Audience profile - Why my magazine will appeal to them

This is dean. He is 20 years old and currently in his last year at university studying sports science, his plan is to then become a fitness instructor and a local gym. He spends most of his time out with his friends at the pub and they regularly gather at festivals to enjoy their passion for live music. Dean is rarely seen without his iPod and listens to radio 1 regularly to keep up with the latest hits and the latest up and coming bands.
He buys NME fairly regularly but not every issue as sometimes the genre of music becomes too rocky for his general taste. He likes to read magazines because of the regular interviews with big stars and the amount of information they have inside. They also give him another way to keep up with the latest up and coming bands and the tours coming up. He says that he would pay a maximum of £3 for a magazine, for this amount of money he would be wanting in depth interviews from a wide range of well known and brand new bands.

My magazine will appeal to this kind of audience because this genre of music is known for being about a lot more than just the music. This genre is known for variety and artist trying to stand out from the crowd. The use of variety from such bands as Elbow, MUSE, Snow patrol and the Killers shows very different varieties of music but also very different looks and attitudes. Hopefully my audience will instantly link my magazine to the genre of music in many ways. Firstly, the use of a bright colour, especially in the splat or smoke effect i want on my mast head will show variety and creativity which is what this genre typically shows.
The pictures i use on the cover and inside my magazine will also connote to the genre of magazine because of the huge variety of shots there will be inside the magazine. The use of gray scale and formal outfits when contrasted with the other bright and energetic or unusual shots also links to the variety of the genre and will instantly get the attention of the alternative rock music lover.
The use of the word Fix as my title and the word 'dose' in my motto, the reader should instantly make the connection to drugs, which are thought of when people talk about this genre of music.

Pitch Video

Article draft

Firstly i am going to put my article into three sections. Because i am doing an interview i am going to use different coloured text for the answers, this will ensure an easier to read article. I am doing a 50/50 page, where the left hand page will be a large picture of the artist and a title and the right will hold the article. I will merge them together by using a quotation in larger text across the two pages to make the pages look combined and flowing and that then makes them a better looking spread. 

Recently we somehow managed to catch up with the lead singer of the latest band to hit the world’s musical radars by storm, Rhys Jenkins from the now widely known Kings of Kings. We managed to have a chat with the lead singer as they came back to their roots of Warwick to complete their tour of the nation back where they started.

We first drew your attention to the Kings of Kings a couple months ago when we ran the story of how they managed to end up with a crowd of 200 fans packed outside of a small pub in Liverpool. Our first question to the new music mastermind was how it felt to have all those people show for them only. He let off a small laugh and a grin to himself, “Well, as flattering as it was it scared the hell out of me, all those people watching us play!”

The band are rumoured to be on the verge of finally releasing their debut album but the band currently holds a huge expectation to bring out what could rival the early work of the main bands inspiration, Elbow. Rhys told us how much the band inspired him and the rest of the Kings. “They were a massive inspiration to us, they started from the ground up like us and back at uni we always use to chill out to some Elbow and our first few gigs even had a few covers, but were nothing on them…yet”.

We then wanted ask to ask Rhys about everything behind the scene and how the band liked to chill out. “Well, it’s not the luxury life style just yet”, he laughed. “We travel round in a little camper van, it really is tricky getting everyone in. But we have a good laugh about it, kick back with a few drinks and some Xbox”.

We followed by asking which member out of the band got the most female attention. “As much as I wish it was me, for some weird reason girls would prefer a drummer…not that I’m jealous”, he laughed.

Later on the rest of the band joined us for a quick acoustic listen to them. Everyone here at FIX thought the band was simply brilliant. We would easily put them in the top ten live bands from the U.K and bought a very lively and gritty feel to the room. We then asked the band about a larger tour arriving in the future, all their lips stayed firmly shut but a small grin rose up onto their faces. Here at FIX were so sure that the Kings of Kings will be rocking up to your area soon, and we would strongly recommend you but the ticket and see the largest up and coming band in the U.K.

Our final question for Rhys was about where he thinks the Kings will be in 2 years’ time. He sighed and said, “Hopefully out of the camper van, and id love to have a number one by then, fingers crossed. 

