Double Page Spread

Contents Page

Front Cover

Magazine drafts

Front Cover

This is the draft for my front cover of my music magazine. The masthead is slightly overlapped by the image. This makes it look as thought the magazine is a well known music magazine and the masthead can be easily recognised by the audience so it doesn't need to be shown fully. Overlapping the image their is a heading, this tells the audience who and what the main image is. Underneath the heading the subheading is shown. This gives brief details into what the main focus is about and describes some of the main eature inside. There are two other features situated at the bottom of the page. This gives the audience a brief insight into some of the articles included within the magazine.

Contents Page

This is the draft for my contents page. The magazines masthead is situated in the left hand corner of the page. This reminds the audience of the magazines title and this feature is presented throughout the magazine. The heading "contents" tells the audience what the features on the page are representing. The main focus on the page is the image. This is situated on the left hand side of the page and takes over about three quaters of the page. The page number of the feature presentedby the image is placed in the bottom right hand corner of the image. Above this is some detail into what the image is about. To the right and bottom of the main image there are blocks of features which list the contents of the magazine and the page numbers of where the articles can be found.

Double Page Spread

This is the draft for my double page spread. The main article is title is situated to the top right of the spread but dominates over three quaters of the spread. It overlaps the image which is the main focus of the spread. To the left of the image the text is situated. It has been layed out into two columns with a pull quote siuated half way down the second column. The first letter of the article has been enlarged so it helps the audience to focus on the text itself. The image itself flows over both pages, starting on the left hand side of the spread and goes over to centre line to the other side.

images

image research

Blondie (Debbie Harry)

An American rock band from the 1970s.

An iconic figure to many women in the UK and USA.

I like this image because the sideways pose that she dominates shows the audience the attitude she wishes to portray, but also a softness to her personality. The background is red which usually relates to danger. The same red colour is used on her lips which compliments the picture well and makes the image more powerful. The orange top doesn't stand out from the background as they are not contrasting colours, but this is not a main factor of the image. Her pale skin and bleach blonde hair contrasts with the background and draws the audience directly to her face. There are no props used in this image so the audience is not distracted from the artist herself.

Little Boots (Victoria Hesketh)

An English electronica musician.

A new iconic figure to women in the UK as she sings, plays the piano, synthesizers and the stylophone.

I like this image because the y use of the window for the background makes the image look authentic although the artist herself has been newly released. The pose in which she dominates is almost rag doll like. Her left arm is holding up her head which is tilted to the side, and her left arm hangs beside her. She is wearing a mixed pattern dress as the top half is a plain navy colour where as the skirt part is striped. A necklace hangs off her neck which is a focus point for the audience. Her pale skin and bleached blonde hair stands out dramatically from the dark background setting. The colour scheme shown throughout this image is navy and white, including her own personal appearance.

James Morrison

An English singer songwriter and guitarist.

He is an iconic figure to many young guitarists and he can sing too.

I like this image because the gray scale colour scheme is bold and the image of the artist himself is set on a white-grey background which stands out to the audience. He sits head tilted slightly to the left facing down, with his eyes slightly closed with concentration. This pose he dominates shows his relaxed and calm personality. This is also shown through his music and style. He sits, strumming a guitar which shows his talents. The guitar is also an acoustic which shows the authenticity to his music. This is a very eye catching factor as the audience can immediately get an insight into his personality. He is wearing an open jacket with a pure white t-shirt underneath. This is casual and shows that he is a laid back type of guy who is more interested in his music that a strict style.

Pet Shop Boys (Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe)

An English Electronic Dance music duo from 1981-

present.

An iconic duo who have grown in talent in the public eye and provided some of the first dance music popular in the 80's and 90's.

