FRONT COVER



The first step I took to creating my front cover was going to the studio and taking the 5 pictures which I needed to create the magazine. I choose this particular picture because it’s fits in well with the theme of the magazine. The house colours for my magazine are black, white and silver and the background colour of the photo fits in very well. I used two different fonts which were GIGI, MONOTYPE CORSIVA and CALIBRI. The name of the magazine is written in GIGI and the name of the artist is written in MONOTYPE CORSIVA. The other cover lines are written in CALIBRI and different sized fonts.

I also took a bar code off the internet which I added onto the magazine cover in the right hand side. I then removed some of the lines to create room for the date of publication and the price of the magazine. The font colour is white so it stands out from the silver background. The selling line on to of the page is the same colour as the artist dress. The name of the magazine is written is light silver so it blends in with the magazine but stands out so that the consumer knows what the magazine is called. The appearance of the magazine is very sexy and sophisticated which is the look that I am going for.

FRONT COVER MOCK UP



Masthead is the name of the magazine which is at the top. It is usually a visual branding of the title and is usually done in a unique typeface to be recognisable. The name of my magazine is called ’ESSENTIAL’. The dateline is the month and year of publication, often with the price. The cost of my magazine is £2.75 and will be published monthly. On every cover there will be an image of a British artist or a British band. The image will be medium/close up if it was an artist and a close up of a band making eye-contact. The main cover line is very large taking up most of the space on the cover.


It is usually the main feature/article for the magazine. In this issue the main cover line will be place next to the artist face with a quotation from the interview under the name of the artist. The remainder of the articles will be placed on the left hand side and on the right side of the front cover. There will be four articles on each cover on the left hand side and two on the right hand side. There will also be competitions every month which will be place along the bottom of the page.


Unedited copy



As you can see I didn’t do a lot of editing in my picture because I thought it wasn’t needed. The only editing which I did was by cloning out the string from her bra strip which is hanging from her arm.

Edited copy



The string under her arm has now disappeared and it blends in well with the two toned background.

Pictures taken for my Front Cover

Option 1



My first option was this picture. The reason why I didn't pick this picture was because you weren’t able to see the side of the model's face which is block out by the dark lighting. Also the pose is quite childish and wouldn't have fitted into my sophistication theme of the magazine.

Option 2



My second option was this picture. The reason why I didn't pick this picture was because the model's back was facing the camera so you couldn't see her whole face. Also it may send a bad body language response. And again the pose wouldn't have fitted into my sophistication theme of the magazine.

Option 3



My last option was this picture and my final front cover image. The reason why I pick this picture was because the model is facing the audience were able to see the model face and her expression. Also the soft lighting was perfect with the dark background and as well as the pose of the model. In terms of the theme of my magazine I think that the picture is very sophisticated.

Planning the Front Cover Image

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What did you learn from your prelim task? What was difficult? How can you overcome this?

Front Cover Masthead



I designed five different Mastheads for the cover of my music magazine. I then asked 20 students which one they preferred. The majority of the students prefer the 1st design so this is the design I choose for my music cover.

Option 1) Gigi
Option 2) Brush Script
Option 3) Blackadder ITC
Option 4) Harrington
Option 5) Lucida Calligraphy

I choose these five because i thought all of them looked very sophisticated and fitted the theme for my magazine. I also liked the detail of the different writing and it was decorative, either one of the five would have looked very nice for my Masthead.

MOOD BOARD



Mood Board is a type of poster design that may consist of images, text, and samples of objects in a composition of the choice of the mood board creator. A mood boards can be used to develop design concepts and to may be used as a frame of reference during the design process.The style of music which my magazine represents are R’n’B and Soul music. I choose these artists because they represent a wide of different styles of music within it. Jennifer Lopez and Kat De Luna, they are both from a Latino background and a lot of their music is influenced from their Latino roots. Artist such as Mary J Blige who began has a female rapper which also influences her music in terms of the lyrical aspects. Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams were in the girl band Destiny Child. Their music style was very much R’n’B influenced. Even though they have spilt up all three still produce R’n’B music and Michelle has gone to do Gospel and Soul influenced music. The other artists such as Alicia Keys and Ashanti music has a lot of R’n’B influence however some tracks may be mixed with Hip Pop influence. On the other hand Rihanna and Christina Milian music influential also comes from their background and Nicole Scherzinger main influence is from other hip pop artist which they have worked with. The mood board helps the overall feel of the magazine and what should be on the magazine, which is why I have focused my magazine on.

