Weekly Review

This week i have managed to analyze all of the magazines that i needed to. I have compared the way that each magazine presents front covers, contents pages and double page spreads. I also posted a questionnaire and a poll to ask my target audience what they want to see in a music magazine. From these results i hope to achieve a successful magazine that will appeal to my target audience.

Now i plan to start my photoshoot. Firstly i will post some possible ideas on my blog and then i will begin some practice shoots. After i have completed the photoshoot i want to start editing my photos - contrast / brightness / cropping / etc.

Q Front Cover Analysis

Q was first published in 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing. Originally it was to be called Cue, but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. The publishers of this magazine were two men called Mark Ellen and David Hepworth.

The most striking feature of this front cover of Q magazine is the bright red text box in the top left hand corner with the letter "Q" in white. It is unique as it is the only music magazine that uses only one letter - no other magazines have a masthead so short and striking; this is why it is so effective against the sepia background. As well as this, the font used is very basic and clear to read, as many other magazine front cover title fonts are. I think this is so the text does not draw attention away from the image on the front cover. The bright red of this masthead is the only bright colour on the front page and this makes it stand out even more. Anchored below this masthead is a black textbox with "Britain's Biggest Music Magazine" in a clear white font. This makes it clear to the readers that it is a well established magazine and very famous. It also attracts new buyers.

There is only one headline on this magazine - "COLDPLAY". This is very different to other magazines that i have analysed because usually the front page is littered with coverlines showing features within the magazine. This makes the magazine appear very minimalistic and simple-reading. "COLDPLAY" is in a clear bold text in a gold colour - this matches with the sepia background. Also the gold colour may suggest royalty - that the band are so famous and well established in the music world that they are music royalty. Surrounding the headline there is extra information such as "One month inside their revolution" so the readers become intrigued and want to buy the magazine to read the article. The font used here is slightly different and in italics, this makes it look a bit different and more interesting.

Due to the blatant lack of coverlines, the front page has instead opted to show a very large and striking photograph and Coldplay. The four band members are all looking straight into the camera - this grabs the readers eyes. They are featured with their instruments so you recognize them and know who they are. Interestingly, the photo has been edited to become sepia. This ties in with the simple, minimalistic theme of "Q" magazine and makes it look different to other magazines because usually they are very bright and busy. The poses of the band members vary from sitting on the floor to sitting on a bench. They look natural and comfortable, and this makes people want to read about them.

Q Contents analysis

The first thing you notice about this contents page of Q magazine is the red and black colour scheme. At the top of the page there is a strapline with Q in a red text box and Contents in a black text box. The font is clear and sans serif. Also in this black text box is the issue number and date of publication. Beneath the strapline there is a single column with the headline "Features" in capital letters.

The font for this headline is different to the font used for the Contents title, it is more curved and more unique. It is in a red text box, (keeping with the red and black theme) and beneath his is a list of all the features in the magazine.The interesting points of the features are in large, bold fonts, such as "NEW!" and "COLDPLAY" and this makes you want to read on. Next to the feature titles are the page reference numbers in a red font. This makes the contents page apper more organized and professional.

To the right of the features list is a large prominent photo of Jon Bon Jovi. It is a mid shot so you can clearly see his facial and body expression. He is standing sideways on but his face is looking directly at the camera so it looks like he is looking at you - this draws the readers in. There is also a plain background behind him so this does not distract you from the famous singer. The lighting is overhead and casts soft complementary shadows to make him look attractive.

Beneath the large image of Bon Jovi there is a medium sized text box with a grey background. This is split into three columns with a small image in one of the columns. There is a black subheading above these columns saying "Q review the world's biggest and best music guide". This suggests to the readers that this is the best magazine to buy and that you should not buy any others. The image in one of the columns is of Coldplay, a very prestigious band with many fans. This makes the readers interested to read about them.

Unlike the Kerrang! contents page that i analysed earlier, there are no small copies of articles within the magazine. In comparison, i think that Q looks more dull and bare than Kerrang, because there are fewer and bright colours and it looks alot more organized and less fun. However, Q upholds an image of being a very minimalistic magazine - their front cover's are always quite bare with only a large photograph on the front to draw the readers in. It is clear that this minimalistic style works for them.

