Music Magazine Summary & Ideas

I got the inspiration for my music magazine through magazines such as NME, Vogue, OKAY and ELLE. Through my research I have come up with a plan and format in which I wish my magazine to incorporate.  By doing this I have come up with a name for my magazine “ECHO”. The title is very simple and is onomatopoeia as it is a word that describes sound and works well with a music magazine. I want my magazine to be very sophisticated, I will show this through the use of simple colours ( Black title & White background ) as these colours are symbolic for ‘yin & yang’ in which contrasts are drawn between different things but there is always an equal to everything.

My magazine will also give the impression of being clean and subtle in its image, I have chosen this as I wish to appeal to an educated audience and even through a music magazine I wish to face controversial issues which challenge my audience. I will also include a free complimentary item as this is what my audience would like according to my online surveys.

My contents page will feature stories and articles in the magazine and as the contents is essential and key to any potential customer it is important to really grab their eye. I also wish to include advertisements in my magazine as this is essential for funding and I am willing to a lot a large percentage to this and competitions and quizzes.

Mast Head Ideas

I looked at a range of fonts for my music magazine mast head and came to the conclusion that I wanted a bold but clearly sophisticated font. This leaded me to experiment with different font and I have no decided to use a font name 'Trojan'  which is the middle font on the above page.

Music Magazine Reader Profile

Music Magazine Mood board

How many music gigs do you attend a year?

The results for this question show that the majority of my respondents only attended a music event 1-5 times a year with a percentage of 84.6%. This will affect my music magazines focus and due to this will change the tone and register I have adapted to more lifestyle rather than music focusses.

What magazine layout would most appeal to you?

The options which people selected most were bold and colour full and even mixture of text and images, both scoring a percentage of 50% .  This will affect my magazine layout as I will need to put in a bold colour and evenly display images alongside text along my contents, DPS, and front cover.

What colours most appeal to a young demographic?

The single most selected colour was red. As a result I will have a red colour scheme throughout my magazine to show consistency with its style.

Results analysis

Genre of music listened to most!
The results from the question “What genre of music do you listen to most” received interesting results, as the two most popular responses were ‘R&B’ (80%) & ‘indie’ (36%). The contrast that these two genres represent is significant as they are different styles auditory and linguistically. From these results my magazine will have to feature a subtle balance between the two, which I will have to incorporate in to my magazine.  This has affected my preliminary plans for the planning of my music magazine as my first initial ideas featured around “club” music. So instead I have chosen to go for a more elegant magazine as R&B is passionate way of expressing music and emotion and Indie music genres tend to focus on fun aspects of life and defying traditional norms and values.

Buying one magazine over another!

One concern for my magazine is what would make my magazine stand out over another and this is why I asked the following question in my survey “what would persuade you to buy one magazine over another” . The results I received were interesting as 68% of respondents answered complimentary tickets would persuade them to choose one magazine over another. From this I thought of a cunning marketing technique in which each issue bought would have a point system and when the clientele has collected enough points from buying the magazine we would send them complimentary tickets to a upcoming gig in a local area. In effect this would cost the magazine nothing as we would offer the artists gig publicity in my magazine.

Brand worn by readers!

For my reader profile I wanted to find out what clothing brands my intended audience were wearing.  50% Hollister, 42% Superdry, 53% Topshop, and 69% NewLook. These results tell me I am appealing to a middle class audience which takes pride in the brands they align their selves with.

Results analysis

AGE

The age range I am appealing to for my music magazine is a between 16-21 as this is the most strongest age range I received on my survey with 16-18 age group was at 69% and 19-21 was at 21%. This would suggest that I am appealing to a younger audience and may have to alter the adult content in my magazine to accompany this age group.

GENDER

My target gender is going to be female, as I collected the most responses from this gender, and women showed more interest on doing things online which would suggest that my magazine may be an online copy. With 76% of my respondents as female and 23% male it seemed clear which gender I am appealing to.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU BUY A MUSIC MAGAZINE

Once I collected in my responses for this question, it seemed clear that launching a paper copy magazine would lose too much money, as people just don’t appear to want to purchase magazines at the moment. The percentage of people who bought a music magazine 1-3 times a week was 42% and the respondents who replied ‘other’ was at 57%, with these results it appears that launching an online magazine would be best, and that instead of making circulation through selling paper copy’s we will make our revenue through advertisement in an online magazine.

WHAT MUSIC MAGAZINES DO YOU BUY EACH MONTH

This question is essential to the launch of making a magazine as I needed to know the respondents preferred genre of music and the type of layout they are more accustomed to. As there are many type of music genres such as rock which is represented through music magazines such as Kerrang and pop, indie, R&B and hip hop which is represented through magazines such as NME,Q and Mix Mag. The magazine which most people responded to appeared to be NME as it had the highest percentage at 38.5% and the second favourite chosen by participants was MixMag at 23.1%. It seems clear that pop and indie music scored highest so this will dramatically limit my choice of genres to give people what they want, and to get my product out to the intended audience.