Double Page Spread PowerPoint Presentation

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Lily Allen

The choice of artist featured in the article is about Lily Allen who is also a rebel in her own way, which is why it targets the audience members because NME is known for being rebellious and not following the norms of other music magazines. NME’s target audience are teenagers who listen to rock’n’roll and indie music. The language style used in the article is very relaxed and quite colloquial. This is because it reflects the target audience and the way in which they talk such as certain phrases or words. The background colour is white with black writing in the foregrounds which works really well because it stands out from the page itself. Also are there bits of red writing which also stands out on the white background which matches with the colour of Lily Allen’s’ shirt. The style of text itself is the same throughout the magazine and is very similar to the other interviews which are featured in the magazine.

The images which are placed in the magazine are also the same the featured artist or band picture usually takes up one of the double paged spread and the text on the other side but this can also be reversed. This doesn’t say much about the target audience because the layout for interviews are usually the same except for when they are doing reviews which is more crowed in terms of layout and information. The artist is presented quite untidy and messy looking, which is not common with other magazine where the artist looks well presented. However this adds to the edge of the music and how it contradicts to the norms of magazines. The artist also shows a rebellious look which she is known for which fits in well with the target audience of the magazine. The style of the article matches the style of the front cover because the front cover main cover line reads ‘Lily Allen Takes on the World’ and the pull out which is ‘People think I’m an attention seeker but I’m just honest’ in is the same text format with the black square and the white writing which contrast the main article itself.

The Third

The bands which are featured in this article are new and upcoming band. This targets their audience because NME is most famous for having new bands featured first in their magazine which keeps their target audience up to date with new bands.
Again same as the article with Lily Allen most of the language used are relaxed and quite colloquial and language which their target audience refers to. In this article they feature three bands unlike the previous one which is just 1 artist. Also there are more vibrant colours used in this article such as pink which pops form the plain white background and the photographs. However they still use the same colour house with the white background and the black writing. This style is very different from all the other interviews in the magazine. It’s a lot more squashed with information unlike interviews and there’s a lot more pictures unlike the interviews where they only have a picture of the band or artist. Because there are three bands featured in the article they have limited spacing.

The first band takes up the whole of the 1st page. The background is blown up to fill the whole of the page and the writing I sin a white box with black writing. The second band gets ¼ of the pages and the last band gets ¾ of the page. However all three bands have pictures which is still attractive to the target audience, but because of these the article space is quite limited and there isn’t a lot of information about the bands. The double page spread is about LIVE events which an editor would have had to gone to take the pictures of the live acts playing. So the pictures presented are not taken from the studio but form the live event which is why it is so important to the readers to know that. The style of the article matches the style of the front cover because the front cover of NME is usually crowed and packed with information which is the same has this particular article. Also the use of colours is the same with those which are in the front cover of NME.

VIBE Magazine



VIBE magazine covers hip hop/urban culture with a focus on music. It includes articles, interviews, and subscription information. The magazine is the definitive voice of urban culture, influencing global music, life, and style for more than eight million readers around the world. The award-winning publication is the nation's leader in reporting entertainment, fashion, politics, and culture features for a multicultural audience in print and online. VIBE's innovation, journalistic integrity, brand equity, and overall swagger make it the No. 1 reference choice among male and female trendsetters in small and large cities in the U.S. and abroad. In this particular cover the articles and main issues which will be appearing in the magazine is the main feature article with Janet Jackson. The article reads ‘Likes to Watch’ which they play on by having Janet Jackson holding a camera talking a picture of whatever she likes to watch. Other articles include a history of hip hop paparazzi features big names in hip hop. Not only is it a music magazine they also include features about video games. They also have other interviews with other celebrities such as Busta Rhymes ‘he’s free, but is he good?, Rihanna: exposed and Jermaine Dupri wild night. The articles have meaning which makes the audience what to know what the secrets are and what happen.



The target audience for this magazine are women and men aged 18-34. This is because so they can appeal to both the young and other members of the public. Also are there many hip hop artists who fit in-between the age groups and a lot of people who are in their late 20s and early 30s still listen to hip hop music. Not only is it a music magazine the magazine also offers entertainment, fashion, politics, and culture features. So the people who read the Magazine must enjoy reading VIBE because it includes a range of features. The magazine hasn’t got any mode of address because none of the article is directly aimed at the audience. The do the complete opposite where they write the articles so that it makes you the audience want to read it without them directing to the audience. In this issue Janet Jackson is on the front cover. This is because she has been in the entertainment business; singing and acting for decades and has had a successful career in doing so. The majority of artists who are on the front cover are big names in the hip hop and R’n’B world such as Lil Wayne, Beyonce, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Chris Brown, Jennifer Lopez, R Kelly, 50 Cent and Eminiem to name a few. Because the magazine cover all types of features in the entertainment and politics they cover has also been graced by Barack Obama and Robert De Niro.




