College Magazine Analysis..

I think that my college magazine cover turned out not to the best of my ability how I hoped, but it wasn't as bad as it could of been. I think that the main thing that lowered the standard of it was the main image, which was also the background. The image was slightly pixilated and the focus of it wasn't as good as it should of been. But I think the image itself, was good to use on my front page, as it was simple and relevant. (A student) I wanted an image like that for my front cover so that I could display and use cover lines, puffs and plugs without making the cover look to over crowded and messy. I used a composition rule, (the rule of thirds) which is a photography technique, making the main focus of the image not dead on in the centre but towards a side of the page. This also made it easier for me to place and fit in cover lines, to help grab my readers attention. 

I think my cover lines overall and the layout of them were not too bad. Maybe I could of come up with a few well worded phrases, better then the ones I had, but the ones I chose worked okay on my page. I like the layout of my page it didn't look really boring to read but it also didn't look over crowded and hectic. I used cover lines that I thought would grab the audiences attention and continue to intrigue them. Phrases such as; "your chance to win two free bestival tickets" To develop this particular cover line and make it even more eye catchy I highlighted the word "win" and changed the size, colour and boldness of the font. 

I think after mind mapping different mastheads, I chose one to suit the magazine and fit my target audience well. "Strictly Social". I liked this title for my magazine as I think the alliteration adds affect and makes the magazine that little bit more interesting. I changed the font of the two different words in the title but tried to keep the same shade of red throughout all my font on the page, accompanied with black and white font. I chose to use black and white font as well as red because it looked better as the background image is black and white. Therefore, I used black font on the white sections of the image and white font on the black sections of the image.

Next time, when it comes to making my music magazine, I think I will spend more time focusing on the image in the background, making sure it's in focus and looks right with my colour scheme and font choices. I hope that when I make my music  magazine, the outcome looks a little more proffesional, and at a better standard. 

Final cover design

After reading the notes no my last cover design, i decided to only change small things about my magazine. I changed the size and boldness of some of the text on the cover. I made a margin on the left edge of my magazine cover, I hoped this would make the outcome look neater, and i think it has. I also changed how much I varied, the colour of my font. I changed most of it to the same red shade. In each piece of text, and text box i highlighted individual words to be a different boldness, colour and size to the rest of the sentence. 

Front Cover draft and development

I designed this front cover, and used different colours and fonts, but when I saw the final outcome, i decided it didn't look good and didn't work. My lecturer made notes on my cover to help me improve it and give me ideas on how i should develop it to a better standard.

College magazine, mind mapped ideas

I created this mind map as i thought it would help me see more clearly what i would like to use on the front cover of my magazine, and how i should produce the final piece. I thought of different cover lines, fonts, images, mastheads, colour schemes and ideas of when i should publish my magazine. This mind map will help me see all my ideas planned out, make it easier for me to see what i like and dislike, And continue to give me a clearer idea on what routes to choose for my final outcome.

 

Skills Audit

Developed Ideas

I have mind mapped a few ideas to help me see clearly how i want the outcome of my mind map to be like. Overall, i've decided i want my magazine to be focused on festivals, and which different festivals are right for different people. For example, Bestival and Reading is usually aimed at young adults ranging from an average age of 17-30 as the festival is more hectic and chaotic in a sense.

Where as, IOW festival is a bit more relaxed and family orientated, also for younger people not around the age of 18 and 21. Because that age range usually favour to more eventful and mental atmospheres. Hopefully, by including a content aimed at a varied, wider target audience, there will be more buyers and consumers of the magazine as it isn't just focused on one minority group of people. And more people will be interested as it covers not just different ages, but different styles too. 

I have also mind mapped a couple of cover lines, colour schemes, images, publishing and pricing ideas too. Hopefully this will allow me to express all my ideas for my magazine, and see exactly how i want it to be.