Artist Profile

The artist i will be using is Rhys Jenkins from the latest up and coming band to be on everyone's radars, Kings Of Kings. Rhys started the band with his university friends when he went to Warwick university to study sports science. Although he was mad for sport and football in particular, he was also a great musician who used to play gigs in small bars in his home town of Leicester with him and his guitar. By luck he found new friends who all wanted to create a band to just hang out and make music with each other. A couple years later, everyone has them on their radar. Since the band started him and the rest of the Kings have become very good friends and done a lot of hard work to get themselves heard. He tells us about the huge nationwide tour the band made...of small pubs and clubs. But he says he wouldn't of changed a single second of their long road to fame.

Kings Of Kings are now known by an ever growing population. They're known for being a very earthy and casual band who take their musical inspiration from Manchester born band, Elbow. Their love for technology and casual yet sometimes different and vibrant clothes leaves them with a reputation to be a very unpredictable band but this has helped them appeal to a huge section of the Alternative music market.

Pitch evaluation

After presenting my pitch to my class and answering any questions they might have had afterwards, i feel that it still went very well overall. My pitch covered all areas of what my magazine would feature and how it would appear. However the questions raised the point that i didn't yet think about what sort of shot i would use for my picture. I had thought of appearance and body language but not of the actual shot type. Therefore i should now research and decide which sort of shot i want to use on my cover. This is important as it must fit my genre and look appealing on the magazine.
It also raised the point that i also need to pick my specific fonts now that i am becoming closer to creating the actual product. This means that i need to take another good look at the fonts i previously picked out and decide which i am going to use. It is imperative that all the fonts i use fit my genre, all the magazine wont be as effective.
However, it also showed that i was confident on what my magazine would look like and what it would contain. This shows that i have thought about my magazine a lot and put the effort in to decide all the appearance and contents of it before pitching my idea, which is what would be done in a real business situation.
Since then i have received a comment on my blog explaining that some of my blog needs some more detail to contain more information and ideas on how my magazine will look and feel and who it will appeal to. Because of that i have now improved some of my posts to add more detail to them and added a few more to describe what my magazine will contain and look like. This has given me a clearer idea of what my magazine will be like and who it will appeal to overall. This has now made it a lot clearer in my mind what i am now going to start creating and who i should aim it for.

My choice of publisher and magazine cost

For my magazine i have to choose a publisher that would potentially get my magazine out there to the public. I decided to choose Bauer Media group. This group currently publishes Q and Kerrang! magazine. While publishing these they also have a good firm hand in music television with stations such as 4music and the hits TV. All this makes them a highly experienced company when it comes to music publishing in any media area. Plus with the reputation of publishing two magazines that crossover with my genre of music, they would know exactly how to get the magazine out there and the magazine would instantly be seen by detailed readers that it must be of a good quality to be published by a large company such as their selves.
Plus, while researching similar genre magazines i managed to decide what the price of my magazine would be. I decided the magazine should cost £2.50. I chose this amount because it seems to be the general price of similar magazines such as Q, Kerrang! and NME. This would mean that in a professional situation my magazine would be able to compete against these already reputable magazines.

Ideas for contents page layout

I need to also decide what I want the layout of my contents page is to look like. This is very important to make my magazine easy to navigate for my readers. The easier is to navigate, the more professional looking it is and the more sales a potential magazine like this could make. By analysing other magazine I have a good idea of what makes a good contents page and a good layout, I must now try and incorporate this into my design.

I think I should defiantly add in the boxes layout that I first saw used in the NME contents page that I analysed. This gave the page a very neat looking and well-structured look. I can make this fit the genre of music a bit better by adding a slight rugged and rubbed out divide between the boxes to fit with the font choice and the genre chosen. I think I should also add in the simple contents layout down the left hand side of the page. This will feature all the articles that would be featured in my magazine. This will make my magazine a lot easier to navigate for the reader, making it a lot more professional looking page and overall would have the potential to be a better selling magazine. The mix of the two examples I have previously seen will hopefully give me a well-structured and neat looking contents page. This makes the magazine easy to navigate and very reader friendly, but this alone does not fit the magazine and the genre featured.  Therefore I’m going to have to add effects such as making the divide lines look slightly more rugged and damaged. This will bring the look of the magazine back to the genre and fit in with the rest of the magazine, giving it a good feel of continuity. 