The main cover line reads ‘Janet Jackson Likes to Watch’ and a picture of her holding a camera in her hand almost has if she is taking a picture. This links the kicker which reads ‘A History of Hip Hop Paparazzi’. It plays on the ideas that Janet Jackson has been taking pictures of these artists. The message could also be the changing faces of Janet Jackson which links back to the camera. The overall message which Janet Jackson is giving is that it can be seen has being sexual because it reads ‘she likes to watch’ and the audience member doesn’t know what they are implying so they would want to read the magazine to find out what it is she likes to watch. The magazine also shows a funny side of her with the camera in her hand which shows she enjoys taking pictures of people or herself she is having fun and enjoys. In this issues no, however the magazine has featured Barack Obama on the front cover. The issues also have sections about news and current affairs. The magazine had done two main features on Barack Obama covering the presidential race. I think that the use of many buzz words on a page draws the reader to purchase the magazine and want to make them read it. In this issues there isn’t any buzz words.





The name of the magazine is VIBE. This is because it gives a particular kind of feeling or ambience and it is relaxed. The magazine gives this sort of feeling when you read it. The title of the magazine shows the readers that they are able to relax while reading the magazine and to enjoy it. The magazine appeals to both male and female because they issues both male and female artists in the hip hop world. The magazine itself includes different sections within it which will appeal to their different target market. The image of the magazine is quite sexy but still classy. This is because the artists who have appeared on the cover have a sexy look towards them whether they are doing an artistic nude photo or in the way they are posing and their gaze. The style of the magazine matches the music of the magazine has well. Every cover of the magazine is the same in terms of the layout and matching the colour scheme. The cover has enough information but it isn’t packed or squash onto the page cover. The magazine also represents the kind of people who listen to hip hop music.



The kicker suggests that you would want to read more because it is almost has if they are attempting you with the kickers. The kickers in the cover line such as ‘Likes to Watch’ makes the audience think ‘hmmm’ and gets them more interested in the article. The selling line which helps attracts the audience to the magazine so that they buy it is ‘First Ever Photo Shoot! Limited addition cover’. Because it is a limited cover it would make the audience want to buy it which is why they advertised it has this. Also the article which reads about the MASTHEAD reads ‘He’s free, but is he good. The untold story about Busta Rhymes’. The magazine uses phrases like this and others to draw in their target audience. The colour scheme changes for each magazine published. In this issues the main colour scheme are light pink, blue, white and black. Because the background of the magazine is light pink as well the blue, black and white stands out from the page whereas some of the lettering are in pink which blends into the background of the magazine. Overall I do find these colour schemes attractive and it still stands out.

The font used in the magazine is Arial. This is used because it’s more plain then decorative, however the colours which are used makes the font look better and bolder. This could relate back to the name of the magazine VIBE because it is a relaxed magazine the font matches that. The magazine doesn’t use many strategies to attract the audience. This issue is a limited cover issue which will attract audience members to buy it. People who like playing video games may buy this issue because they have a list of the top 15 games which gamer needs to have.

NME Magazine




Across half a century NME has been the UK's standard bearer of rock'n'roll. As bands, scenes and ill-advised haircuts come and go, every week NME has predicted, probed and provoked, supporting the mavericks who would go on to become the new mainstream. In this particular cover the articles and main issues which will be appearing in the magazine is the main feature article of Florence and The Machine. The articles inside the magazine will feature rock bands new up and coming band and old. The target market for this magazine are teenagers aged 14-18 who listen to indie/rock bands. This is because this issue features different artist who specialise in these kinds of music.

The magazine appeals to both male and female because the front cover of this issue is of a female who the main vocal voice in her band. The magazine attracts readers who enjoy going to gigs and festivals and watching live performers form these artists. There is no direct mode of address in this issue of the magazine however it is indirect headings such as ‘The New Music Issue NME’S 10 tips for 2009’. This will attract the target audience because they would want to know what they are. The person who is on the front cover is lead singer Florence and the band the machine. They are on the front cover because NME are famous for having new/up coming artists in their magazine before anyone else can. So the effect of having Florence on the cover gives her band more promotion. The main cover line reads ‘‘The New Music Issue NME’S 10 tips for 2009’. This doesn’t imply anything about the band because the main cover lines doesn’t relate in anyway to the band. The overall message which the artist is giving is that she’s got a bit of attitude which is what the magazine represents.

