Working on my magazine

I used photoshop to help create my front page. I added a masthead and strapline to my front page in order to make it look more like a professional publication. I decided to use a pink and yellow colour scheme for the masthead because through my research I found out that this colour scheme is a  generic convention code used by pop magazines such as Top of the Pops. The font I used for my masthead also reflects my intended target audience of young female teenagers because it is very clear- making it easy to read and the typography almost looks quite glamorous due to the fact that the dots inside the letters look like lights on a celebrities dressing table.

Timetable Of Taking Pictures

Flat Planning

Before taking the pictures for my front page, contents page and my double page spread I had to flat plan them first. When drawing them, I considered different shot types such as mid-shot, long-shot ect. I also made sure I had a various array of positions and props included.

This is the flat plan of the image that is going to be featured on my front page. I have decided to include a close-up shot of a person on the front page as I have learnt through my research into music magazines that this is a generic convention code especially in 'top of the pops' which is also the same genre as my magazine. The person who is going to be photographed in this pose will wear a very girly colour top and lots of girly soft make-up and accessories in order to fit in and relate to my target audience. The model will be smiling and will look very welcoming in order to portray the 'cheery' vibe that I am trying to portray within my publication.

This is the flat plan of the image that is going to be featured on my contents page. It is of three girls (who are going to be the band I am trying to promote 'miami') looking shocked. I have chosen to have them posing in this position because I will place this image under the caption which says' exclusive interview' and in addition having them posing like this will create the sense of secrets being let out and will emphasise the exclusivity. I have decided to make this a long-shot so I can have a vary of shot-types in my publication and so that I can have a more detailed picture which shows the background

This is the flat plan of an image that will feature on my contents page also. It is of a young girl sitting down reading a magazine with an interested expression on her face. This will be the main image on my contents page as it shows someone enjoying a magazine and the whole purpose of my contents page is to inform readers features inside the magazine that will interest them. This will be a long-shot so that you can see the whole posed position. The model I use will also be dressed up as a reader of my magazine would be, such as wearing girly clothes and accessories.

This is a flat plan of an image that will also be on my contents page. It is a mid-shot of a girl applying make-up. I decided to use this pose in order to reach out to my intended target audience as make-up is something that would interest them. I also wanted a variety of different poses and different activities to be going on in each image to make my magazine more diverse and interesting.

This is the flat plan of the image that will be on my double page spread. It is a long-shot of girlband 'Miami' singing into microphones. I decided to make it a long-shot so that you can see everyones oufits and see the background clearly.

Double-Spread Page Promotion Interview

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be apart of the countries latest cool new girl band MIAMI  ?
Our exclusive interview with Cherry, Amber and Katie reveals all. Find out who's the messiest, who's takes the longest to get ready in the morning, who's the most glam, whether or not they enjoy attending the glitzy red carpet events and which girl is the most lucky in love !!!

Candy Mag: So how does it feel to be crowned as the next big thing in pop ?
Cherry: Absolutely amazing
Amber: It feels so unreal, we still can't believe how big 'Miami' is becoming
Katie: It's always been our dream to make it big, so after years of hard work in the recording studio to gain all the support we have is amazing and makes it all worth doing

Candy Mag: You must have quite a lot of fans by now, what's the craziest thing a fan has ever done or given to you ?
Cherry: One time there was this girl who dressed up as superwoman and got a taxi to follow our car around all day, she was crazy but it was sooo hilarious
Amber: Haha yeah that was pretty awesome, we love all our fans
Katie: A fan once gave me a tin of beans- which was quite strange !

Candy Mag: So you all live together now in London, which one of you is the most messiest at home ?
Cherry: It's definitely me for sure, no doubt about it
Amber: Yeah its so Cherry, she leaves bowls of food all around the place and clothes all over her bedroom floor, you can barely see what colour the carpet is
Katie: Cherry is terrible, making all this mess and she won't clean up. I dont think shes ever picked up a mop in her life !

Candy Mag: You are all very stylish girls, who takes the longest to get ready in the mornings ?
Cherry: We all take quite long in the mornings, it takes me about 45 minutes to do my hair and make-up on a regular day
Amber: I spend about an hour getting ready in the mornings, but seriously if you think that's long you should see Katie- she needs at least 2 hours to get ready. It's always me and Cherry waiting for her to finish putting on her lipgloss or backcombing her hair
Katie: Yes i'm the guilty one but you know, you've got to look good in the music industry. I just can't help it !!