Who will be on my front cover?

To make a professional looking magazine I have to ensure that the person on my front cover fits the genre of music I have decided to do. This must take into account the persons clothing, body language, their overall look and any props and the use of a background.

The good thing about the genre I chose is that it is a very broad genre with a lot of different band styles that contrast while still being classed in the same genre. Two examples of this are MUSE and Elbow. Elbow is very well known and are typically seen in casual looking suits that may have un tucked shirts to make them look slightly more casual and informal.  On the other hand, MUSE are also a very popular band but their choice of clothing and body language is very different to Elbow. MUSE are known for wearing very bright and different clothing, for example Matt Bellamy their lead singer wore a bright red suit on tour with them in 2007. This is a very different style to Elbow but both bands are still classed as Alternative rock bands. They also differ in body language. Elbow are known to be generally casual, this is shown in music videos but also through their live performances. MUSE contrasts this massively, they are known for being very energetic, again a good example is Matt Bellamy in their most recent tour. Their videos are also known to be very different and show very weird and new things, like their video for their song, ’Feeling good’.

This shows us that I have a very wide choice of what I can show my artist to be like through clothing and body language. For my artist I am going to go for a very casual look of jeans and a t shirt. This gives the artist a very casual look that is shown through some alternative rock bands. The artist will have a messy hair style that also gives the artist a casual look. I will either ask them for a casual calm or even fun looking facial expression or I will ask for an energetic picture with an action shot for the cover, making it interesting. 

Article Ideas

For this coursework I need to make an article that will be used on my double page spread. I need to make a good story that could then be made long enough to fill the two pages but to also make it sound and look like a professional music magazine article. Therefore I first have to brainstorm some ideas that could be used.

My first idea is to have an interview type article on the lead member of a new up and coming band after their first number one hit earlier that month. I could then go on to talk about any future plans such as an album or a national tour.

Secondly, I thought another interview type article could be good, but this time with a worldwide known band member. This would be good because in a real magazine, it’s these types of articles that bring in the most readers and that are the most popular. We can talk about their past and how their recent tour was and about the rumours of a new album being in the making.

I have kept both of these ideas to a single person as this will make a more focused article and a more simple looking front cover. It also allows a more in depth interview to be shown on just the double page spread and this is one thing that my target audience likes in current magazines. 

Pitch

Potential Colour Pallet

After looking at other magazines i have seen that most magazines have a base 3 colour pallet. This usually seems to include black, white and some bright colour that is used to grab the readers attention by really standing out. Because i want a dirty and earth feel to my magazine i decided to do this, but with a slightly darker green colour, as shown below. I believe a green colour with give it the earthy feel that i want. However the green shown may change to a slightly darker one, pending on tests.

Test fonts

I decided that for my magazine i wanted a rather messy or dirty look to my font. If not for all of my magazine, at least for the title. Therefore i have tested the fonts i have selected with the title for my magazine i have selected. Here they are;

Fix

Fix

fix

Fix

Billboard Contents Analysis

This analysis is on Billboard magazine’s contents page. This layout is used in all issues of the magazine so will give me a good idea of how they regularly layout their magazines. However, Billboard doesn’t just use their contents page to show the readers where the articles will be in this issue. They also use it to list the latest rated albums and singles, this appears on the left hand side of the page and with the large title it stands out to the reader and brings in the reader’s attention.

The contents title is the first thing that catches the reader’s attention. This is because of its large chunky font and also the use of black on white which really contrasts and grabs your attention.

The three pictures of artists below the contents page are used to promote the artist that feature inside the magazine and is a quick way of the reader navigating to their desired page. The images aren’t just trapped in the box they’re positioned in and come over the top of them, giving the magazine an informal look. The use of the white text to show the page numbers on top of the pictures makes it easy for the reader to see them and makes it a good tool for the readers to use.

Below this the contents page is split into three sections, the titles have been coloured in black to stand out on the plain white background. The featured articles in the magazine have been written in blue. This makes them stand out and quickly points out the big articles in this issue to the reader.

