Drafting magazine- double page spread

Drafting magazine- contents

Drafting magazine- front cover

Aims and Introduction

Aims and introductions

My target audience is younger people (13-17 years) specifically girls. This is because it’s going to be female orientated due to the colour scheme and content. Because of the age, it’s not going to be expensive as many people don’t work before they are 16 or 17. The genre I have decided to go for is pop, because I think you can have a lot of fun with creating it, with bright colours and silly cover lines. It will be similar to what is already out there in terms of pop magazines for girls but it will have something that is its USP (unique selling point).
It will be affordable to everyone, but the audience for pop is typically young so it will be cheaper than majority of the magazines. It will appeal to mainstreamers, a psychographic that means they buy typical and popular things, and pop is the most ‘pop’ular music.

I got the inspiration from a magazine I saw in a shop, and thought it looked like something that would be fun to make because there were so many different visual elements that worked well together. There’s not too much information pushed onto the reader and it’s usually about everyday things or celebrities, with the music being the top 40 or admired boy bands. I studied Q, acoustic, rolling stones, mixmag and Kerrang! None of these magazines are actually pop, but they did help me to gather some ideas for what to put on my front cover. I particularly liked Rolling stones because of its simplicity and the clarity of the image; however the cover lines advertised articles that young girls definitely wouldn't want to hear about. I would classify my magazine as ‘mainstream chart music magazine introducing some new talents’ This is because the content will focus on pop singers and bands, with typical interviews with individuals and the other usually things you get like celebrity news. This means that the cover lines have to be ‘tweenager’ friendly, in that there can’t be any swearing and slang or alliteration is usually used to make it more interesting and age appropriate. The basis of this issue will be introducing a new up and coming boy band, they will be interviewed in the double page spread and feature prominently on the front cover. This means the whole magazine will be focused mainly on selling this band as something new and exciting to be admired. The band themselves is called ‘The Fall’, and it’s your typical pop boy band. This will appeal to girls because of what they look like and could mean some young boys aspire to be them. They sell pop music and work with a charity, which makes them seem caring and that in turn will make more people interested in them.

I want a lot of different images on the front cover, quite a few on the contents page and one main and large one that I like the most on the double page spread. The boy band I’m using will consist of 3 or 5 boys who represent all the popular boy bands at the moment, like The Wanted and One Direction. The shots will all be natural, as though I’m catching the band just hanging out without the use of studios for a more ordinary effect. The lighting will also be natural because I want the readers to feel as though they can relate and are close to the band, and anything artificially could create a void which makes the band seem untouchable. The clothes will be relaxed and what boys typically wear when it comes to fashion, e.g. chinos and polo shirts. All the photos should show a relaxed group of boys having fun and seeming normal so that the audience can relate. My favourite shot will be decided by how natural and simple the boys look whilst having fun and looking nice. My feature article will be the one about the boy band, an interview as a way to introduce them to the world. The unique part of the magazine will be that a few selected young bloggers will give their views on the band and their music in a small side article, which would appeal to the audience more because it could include some of them.

My front cover has been influenced by pictures of other pop magazines, specifically top of the pops. I like the almost cluttered atmosphere created the volume of colours and images and little sections of text seeming randomly placed. However, I don’t want mine to be too hectic as I do like the simple approach as shown by the rolling stones, so I may try to find a balance between the two. I will be obeying the rule of thirds with some of my title and cover lines prominently on the left side so that it could be seen on shop shelves, and I will include the generic things that are usually in every magazine, like competitions and posters. The contents page is inspired by acoustic magazine, as it has enough images for there not to be too much text which is good because it’s only the contents page. It seems like most of them are over two pages, so I will make mine that size too. However, they included musical objects whereas my magazine is all about the people playing them. The double page spread will be in interview format, with clear separations between the question and answer shown through the use of different font styles. There will be an introductory paragraph stating who the band is and some of their achievements so far or how they were discovered etc. A small side article will be the bloggers chosen by an imaginary past competition who have written in their thought on the new band and why they should be listened to. I’m going to pull quotes from the text to break it up more and include a lot of images so everyone knows who the article is about.

