yellow to advertise a competition or special offer, as it will stand out from everything else.

Focus Group Feedback

 Feedback

Feedback

These are two examples of the feedback forms I received from people in my focus group about my magazine. 

Questionnaire Results Analysis

Questionnaire Results Analysis from sienamatkin

Questionnaire Results

This is an interpretation of my results from the questionnaires. I compiled the answers from each question into tables, and using this data created a pie chart for each question that clearly shows the opinions of the sample.

Questionaire

These are some examples of the questionnaires I used to carry out research and my results.

Magazine Proposal

What genre of magazine will you make and why? Who will be your primary and secondary audience (by age, gender and audience code)?

I am going to make a popular music magazine, comprised of the pop music genre. It will have a sub-genre of indie music, as some popular artists have music of that genre. I am going to do this because this is the music I have the greatest knowledge of, so will be the easiest for me personally to make. Also I think there are a number of magazines of this genre already on the market, so I can look at them for inspiration and can style my magazine based on those ideas. My primary audience will be people of around the ages 18-30. The secondary audience will be people of around the ages 31-45, as there may be some popular artists featured who were of an older generation. This is because most of the magazine would consist of ‘newer’ artists who had only been around for shorter periods of time, and would have music that was in circulation now. I am going to try to keep the magazine gender neutral, as I want people to read it because they are interested in this music genre more than anything else. The audience code would probably be C1 or B – people with an average income, who have some money to spend on their interests. This is because the magazine will be quite expensive, and as it is a music magazine this would be a purchase they made due to their personal interests. Also the magazine will refer to albums, singles and concerts etc., which they would need money to afford. The language of the magazine will be informal – to appear friendly to the target audience.

What will be in the magazine you make?

My magazine will have a front cover, a contents page and a double page spread. The magazine will have a pop artist of my choice on the cover, with an interview or article about them inside. They will probably be promoting new music, which will be discussed and/or reviewed by my magazine. It will also give information as to how you can find out more about the artist, such as their website or social media accounts. I will use my own images throughout the magazine.

Which magazines exist that is similar to yours? How will you research our magazine?

The two main magazines that are similar to my own are Q and NME. They are both magazines that focus on new pop/indie music. Q Magazine is published by Bauer Media Group. It features articles and interviews with new/existing artists, primarily of the pop genre (e.g. Lady Gaga). It also writes reviews of albums and concerts etc., and looks at music from the past. It is issued on a monthly basis. NME is published by IPC Media. It focuses more on indie music, featuring artists such as The Arctic Monkeys. It also updates its readers with news in the music world at that time. It is published on a weekly basis. I am going to use Q and NME for research, by analyzing their articles and features. This will give me ideas for my own magazine, as I will know what the audience finds appealing. I am also going to carry out a questionnaire with my target audience so that I have direct feedback from the people that would actually be purchasing and reading it. In the questionnaire I will ask questions such as how they find out about new music, how often they read music magazines, the features they would like to see and the content they want in the magazine.

Where will you get your images? What will they be of?

I am going to take all of my images myself. They will be of the artist who will give an interview to the magazine, and one image will also be used for the front cover. The images will be set against a blank background and the artist will be wearing simple clothes, as from my research I have found music magazines focus more on the artist’s music than clothing, and I don’t want it to become a distraction. I am going to use props, such as a guitar for the model to hold and a chair for them to sit on. The guitar will show that the interview is about their music (as this artist will play guitar as well as singing) and the chair will allow me to take photos of them from different angles and in different poses.

What will be the name of the magazine?

The name of my magazine will be Influence. I have chosen this because my genre is based on new pop/indie music. The music and the artists can have an effect on people – if you like their music you may be influenced to buy their album or go to their concert. If the artist is famous, you may want to copy them, for example emulate their style etc. It is also because the magazine itself can influence you to buy music – by promoting a certain band or giving an album a good review.

How will you ensure your magazine looks both original and professional?

My magazine will look original because it will have all of its own images and articles – I will have produced them. I am going to take inspiration from other magazines, but the content will be completely my own, and fictional in a sense, as the ‘artist’ featured won’t actually be a real musician. I am going to make the magazine in Adobe Photoshop, so the design of it will also be original rather than copied. Using Adobe Photoshop will make it look more professional than using software such as Microsoft Publisher, because it is more similar to software used in the media industry. I think I will struggle to use it as I only have very basic skills on Photoshop, however I think overall the appearance of the magazine will be better.

Existing Magazines - What Have I Learnt?

Front covers

Analysing existing music magazine front covers has helped me with my own magazine. I have found that most magazines use a medium close up or close up as the cover image, and a distinct theme in the colours on the page. I also know that the front cover is aimed specifically at the target audience, for example the music artist on the cover will be of the genre that the target audience is interested. I know that the appearance and content of the masthead, subhead and sell lines is also important as they attract the reader to the magazine and may convince them to purchase it.

Contents Page

I have learnt that having a good structure to the contents page is important so that it is easy to read and find pages. It should also be in chronological order. Using images and quotes from articles act as a hook and draw the reader in. Also certain articles should be separated into categories regarding their topic, for example 'Interviews'.

Double Page Spread

I have found that the main image on a double page spread should take up about half of the article (in this case the full first page). When the article is an interview, it is important to have the questions and the answers  clearly distinguished so as not to confuse the reader. Using pull quotes can also help to grab the reads attention and draw them in.

Deconstruction of Double Page Spread

Deconstruction of Magazine Contents Pages

Deconstruction of Magazine Covers

Deconstruction of magazine covers from sienamatkin

College Magazine Analysis

College Magazine Analysis from sienamatkin

Editing an image for College Magazine

Unused Image

Unused image

Used image

This is my unused image. I took this image of the new arts building at Bede Campus to use in my college magazine, however I chose not to use it because when I uploaded it it didn't look very professional. You cannot see all of the building and the angle of the camera meant that the roof of the building has been cut off. I decided instead to use another image, which showed more of the building as well as the sports building behind it. It also shows the seating area outside the buildings and some students walking around. This makes it look more appealing to potential students as it shows what college life could be like for them if they chose to go to Bede College.

College Magazine

Cover page

Contents page

Flatplan

Expectations of a College Magazine

My expectation of a college magazine would include information and news about Sunderland College. The topics covered would need to accommodate all students, for example A-Level, vocational, sport and higher education students. The front cover should have a medium close up of a student somewhere around the college. They should look happy as it projects the image that they enjoy their time at the college and may attract potential students. The photograph should be of a student because they are the primary target audience and it is important to appeal to them. It should have a large college logo in the left side third, as this is where your eyes are naturally drawn to and it makes it obvious what the magazine is for. The masthead should be large, in a bright colour, bold font and displayed across the top of the page, to draw the attention of the reader. The sell lines should be displayed around the main image, on the sides of the page, and they should be short and spaced out, to prevent the cover from appearing cluttered.

The contents page of the magazine should be clearly labeled so that the reader knows where to go to find the features on the front cover. Ideally the contents page would have another image of somewhere around the college, to familiarize the reader with it. Page references need to be made very clear for each page so that the reader can find everything easily. Throughout the magazine, images of the college need to be used so that the college creates a clear picture in the readers mind. I think fonts used in the magazine need to be clear and bold, so that the information is easy to see. The font style should also be kept relatively the same throughout, to make the college look professional. All types of feature need to relate to the college, as that is the subject of the magazine. My features will mainly include upcoming events, as well as advertising the new buildings and facilities of the college, of which I will provide photographs.