Music Poll

What is your favourite genre of music?

Rock

Hip Hop

R'n'B

Dubstep

Drum 'n' Bass

Pop

Indie

Acoustic

Club music

emu boots

Target Audience Questionnaire

In order to find out exactly what my target audience want to find in a music magazine, i have written a questionnaire and plan to use the results that i get from it to make my magazine successful.
I would really appreciate it if you took the time to fill in the questionnaire and post your results in a comment below.

1. How old are you?

2. Are you male or female?

3. Do you read music magazines? If so, which ones?

4. How much would you expect to pay for a music magazine?

5. What colour schemes would you like to see on a music magazine?

6. Which of these names do you prefer more for a music magazine?
- Jammin
- Tune In
- My Musik
- Any other suggestions?

7. Do you prefer more text or more photos in a music magazine?

8. What is your favourite genre of music?

9. Would you like a music magazine to be about a specific genre or a big mixture?

10. How often do you read music magazines?
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Hardly ever



Thank you very much for your time.

Mixmag front cover analysis

“MixMag” was first published on the 1st February 1983 as a 16-page black and white magazine published by DMC, the DJ mail out service. When house music began, the editors of the magazine adapted it from a newsletter addressed to Djs to a magazine covering all dance music and culture. It claims to be “the world’s biggest selling dance music magazine” and has this appearing as a strapline at the top of every front page. This suggests to the readers that you cannot get any better magazine for clubbing than this, and thus encourages them to buy it. This magazine is mainly aimed at 16-27 year olds because you are unable to enter a club under the age of 18, however at the age of 16 you do begin to show interest and may well want to buy a magazine about it. At the age of 27 people may begin to dislike the clubbing scene and not buy the magazine any more, even if they used to buy it when they did go clubbing.

One of the key attractions of this magazine is with every issue you get a free mix CD. Featured in the issue I am analysing, we can see that they offer “Herve’s Party Bombs!”, and this also appears at the very top of the page in a bright white and yellow font. This feature is relatively unique to MixMag and makes the readers want to buy the magazine so that they can get a free CD. Cleverly, this also works to attract new young and keen people to try their hand at DJ’ing with this club music CD. This widens the magazine’s market.

The masthead is in a clear font that is uniquely designed for MixMag. Interestingly, they have dotted the 'i' with a record disk, to make it more relevant to the magazine. The colour of the font is Bright white, and his is of great contrast to the blue background. This colour theme is continued with the rest of the font - many of the coverlines are white or bright yellow to make them stand out to prospective buyers. Unlike kerrang, where all the font on the front page was pretty similar, on the front page of this issue of MixMag we can see a wide variety of fonts to make the coverlines seem varied and more interesting.

The main image is of an attractive young girl around the age of 20 so this will appeal to the target audience. She is wearing a fashionable bikini with lots of accessories including a pair of red sunglasses that are often worn in the clubbing scene. She is pictured in a foreign country, with natural lighting so it looks very hot and sunny. It is a mid-long shot so you can clearly see most of her body and her face as well. As she is looking into the camera with a cheeky smirk on her face she stands out from the dull blue background. Anchored to this main central image are the words "Ibiza '08", so this suggests that she is clubbing in Ibiza and this would make the readers want to experience it for themselves.

Some of the smaller coverlines are underlined. This makers them more defined from the background and makes the magazine appear more organized and attractive. Larger font such as "Paul Van Dyk" and "N*E*R*D" are used as titles because they are big names in the clubbing industry and would catch the readers eyes and encourage them to buy the magazine and read more about them.

As there is only one large photo on the front cover, this leaves alot of room for the coverlines. This allows the readers to have a taster of what they can find inside the actual magazine when they buy it. Beneath this photograph there is a small bar code and information about the magazine, such as the date it was released and the issue number. Unlike the Kerrang! magazine that i analysed, none of the text used on this front page is contained within a text box. I think that this makes it less clear to the readers, and makes you rely more on the photograph to display what is inside the magazine.