I like this image because it too has a grey scale colour theme. Both artists have positioned themselves in different ways. Neil Tennant is facing forward in this image. This shows the audience that he is the more dominant character in this duo. His big curly hair and whole image in general reveals the era this image was taken because of their style and poses. Chris Lowe however is positioned to the left on Neil. He is facing the side of the frame so the audience can only see half his face. This shows each members status in the duo. Both artists are wearing black leather jackets with the collars up which gives them a cool, casual image. Their expressions are straight and shows attitude. Which is presented through their music and style.

fonts

I found a variety of fonts off the website http://www.dafont.com/ that i could use for my magazine front cover. Each font I chose is very different. I wanted a choice between a variety of styles that could fit well with my image. As at this stage I have not chosen an image that I have decided is going to be on my front cover, so I wanted a variety of styles that could link well with the ideas that I have in mind.

Research

Background
The genre of my music magazine will be a mixture of music between the 1960's and now. I have chosen this genre because it can relate to all people of any age, sex or culture. I will be using a variety of artists throughout my magazine from different eras of music, helping the audience to find a specific style of music that they like. It will also appeal to a larger target audience then just a specific age group. Although my target audience will range from people ages 16 and over. I chose this target audience because at this age, people are more likely to appreciate older music and become influenced by the variety of genres.

Designs and Features
I will include interviews and articles relating to new artists and previous artists, questioning their influences and what made them produce their music. I will also include up and coming events and gigs that will appeal to different people within my target audience. Another feature I will include will be other topics relating to popular culture. These will include Fashion, Lifestyle and Events. Both these factor are useful because they will attract the audiences attention because it will give out information that is useful to the audience and will provide a variety of topics for the reader to mix between.

The colour scheme that i will be using will mainly be white for fonts and lettering as I have noticed, from analysing previous magazines, that these all attract the audiences attention and are good focus points for any magazines. Also they stand out from dark coloured images that are presented throughout the magazine. I will also use a variety of colours for the images I include and the articles i will produce.

One magazine that influenced me is "Rolling Stone", it shows a variety of music genres from a variety of different eras but also includes other issues in society relating to popular culture. "Rolling Stone" is a well known, popular magazine in both the UK and USA. We can see this by the cover, as sometimes the images can overlap the masthead but the audience always knows what magazine it is as the graphics used for the masthead are always the same and easily recognised. This magazine provides entertainment for a variety of people with different tastes in music. Each cover of "Rolling Stone" magazine features a well know, popular artist that the audience will immediately recognise. The layout of the magazine allows the audience to view all the information provided and the graphics and fonts used attract the audiences attention.

I decided that the name of my magazine had to reflect a variety of genres and their targets to their audiences. Some names i came up with where:

FUSE

SIGNAL

REVOLUTION

DEMO

These magazine names fit well with the style of magazine I am going to produce. They link together all the different genres of music that have or will influence the audience and other new artists. I decided to call it "DEMO" because it refers to the way music demonstrates power and emotion. It links in with all differnt genres of music as all artists release demos as the start up of their careers.

Textual Analysis of "NME" double page spread

This double page spread is from NME magazine. There are four main focuses on this double page spread, they are the artist, the artists name, the pull quote and the whole of the main text.

The image of the artist is quite and important focus of this layout. It dominates almost three quarters of the page starting from the left hand side. It is a long shot that shows both the artist and the background. The props use in this picture are a line of bunting. These are usually used on special occasions and festivals to string between streets for decoration. However in this particular image the artist is holding them and a layer of them is hanging don like a loop. On this loop her leg is placed as she stands on one leg, the other one bent and resting on the bunting. Her right arm is raised in the air, holding onto the bunting. The bunting is red which makes it stand off from the background.

The background is in pale, pastel colours but it has a ripped effect to it as though paper had been ripped off the wall. The artist is stood i the centre of the wall, but in the middle of the room so not resting against it. She is wearing black and white clothes which also draws the audiences attention to her as the black and white colour scheme has been used throughout the page. She has red hair which contrasts with her clothes.

One other focus of this double page spread is the title of the group. The font is a simple black font, in a mix of upper and lower case letters. The font is quite large and dominates the bottom left hand corner of the page. It takes over almost one third of the page and is wrapped around the side of the image.

