General Front Cover Research

I have begun my research into the overall presentation of music magazines; with this I will be analysing numerous of front covers, identifying all of the forms and conventions that feature in this type of magazine. whether it's from the 'look' of the model to the background, font, colours, layout, or the general style of the entire product.

Firstly, this magazine would seem somewhat 'edgy' the overall appearance comes across as very striking and powerful, the stance of the model (which is Lily Allen) instantly showcases folky,edgy music, and the focus that they eyes have on the audience, imply that they are trying to connect with the reader by drawing them in. The hands on her hips and minimal, clothing illustrates and takes that edginess to another level, it seems very serious and portrays the 'ideal' music magazine if Lily Allen was featured in it since it mirrors her genre of music. 


The title is very simple, however, very bold and prominent, and despite the title being covered by the models head it still stands out.This magazine appears to be quite unusual compared to generic magazines; for example, instead of the headings on the front cover being in front of the model and overlapping her, they are in fact behind her, which would seem quite unusual as the writing is what is meant to stand out to the reader as that is what the magazine consists of and what they would be reading, in its place is the model being in the foreground, appearing as if she is more important, and to emphasis she is in the foreground, her shadow has been highlighted around her, making it very apparent that she is standing in front and almost coming out of the page. Instead of this model having a close up or mid shot of her it is more of a full length picture so the overall front cover isn't as concentrated on just the model.


The way the writing has been diagonally printed on the page creates the illusion that the writing is a part of the background wallpaper, which is also featured very differently, usually it is the typical white background, however, this very different, I something I may want to consider in my music magazine as I do not want a plain white background, instead I want something more adventurous and unique. 

This second image is a big contrast in comparison to the previous image. It is very much so concentrated on the face with an extreme close up shot of the artist; Florence and the machine, again using celebrity endorsement to entice the reader.The extreme close up shot of the artist is quite unusual for a magazine as usually it would be a mid shot showing part of the body, however, this shot seems quite intimate and very powerful, with the pureness it portrays due to the colour scheme of only striking red, white and black. The black only being used to state the artist 'FLORENCE' the pose and fierce look on the face suggests a very domineering stance looking directly at the reader, again adding to the fact that the front cover of the magazine is to draw the reader in. 


All the writing has been placed in the foreground on top of the image, making it  noticeable, especially with the white against the deep red. The font is all the same, all upper case, bold and striking however, the only difference in the font is the word 'of' inbetween 2 and 10 varying the font slightly. Tracking is used on 'Introducing the new NME' the letters are all spaced out from one another compared to the other words. This gives the feeling as if it has based the font and style of the tracking on a film; as when a new film is released it usually has this type of styling, therefore, NME has then related this and based this specifically parallel to introducing the new NME. 


This image uses the mid shot I mentioned previously. Alike all magazines, celebrity endorsement is used; Paramore, however, only the lead singer is on the front page instead of using the whole band. Red, white and black appear to be a very popular colour schemes in magazines, because they stand out so much.

Paramore has been printed across the middle through the artist, making the reader aware of exactly what is included in the magazine; along with a quote from a supposed interview mentioned above her left shoulder. Illustrated with quotation marks. The background in this specific photo isn't the 'typical' as usually it is a plain background of some sort however, this has particularly been set out to show some sort of distortion within the entire image as it is very blurred not allowing the reader to make out exactly what it is and part of it has been incorporated into the models clothing almost giving out a sense of confusion nevertheless, this confusion has been overcome by the strong powerful pose that is being portrayed, her hand placed up to her face in a defensive 'punchy' way, with a pout of the lip, suggesting some sort of 'attitude'

Overall I particularly prefer this magazine front cover as all the focus is on the model, she is the centre of attention and stands out to the audience and this is exactly what I want my magazine to include, a striking, eye catching front cover.

Mood Board

My mood board as shown above represents every aspect of my music magazine in terms of design/style/and overall image I am trying to portray to my target audience. Including typical 'indie style' people the clothing, attitudes, posing and so forth. Something I want to re create and stand out in my music magazine.

