Friday, 29 January 2010

Q Magazine Contents Review


Compared to Kerrang's busy and chaotic contents page, Q magazine's contents page has a more organsied layout. In addition Q only has two images on the page, a photograph of the feature article inside and a smaller one at the bottom relating to the text beside it.
The larger photograph is a longshot of The Courteeners with a quote from the magazine which draws the reader in.
Q's content is split into two catagories, one with features and then a section for regular every month articles and pages.
The colour scheme, like the front cover is very simple consisting of a basic palette of black and white with red to highlight certain aspects of the page such as the subtitles. This is used to divide the page up and make the layout look organsied and simple. This is specifically design for the older reader because they won't be that bothered about bright colours, rather the content inside.




Fonts

Which font do you prefer? (for a rock-pop-punk magazine)


Wednesday, 27 January 2010

Monday, 25 January 2010

Target readership

Target readership: Iconic is a publication aimed at readers between 16-20. These readers will be interested in the latest music as well as older iconic bands. Iconic’s main genre of music will range from punk rock to RnB. With readers who regularly attend concerts and have a passion for music though who would rather hear someone’s opinion of the band before splurging on tickets and CDs. The readers will most likely fall into the C1/C2 socioeconomic group who can afford to spend extra money on luxury items. The reader will also be able to afford buying the extra free gifts as well as the content inside. The magazine will be produced for both genders so it will include male and female bands and word them equally. Because of the older reader, Iconic will voiced with more technical words for an educated reader. Iconic’s readers will have a genuine passion for music and will wanted to be updated on the latest news about their favourite bands and music immediately. Iconic will also contain information to help aspiring bands on their way to fame.
Form and Style: Iconic is a full A4 colour magazine which contains information and news about modern and iconic bands, reviews and interviews. Every month contains a front cover photo of the artist the issue is covering that month. Each photograph will be photographed in a quirky or artistic style. The clothing will either refer to the theme of the photograph or related to the artist’s style. The main use of colours will be a simple palette of greys, black and white combined with a bright colour. The theme will be classy yet subtle to give an eye-catching effective look. This gives a mature look to the magazine and attracts the right age group of readers. The magazine will come with varied free gifts such as CDs, photographs and the chance to win free concerts tickets to see a well known band. Although Iconic doesn’t want a cluttered feel to the front cover, it will be full of headlines and features to show that it is value for money. The magazine will sell at £3.00 making it affordable to the working class as they will be buying the latest articles and interviews as well as receiving free gifts.
Themes and typical features: Iconic will contain typical music articles although it will strive to be unique and original compared to other music magazines. Features such as interviews with bands, reviews of albums and concerts and competitions are also included. There will also be a letters page which allows the reader to have their say, comment on previous articles and express their views on current affairs.
Potential advertisers: A range of advertisers will be advertising their products relating to music or media. This may include advertising tickets to a live concert or someone’s latest album release. In addition electrical companies such as Sony might advertise their goods such as CD players which the reader might be interested in. Others could include band merchandise and clothing.
Editorial Team: The editorial team for Iconic will be a team of mixed age, gender and musical taste. It is important to include a variety of editors so that the magazine covers a wide genre of music and taste. This ensures more readers and they are reading what they want.

Friday, 22 January 2010

Kerrang magazine content page review.

Like Kerrang's front cover page design, the contents page has a busy looking layout which corresponds to its readers interests and possibly to their lifestyle. It is quite hard to read, however this suggests that what is inside is exciting and value for money.
The colours scheme consists of black white and yellow which is used to highlight certain features on the page such as the contents subtitles. This is used to divide the list up a little and have a sense of order. The magazine uses photos relating to its issue features to attract the reader's attention and intregue them. Also this makes up for the simple colour pallete and makes the overall page look exciting.
There is a small editorial in the top left hand corner however this has a simpler look and looks less chaotic compared to the rest of the page. It also suggests that readers aren't as interested in this as much as the rest of the magazine. The biggest feature on the page is a larger photograph of 'The Gaslight Anthem' which shows the designer wants this to be the the first thing the reader notices on the page. However this is on page 14 which means the reader in theory has to wait until they get to this article.





Double Page Spread review.



