DRAFT of double page spread

This is my double page spread. Originally this wasn't how this page was presented but then I had to bare in mind the crease down the middle. It worries me how this page contains so much information and how the main image is very small but I personally think it is original. The ripped boxes give it the informal look, and I have edited the image in order to make it look more dramatic.

Improvements
In order to improve my double page spread I need to either cut down the text or make it smaller. I also need to make the image a lot bigger, as on most music magazines the image takes up at least half of the page.

DRAFT front cover

This is my draft of my front cover. I have used to general house colours with the exception of the vibrant colours of the E.P. I have been inspired mostly by Kerrang but taken snippets from a lot of different magazines.
I have overlapped the image of Tallis over her name to give it a 3D effect, this also links the name to the artists so the readers are clear as to who it is.
I have used very bold, large text so that the magazine stands out from all the rest.

Improvements
In order to improve my front cover I need to use a different image that has her face in the middle of the page so that she stands out more.
Also her name is not clear enough so people would not recognise who she is with a quick glance.

Sketch of double page spread

I want my double page spread to be very atmospheric but also contain a lot of information at the same time. The picture is going to be in colour and the text in black. I just have to try out different fonts and positions in order to achieve this.

Sketch of front cover

This is a sketch of my front cover. I want to use a close up of Tallis with direct address so that it indicates that there is in fact a deep and personal interview about her life. By using a close up it gives the feeling that you know her well, also with a quick glance people would be able to recognize her quickly.
My aim is to make the page look as busy as possible but no too over crowded. This is so that there looks like there's a lot of content in the magazine.
I will use my house colours, Black, White, Grey and Red so that the magazine is recognizable and stands out.
My front cover will advertise a free E.P so that this lures people into buying it.

Edited pictures for front cover

As one of my house colours is red, every little bit of red on this photo is still in colour but the rest black and white. I used photoshop in order to create this effect.
The problem with this is that the first thing you look at when first glancing at this picture is the red of the guitar, this is not my aim as the most important feature of my cover is the girl herself therefore I need her to be the first thing you see.

Tallis Morris pictures

Tallis morris pictures

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Researching music magazines

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Researching music magazines

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plain pictures from photo-shoot with Tallis Morris

Contents page

My aim for my contents page is for it to look quite informal, almost like a scrap book. I want the pictures to range from live pictures, to very honest, home life pictures. I want the reader to feel as if they know the artist really well. Although the pictures are scattered I have now improved it in that they have captions telling the reader what the picture is about, or who is in the picture.
The contents are very basic and easy to read, I have done this because teenagers relate more to pictures than a paragraph of text.

DRAFT contents page

This is my first draft of a contents page. If you click on the picture it will show you an annotated version, to show all the improvements needed.

Evaluating my presentation

Today I did a presentation in role, as if I was about to publish my own music magazine. Personally I think that all my ideas were original and justified, but maybe needed to be explained a bit more.
For example, I wanted to take a risk instead of doing the norm, and publish a magazine that is completely different and ideal for bands/artists that are not signed, for those looking to sign artists, and for those who generally don't like who's in the charts at the moment. I could have explained more about who would have been in the magazine, like music students from universities, song writers who are currently trying to write songs for famous artists, the top artists talked about on youtube/facebook etc. I didn't explain in enough detail about what free gift there would be. For example, the CDs would be CDs of the artist on the front cover. This will advertise the not signed artists and give the students reading this magazine a chance to listen to something new.
In my presentation I could have used more visual ideas. I could have shown them my front cover ideas rather than describing them, and told them the name of my magazine and shown the logo. This would give the audience more of an understanding of my proposal and really indicate to them that i know for certain what my plans are for my music magazine.
Overall I hope that my presentation got my point across to the audience from being unique, well spoken, and understandable.

Annotating the contents page of Kerrang

Front cover drafts

These are a few drafts of what my front cover of my music magazine could look like. The top two have a little problem as she doesn't look at the camera which is very uncommon for magazines. Also these photos are not my own, but one's that her or her friends have taken.Therefore I would not receive as many marks as I would if they were my own. In terms of the style of layout I am very fond of the top one as it looks more interesting and asthetically pleasing.

My proposals for my magazine

Content of mag

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Questionnaire results

By looking at these results I can see that the majority of people in this age catergory listens to Indie music. Despite the fact that this is the most popular all genres were picked. This means that in order to create a successful magazine I will need to include most, if not all genres.
I can also see that most people access their music through downloads. This encourages me to produce my own music download site in order to promote my magazine more. I could sell unsigned records for very reasonable prices. Not only do people download people but they listen to them on youtube. If I were to create a website for my magazine I could include videos of the artists from youtube. Not only this but they listen to CDs, this encourages me to include free gifts like CDs.
Looking at the price range that people would pay for a magazine, most people would pay £2 for one. Interestingly people that I spoke to said that they would pay up to £4 just because NME and Kerrang cost that much, and they are worth spending £4. Maybe I could make my magazine good enough to be worth £4.

Questionnaire

I have created a questionnaire in order to evaluate what people in the age group 16-24 really like in music magazines. I have created 10 questionnaires for 10 seperate people to fill out. I will analyse these results and use them to produce a popular and interesting magazine.

Analyzing a double page spread

Analyzing a double page spread. on Prezi

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Nme history

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Nme history

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I have researched the history of NME in order to know what exactly makes a music magazine successful. I have learnt that you need to make sure that the genre that is the most popular, at that particular time  is included in your magazine otherwise the public will not be interested in your magazine. I have also learnt that in this generation you need to have a website for your magazine so that the public can have more interaction for example watch videos of artists etc.

Prelimnary Task - Front cover of a school magazine

I have used a picture of a student so that students reading this article can relate to her. I have used a girl in her uniform because it is for a Girls' School and it shows a way of looking 'cool' in your school uniform. You can be fashionable and smart at the same time. I have stated what is in the magazine on the front cover so it will draw people in to buying the magazine and also printed the price and a website. I have made the word FREE in bold capitals so that it catches the readers eye. I have used quite basic colours of white and blue and not the obvious pink so therefore it is not stereotypical.
The contents page has a background of school textbooks. The contents page is very simple so easy to read yet still has a fun element to it.

Target audience
My target audience is for girls aged 12-18. To make my magazine appeal to this age group I have included pages such as 'How to handle your homework', 'How to achieve your desired grades', etc. This will appeal to certain girls who want to do well in school. For those who are less optimistic i have included pages such as 'dress to impress' and 'autumn shoes'. By having a range of different catergories it allows my target audience to have a real range of differnt students.
I have included a free girft of a wall calender to encourage students to manage their time efficiently, and a chance to win a set of colouring pens which would lure art students to buy the magazine. If I were to extend this magazine then I would include a different free gift every month to appeal to each subject. For example a maths kit.

Annotating music magazine front covers

CLICK on the pictures to see annotations

I have annotated two school magazine covers in order to influence my decisions on how to create a front cover for a school magazine. CLICK the picture to see the annotation.

Introduction

I am going to use this blog in order to show my real passion for media. It has proven after the first 7 weeks of half term that I cannot live without it, and now is the time to really persue that.