My magazine is called ‘Dazzle’. This is because of the common concept associated with stage lights, that they dazzle you. Because majority of artists will have or are performing on stages I thought it was quite fitting. It will also fit with who I was aimed at because it’s fun sounding and works with the genre of pop.

Production schedule

Institutions

MOJO

published by: Bauer
Other published magazines: Kerrang, Closer, Heat, Zoo, Angling times, Q, Empire

Bauer media reaches over 19 million UK adults every day. We have more than eighty influential media brands, spanning a wide range of interests. Our business is built on millions of personal relationships with engaged audiences.
This kind of company doesn’t focus on just one area in magazines as they are so large they can afford to reach multiple targets. Because of the range and amount of magazines they publish different ones each day.

MIXMAG
Published by: Development Hell
Other published magazines: None

Development hell bough the magazine back in 2005. Mixmag is currently the only magazine they produce and it comes out monthly. It has a self-proclaimed title of ‘the DJ’s number one music mag’. Other than Mixmag they produce tour brochures for other companies. Because of the limited amount of published items they have, their audience is quite small and they themselves are definitely one of the less heard of publishing houses.

BASS
Published by: Blaze publishing
Other published magazines: Acoustic, drummer, airgun shooter, diesel car

They publish quite a large amount of magazines but only 3 of these are music ones. They also have events like ‘the London bass show’.  This means they reach a large audience, although not one as large as Bauer publishing. Their audience is also very varied as its ranges from cars to airguns but most of the magazines appear to be very practical and matter of fact. Majority of the audience is going to be male because of the content of the magazines, but obviously some women may want to read about acoustic music as well. 

Mindmap of chosen idea

moodboard for pop

Mindmapping ideas

Summary of all primary research

For my primary research I had to do 15 textual analysis', a college magazine front cover and contents page and find out about codes, conventions and genres commonly used in music magazine. I feel that all this research has helped me to realise what is important when creating a magazine and the kind of things that are expected and required to create something that would sell well.
The textual analysis' helped in realising the layout of certain magazine elements. I have never before looked at a double page spread in a music magazine but I now know what sort of things I will need to include, like an introductory paragraph and commonly the article is in interview format.
I had only used a mac a few times before I needed to use it for photoshop, an application which I had never used before. Because we had a few lessons to get used to them, it was helpful and I now know the basics so I can edit my magazine appropriately.
The college magazine was a good experience so that i know what kinds of elements are needed to be included and the feedback i got will help with the future creation of the music magazine.
Overall, it helped with the build up to my final piece which is a music magazine and looking at different genres has helped me to get more of an idea of what style i should make it.