For my double page spread research, i will be looking at Q Magazine's feature on Lilly Allen. To begin with, the first thing that strikes the reader first are the two photographs on either side of the page. The photo of Lilly Allen is a close up with her eyes looking directly at the reader. This suggests that we are about to read into Lilly's thoughts and find out more about her than we ever have before. Furthermore there is a caption Wild Thing. This is the theme of the article as there is also a panther looking directly at her mirroring the caption.


The colour scheme is very simple consisting of black and white with a hint of pink in the photographs and a bullet point at the start of the text. Although both photographs are very dark and mostly black, they stand out and look bold because they are so simple. The text contrasts well with the background which makes it stands out and grabs the audience's attention.



The only text on show is the introduction of the article. This welcomes the reader and informs them of the type of interview they are about to read. Q magazine also uses more mature language when describing the article which shows the audience this is aimed at is older teen to adult. The text is made to sound humorous and informal with phrases such as "and- oh yes" this gives the impression that the text part of a conversation which is also entertaining to the audience.



To conclude, the overall style of this article is classy and stylish. This is ironic as it contrasts with the content of the opening text. I think it is simple but effective. It is pleasing to the eye because there isn't too much to take in. It is important to keep to the same theme as on the main cover because if the reader is flicking ahead to read the article, they will expect it to be in the same style and easy to locate.

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Internet research




Here are some statistics I found about current magazne sales from January to June 08. As you can see nearly every magazine has had a fall in numbers in the year 2009 compared to the year 2008. The Fly and Classic rock are the exceptions to this pattern.
The explanation for the decrease could simply be because of the recession and other economic issues. Most magazines are at least £2.50 so on a regular basis the overall cost would build up.
In addition another reason could be because much of the information found in magazines can be sourced on the Internet or on the television for free. Also music radio stations are very information and up to date with current media news.

Monday, 18 January 2010

Photograph research




In this post I wanted to research different photographs which could inspire me for my own front cover. Also I picked out some interesting shots I hadn't seen before and which I might be able to incorporate in the contents page.













I think this image is effective because Taylor Swift takes up the entire frame yet the photograph still manages to include a guitar which informs us she's musically gifted.















I really like this magazine cover because it has a sense of movement. Also it is far different from any other magazine over I've seen before. I like the colours used also because they are very bleak and wintry looking.













I like this photo because the girl is exactly centred in the middle of the image. Also it is very simplistic looking. The black dress manages to contrast with the background despite the grey colour scheme.












This is a very unusual cover because the text has been used as part of the image. However this does make the woman the centre of focus therefore if the text is the more important part of the cover, the reader won't notice this to begin with.

Colour research





These images are examples of the colour schemes I an interested in for my own magazine.

In this image to the left, the colours are mostly dark which makes the text look blotchy. In my opinion as an artistic piece the colours work and the image looks effective. However the font isn't very readable which is a problem if I were to include this in my magazine unless it was the masthead as loyal readers would be aware of the name.










This image has a sketchy feel to it. Although the obvious point of focus is a penguin, I won't be considering using this for my magazine. Instead i was looking at the softened outlines and messy feel. I really like the background as it looks aged and vintage.




This is a grey scaled theme which relates to the magazine cover of Q that I reviewed. Although I like the combination of photograph and graphics I think that leaving the image as just plain grey scale would be boring and won't attract many readers. To brighten this up I would consider using one or maybe two more colours which contrast against the black and white which will liven the piece up and make it look exciting.







This image is unusual because the theme isn't very clear. I like the use of black with a bright colour because it really stands out. On the other hand I think using this colour scheme would be too much and would clash horribly with my photograph.





Poll

What is your favourite genre of music?
Classical
Pop
Rock
Punk
Jazz
RnB
Rap
Heavy Metal
Other
uggs

Friday, 15 January 2010

Questionnaire

1) What genre of music do you most prefer?


2) Which do you find more attractive:
A busy and energetic looking cover with plenty of pictures relating to the articles inside.
Or
A sophisticated and simplistic looking design with more text than images.


3) What type of free gifts would you consider appropiete alongside a music magazine?


4) Which is a more eye-catching colour scheme?
Black, white and greys combined with a single bright colour
Or
Contrasting colours which catches the eye, layered with photos.


5) How much are you willing to pay for a music magazine?


6) Overall, what do you look for in a magazine?


7) Do you purchase music magazines? if so how often (eg weekly, monthly) and which magazine?