Kerrang Double Page Spread Analysis

The pages in this issue of Kerrang's double page spread are separated into three sections; text, a montage of photos, and one larger photo. From this you can see that the text to picture ration is that there are many more photos, as they occupy two thirds of the pages. A reason for this is because if readers saw two pages of complete text they may find this daunting and they would much prefer to look at colourful pictures as these are visually stimulating in comparison to the text.

The main text is situated on the left hand side of the double page spread and uses a very small font so that alot of text can be fitted into a small space. The main title is in a black text box and again uses the unique kerrang font. The colour scheme of the black and green adds a sense of darkness and "rock metal" as the article is about a rock metal band (Rammstein). Although the titles are in the original Kerrang font, the main body of text uses a clear font such as Ariel. This makes it much easier for people to read.

The collection of the photos in the middle of the page consists of 6 medium - large sized photographs of the bands at gigs. They are bordered by a white line and overlapped in a mismatch fashion, with a brown tape effect joining them together. This makes the collage seem quirky and fun. The photos themselves are mainly mid shots, showing the face and torso of the singer. This allows the readers to see the makeup and costume used for such good effect, especially highlighted by the overhead lighting.

The large, domineering photo on the right hand side of the double page spread features the lead singer of Rammstein supposedly breathing fire. This is a very eye catching image and adds to the general theme of metal-rock and darkness. The bright orange flame contrasts wildly with the general green and black theme of the text on the left hand side. Underneath this, and all of the other photos, there are small captions explaining to the readers what exactly is happening.

Generally, double page spreads have over time developed into more of a photo commentary than actual text. In other examples we can see that there are very many pictures, whereas there is not much text. Instead of large articles, instead we are presented with interviews with celebrities and these generally don't use alot of text. The overall effect of the double page spread is o catch your eye with interesting photos enough that you decide to read the "large" piece of text associated with it.

Kerrang Contents Page Analysis

The contents page in this issue of Kerrang is split horizontally in half; thus having the effect of providing a large space for a large photograph to catch the readers eye. The image itself is of an influential band member, mid-scream besides a Christmas tree (as it is a Christmas issue). The lighting is tinged with blue and this makes the photo seem even more festive, as it looks slightly like snow has been falling. On the left hand side of the top half of the contents page, there are two small copies of pages within the magazine. This gives the readers a taste of what is to come.

The main contents title is within a white text box with an icicle effect beneath it (again, for the Christmas theme). These boxes give important information about the magazine, such as the date it was released and the issue number. Each of the photos in the top half of the page are anchored by a relevant caption and a page number, this makes the magazine seem more organized and professional.

In the bottom half of the contents page there is another sub-heading, but this time it is within a black text box. The font used here is individual to Kerrang and very unique, so as soon as you read it you recognize which magazine it is. They have used yellow and white for the font colour as this will stand out well against the black background. To the left of the sub-heading there is a small rectangular photograph of the editor, and beneath this is the editor's note. This note welcomes the reader to the magazine and makes them feel important. It could be argued that not many people read this editor's note, however, the fact that the editors of Kerrang have included it on their contents pga esuggests to their readers that they care.

Besides the editors note, the text is split into four thin columns. In each column there are small headings in black text boxes, and beneath these are titles in capital letters and in bold. These all suggest to the readers what interesting stories there are in the magazine, such as "HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD" and "TASTE OF CHAOS". Another important aspect of the contents page is a small text box in the bottom right hand corner with an overlaying image. This encourages the readers to "Get K! delivered to your door for just £6 per month!" with additional contact details. This is useful to the magazine as they would get more money if people regularly subscribed to the magazine.

Kerrang Front Cover Analysis

Kerrang! Is a rock music magazine published by Bauer Consumer Media (since 2008) in the United Kingdom. During the 1980s and early 1990s, it featured mainly glam-metal acts such as Slayer, Bon Jovi, Poison and Venom, but then during the later 1990s ventured out to feature the newly-popular Grunge metal acts such as Nirvana. This method of transition that the magazine has apparently adopted, (adapting its features to the current trends) has been slated by many people, especially as the current trend is known as “emo” and can be a very controversial musical opinion. Kerrang! (So called for its onomatopoeic reference to the sound of a guitar chord being strummed) is not the only music magazine to focus on rock / indie bands of today. Q is a popular rival magazine, and the two are often competing to gain readers.