Questionnaire results

Questionnaire

Understanding genre in music magazines

Indie

Pop

Heavy metal

Dance

Rock

Genres in magazines

Each music magazine has a very different house style. The layout of the magazine usually depends on the style of the content because the genre dictates how the magazine should appear. There are many different genres when it comes to music magazines, and these are decided by the music they are writing about. Popular choices for magazine genres are pop, heavy metal, rock, dance and indie. They all have a very different approach to their magazine layout. For instance, heavy metal looks very different to indie.
Traditionally, heavy metal magazines have a dark coloured layout, with pictures of a band on the front and a few small coverlines.The masthead is normally quite aggressive sounding (e.g. Metal Hammer) and in dark font that is either huge block letters or distorted writing. The people in the image would be wearing dark clothing and stark make up no matter what gender. However, Indie magazines normally look completely different as they will have a light colour scheme and the writing is usually more decorative and laid back. There’s less writing on the front because they are trying to maintain a simple appearance. The clothes worn by the model will usually be colourful but aiming to look relaxed and happy. In some respects, rock and heavy metal magazines are quite similiar and might have a cross over with the bands they write about but otherwise, rock is a lot less aggressive. Its aimed more at people who can’t quite understand the appeal of heavy metal and includes some mainstream bands as well as some that are not commonly heard of. They do have competitions and posters which makes it appeal to younger people but the bands that are interviewed aren’t exactly child friendly. The lay out for rock is more eclectic and there is usually a lot of images and cover lines on the front covers. 
Pop magazines often have quite a lot on the front cover, a main image surrounded by lots of different images and cover lines as they are trying to keep it upbeat and exciting. These magazines are more aimed at younger teenagers because they are often just interviews with popular teen singers and the top few artists that are big at the moment. The images are usually of attractive artists so its aesthetically pleasing and there are lots of different colours and fonts used on the front. They nearly always include posters of boy bands and competitions you can win, and the cover lines are written in a way to make everything seem exciting. Dance is similiar in that it is usually brightly coloured but the artists inside aren’t always well known and its aimed at older teenagers, especially as some of the interviews contain swearing and the music style is more mature. There are quite a lot of cover lines on the front but the articles are more important then typical pop ones, as they can include anything from drugs to dance festivals.
Because of how different the magazines appear, it is quite easy to distinguish between different genres when you see them all together. Each one has a unique style which is why people might buy a certain magazine over another one and the layout is normally really good for representing the genre that readers have bought it for.

Codes and conventions of a magazine layout

I have finished the 15 textual analysis required for my coursework and I think it had helped me find out what should be on the front of a magazine, and also inside it. The codes and conventions that are commonly used I will include in my work as I create a music magazine.

Masthead- This is the name of the magazine and is usually positioned at the top of the front cover. Its usually in the largest font which differentiates from any other magazine so its easily recognisable.
Main image-The main image tends to be the largest image on the front cover and the main selling point of that issue. It usually is a photo of a famous singer or band who will have a long interview inside. sometimes it will have a model quote, something the singer has said which anchors the image.
Dateline/issue number-
This is the section on the front cover that shows that date that the magazine comes out, except in a majority of magazines the date shown is a month after when its actually on the shelves because its been bought out in advance. The issue number tells you how many issues have already come out, and which number that one is.
Main cover lines/ cover lines-
This is in large font and will cover a larger part of the front cover. Usually its providing you with a small bit of information about an article inside that you would be most interested in. Its sometimes in a different colour to the rest of the cover lines to make it stand out more. Just general cover lines provide information about some of the articles inside, to keep your attention and highlight what they think will attract the reader the most. 
Left third-
The left third of a magazine is really important for selling it, because the way magazines are stacked on shelves means you can usually only see that section. Most of the time it will show the first part of the masthead so you can recognise it and a few cover lines to get your attention.
Contents page-
The lay out for contents pages is normally in columns, and contains a few pictures to show some of the bands and singers inside. These images are anchored with a page number so you can find them easily. It might also included whereabouts in the magazine you can find a competition to enter.
Double page spread-
There is normally a large photo of who the spread is about on one page and typically its set out in interview format. The image will have a quote from the singer/band with it which has usually been pulled from the text. To break up the information there is also some smaller images and quotes in larger font of something seen as interesting.

Double page spread 5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is ‘acoustic’ magazine and it’s a double page spread on a factory that makes acoustic guitars. It’s not actually about a band but the people make the guitars which are famously used by acoustic bands, and this magazine covers all aspects of acoustic music, even the creation of it from behind the scenes.

It’s another interview format, with the questions clearly shown in bold font. There are quite a few pictures to show you what goes on in the factory, showing the strings in the making. The black and white photo was clearly taken in the past and shows a famous band that has used that factory to help make their music. The colour in the spread is only in the pictures which does make it look a bit plain but it is an article about a string factory so there’s not much that they could do to make the layout more exciting. They have included a quote about the factory, how everything is handmade as that is their unique selling point.

I like the layout because the photos are quite colourful and the title is really obvious, and I like interview format in articles. I think the subject is quite boring so I definitely would write about a band or singer not a factory that helps to create the music.