Wednesday, 13 January 2010

Mix Mag


Mix Mag is a music magazine specialising in dance music and clubbing. Therefore its target readers are late teens to young adults who enjoy going out at night.


Mix mag has a simple colour scheme which mainly relies on the main photograph and bold text for an eye catching layout. The font is written in both yellow and red, layered on a dark background which suggests nightlife and having fun. The photograph on the front cover is a mid shot of David Guetta. He is looking directly at the camera, however his eyes are hidden behind sunglasses which suggests mystery and style. Guetta's head is layered in front of the masthead which shows that the magazine doesn't consider this an important factor to be completely in sight. In addition the photograph is positioned behind the banner. The banner consisting of "2009 f*** me, what a year" is a quote from the interview itself which draws the reader in because they want to find out more. A taboo word is used which shows the magazine is aimed at older readers.


Furthermore a tagline of "the world's biggest dance and clubbing magazine" shows the reader that the magazine is popular, and not only does it sell well in the UK but worldwide.


The magazine also comes with a free mix CD every month which suggests to the reader value for money and that they're getting more than they paid for. This idea is also shown with the use of words such as "plus". Mix magazine also promotes feature articles such as "Top 10 tunes" and "Top 50 albums" which persuades the reader they must buy it. In addition the magazine mentions that it's a "special end of year issue" this suggests that this magazine is a one off special and different from its usual issues. It also tells the reader that it's bigger and better.


The magazine is unusual from other that I have looked at because it only uses two pictures, the main photograph and a smaller one in the top corner with caption "Don't stay in". This makes the whole layout of the magazine sophisticated looking which again shows it's been designed for a more mature audience. There are no pictures relating to the articles which draws the reader in however. The reader has to look at the cover in greater detail to see what articles it contains. Despite the lack of pictures, the cover is attractive looking. The text is limited to each article and the overall layout looks symmetrical and organised.

Tuesday, 12 January 2010

Kerrang Magazine


The colour scheme for Kerrang magazine is a combination of black, white, yellow and red. These are effective looking colours to use because they contrast with each other. The masthead is made to look as though it has been cracked or shattered as though music has been played too loud. This is also shown with a tagline of "Life is loud".
The band Lostprophets is the main image on the front cover. Ian Watkins is in the foreground which shows he is the lead singer of the band and also suggests he is the most important. "LostProphets" is in a banner across the image with a quote from their interview. This is used to capture the reader's attention and makes the want to read the article inside.
In addition on the front cover is a strapline advertising free posters. The word "free" is in a slightly bigger red font than the rest of the white caption. This attracts the reader's attention and suggests value for money. This is also used with the word "plus" and the constant repetition of a plus sign. Many of the features mentioned end in an exclamation mark suggesting excitement.
The whole style of the magazine cover is busy and energetic looking. It is slightly messy looking however this gives the impression that the magazine is full of features. The cover is layered with images of bands which are considered as cool and popular to the target audience. This suggests that the selected audience are teenagers interested in music. Kerrang's layout shows that it has been designed for its loyal customers rather than attracting new ones. The magazine is out weekly and is sold at a price of £2.10.

Q Magazine


The magazine Q was originally named Cue, as in cue the music, this was changed however to prevent confusion with snooker.
Q is aimed towards a mature audience with a content of articles about iconic bands. The tagline “A different take on music” suggests that Q is unique and different to other music magazines.
The whole design of the magazine is simplistic yet effective looking. The main area of focus is both the magazine name ‘Q’ and the photograph of the lead singer from AC DC. The photo is designed to intrigue the readers; part of the text is hidden behind the photograph which persuades them to look at it in more detail.
The overall style of the magazine looks sophisticated as a result of the simple layout and limited colour palette. This is contrasted with the photo theme; the guitarist is dancing around having fun. He is also dressed immaturely which suggests the articles inside are interesting and engaging. The photograph is a long shot so we can see the guitarist moving, this makes the cover look more dynamic. Also, we cannot see his eyes which is unusual for a magazine cover because this invites the reader in and helps them to connect with the magazine.
The background colour is a light tone of grey. This is then layered with a black banner and white feature set behind the photo. The bottom of the magazine is covered in small red crosses, again set in the background. this brings out the red in the masthead giving the whole magazine a bit more colour.