Another focus on this page is the pull quote. It has been placed right in the middle of the text and covers two out of the three columns. It says "I spent my 16th birthday jumping out of a tree. It felt amazing hitting the ground". This is a direct quote from the artist herself and lets the audience identify the strucure of the text and shows that it is an informal interview with the artist which represents her own lifestyle throughout. The name of the artist who made the quote is situatedbelow the pull quote. The font used is simple as the lettering is white and the background for each individual letter is in a pink square which separates it from the background and the rest of the text.

The rest of the text is in regular black typeface on a white background. The first letter of the text "T"larger than the rest. It has been places in a purple box and the colour of the specific letter is white. It dominates a quater of the first column and takes over five lines of the rest of the text. The rest of the text is set out into three columns in smaller writing to the the rest of the double page spread. There is another letter "O" that is larger the rest f the text. It is on the third column just above the pull quote and is also placed in a purple square. Both these enlarged letters are eyecatching to the audience and a specific feature of the main text.

Textual Analysis of "NME" double page spread

This double page spread is from NME music magazine. There are two main focuses of this double page spread. One is the focus image of "Lily Allen" and the pull quote from her interview that is shown underneath.

The colour scheme used throughout is black and white. The background is pure white with black font presented throughout. The pull quote however is in inverted colours as the text is in a white font, outlined in black. This stands out from the page and grabs the audiences attention. However the image of Lily herself is in colour but her face appears to be pale, almost white and her black hair continues the black and white colour scheme that is used throughout. Lil however is wearing a bold, checked red shirt that attracts the readers attention to the article.


The image of the artist is placed at the right hand side of the page with a medium shot of her as we can see her from her waist up. The pose in which Lily is dominating shows attitude to the specific article and shows like she doesn't care about people opinions on her. The statement shirt also reflects this attitude as she wants to stand out and make a statement of her self, and her personality. The image has been edited so it will stand out from the page and attract the audiences attention onto her. This links in with the pull quote which dominates three quarters of the page starting from the left hand side.

It says "People think I'm an attention seeker, but I'm just honest". This reflects the message she wants to give the audience and the attitude in which she wants people to see her. The font used is a mixture of sizes for all the letters together. They are all in upper case and present power of specific letters depending on their sizes. This represents Lily herself as a person and shows a quirky side to the article and makes Lily seem different to other artists. This attracts the audience to the article itself as they want to see why Lily has made this quote and what her other opinions and feeling are towards the subject being represented.

The article represents Lily's own opinions on herself and the way in which the media changes her to have a different outcome to the one in which she actually has. The text starts off with a capital "I" which dominates most of the first column of text. This letter has been made bigger so the audience knows that the article is a personal account from Lily but also draws the readers attention the the article itself as it stands out from the pure white background.

All these features make the page seem like one page rather than two. This is because the pull quote dominates part of both the pages and the article also flows slightly over to the other page. The layout is appealing to the audience because a lot of the features stand out and grab the readers attention.

Textual Analysis for "Hip-Hop" contents page

This is the contents page from Hip-Hop magazine. The layout of this page is quite simple as there is only one focus image at the right hand side of the page. This is an image of the popular rapper 50 Cent. To the left of the image the rest of the page is taken up by the magazines features. The main colour used is white as this is the colour used for the entire background. There is a colour scheme of Black and grey for the features and red is used to show the page number and a heading.a heading. The artist himself is also in colour.

The artist is the main focus of this page as he s placed from the top of the page to the bottom. This takes over half of the entire page and immediately attracts the audiences attention. The artists pose reflects his attitude which is also shown throughout the magazine in the other images and articles. He is dressed in everyday clothes that fit in with his music style and his personality which is reflected in this image. His skin tone has been edited as it is perfectly clear which would not be normal for his everyday life. On his jeans there is a logo "50 cent" which shows his pride in the music in which he produces and he shows this in the way he positions himself to the camera.

His name and page number are in bold lettering compared to the rest of the text shows that he is one of the main features in the magazine and this attracts the audiences attention. Although most of the main features are presented on the front cover this is another important feature as it is the largest one on the page and shows the audience that it too is a main feature as the contents page is the first page seen when the magazine is opened and they will be drawn to the image.
On the left hand side of the image there is a list of features that appear inside the magazine. These are in a medium sized black font which is not very big but easily noticed by the audience. There are brief descriptions underneath the specific sections which are smaller in size and presented in a grey font. This is useful as the audience can find out some details into what they can expect from the article they may choose read inside the magazine.