Double page spread

The lead article “im almost embarrassed at my age to be as angry as I am” is to evoke an illicit response from the audience to be empathic to his problems. This is a good lead article as it allows for emotion to be transferred in its pages.  The double page spread is written I n three long stanzas and has many literary features to make it cunning to its audience. It features many examples of repetition and alliteration making it easy to read but memorable it also has many examples of antithesis and anaphora giving the article support from its readers and creating dramatic devices in its context.

Tone: the tone is informal and is designed to give the audience an amount of enjoyable content to read.

Register: the register and syntax is well written and it is fluent throughout. It also has aspects of direct speech and has authorial comment in its narrative.

Purpose: the purpose is to evoke empathy for the artist and does this by allowing him to tell his story in a very explicit way.

The titles font is bold and is in black which could be examples of symbolising mourning something? The font is also put in front of a back ground image in which the opacity has been lowered thus making it enjoyable to look at and showing sophistication in context.

The main image is a long shot and has a sinical theme. The man has his arm out and has written on it “is rock and roll dead” this accompanied by the facial expression shows Sinicism and an unsure feeling amongst the reader. What I did pick up on which is most peculiar is that the image is on the right side of the page rather than the left. I find this strange as now the article is what readers see first.  

Double page spread

This double page spread from NME MAGAZINE has many different design aspects that make it stand out to its intended audience. The colour scheme for this double page spread is black and white and features a pointed gun. The connotations of the colour white is usually associated with calmness, clarity and neutrality also it is said to evoke purification of thoughts and creates peace of mind. However black symbolised strong emotions which can be accompanied with sophistication and power. The contrast of these two colours accompanies the medium close up image and the facial expression which is one of misunderstood anger. The image also represents the colour black as it shows power through the symbolism of the gun but the blackness and the void in his expression show that he is very emotional thus complimenting the cover lines “it wouldn’t work if there weren’t frictions, the libertines can fuck off”. Anger appears to be the main emotion evoked in this image.

The article title “CARL TAKES AIM” accompanies the layout of the page as it has the rings of an aiming target which are on most weapons.  The tone of this double page spread is informative and is practically entertainment for the reader. The register for this piece is grammatically sound and features direct speech from many aspects. It has elements of authorial comment with in its narrative. The target audience for this story would be fans of Carl therefore making it enjoyable for them to read and in sighting them in to his most recent adventures. The purpose would be to inform as it is a story about him and those connected with him. The dps also has aspects of dramatic devices to make the piece cunning and excitable to read.

The fonts for this double page spread are san serif. They are bold and work with the black and white colour scheme.

NME contents page analysis

The contents page host a range of ideas designed to appeal to the reader. It has a even mixture of text and images which contrast well with one another. The use of the images accompanying the images is very useful to the reader as it is a visual guide orientating them to their desired article. The images used in the contents page are mainly medium close ups, this has a desired effect as you can see the faces properly of the artists and you know from visual record that this is the person you want to read about.

The main image of the contents page holds many meanings through the facial expressions and the emotions they wish to be emphasizing, this makes the pull quotes dramatic "I don’t trust people to read the right meaning in my lyrics" this quote is edgy and leaders the reader to continue viewing this particular saga.

The use of colloquialism in the magazines makes it much less formal, this appeal to young people as the use of abbreviating words has become so much simpler and with this incorporated in to the magazine, the intended audience fells that they are effectively being heard.

Another technique implored in this magazine is the use of advertising, this

 is good for the readers as they can find out how to access, take part and win competitions and prizes.

The NME contents page, hosts a range of high contrasting colour and a mixture of different font types, this elaborates on the individual style of the magazine and keeps it in context with the rest of their magazine of being vibrant and quirky. The mixture of texts and fonts on the contents page connotes the impact the magazine is meant to have on the individual and symbolises a message that it is good to be different.  The effect this has on the audience is very impartial as this leads the reader to be interested and hooked into reading more, which is essentially the aim of the contents page .With the mixture of techniques used the contents page becomes one of the most important pages as this is what people use to judge the magazine on if it has any ‘decent’ articles.

The purpose of the contents page is to guide the reader in to finding their intended article and to be a guide to the rest of the magazine; this is done effectively on one page and provided a lot of information pushed in to one page. The contents page is essentially very visually orientated and stands out effectively so that people don’t just ‘skip’ the page.

The quotes to the story line ‘we do things our way’ is very appealing to the audience as it uses ‘Grices Maxims’  in which a tone is set and up held, it has a particular quantity of writing  and leads the reader to essentially purchase the magazine. The quote is also appealing to the intended audience as the intended words challenge the imagination in to wanting to read further, the phrase also defies public order in effect, and these appeals to many young people. The whole magazine is mainly centred on the main image and the main double page spread so there are subtle hints all over the magazine to read it.

The main image attached to the contents page is of three guys and they are drinking and smoking, which connotes the fact that this is not a children’s magazine but an adults and has broad casts an idea of ‘anything goes’.

The contents page features advertising as there is a voucher attached to the bottom of it. This is a good idea financially as it is bringing more funds but also good for the readers as it makes them feel they are being looked after, and that their dedication to the magazine has been valued.