Underneath is what we presume to be the feature article of this issue. The large picture of the band draws the reader’s attention in and then draws them to the article page for them to read about the band. In the picture they’re wearing casual clothes which shows they are a laidback band and shows there personality. They have no real expression on their face that could also show their personality or play a part of what genre of music they create. The background is fairly plain and ensures that the attention is on the band itself.

The layout of the page is very neat and well structured. All the sections seem to be organised into squares, therefore the page seems very well structured and neat. This gives the page a very professional look while also being very simple to read and making it easy to navigate the page. 

BillBoard Adele Cover Analysis

Intro

This analysis is on a cover of a previous issue of Billboard magazine which had a main article that featured the female artist, Adele. Billboard is a weekly published American magazine that mainly focuses on the chart leading music. It is also one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. They also hold one of the most recognised music charts in the world, the Billboard hot 100.

Masthead

The masthead features the motto of the Billboard magazine, ’everything that mattered’. By having this somewhere where it will easily be seen makes the magazine easily recognisable to people who remember the motto. Also, this can be used as the main way for regular readers to recognise the magazine seeing that the banner is currently hidden with the picture of Adele.

Banner

This is the first title that I’ve analysed that has gone across the whole page. The logo is the standard one that appears on every issue of the magazine. No effects are used on it to make it different to other issues. This makes it easily recognisable to readers who may have seen it before.

Picture

The picture is of Adele and is layered over the top of the banner. This tells us that this issue of the magazine is more aimed at fans of the singer and not to attract in regular readers. However the signature blue and yellow in the banner does show still and would help attract the regular readers. In the picture she seems rather shy and the white background makes her seem rather isolated too, this could say something about her genre of music or what most of her songs are based around.

Main Cover Line

The word Adele is in a very large font which attracts the reader’s attention. Adele is such a huge artist that promoting her on the front cover will attract a lot more readers to this issue. The style of font used on the cover line were also used on Adele’s first two albums, this is also used to attract more people who are interested in the artist. The white colour used keeps the background looking very blank and isolated and therefore relating to what her songs are based on.

Cover Lines

All the other cover lines are done in red or black. This allows them to contrast against the plain background, making them stand out against the background. That draws the reader’s attention in and advertises the other articles in this issue.  

Colour Palette

Although more than three colours appear on the page I would still say that they use a three colour palette. The main colours used on the page are red, black and white. Black and white have been used on all the covers I have analysed and give a professional look. Therefore I should think about including these in my own colour palette.

Barcode

Just like with the Q magazine cover, the barcode is placed in the bottom right hand corner. This is placed out of the way and ensures that the main cover lines are not obstructed. This then keeps the focus of the reader on the main features of the article. Again it features the main bar code, the date of release and the price of the product. By having this placed in the same place regularly it becomes an easy place for readers to see the price and the date of release so they can check if they have missed an issue.

Layering

I counted 15 individual layers on this magazine cover. This is the same number as the other two magazines I analysed had. The use of a fairly small number of layers gives the magazine a simple but professional and easy to read look. This has proved to be a very popular way of presenting covers so it would be a very good idea for me to follow the same sort of idea.

After analysing this magazine I believe it’s a good idea to choose your background on the mood of music that’s mainly shown on the front. This makes it a more believable and realistic looking picture as well as making a more professional magazine. 

UKTribes.com - Find your tribe - My audience for my magazine

You are an Indie Kid! There’s nothing like the twang of a guitar to get your Converse tapping. Indie Kids are part of a mass – whether that means swaying with their friends at a gig, commenting on Drowned in Sound’s message board or trawling through band profiles on MySpace for the next exciting sound. It’s amazing what can still be done with a guitar, you know.
This sort of audience is the one i will be using for my music magazine. My readers will be true music lovers who love listening to music and reading magazines to keep up with the latest up and coming bands and the latest hits and fashion tips even, as style is a huge part of their lives. They will also enjoy a wide music variety because the genre they are interested in is so wide. They also enjoy going out with their friends, especially to music festivals and gigs, to experience the atmosphere of the real music scene. I suppose you could say my target audience is real music lovers that will generally range from the ages of 16 to 25, this is mainly the student years and when friends and popularity and fashion are really important to someone, therefore my magazine will aim to appeal to them.