Candy Mag: So who's the most glam ?
Cherry: I think Amber is, she's got so many glamorous dresses and accessories
Amber: Hmm, I would say it was Cherry, she's the girly one of the group
Katie: I think we're all glam but Amber has the most accessories and clothes and shoes and handbags so i'd say it was her.

Candy Mag: You get invited to lots of red carpet events now, does it feel weird actually going down the red carpet not just dreaming about it ?
Cherry: Totally, its so scary though, I always feel like i'm going to trip over or something and embarrase myself infront of all the paparazzi
Amber: Its so magical, to have fans screaming for you and holding up posters with your face on its amazing. And to know that you were once one of those screaming fans before makes it seem all the more surreal
Katie: I almost feel like I dont deserve to be on the red carpet, I dont see myself as a star or a celebrity- i'm just a normal girl who sings.

Candy Mag: So finally girls, spill the beans, who's the most luckiest in love ?
Cherry: Katie, she has boys after her all the time
Amber: Its defintely not me, i'm rubbish with boys, Katie gets all the boys giving her their numbers.
Katie: Haha thats so embarrasing, but yes its true. I suppose I do get a lot of boys giving me their numbers. Not that I call them back or anything LOL !!

Candy Mag: Thanks girls, you're all amazing. Good luck with everything, MIAMI will be massive I can sense it
MIAMI: Thanks Candy Mag !!!!!

Target Audience Profile

     

Target Audience Full Profile:

Age group: 12-16

Gender: mainly female readers, perhaps 98% female and 2% male

Level of education: secondary school students

Level of income: none of their own, rely mostly on their parents and pocket money

Disposable income: most of their money is spent on entertainment (music, magazines, CD's, DVD's), beauty products (make-up), sweets, clothes

Interests/Current lifestyle: Attend concerts, sleepovers, enjoy going doing fun things with their friends such as ice-skating, cinema, shopping trips

Aspirations: Want to be successful, famous and cool like their celebrity idols

How do they communicate with each other ?: through school, phonecalls, texts, social network sites.

Where do they live? : All over the UK.

                 

Designing Mastheads For My Music Magazine

I have decided to call my music magazine 'Candy' due to the fact that I wanted to reach out to a young female teenage demographic who are interested in celebs, fashion and pop music. The font style and colour scheme of my masthead should all reach out and attract the attention of my intended target audience.

This was my first potential masthead that I designed. I was particularly drawn to this font because it is similar to the 'top of the pops' masthead and top of the pops magazine targets the same audience that I am attemping to with my publication. The colour scheme is very girly- pink and yellow which would immedietely attract a female demographic. The font is also very 'funky' and boasts a carefree and fun vibe- a vibe that I am trying to bring across within my music magazine.


This was my second potential masthead that I designed. I really liked this style due to the fact that it was clear to understand and read and that it looked 3D, almost as if its coming off of the page- which adds an exciting and interesting dimension to the frontpage. The colour scheme of this masthead is very appropriate for my intended audience of teenage girls. Furthermore as my magazine caters for my audiences interests such as gossip and celebrities, this font is very appropriate as the dots in the letters almost look like the lights on a dressing room mirror which is very glamorous.

This was my final potential design for my masthead. This design was my least favourite as I feel like the font style and the dark colours would be more suitable for an r'n'b publication. However I do think that because the font style is very funky it would appeal to a younger demographic.

Comparative Analysis And Evaluation Of Music Press Front page

  

The generic music convention codes employed by the magazine suggest the target audience are young teenage girls who have an interest in pop music and celebrity gossip.

The masthead boasts a fun and carefree vibe due to the fact that it is designed in girly vibrant colors and is written in a swirly font. This immedietely suggests that this publication is designed for a younger demographic as it isnt something that you would expect a reader of NME magazine- which is all about rock/alternative to be attracted to. The bright pink and yellow colors and the funky font  are all features that are definetely generic convention codes of pop magazines aimed at a younger audience.