Introduction to the Music Magazine

After completing my preliminary task I am now moving onto my main task; that of the music magazine. The preliminary task enabled me to make any mistakes that could have occurred in the main task, therefore, hopefully improving skills and knowledge of what mistakes not to make in this main task. I am going to concentrate my music style onto Alternative Music, known as 'Indie'. I already have a brief idea of what I want this certain creation to consist of, that mainly of two models a male and female, so I have a variety in my product. nevertheless, I will continue my research further into every aspect of this magazine, including, pictures, fonts, models, styles, techniques, poses, clothing, colours, foreground, background and the overall presentation. Everything that when combined creates a successful magazine.

MUSIC MAGAZINE

I HAVE NOW COMPLETED MY PRELIMINARY TASK AND THEREFORE, I AM GOING ONTO MY NEXT PRODUCT AND CREATING A MUSIC MAGAZINE

Evaluation

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


My media product uses the forms and conventions of real media; as going by the research of real media products such as actual primary school magazines and general contents pages I then related my product to the real thing therefore, follows some sort of conventional presentation. By initially doing this secondary research, it enabled me to be able to create a product that would appear a real magazine even if it is only an AS level preliminary, the brief is to create an authentic magazine that could potentially be distributed as a magazine that parents of the school pupil's can read.


My front page of the magazine uses, the clear bold title spread across the top of the page, complete with a date and a main focus image as the background. It has pieces of short text and headings drawing the reader in and wanting to read whats inside the magazine. Moreover, just generally making the magazine stand out, being bold and inviting just like any other conventional media product that is on the market today.


My contents page also follows and uses the typical forms and conventions of real media, as like I did previously for my front page I also researched real media contents pages, I therefore, analysed them to see what a range of them included and what could potentially fit into my contents to give it a sense of realism as if it is already a ready made product. I specifically included the rule of thirds technique in order to lay it out in an orderly manor. This technique then enables the reader to have a clear viewing of what they are looking at, since it is a reference page, therefore, it having to be clear, simple and precise. Many magazines use this technique, meaning that I too applied it to my contents, creating that 'real media product' Using this I also applied the bold title, one image for the reader to concentrate on and clear easy page numbers and references. All in all both media products have been purposely made to look like a 'real media product'


How does your media product represent particular social groups?


My media product represents the primary school children in the most positive light possible, not as some little 'hooligans' growing up to turn into so called 'thugs.' This magazine is just a general presentation of the successes of one particular primary school, focusing on the achievements of the pupils, up coming events and in overall informing the parents of what the children have been up to and what the school has been participating in, and how the children are benefiting and achieving from these certain activities and days out.This particular product represents children of 5 and  up towards 11 years of age, this magazine truly portrays how school can be enjoyable and fun, and not 'some place' you have to go to; it most definitely focus' on this aspect, everything is very friendly and laid back, all in all a positive presentation.


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


Most probably an independent magazine institution would distribute this magazine as it is only for one school; and it would cost too much money to get it done professionally as the school wouldn't have the same amount of funds that for instance produce the Daily Mail.


Who be the audience of your media product?


I mainly aimed my media product at the parents of the pupils as they are effectively the ones that are being informed about the on goings within the school grounds. However, I have still made it very 'child friendly' as the magazine would initially be given to the child to take home so they are the first one to receive it therefore, if they find it interesting from the front cover, they may also be willing to read it, consequently the more people that read it and the wider the audience that are drawn in the more successfull the magazine has been. The overall presentation is of a very childlike nature as that who it is about, and the parents would rather see a smiling child happy with coming to school rather than a miserable head teacher, which is not the main focus. Therefore, my main target audience is that of the child's parents however, I have tried to make the magazine so that it appeals to a wide audience as well.


How did it attract/address your audience? 


Firstly, the boldness of the front cover was intentionally created to attract the audiences eye and attention; the use of bold primary colours and the significance of having one main picture with nothing else going on adds to this aspect. It then addresses the audience in a very friendly, content manner as the magazine is nothing near as formal as it could be, however, just showing the pure enjoyment that primary school pupils get from being at school. This audience, mainly being the parents then reassures them that it is a decent school and that their child is getting a well deserved and well taught primary education. Leading on from the front page is then the contents page; again using the same techniques, bold, primary colours following a theme of blue, red and white so that the overall presentation addresses the audience in a suttle way as it isn't too overbearing for the eye, nevertheless still attracts them. The focus of the one main image again doesn't make the page too over crowded but still attracts the reader because there is no other image to focus on so all the concentration can be put to that. The overall simplicity but boldness of the contents page makes it very inviting for the audience and addresses them in a way that it is easy for them to find and search for a page reference that they can go to within the magazine.