NME Target Audience

NME surprisingly has a very male readership. According to its recent media pack their magazines readership is 76% male. This tells us that the alternative rock sort of genre is probably more popular with the male population. The average age of an NME reader is 23, showing that they also have a very young readership, again telling us that the genre of music is more appealing to the younger generations.

The readers have also been shown to have a very strong link with the magazine. Research they did showed that many NME readers have a strong relationship with the magazine for many reasons that include being able to trust the sources and because its full of useful facts.

The research also showed that NME readers are 'obsessed' by music and that they rely on the adverts of new music inside the magazine to keep them up to date with the latest trends. The research also showed that NME readers enjoy watching films and on average buy a single DVD a month which is twice as often as the general population.

Q MUSE Double Page Spread Analysis

This article is reporting the recent interview that the Q reporters had with the alternative rock band, MUSE. This article featured in the October 2009 issue of Q and was just the two sides long. The first thing that catches the reader’s attention is the large picture used to fill the whole of the right hand page. The picture is of the entire band which is different to the front cover that just showed the lead singer. However the picture still gives us a feeling that Matt Bellamy is more important. We see this because the other two members are positioned behind him and aren’t staring at the camera and seem distracted by other things. They are all wearing fairly smart but all black clothing; the colour could link to the band genre of quite dark and heavy rock. The background is just an empty blue scene telling us that they wanted all attention from the reader to be focused on the band. The use of the big picture draws in the reader who would hopefully then spot a band they like and then want to read through the article.

As with other pages shown in Q magazine, this one also follows the house style by using a colour pallet of red, black and white. The use of the same font throughout the pages can also be included. All of this gives the magazine a very professional and consistent look making it easily recognisable to regular or off on readers that may just see one article and would instantly know what magazine it was.

In the very top left hand corner is the band’s name. This acts as almost a page number section for the magazine and tells the reader exactly what band the current page is about. This is a useful tool for a reader who is just skipping through looking for bands that they know or are interested in. At the very middle of this page is another picture of the band but from there earlier years. The creator has used the rule of third to place this in the very middle, knowing that having it in the middle will draw in the reader’s attention and hopefully interest them in the article.

Then the article begins with an enlarge letter, again this is used to draw in the reader and encourage them to read on through the article. Its layout is in the standard form of rows; however these rows are interrupted by the picture halfway through the article. This and the quote underneath in big red writing are used to mix it up in the article and stop the reader from losing interest. By adding a picture they keep the reader interested and they would then continue with the second half of the article.

As two magazines I analysed now have both had a picture filling a page I think this is a very useful idea I could add to my double page spread. However I feel that a second picture isn’t need but I do think adding larger quotes through the article so the reader doesn’t lose interest is a very good and useful idea to make my magazine good to read and interesting throughout. 

Q MUSE Contents Page Analysis

This analysis is on the contents page of the same Q magazine that was analysed earlier. The first thing that the reader notices is the very large picture of the Courteeners. This is a featured article in the magazine and this large picture is helping to promote the article. This contents page is completely different in layout and style to the NME contents that I analysed earlier. This one with the use of the house colours and the layout is the usual look of a Q magazine contents page.

Although the layout is very different the contents still looks very well structured and neat. The main articles are listed to the left hand side; this makes it easy for the user because all the articles can be found in one simple place. The title of ‘features’ lets us know that the articles listed underneath are one offs for the magazine and are defiantly ones to be checked out and are being advertised on the side because of it. The page numbers are set right beside the title of the article making it easy for the reader to find what they want. A sneak peak sentence is also underneath the title to interest the reader to find the article and read on. There’s another title underneath called ‘every month’, this is more for the regular readers which would read the articles they like every year and want to know where they’d be found in this issue.

The Oasis section below the featured articles section is given extra attention with the use of the rule of third; by having it in the middle of the page it attracts more of the reader’s attention. The change of colour on the title attracts the reader’s attention and then promotes the magazine articles to the reader.

The colour pallet used is the same as on the cover page, this gives the magazine a professional look with the use of consistency throughout the issue and also through the previous issues. By keeping the layout the same it makes it easy and familiar to the reader meaning there is more chance of them buying the magazine again.  