The strapline of this magazine also is very appealing to the intended target audience of young teenage girls as it fits in with the magazines main aim of displaying knowledge about celebs and pop gossip. 'Win Vanessa's make-up' this is a very typical strapline for this type of publication as it combines both beauty with celebs- something that presumably interests the publications audience immensely. This strapline is also a tell-tale sign of who this magazine is aimed at, as obviously it wouldn't interest readers of a rock/ alternative magazine like NME or Kerrang.

The main image is a mid-shot of teenage heartthrob Zac Efron  placed right in the centre of the front page. The fact that he is smiling directly foward almost gives readers the impression that he is smiling at them which creates a personal touch, persuading the teenagers to buy the publication. The image is also very innocent and creates a sweet and cutesy vibe. The choice of celebrity will almost immedietely attract the intended target audience of younger teenage girls.

The mode of address suggests that this magazine is specifically tailored for a younger female demographic due to the fact that the language used is very unformal and almost feels conversational. Short phrases such as 'hot boys' is a generic music convention in teenage magazines as they instantly stand out and are straight to the point, they are also clear and easy to see and understand.

The features of this magazine suggest the target audience needs are

1. SURVEILLANCE - because the content is mainly about the world of pop including information on the personal lives of popstars and the latest trends and chart posistions.

2. DIVERSION - because the adverts and features are mainly for entertainment purposes such as film advertisments and gossip sections.

3. PERSONSAL COMPANIONSHIP - because readers can read identify and feel like they are getting to know the celebrities featured through exclusive interviews and pictures included.

4. PERSONAL IDENTITY- because readers can compare their lives with the celebrities featured and perhaps look up to them and use their lifestyles as aspirations and inspirations for themselves

The genre, mode of address and layout and design of the magazne suggest a niche/mainstream audience.

The generic convention music codes employed by this magazine suggest that the target audience are young adults who have an interest in rock/alternative music.

The masthead boasts a mature and stern image due to the fact that it is designed with a

 simple typography and block colours. This immedietely suggests that the publication is designed for an older more mature demographic as it isn't something that you'd expect to appeal to a younger audience as it isn't particulary fun and eye catching. The use of capital letters creates a 'strong and tough' vibe which could link into the overall genre of the publication- rock, which is seen as a rough and masculine theme. The colour scheme of red, black and white is definetely a generic convention code of rock/alternative music magazines as 'Q' magazine also uses this feature.

  The strapline of this magazine is also very appealing to the intended target audience of young adults as it fits in with the magazines main aim of displaying knowledge all about music and artists. 'Free CD' is a very typical strapline for this type of pubication as it is satisying the readers main passion- which is music. It also intises readers, persuading them to pay attention to this particular publication, opposed to the numerous other magazines that promote the rock/alternative genre of music.

The main image is a mid-shot of an indie band spread all over the front page. The fact that the artists featured on this image have neutral yet stern expressions on their faces is a tell-tale sign about who this publication is aimed at, as it obviously wouldnt appeal to a young teenage girl who would be more interested in a good looking young boy smiling directly at her. The use of this particular band will almost immedietely reach out and attract the intended target audience of this publication.

The mode of address suggests that this publication is specifically tailored for a young adult/student type demographic due to the fact that the language used is very blunt, informal and in note form. Short phrases such as 'love music hate racsim' is a generic music convention in rock magazines as it is short, snappy and straight to the point. Directly reaching out to the intended audience about issues that would concern and interest them. Short phrases are also clear and easy to understand and are instantly eye catching.

The features of this magazine suggest that the target audience needs are:

.SURVEILLANCE- because the content is mainly information about the world of rock including gig guides, album releases and award write ups ect

2. DIVERSION- because the adverts are mainly for entertainment and diverting purposes e.g games, movies and albums

3. PERSONAL COMPANIONSHIP- because through exclusive interviews with artists you can gain insights into their lives and personalities and talk about this with your peers through social discussion

 

The genre/mode of address and layout and design of the magazine suggest a niche/mainstream audience.

 

Similarities and Differences between 'Top of the Pops' and 'NME' magazines.

 

SIMILARITIES

• Both publications are designed and tailored for a younger demographic who have no responsibilites.
• Both magazines contain numerous adverts
• Both publications promote new and current artists relevant to their particular music genres
• Both magazines have similar retail prices which could be because the potential spending bracket of the readers would be similar due to the fact that both magazines are aimed at students and younger people.