PROPOSAL 
After looking at all different magazine types and genres I have decided to develop my research further into more then one different genre. I am hoping this will help me improve my project by combining different types, and showing the contrast between a couple of different genres. I also think it will make it easier for me, as I will have more to talk about. Therefore, to make this a success, I will have to come up with a front cover design that will grab the attention of each different audience group I am targeting. I also need to ensure my masthead suits the magazine overall.

For most of my research i will browse the internet, and study different music-magazine websites, to help me with ideas of my own and give me a better outcome. I may also look at different magazines in the shops and see what my friends might have. If my friends do have any magazines and show a interest for one or a couple of genres in particular, I will interview them and ask them about why they like that sort of music. Hopefully, this should help me relate to my target audience at a greater extent as I will know more about the music itself.

For the content of my magazine i would like to include some facts and story's about festivals, also what people would need to take and what they should be advised not to take. As well as that, stories and top gossip from festivals. I may even show offers, deals and things to excite the reader and persuade them to go to festivals. To make it more realistic and exciting to read I will include images that i have taken from festivals iv'e previously been to, along with pictures of things associated with festivals. I'm going to research upcoming music events and write about them accompanied with images. I'm going to include the latest hits, song raves and the artists most talked about in present. Also, interviews of what people think about each different genre of music, talk about their likes and dislikes and get them to sum up what makes a good music magazine. I am going to target the audience of younger viewers from the average age of 14-17. I think this will  benefit me and make it easier for me to produce my magazine as i will have a better idea of what my age group are more likely to be interested in and what they will like more than other things. For example 14 year old girls would probably favour towards young boy bands such as; one direction, the wanted, Justin beiber and others. Therefore it would be easy to include quizzes, free posters and adds about the particular bands. However, because I  want to target a wider varied target audience I will need to include things that age and gender suited. And i must ensure I do not include things that I think might put off my audience and manipulate them into thinking the magazine is not suited or enjoyable for them.

 

Research
This music and entertainment magazine, 'VIBE' produced by Quincy Jones,  is based on the genre of R&B and hip hop music, featuring artists, actors and other entertainers within this style. Vibe is now issued every other month, with double covers and a larger online presence. The magazines target is predominantly young urban followers of hip hop.
The layout of the magazine is mostly the same as most other magazines. It doesn't have a unique style to it. However the larger, bolder font used in the masthead stands out clearly off the page.  The mixture of  cover lines, puffs and plugs and pull quotes stand out too as the font changes in size as well as colour throughout.
The colour scheme on the front cover is very suitable for the style and genre of the magazine, and the message and content in which it portrays. The colour red, shows a semiotic as it shows danger. The combination of black, red and grey together defines a hard look which fits in well with the genre. As well as that, the fact that the same font is kept throughout the
magazine, shows organisation and it doesn't look messy or hard to read. Even though the font changes in size, boldness and colour, it makes the magazine more eye catchy and interesting to read. Also the choice of image, is well suited to grab the audience's attention.The large image of Eminem (a rap artist) a muscly, tattooed man with flashy accessories like the watch and necklace, represents this style of music as most rappers and artists within the particular genre have a style the same as this.

Billboard is an international news magazine devoted to the music industry. It is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognised music charts. It updates and tracks the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis. Because the wide, varied content it then has a majority target audience and doesn't concentrate on one particular age band, or a minority group of people with a individual interest or style.
The main images changes each issue to a different artist from a different genre and usually who is most talked about at the present time. The masthead ' Billboard' is always placed at the top of the page and some times it is accompanied with a small piece of writing above or around it. The main image usually covers the title slightly, but  not always. The artist featured on the front cover, is always presented with their name in averagely bold writing across the page somewhere. This suggests to the reader that the particular artists may be talked about more inside the magazine persuading someone to read it as they may think the latest gossip is included. The colour scheme changes all the time for the magazine, as the image does too. This particular cover is presented with bright colours to flow in with Rihanna's hair and lipstick colour, this gives off a very vibrant look but the background colour is a slightly dull, darker colour combined with mostly white font to stand out. This makes the cover very eye catchy. The cover lines and tag lines are written in mostly the same font but change slightly with size, boldness, italic and colour.  The layout of the magazine is unique and looks interesting to read.