I believe keeping the same house style throughout my magazine is a great idea that I could defiantly use in my work. I believe it would give me a professional look and that if I were to make this regularly it would be easier to make it a popular magazine in this way. 

Q MUSE Cover Page Analysis

Intro

This analysis is on a cover of a previous issue of Q magazine which then had a main article on Matt Bellamy, the lead singer and guitarist of MUSE.  Q magazine is a music magazine that is published on a monthly basis by the Bauer Media Group. The magazine covers a variety of genres as it tries to cover all the ‘mainstream’ and popular music bands and artists of the current day and age. This magazine shows that although I would like my magazine to focus on a single genre, it is possible to make a good magazine that may include a sub-genre or two.

Masthead

The mast heads background isn’t the same as the rest of the magazine cover. The background for this is black, the contrasts with the rest of the page and lets us know they wanted this to stand out. This is reinforced with the use of the white coloured font layered on top of it. This tells us again that they really wanted it to stand out. The use of a fairly neat and formal font also portrays a sense of seriousness, making the text more believable.  By having the text at the top of the page as well will interest new readers by already showing them that it’s the most popular music magazine out there, therefore promoting the magazine.

Banner

Just like the NME magazine analysis the banner is used more like a logo than a full on banner across the page. The banner is coloured red and white which is the house style of Q and is used on every magazine that they release.  The size of the banner draws the reader’s attention and its position in the top left hand corner makes it easily seen on a magazine stand. However the banner has been edited to suit the main articles theme of destruction and violence which is also shown in the picture.

Picture

The picture shows the lead singer of MUSE, Matt Bellamy. This shows that the rest of the band aren’t as well known and aren’t as important because they aren’t shown in the picture even though the article is about the band. The expression shown is one of anger and aggression which is typical for MUSE and their genre of music. This is also shown through the destruction of the banner; this tells us that MUSE and this article are very important, possibly bigger and more important than the magazine itself.  

Main cover line

The main cover line is actually a lot smaller than they were on the NME cover page. However this magazine has used a different technique to advertise their articles. They have made the name of the band a lot bigger than any text on the page, making it stand out. This tells us that this magazine is really trying to bring in more readers with their big band article and therefore they really want to promote that they’re inside.

Cover lines

All of the other cover lines are about the same size as the ones used on the main cover line. There are some slightly larger ones including a list of rock nut jobs and an article on Coldplay. This would be to promote the more popular bands and articles that appear in the issue.

Colour palette

Just like with the NME cover, they have stuck to a three colour palette, this time of red, white and black. This was expected from Q magazine as this is there house style and is featured in all of their magazines. By using the house style on every issue, the magazine can be easily recognised on a shelf by regular readers and the reader who may have read a couple before. It keeps a link in the potential readers mind and therefore the logo also being large at the top makes Q magazine easily recognised on a shelf.

Barcode

As like my previous magazine analysis the barcode also features the price of the magazine and the issue that it is. This would be useful for the potential readers of the magazine who would first want to know the price while also telling regular readers or collectors even, what issue that they are looking at now.  However there are some differences in this case to the one I analysed previously. The price and issue label only appear on the barcode on Q magazine. This wasn’t the case with NME which also had the issue and price underneath their logo like banner. This could be because there is only one issue a month the date isn’t as important or because they didn’t want readers to immediately see the more expensive price that comes with it. Plus, with the different layout that this magazine brings, the barcode is placed at the bottom left hand corner instead of the right. Although this is a less conventional place it is still out of the way and not obstructing the articles featured on the cover.

Layering

I counted 15 separate layers on the front of the magazine. This is around the same number as on the previous cover, but this magazine has used all these layers for more important things, mainly about the articles inside. We know this because there is no layers promoting free items inside and extra graphics to make the magazine more eye catching, making it look slightly more professional than the NME magazine overall. 