DIFFERENCES

• Each of the magazines mastheads are designed in completely different colours, Top of the pops is designed in light, vibrant colours such as pink and yellow and NME's masthead is designed in a red, black and white colour scheme
• Each magazine is targeting different audiences, Top of the pops targets a young teenage demographic whereas NME is targetting the complete opposite as they are reaching out to young adults
•  

 

Shine Magazine- Analysis of Prelim Task

Powerpoint hayley

View more presentations from stoliros.

Studying Music Magazine Reader Profiles

I have studied reader profiles on two music magazines. NME and Uncut. I looked at various information that would help me gain more information on their readers and which audiences they intend to target with their publications.

 A summary of how readers consume music in each publication- similarities and differences

                                     Uncut Magazine

• In Uncut magazine, their readers spend £50 a month on CD's, which is up from £40 a month in 2002. 
• They also own 365 CD's in their collection.
• The average spend per month on DVD's is £21, concerts and events £23, cinema tickets £14 and £8.50 a month on downloads.

                                     NME Magazine

• Over the past 12 months readers bought 39 CD albums, spending £430 in total
• They bought 45 CD singles spending £135 in total
• 55% of them buy their music from a popular music chain e.g HMV
• 46% of them purchase their music from a specialist  record shop
• 28% of them purchase music online
• On average each reader downloaded 15 tracks in the last month

The similarities are that readers in both magazines tend to both download their music online and purchase it instore. However NME readers tend to go to more live music gigs than Uncut magazine readers, 91% in fact.
The differences are that more males read Uncut magazine, 96% of their readers are male whilst only 65% of NME's readers are male.

Readers interest and relationship with music in both publications

                                        Uncut Magazine

• 79% of readers like to keep up with the latest music
• 97% of them are passionate about music, which is more than readers of NME
• 49% of readers like to go to the cinema in their spare time

                                        NME Magazine

• 91% of readers like to go to gigs regularly
• 48% have been to an NME gig
• On average they go to at least 1 festival per year
• 92% believe music is an important part of their life

Overall I think that it is clear to say that readers of NME spend more money and time with music in their lives. The readers of NME spend more money on going to live music gigs and festivals compared to those of Uncut. However more of Uncuts readers say that are passionate about music than readers of NME. This could indicate that NME's readers are more elaborate and sociable and have a greater potential spending bracket.

Masthead Research

I have studied the mastheads of three different music publications. The magazines I have chosen are, NME, Top Of The Pops, and Q Magazine. These publications all cater for different types of music genres and their masthead designs clearly portray this.

  The NME masthead uses the colour scheme red, black and white. This colour scheme portrays the masculinity and edgyness of the publication as the colours used (apart from red) arent very girly and vibrant, instead they are plain and immedietely alert you that this publication is prodomintely aimed at males. This particular colour scheme of red, black and white runs in a long trend of magazines that cater specifically for the rock/ alternative music culture. Similarly Q magazine is also designed in the red and white colour scheme.
The text is styled in a very plain way with no fancy patterns or fonts yet it is still very bold and appealing. The fact that it is coloured very boldly in a bright colour makes it rather eye catching, persuading people to pay attention to the publication. The use of block capitals and the lack of interesing fonts/ patterns could hint at the intended target audience. Publications that are aimed at younger audiences tend to be more fun and vibrant, in addition to this one being more demure we get the impression that a more mature, older audience are being targeted through this publication.

 The Top of the Pops magazine masthead is obviously intended at a younger female audience due to the various features such as the gimmicky bubble writing and the vibrant, girly colour scheme. The fact that a swirly font is used gives off an impression of fun and innocence which varies greatly to the impression that the rock magazine NME gives off.
Pink and yellow are extremely girly colours so this particular feature concludes that the intended target audience for this publication are young teenage girls who have an interest in pop music- hence the title of the magazine.

 The masthead of Q Magazine is similar to the NME one. They both share colour schemes and are simple but effective in design. The bold letter indicates strength and simpleness, as it is the only and central piece in this design. Similarly to NME magazine, the colouring could suggest that this publication is tailored for an older, more mature demographic who are interested in the rock/ alternative music scene.