On first appearances the magazine appears to be relatively normal – particularly as it is A4 in size and shape and therefore similar to many other magazines in the rack. However it is on closer inspection that the finer unique selling points of Kerrang! become apparent. For instance, immediately our eyes are drawn to the large, empowering masthead that spans across the width of the page. It uses a unique sans-serif font that contains all capital letters, so Kerrang! really jumps out of the page, as if it is a loud sound (like its music). Moreover, the font has uneven edges and cracks running through the main body, making it appear rough and quirky. AS well as this, as the main background of the magazine front cover is dark, the font of the masthead really stands out as it is white.

Another feature of the magazine that really makes it stand out from the others is the vast variety of models on the front cover. There are four main models that are all very iconic in the rock music world – these are anchored by captions in the same unique font as the masthead. The central cover lines lure the readers by using a small text box with a red background and white border that says “AND MORE...”, so if you like what you read on the front page, such as “MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE” and “BLINK 182” you can find out more about them inside the actual magazine. All of the cover lines can be recognized by their black background and sans-serif font. The designers of the magazine have varied the colours of the font, using a pattern of white and yellow. This adds a splash of colour to the magazine and also ties in with the triangle of yellow block colour in the bottom left corner of the front page.

Another significant feature of the magazine is the use of circular text boxes. There are four badge-like text boxes spread throughout the front page, all containing interesting and exciting information. For instance, the largest and most imposing circular text box contains the number 50 and is anchored to a large headline stating; “50 ALBUMS YOU MUST HEAR IN 2010!” The text box is a bright red colour and therefore stands out against the dark background. As well as this, a red spattering of paint / blood effect has been added behind the text box to make the image more interesting, and perhaps more appropriate for the “rock world”. This also has the effect of filling in any gaps that may have been left on the front cover.

At the top of the page, there is a large strapline with a bright yellow background that complements the yellow used in the cover lines and in the bottom left corner of the page. This contains information that will encourage readers to buy the magazine, for instance, this strapline suggests that you can “Win tickets to every show!” As well as this, there are a number of smaller images of models in the bottom left hand corner. One in particular, a photograph of Oli Sykes, has been cropped and outlined to stand out against the yellow background. This makes it appear more important, and cuts out any of the background that may have distracted from the man himself. The other images are placed within white borders, with a shadow beneath them. This effect makes them appear 3D and on top of the page, especially as they are tilted at a slight angle.

As I said before, the main models used on the front page are all very famous in the rock music industry. The four have obviously been photographed separately and then cropped and arranged in a montage suitable for a front page. The lighting here varies between each photo, but on some it is overhead which casts soft, complementary shadows onto the faces of the musicians.

As is standard with all magazine front covers, a small bar code and issue number is included in the bottom right corner of the magazine, above the small text box with more cover lines. Overall, I believe that this is a very effective front cover that is directly targeting those who are passionate about metal and rock music. This magazine has successfully filled a niche in the market, and the front cover clearly indicates this.

Action Plan

Week One
- Analyse front cover of Kerrang
- Analyse contents of Kerrang
- Analyse double page spread of Kerrang

Week Two
- Analyse front cover of Q
- Analyse contents of Q

Week Three
- Analyse front cover of MixMag
- Target audience questionnaire - sort results into a pie chart or graph.

Week Four
- Begin photoshoot

Week Five
- Finish photoshoot
- Edit the photos - remove blemishes / contrast / brightness / saturation

Week Six
- Mock designs of the front cover based on results gathered from research
- Mock designs of the contents page based on results gathered from research

Week Seven
- Mock designs of double page spread based on results gathered from research
- Begin final front cover design

Week Eight and Week Nine
- Complete all final designs: front cover / contents / double page spread

Week Ten
- Check final quality of all designs
- Evaluate final designs
- Evaluation

Finished

I've now finished my practise project and i am about to begin my Music magazine project. I will begin by posting an action plan so that i can see where i am in my work. For my new project i will try to employ some of the techniques i have learnt from this practise project.