NME Double page spread analysis

This analysis is on a double page spread discussing the comeback of Blur later on in the year. This was published inside a January issue of NME. The article is just the two pages long but the first thing that the reader sees is the large band picture that is covering the whole of the first page of the article. They have a blank background behind them; this could have been used so the reader completely focuses on the band itself. Their expressions and formal yet stylish clothing tell us that they are a messy or rocky yet friendly and honest band. With the way they are positioned in the picture we can believe that they are a tight and close band who has fun around each other which could also be shown through one of the member’s expressions with them smiling with the rest of the band. The picture also tells us that the main band member is the one in the leather jacket, the singer of Blur. We know this because he is placed centrally on the page and layered slightly in front of the other members of the band, showing that he is slightly more important than them. Also, the fact that the page is in black and white tells us they’re and old band at this picture is meant to be looking at the past when the band was previously together when in actual fact they are coming back from the past.

The title above the picture is placed at the top of the page and centrally, making it easy for the reader to see. The font used could also show the style of the band. The font is very big, sharp and bold which could show the personality of the band. The sub title that’s underneath the word ‘Upfront’ tells us that this is a regular part of the magazine that this week has chosen to talk about the comeback of Blur. This tells us that this page is just to introduce the article and who the ‘upfront’ article will be on this week.

On the second page it has been split into four sections; the title, the article, the advertisement and the advert for the guitarist solo tour dates. The title uses a different font to the one used on the other page for the title ‘upfront’ this again proves that the article and ‘upfront’ are separate articles just bought together for this issue. The font used is still a very large and thick one which really helps bring in the reader’s attention. The use of a quote in the title gives the reader an idea of what the article will be about and gives them an interest so they keep reading on through the article.  Also the lead member of Blurs name is made bold in the sub title, this is so it attracts the reader and hopefully interests them in someone they know about and then they would want to read on through the article.

The article then starts with the words ‘main event’ in a pink box. This and the other uses of pink on this page show that they are carrying the colour pallet of the cover page on through the magazine giving it a very professional look while also feeling very casual because of the use of a bright colour. The bright colour also draws the reader into the start of the article, encouraging them to read further into the article. Later in the article there is a quote from the lead singer of the band again made larger and bold. This is to invite the reader in to read the rest of the article and to also interrupt the long line of texts so the reader doesn’t get bored halfway through the article.

At the end of the article there is the NME website logo and some slightly bolder text that encourages and advertises the reader to visit their website for videos, pictures and more news. This again is trying to make the entire label of NME more popular as a whole.

Then at the very bottom of the page is some advertisement for Coxons solo tour and the list of dates that he will be touring for. It is in a very large box which continues the theme first seen on the contents page of this issue. It also uses the bright colour that they chose for the pallet ti draw the reader’s attention because of the high contrast between the other two colours that were used. It also then uses pink again to show the tour dates list, drawing the reader in to reading the list of dates and successfully advertising the tour to their readers.

NME Maccabees contents analysis

This analysis is on the contents page of the same NME magazine that was analysed earlier. The first thing that the reader notices is the large title at the top of the page. This uses the rule of thirds and places it across the entire top third, making it very visible and obvious to the reader. The typeface used is fairly formal and a well-structured font that does fit with the structured and neat look of the page.

The page itself looks very structured and neat with the use of squares to keep every article separate from the others. All of the articles are also shown with a picture and a small introduction into them too. Also, all of the page numbers for the articles are in a larger font and made bold which is a good tool for the reader when they are looking for a specific article, they could quickly link the picture to the page number layered on top of the image.

The look of the background itself seems to be like very old paper which would link to what we assume the main article on the contents page is by the size of its picture and its position at the centre of the page in the reader’s immediate view.  The box tells us about where to find the free posters of 80’s icons. This again advertises the reward the reader gets for purchasing the magazine and also links to the old looking paper style effect that they have gone for the background of the page.

There is also a small section underneath the main box titled ‘plus’ that gives titles of other articles that feature in the magazine. Again this is placed in the middle of the page to ensure its one of the first things the reader sees.  

The page seems to follow a colour pallet of black and white; this again links to the retro appearance of the page and the main article on show on this page. Two different fonts are used on this page, the main one is used on the title and most of the text contained on the page. The second is a lot neater and more upper class and old fashioned. This again links to the main article shown on this page.

The use of minimal colour and fonts is a good idea that I could take for my own work as I believe it gives the page a very simple yet attractive look. I also believe the use of boxes makes the page simple for the reader whole also looking very structured and well thought about. 