What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?


From constructing this overall product I have learnt from the very beginning of new technologies and how to use them and advanced further in my knowledge of others. Firstly, I learnt about how Adobe InDesign works, as I used this in the beginning to decide on my font for my title and use this program for development and to experiment with different font/styles/sizes/ colours and so forth - I then went on to use this program further; as I created both the front cover and contents page using Adobe InDesign. At first I found it quite challenging being able to to try and work out where everything was and how certain things work and what changes what, but after trial and error it became a program that proved to be very straight forward to use.


Another program that I used was Photoshop; a program I had used previously however, not in much depth, I hadn't much greater knowledge, however, knew the basics. Nevertheless, when taught Photoshop in greater depth I then used it to manipulate and correct any imperfections within the photographs I had taken and chosen to be in my magazine, by using a 'cloning stamp' that identically copies a selected part of the picture which then can replicated in a place that for instance has a blemish; all in order to give it that final finished look.

Final Contents Page

This is my final product; like my front page I gathered up all my useful research in order to create an ideal contents page that would suit the overall style and content of this school magazine. I wanted the layout to be something fairly simple, as it is supposed to be a page that readers can refer to if they want a specific page that takes heir interest when reading it off the front cover or the contents; therefore, this was my aim to create a simple yet bright, bold and interesting product.


I began with using; alike the front page , Adobe Photoshop with the selected of image of mine, to manipulate and correct any faults or blemishes that appeared within the picture. I successfully did this and exported too as a JPEG and started creating my contents page in InDesign. However, instead of using the image as the entire background I only wanted it as a side image, keeping with the same model and theme of primary education however, changing the setting slightly and being outside on the grass. When I placed this picture I purposely flipped the picture horizontally so that he is almost looking up towards the reader as, the image is making eye contact therefore, drawing them in, when previously he was looking away. I incorporated the rule of thirds into my contents page, so that everything is well laid out. This is more apparent as I have used a blue border continuing from the title into the image and then having the column along the left hand side. I tried to stick to a colour scheme so the page doesn't seem too over bearing with colours. I finally added a few extra images related to the exclusive page all in order to create that feel of that the reader is still reading a primary school magazine and to add a sense of fun and childlike characteristics, especially with some of the sans font and cartoon books.


Overall I feel that like the front page the simplicity of this page makes it more effective and has continuity from the front page to the contents page which I think is extremely important, its clear, informative and again maintains that 'child friendly' feel to it.

Final Front Page

This is my final product; my front page to my magazine. Using all the research, and trial and error, I finally managed to create something suitable for a primary school. A quite relaxed, enjoyable feel to the overall finish. Nothing too formal and nothing too informal just a good mixture of both however, still leaving the reader with a feel of easiness when reading. I began with choosing my final picture that I was going to include on the front of my magazine, I then edited this in 'Adobe Photoshop' to touch up any blemishes on the face, make the overall appearance a lot smoother, I also removed a picture that was hanging on the wall in the background and a radiator, as I wanted to keep the feel of being it being in a school.

I then exported this image so it would be in the form of a JPEG and placed this image in InDesign where I began creating the rest of my magazine. Using this as image as my background I then layered items on top of it to form a magazine. I used my already created title in InDesign and copy and pasted it, placing where necessary, I added edging to the top left and bottom right corner to add an almost like banner style to it keeping with the main colour of red. I finished it off by adding relevant headings and text, making it bright and colourful, so that it attracts the reader. 

On overall a fairly simple layout, nevertheless draws the reader in making them engrossed in what appears before them.

Contents Page Drawing

Similar to the front page designs, I repeated the same concept for the contents page and the designs for them. This particular design is very simple, as I had done some research into contents pages however, was unsure how to design my own as I didn't really have any thoughts and ideas as what I would want it to look like. So i started of with a simple layout of the title, two pictures and two areas for the page numbers/headings/ and sub headings. This way I would be able to decide what I do or don't like and develop it further with my other designs. This design is therefore, too simple and doesn't conform to the 'ideal' contents page layout.