Top of the pops is a monthly publication, published by BBC magazines. It features chart information, star gossip, fashion and beauty advice, quizzes, song lyrics and posters, It is a supplementary magazine for the Tv show 'Top of the Pops'. The magazine was launched in February 1995 and is famous for giving the girl band; ' The Spice Girls', their nicknames. Top of the Pops is based around the same genre as Billboard however they target a different audience. It was originally marketed as the missing link between Smash Hits and NME, but its format was gradually changed, with less music content and a demographic shift to young girls. It is still in publication despite the cancellation of the TV show. The magazine has had several editors over the years of its publication. 
The front cover shows images of young male artists that young girls side to and take a keen interest too. Such as; one direction, the wanted, Justin Beiber, JLS and a couple others. It also presents glamorous young female artists that young girls become a fan over and inspire to be like. Such as, Cher Lloyd, Cheryl Cole, Katy Perry, Tulisa and many more. Each different cover always uses a colour scheme that includes pink, purple and girly colours in general. This is to grab the attention of their target audience, which is young girls into music and celebrities. A main image of a glamorous celebrity,(Cher Lloyd) is used on this particular front cover, accompanied with various smaller images of young male artists seen as good looking and perfect in the eyes of young girls. This is to entice the readers and make them buy the magazine. As well as that, tag lines, pull quotes and puffs and plugs are used to grab the readers attention and make it more eye catchy, also to reveal a little bit about whats on offer inside and the interesting content that they can get hold of. Adding things in like the free posters in the magazine will persuade most young girls, interested in the artists, to buy the magazine as they think of it as a free thing that they love. Features like these will also persuade the consumer to carry on reading the following issues as there is always a different bit of gossip to read about. 

Circus was a american magazine devoted to rock music. It was published from 1966-2006. The editory of the magazine included some of the biggest names in rock journalism. The magazine shifted to heavy metal acts in the early 1980's and then to glam metal in the mid to late 1980's. However, grunge then arrived and the magazine lost focus and sales dropped. Circus is a completely different style compared to the previous magazines I have looked at and analysed. 
The masthead is written in text that looks 3D, this is to stand off the page and look eye catchy. The layout is slightly different to most other magazines, as the main images is to the right of the page instead of dead on centre. Its also overlapped with a smaller image in a box, this makes it more interesting to show what content is within the magazine. The main colour scheme is yellow, but it is accompanied with a couple over of other colours such as blue white purple red and black. All text starting from the left side of the page, starts on the same set invisible guideline, which makes the page look more organised overall. The picture of the artist fits the genre well, not only because the artist performs in the particular style of music, but his general appearance shows punk and rock.- The fact he has his body on show, tight Gothic like clothing, a necklace(bling), the long, messy hair and a body posture and facial expression that doesn't show elegance. This magazine, is targeted at the middle age-older generation(mainly men) that show an interest towards rock music. 


This magazine with the title 'Music' is dedicated to classical music and updates you with musical events, occasions, photo shoots, interviews and loads more.
The magazine is targeted at an audience of people who are interested and favour towards this particular genre of music. For perhaps any age but not to the younger generations.
The layout of the front cover is tidy and safisticated.
The font is fancy and not scruffy, however it does change to different font sizes and boldness throughout the page when it comes to each cover-line, and pull quotes. The box on the bottom right hand corner, with the smaller image shows an inside story and what's on offer. The main image fits the safisticated look, as the girl has a tidy look to her, with a plain black dress, natural hair and make up too. The violin is a calming posh instrument, so it conveys the right image for the genre, where as if it was a girl with an excessive  amount of make up. messy hair and a drum kit in front of her, the overall image would not work for this magazine and it would portray a setting to be on the front of a rock magazine instead.