The buzz words which may have effect on the reader could be ‘new music issues’. Their target audience many buy the issue to see what they have changed about it and what is now new about the music issue. The masthead is quite decorative and bold and stands out from the rest of the fonts in the magazine. This is so that the target audience will be able to notice the magazine from others in the news stand. The front cover of the magazine is very bright and colourful and jams packed with information and pictures. The readers’ eye is directly drawn to the middle of the magazine because of the bold yellow print which is ripped up across the page which shows the edginess of the magazine. In this issue the colours used for the magazine are red, black, white and yellow. This is an odd mixture of colours however it works really well with the magazine. Each colour stands out however it all blends in well with each other. The fonts used in the magazine are Arial and Times. This is so that it separates some of the articles from rest. The strategies used to attract the audience are ‘NME’S 10 tips for 2009’. This may attract their target audience because they would want to know what the top 10 tips are for 2009.

Research
We had to conduct a questionnaire to ask 20 candidates. The questions had to be based on the information which will help me to produce my music magazines. This is my questionnaire below:


Questionnaire Analysis

1.What type of music do you listen to?

I decided to ask what type of music people listened to so I can get an idea on what to base my magazine on or combine two different style of music in my magazine. When producing the questionnaire I gave the candidates the choice of picking more than one answer. A lot of people said they listened to most if not all the different types of music. However the majority listen to R’n’B and Hip Hop followed by Rock, Classical, Garage and other which included Dance music. From this analysis the magazine which I will be producing will be an R’n’B and Hip Hop magazine.

2.When would you like the magazine to be published?

While doing my market research I found out the majority of magazine are released weekly however I still wanted to know whether people would prefer to buy it weekly or monthly. The graph shows that 10 people would like the magazine to be published weekly, while 8 people prefer monthly and 2 people said they didn’t mind. So the results are spread out. However I have decided that the magazine will be produced weekly because it will reflect the pricing which the majority of people would pay for the magazine.

3.What magazine extras would you like to receive with the magazine?

The music magazine which are currently on the market offer some of these extra however I wanted to know which items consumers would want to have with the magazine. Again I gave the candidate the option to pick more than one choice. The majority of people picked they will like to receive Tour Dates and Vouchers within the magazine followed by having a free CD. However the disadvantage of this is that the price of the magazine may be increased. Some people wouldn’t want to have anything in the magazine.

4.What colours would you prefer the magazine to be?

I wanted to know which colours the consumers would have like the magazine to be instead of my personal choice. So this would have given a wide range of answers. Also so I would know what colours attracts the consumers. Yet again the candidates had a choice whether to choose more than one answer. The majority choose other colours such as a mixture of two different colours followed by black and silver. This means that the when creating my magazine I would have to follow these colours schemes.

5.How much would you spend on the magazine?

The current market has a wide range of prices so I picked which ones would be suitable for my magazine. So when producing the magazine I would know what prices to put onto it. The majority of candidates pick the range price of under £2.00 followed by £2.00-£3.00. I have decided to produce the magazine weekly the price will also have to affect this because if I was to produce it monthly it would be more expensive due to the time taken and the information put into the magazine.

6.What other features would you like to see in the magazine?

During my research I looked at what was missing in current magazines and ask candidates which ones they would prefer in the magazine. This is so that the magazine can have extra features which consumer will be able to read and not get bored. The majority of candidates would like music reviews to be offered in the magazine followed by gigs and tickets and horoscopes. I feel that I would be able to include all three in the magazine to keep the magazine interesting.

7.What parts of the magazine do you prefer?

By asking which parts of the magazine the candidates prefer, that’s what the magazine would have weekly to keep consumers interested in the magazine. This is so when producing the magazine I will be able to keep the consumers what they want in the magazine. The common answer was interviews which came on top. So when producing my magazine it will contain interviews.

8.If you saw a music magazine in the shop, what would convince you to buy it?

By asking what would interest the consumers to buy the magazine would make sure that when producing the magazine the things that would convince them to by it is standing out. Candidates said that the front cover advertised would convince them to buy the magazine. So the artist who is on the cover of the magazine must be a well-known artist so that more people will be able to buy the magazine.