Double page spread 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is double page spread for the magazine ‘Mojo’. Its sell line on the front cover is ‘the music magazine’ which makes it seem as though it caters to all tastes however I would personally say its main music style was the classic bands and newer indie bands and singers. The fact the title for this article is ‘there’s always hope’ tells you it’s definitely not a rock magazine because normally they aren’t very sentimental. Also, the spread is about a famous signer dying, which would rule out dance style because they normally stay upbeat.

This has a different layout to majority of the ones I have looked at because it’s not in interview form and it’s not just about one man, there are quite a few different people mentioned and their sections are segregated by sub headings of their names. It also has a miniature article at the bottom of the second page which links to the main feature. The model is looking upwards which is an iconic image, and gives connotations of faith, amazement and hope, which is the main message portrayed by the spread. Again the colour scheme is very plain but there is a slight splash of colour with the gold bubble containing a quote from the main article and the small bits of information under the subheading of each different section. However the pictures are in black and white which is very classic and clean cut. The smaller feature is boxed off from the rest of the writing and is grey, which shows where one article stops and another begins.

I like how classic and clear this layout is and I actually think that it suits the black and white theme as its talking about death which is simple and sad thing which doesn’t need to be dressed up with different colours. It’s quite a simple article but I think very effective.

Double page spread 3

This is a double page spread in mixmag, which is a magazine all about dance and clubbing music.
It’s an interview with ‘DJ Pierre’, whose name in the title is a different colour so you know who the magazine is talking about. The colour scheme is fairly plain, with just black writing on a white background, even the picture is in black and white which is quite strange because one of the connotations you would associate with music magazines is an array of different colours as the music is very bright. The use of very simplistic colours makes the article multi gender friendly because not one colour is more prominent then the other and the colours are simple.

The man’s pose gives the impression of power, strength and confidence, reinforced by the low shot angle. His clothes are quite relaxed and simple which could symbolise that he’s important no matter what he wears and he doesn’t have a signature look because everyone can recognise him anyway. The image is anchored by a quote from the article that the man has said which relates the text to the picture.

The article is an interview with DJ Pierre and there is a large introductory paragraph telling you the sort of things that will be mentioned and why this man deserves an interview, something which is also shown in part of the title ‘he may have invented acid house over a quarter of a century ago’ so you immediately know why this man is important to the magazine and dance music fans.

I like the layout because even though it’s a double page spread, one of the pages is a large picture so there’s not too much information to take in and in interview format, articles are normally straight to the point. However the colour scheme is a bit bland so if I were to change it I would use brighter colours and possibly more pictures.

Double page spread 2

This is ‘Metal hammer’ magazine, doing a double page spread on a rock musician named Slash.
The whole first page consists of a main image and a model quote ‘my first guitar only had one string on it’. The man is wearing typically dark clothes as associated with rock and his tattoos and sunglasses make him out to be edgy and distant. He is holding a guitar which links his quote to the image and it’s also an instrument commonly used in rock music. This is an iconic image and it shows the man how he would typically look.

The layout on the other page is really clear, with more pictures which make it more interesting to look at and a slightly different colour scheme to normal magazines in that it is red and white writing on a black background. There is a large introductory paragraph describing the man who is shown on the other page and some of the achievements he has obtained over his life, so if the reader hadn’t heard of him before, he now possesses some information. The rest of the article is in interview form, the questions being asked are in red so you can define between the questions and answers. The font used is clear and easy to read and the information provided is straight to the point.
Because of the amount of guitars around the pages and the fact that he is holding one in the photo, it’s clear that this man is a famous guitarist, something you could easily tell without even reading the article.

The box at the top gives a small introduction as to what the feature will be about and an amp in the top corner signifies loud music which is typical of rock and it contains what I think is the title of the whole article.
I like the fact that it’s in interview form and that the colour scheme is slightly different to those I have seen before. I also like the large image on the first page so theres no mistaking who and what the article is about.