Planning my research.. 

The music magazine market is so wide and there are many different genres i could choose to study and develop. So, to start my research i am going to cover a few different genres, hopefully that will give me a clearer idea on what route to choose. I have certain genres and areas of music that i prefer and some that i do not favour towards as much. However, in my research i may look at a couple that i do not like, such as rock, classical and folk music. I can then write about these particular genres and explain my likes and dislikes.
By researching more then one genre of music, i am hoping it will then help me develop my ideas of what to present within my magazine. I can then focus on the final genre of my choice and concentrate carefully about the content of my magazine to ensure that it benefits and interests my target audience. I have a few ideas of what i might like to include with in my magazine, and how to make it more interesting to read. So as well as just including the latest music gossip and hits, i might include information about festivals and music events to intrigue my audience.

Proposal

My target audience is the students of the college, all ages from the first years throughout to the second years. I will include story's about the college, and gossip within. As well as that, i may include information about festivals and things to do in the summer, then i will aim to publish the magazine during the summer time. I hope that this will intrigue my audience, and keep them interested so that they will read the following issues. I have mind-mapped a couple of ideas for cover lines to display on my front cover. Hopefully these will grab the readers attention, and entice them to read the magazine. ,y ideas for cover lines will be things such as; "win £50 worth of college shop vouchers", "is college causing you stress?", "college gossip and more". I hope that cover lines such as these will relate to the age group and encourage them to read on. 

I came up with a few ideas for my masthead, but the one i decided on is "strictly social", i think this will excite readers more than other titles that i thought of. The other mastheads i thought of included "college gossip", "life at south downs", "college survival guide". I thought these may not of grabbed the attention of the particular audience i am aiming for as they may find it boring and tedious because of the word "college". This occurred to me when i thought that i most probably wouldn't of picked up a magazine that says "college", i also asked a handful of people and they agreed. 

I want the design of my front cover to be simple but interesting. I've decided that i will use "ayuthaya", a bold font slightly italic but easy to read. I did consider other fancy fonts, as in; black chancery,

 bank-gothic, futura, geeza-pro and more. I may use the same font throughout the front cover but change the size and boldness of each piece of writing. However, when i come to my contents page and double page spread, i  may play around with different fonts and use a selection but being careful not to vary too much as it might look messy and unorganised. 

On the front cover i will  use a selection of different tag lines, puffs and plugs. I hope that this will make my magazine more eye catching and appealing. I will use tag lines to advertise competitions, upcoming events, shows and college occasions. Also, to attract people by writing things about gossip and chat within the college. 

I considered publishing the magazine at different seasons within the year, and at different occasions, such as christmas, summer, and spring. But finally, i came to the decision of publishing during the summer sometime in may or june. This means that i can include articles to do with festivals and summer events, which are relevant and familiar to the majority group of students. I may include a page about summer fashion trends. Also how to balance the social life within the academic year. This may lead to ideas of catchy tag lines.

I will use tag lines that are straight forward, and simple to the point. Maybe even blunt in a way, hopefuilly this will grab the readers attention and excite them about the content of my magazine. My ideas for tag lines are things such as;  "festival caos", "top ten festival musts", "festival dedication", "summer madness", "never to be bored" These tag lines along with a few others are to advertise the festival content within my magazine, hopefully the mild use of the hyperbole and the particular lexical choices will excite and encourage the reader.

It took me a while to choose a main picture for my front cover, i mindmapped a few ideas and thought of using things such as; a teacher and student, a student alone, a piece of college equipment, a cafe or a scene from a summer event. But i finally came to a desicion of using a pupil, as the main image accompanied by a variety of smaller images that i have taken in the past at festivals and during the summer. I may browse on the interenet for more pictures to vary my selection. On the content page i may use a image to the right of the page and have the text on the left side, with a title abouve.
I will include a variety of images on my double page spread, some in puffs and plugs and maybe some just as a background on the page.