NME Maccabees Cover Analysis

Intro

This front cover is from a January issue of NME (new musical express). NME is a punk rock genre magazine that is published on a weekly basis. I chose to analyse this magazine because the genre of music is bordering on the genre that I plan to use for my magazine.

Masthead

The mast head is the very first thing the reader sees and this means it has to attract the reader straight away. Because of this they place their special offer for the issue there, with the free posters that come inside the magazine when purchased. This again advertises the magazine for purchase from new and existing customers.

Banner

The banner is placed in the top left hand corner of the page. It doesn’t cover the whole width of the cover, so it is shown to be more of a logo than just a magazine. By also doing this it makes the banner less visible and therefore making the magazine more made for their regular audience.

Picture

The main picture on the front of the cover is of the Maccabees and covers the whole of the front cover. This brings the reader’s attention who will then notice them as a big band. They’ve been positioned in front of the magazine name; however it does not interfere with the reader seeing the banner.  This tells us that this issue is appealing to regular viewers and also new readers with their headline band of the Maccabees. The picture is a shot at a slight angle to make it seem we are looking up at them, making them seem big, however the angle only makes it subtle, making it seem that they could be a rising or up and coming band. There is no real emotion on their faces and they are positioned with the singer and main member of the band at the front, but by having the whole band on the page it shows it’s all about them and their rise to fame.

Main cover line

 The main headline is positioned in the very middle of the page; this ensures it attracts the reader’s attention immediately. This again advertises there main story further, trying to bring in fans of the band. By having it in pink it contrasts with the other colours and helps the cover line stand out. This helps attract readers to buying the magazine because of the main act featured in the magazine.

Cover lines

The cover lines are either in white or pink, this again is used to help them stand out. Pink seems to be mainly on the bigger acts that are featured in the issue of the magazine.  This is to help them stand out and advertise the issue even more or to keep readers interest even if they don’t like the main act featured.

Colour palette

The cover has used a three colour pallet with the use of white, black and pink. The use of pink against these colours makes it really contrast and stand out. This is why the main headline is in pink, advertising their main act again. The use of pink to advertise the main act also may be to show how contrasting and different the band is to the usual bands featured in the magazine as the Maccabees are thought to be of a different genre to the typical punk rock style NME features. They also use the bright colour to advertise the free gifts and other big stories that the reader may be interested in.  

Barcode

The barcode is in the bottom right hand corner; this is so it doesn’t disturb the reader’s view of the main headline and other stories. This also contains the price and issue that the magazine is. By keeping this all together it gives the reader one place to look for all the information. However the issue number and price are also at the top by the banner for new readers when they see the banner and may be interested in purchasing the magazine.

Layering

I counted fourteen layers on the cover. This may be a small number for a magazine cover; however it gives the cover a simple and easy to read look while also looking more punk and rock with the quirky aligned texts and torn up stamps. This links back to the genre of the magazine.

Preliminary evaluation

When I created my preliminary magazine for the school I took my inspiration from the schools current magazine itself. It follows a very simple look while also being very structured, easy on the eye and easy for all to understand and read. I also believed that the school logo was very important when creating this magazine so I placed it on my magazine as part of the title. I felt it had to be shown on the cover because this is also part of the style that the current school magazine uses, however it was my own idea to make it part of the title itself.

Through this preliminary work I believe I have learnt some basic skills on how to make a magazine while using Photoshop. These include being able to edit a photo that I took myself, how to cut this away from its background and place it onto my page. I also learnt how to structure the style of the magazine and some small features that will aid the appearance of my final magazine.

I feel that the photography part of my preliminary work was very successful. I managed to take the required shot that I wanted for my cover and contents page. Although these were very basic in photography skill it shows that I can take a good picture and I shall be able to build on these skills for an even better shot for my final magazine. I also believe that I kept on time well by completing my preliminary work to a good standard and by completing it on time. This also shows that with more time I will make a better quality and more technical magazine while also handing it in on schedule showing that I am a reliable individual.

Although this is only preliminary and my final piece will have more time invested into it, if I could do this again I would experiment with more technical features more and just see what they could add to the look of my magazine. 

Prelim Contents Page

Prelim Title Page

Coursework schedule

G321 CW Schedule 2012