 In my second design I then decided to develop the previous idea further. I chose to make the layout a bit more complex, I minimised the picture down to just one main image making it slightly bigger so that can be one item that attracts the readers eye however, I wouldn't want too many pictures as the contents page should concentrate on the page numbers and references. Continuing this thought I made the layout of the text boxes not just rectangles and squares but extended one side, purely to add a different style to the whole page, even if it is minute and simple. However, this layout makes the title of the contents page not spread out across the page, which I personally don't like the idea of as I think it makes it look less bold and I would most definitely want it to stand out and be eye-catching and interesting to look at.

Resulting to not liking the previous title of the contents page, I tried out a completely different third design. I placed two pictures in again, as the way it fits on the page if there wasn't another picture it would appear to have too much writing and seem boring, and uninteresting to look at. I made the right hand column continue into the title of the contents page as if its all joined, however, like the front cover designs i still dislike how the title has been placed at the bottom therefore, will not be using this design.

 

My final design is one of my favourites and one that I would most definitely consider in using when creating my contents page in the school magazine.

I reverted back to having the title spread across the entire page at the top and just having one main picture to concentrate on and two little ones related to one exclusive story. Then on the left hand side I have included just one column, keeping that sense of simplicity however, still maintaining the interesting feel to keep the readers interested and keen in what they are looking at.Since it is an almost reference page you want to make it as easy as possible for readers to find a specific page if they wish, and I believe this one single column does exactly this. The overall layout uses the rule of thirds in the way it is sectioned out, again adding to keeping it simple for readers to refer to.

Front Page Drawing

I drew out four designs for the front cover of the magazine so that I have some sort of guidelines as to what my final cover is going to look like, as drawing out designs enables you to make mistakes through trial and error opposed to going straight into the product. This specific design, is an overall good idea as I like the way there is space for everything, and that its not too overcrowded, however, I wouldn't use this design as I would most probably want the picture to be more focused on the person as I feel there is too much excess table and extra space. I want the readers eye to be focused in on one thing and not for the eye to be able to wander around the page just to observe the picture.

My second design was a side on view of a boy doing school work, enjoying it and smiling, looking happy. I particularly like the side on view as it adds a different sort of dimension to the general overview of the magazine, especially with the added pens, pencils, books, creating that sense of a school environment. However, in contrast with the previous design, I personally feel that there is too much going on in this picture and I dislike how the title sits at the bottom of the page. Therefore, I shall not be putting the title at the bottom of the page but at the top.


I then moved onto my third design of re creating more of the
initial first design however, zooming in more of the image making the head of the boy go behind the title, creating overlapping within the front cover. Like my second design I kept the idea of having some school equipment, but I've now come to the conclusion that it  doesn't look quite right in the overall finish, as there is too much going on , and still want the picture to be more focused and concentrated on one thing.


I then put all my trial and improvements together to come up with the idea of my final design number four. I completely bought the focus in of the boy, so that the eye concentrates on that one thing however, also keeping the sense that it is a school magazine, by having part of a notepad. I didn't keep the pupil centralised in the middle of the magazine but instead having it slightly offset to the right so that the headings and writing would fit nicely down the left hand side of the page; keeping everything in form and organised so that the reader is drawn in from the immediate concentrated image and then the eye is immediately drawn down the side to read each of the headings and writing. Overall I like this design as even though it is fairly simple it conforms to the idea of a magazine, and is presented as an idea that I would be happy as to re create into a school magazine.

Magazine Title Edited Further

I previously came to a conclusion with my font for my front cover of the magazine. However, when I analysed it further and placed the title on top of the main picture of the magazine the title was too over powering and too glaring. I initially wanted the title to stand out anyway so I purposely made it very bold, with bright primary colours and an even brighter yellow shadow, nevertheless, this appeared to be too bright when looked at, I didn't want it to be so bright that it looks horrible to look at, so I therefore, toned down the primary red to a more suttle, deeper, red. I also took away the yellow shadow and replaced the yellow with a light blue. This then still stands out however, its not so overbearing for the eye.