Overall the page is quite plain and a bit boring as the only focus is the image of the artist. And if the artist doesn't appeal to the specific audience then they may not want to find out the other features included in the magazine.

Textual Analysis for "Mixmag" contents page

This is the contents page from Mixmag magazine. The layout of this magazine is quite simple as there are only 3 focus images presented and the features are listed in specific places throughout the layout.

The title of the magazine is above the main focus image but is not in a very large font so does not attract the most attention. The font used for "mixmag" is iconic to the magazine and is shown throughout the top of the magazine on every page.

The main colour of the magazine is black because of the background and there is a white and yellow colour scheme throughout used for all the text. The main image is set to the left of the page and is framed by text at the bottom and the right hand side of it. The image is of two women, looking to be in their early 20s on a night out in a club. The magazine itself is about dance and clubbing so this image represents that in a way that the audience can relate to significantly. The image is in colour which makes it stand out from the black background behind it. There page number in which this feature is found is placed at the bottom left hand corner of the image but is in a very large white font which also attracts the audiences attention to the particular feature. Underneath the page number there is a brief description of the feature. This not as easily recognised but if the reader is interested in finding out details about the image.

Underneath the main image there is a picture of a CD. This shows what the reader will get if they purchase the magazine. There is text surrounding this image which gives the audience details into what the CD is about and the songs that are included on it. The numbers used for the track listing are in yellow and the song artist is in bold white font next to it. There is then details into the name of the song and other details regarding it are also in a white font but this time it is not bold but in italics to separate it from the other details.

To the right of the main image is a list of features that are included within the magazine. At the top of this list there is an image of "Josh Wink". The audience can relate to this image as he is a well known artist in this specific music genre. There is a page number next to the image which is in big white font that shows the audience the page in which the article can be found. This will attract the readers attention as the readers may want to find out more details about the artist and the number can let the audience find the page quicker.

The title "contents" is shown in the top right hand corner of the magazine and helps the audience identify what page they are viewing. This is in quite a large white font and is easily noticed by the audience. The date in which the magazine is published is placed between the magazine title and the contents page heading. This is in a bold yellow font and can easily be seen on the magazine.

Overall this contents page is quite appealing as the images used are brightly coloured and can relate well to the audience. The colour scheme used is an inverted design of a regular black and white layout. They yellow writing also stands out from the black background and can be easily seen and focused on throughout the magazine.

Textual Analysis of "Rolling Stone" Magazine

The second magazine that i am going to analyse is Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone is a US based magazine relating to Music, Politics and Popular Culture. The target audience of this magazine is young adults as everything it covers is up to date and new. Rolling stone features music and artists from all genres. All easily recognised by their audience and popular in mainstream culture.

The Jonas Brothers are the main focus of this magazine. Their image is a medium shot where all members of the band are shown from the waist up. The image covers most of the masthead but the audience still knows what magazine it is because the font and lettering of the masthead is well known and a popular mainstream magazine.

The group members are all dressed in black and white but the magazine itself is in colour. They are all posing in a layering order as the lead vocalist is at the front of the group and the other two members are slightly behind. The group name is layered over the top of the image. The writing is white with a red outline and is in a bold font. Underneath the heading the subheading which describes the feature "God! Girls! Guitars! " shows the audience what the group is all about. The wording used is alliteration which is used to entertain the audience and attract attention to the particular feature.

Up the left hand side of the magazine there are some feature plugs which gives the audience an insight into the contents of the particular magazine. They are also in white and overlap the group image. Each of the feature pugs is separated by half a red line which lefts the audience identify the separate features.

There is a diagonal strap line in the left hand corner of the magazine, this also shows a feature in the magazine but it attracts attention as it overlaps the masthead and provides the magazine with different design feature. The plug is also in grey scale like most of the magazine cover and is designed to look like a strap line but one that fits over the masthead like a sticker.

Textual Analysis of "NME" magazine

NME is a British indie/rock magazine that is published and released every week. The main languages used throughout this magazine is informal and provides a good relationship with the reader.
The masthead of the magazine "NME" is placed in the top left corner of the front page. In is in bold red, outlined in white so it stands out from the main background colour of the magazine. Underneath the masthead there is a subheading "new music express" which tells the audience what the masthead stands for. Both the masthead and the subheading are in uppercase and in a clean cut font that is easy to recognise and iconic to this specific magazine.

The main headline of the magazine "the future 50" shows the audience what the specific article is about. This headline is in bold white and is also in uppercase so it stands out dramatically to the audience. There is shadowing of the "50" onto the background of the magazine which makes it look as though this headline is standing out of the cover. There is also a mass heading underneath the main headline which is in both upper and lower cast which lists some details into what the main article is about.

The white also stands off dramatically from the background which is striped with diagonal stripes from the top left of the magazine which increase in size as the go across the centre of the magazine. These stripes are in Blue, pink and navy and they all stand ahead in the magazine so the audience can see them as a focus.

The images used on the cover are two medium close ups of a duet group, Crystal Castles. The images have been cut in half and placed on either side of the magazine cover. The audience can recognise who they are but also allows the main headline to be placed directly in between the two artists. This is the second main feature article of the magazine but is linked with the images as though it is the main one.

At the bottom o the magazine there are some plugs which reveals some of the stories featured inside the magazine. Both these plugs are represented by images and surrounded by orange boxes so they an stand out from the background and the main focus images. There is also a bar code placed in the right hand corner of the magazine which is quite small so isn't a main focus for the audience.

In the top right hand corner of the magazine there is a plug revealing a free item that is included inside the magazine. The words are in upper case and represented by an image of the free gift that is inside. This is also placed in the centre of an orange box to help it stand out from the main background.

Foundation Portfolio

Producing the front cover, contents page and a double page spread of a New Music Magazine

This task includes making the front page, content page and a double page spread of a New Music Magazine. I have looked at the key concepts that could be applied to the magazine and used the acronym LIIAR - Language, Institution, Ideology, Audience and Representation to do this.

L - Language
The language in this magazine will be represented through the use of photographs, text, fonts and the masthead of the magazine. It will also be reprsented by the coulours and texture the magazine reveals and the entire layout of the magazine.


I - Institution
The institution reffers to the publisher who makes the magazine, and where the magazine is produced.

IPC media- is a high selling UK consumer magazine publisher who publishes a variety of music magazines to a variety of music genres. An example of a magazine they produce is NME.
Emap-
Future-


I - Ideology
The ideology behind the magazine are the ideas and questions used to produce it. These can reflect the audience of the magazine as there will be ideas about "why the magazine was produced?" and " who is it produced for?" The ideologoy of a music magazine will also be to entertain but inform people of the music industry and will give positive feedback on the artists they are representing.


A - Audience
There are many different types of audience that can be reflected in a music magazine. the target audiences for each magazine is decided by the language decided for the magazine, including the use of images, colour and style of font. For example darker colours are used mainly to reflect heavier and stronger styles of music. Where as bright colours would suggest a more fun and energetic style. Another factor that could be used to appeal to the audience they are targeting is through the artists and bands used.

R - Representation
The representation presented in a music magazine reflects the genre of music that has been chosen. Some magazines sucha as "Kerrang" and "HipHop Collection" represent a certain type of music which will only appeal to a certain audience. Where as "Rolling Stone" will appeal to a huge variety of people as there is a veriety of music genres presented. Also music magazines will represent the artist/group on the front cover which will also appeal to a variety of people. If the target audience of the magazine is "young females" they are mre likely to place a picture of a "young female" for their target audience to relate to. Where as those interested in "group" music will be more likely to purchase a magazine that is representing a group on the front cover.

Evaluation of Preliminary Task.

In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

How does your media product represent particlar social groups?

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Who would be the audience for your media product?

How did you attract/address your audience?

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression fom it to the full product?