 

      

Mast Head- The mast head of this front coverer is in bold and this has an appealing effect on the audience as it connotes to the audience as a brand and a sign. The mast head is also linked to the uses and gratification model as it has exactly what the audience wants and needs depending on the persons media values. The NME is in red as this keeps in tone with the rest of the front cover.  The NME sign is also representative to the audience as being symbolic as it is a brand people want to associate themselves with according to postmodern theorists, through the use of symbolic consumption.

           Main article & pull quote- For the main article and pull quote, it has a compare and contrast theme happening. This may connate to the audience as red for anger (look in the singer’s eyes) or peace, calamity and innocence in blue writing. The effect used is very cunning as it leads the reader to want more and henceforth enticing them into buying the magazine with the theory of “uses and gratification”. The pull quote is “I’ve got a right to tell my story” this would entice the reader to want to know more as the article uses anaphora through the use of “I” as it is very personal. The pull quote also appeals to people’s media values and what the readers want to read about as it has a bit of drama and has a personality profiles. The pull quote has also been used in a cliff-hanger effect leading the reader to want more.   

           Main image- The main image is a close up and has been digitally enhanced on the face but pixelated all over. The main image also ties into the pull quote as Carl Barat has put himself on the cover and the main article is about him and his story. The main image is meant to have a multiple of effects on the audience as the way his eyes appear show anger but also connate innocence. The colour of his eyes also ties in to the magazines colour schema, giving a blending contrast effect.

            Central image – The central image in this magazine cover is an image of 3 artists. The expression on their face connotes to the audience an impression of seriousness as the pull quote for their article is “There’s no plan to do a second album” so this accompanies the expression for what’s next basis. The expression commutates to the audience and sets a tone for their article as the look given is quite demonizing. The location of the image is important as it’s located just under the mast head this implored tactics is designed to appeal to readers as it will be the second thing focused on by the audience. The image of the facial expression is also accompanied by the clothing they are wearing, and is a metaphor for the article, as they are all wearing black which signifies a funeral and this accompanies the article as the bands Cover lines. The cover line  on the left hand side  hold higher relevance than those on the right  Which  hold higher connotations.  The cover lines also keep in tone with the rest of the front cover through the use of white and pink. In which the pink symbolizes the title and the white symbolises the story/article being told.

Masthead - The mast head for this magazine (NME) is in bold white block capitals, I believe this effect was done to give the audience immediate feedback symbolically by giving the impression that the magazine is bold in its self, this effect suits this magazine as it designed to entice readers through its brutality of being different. I believe the reader is also inclined to react to the mast head as it is a recognised signature and brand in which readers have come to trust. The mast head also sets a tone for the rest of this issues front cover, as the colour themes appear to be white and pink. The mast head is also a symbol in which the audience has trust and reassurance in.

        

           Lead article- The lead article connatatates a dramatic response from the audience as it implies a no more scenario, leading it to be cunning towards the intended audience and leading them to read on through the use of dramatic techniques.

The magazine also takes a postmodernist view towards society as the magazine takes on a approach of how we can craft our identity through the use of symbolic consumption and this magazine is an example of this being done.

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College magazine analysis

I am aiming my college magazine to suit the audience of all most every student as I will be using many techniques to appeal to students. My front cover will consist of an eye catching medium close up of a young and stylish student which will reflect student life symbolically to every student as being a student is being part of something which everybody wants to be a part of. My cover will also be eye catching as I am planning to use a bright bold yellow back ground which will be eye catching and I will be using a black font which will really stand out, and this is what will appeal to us.

My target audience will consist of 14-21 year olds as this is the age in which people will respond best to my magazine and what it features.

My magazine will feature exclusive interviews with upcoming bands as most students want the “lowdown” on who is around so that they can keep up to date with current charts. I will also feature interviews of students describing their college life as people will be able to respond to this personally. The college will also feature several pages in which they can tell us about upcoming events and what is going on in college to help students & one page will be featured to each head of centre describing what’s going on, the student union will also have a page informing us of national events and campaigns and most of all the principle will have a page to write about his college term and how things have been to keep students in the know.

For advertising in my magazine I will feature May pages devoted to local businesses and shops so that students are aware what is out there and in the shops for good prices. The magazine will also feature vouchers and discount cards in selected stores.

 

My front cover is bold, appeals to a young demographic and is appealing to most students. For effects I tried to do a contrast theme where all the colours used had a contrast with one another so that the magazine really stands out. I also increased the hugh and saturation on my so that it stood out more. The opacity was lowered on some images.

My contents page will be just as bold as it will feature a bright red back ground as this is in contrast to my front cover and I believe it will work really well. The contents page will also feature art work so that it looks appealing and stylish. My contents page will also feature images relating to the contents of the magazine.

Reader profile!

My reader profile feature's many of the brands and names in which students associate themselves with, accompanied by social networking, which is a large part of any youths life is very substantial and is now part of helping people craft their identities.

I wanted to look at a variety of magazines for my research on making a college magazine. This leaded me to look at a fashion magazine, as most students take an interest in looking good and keeping up with national trends is relevant to their identity as an individual.

 

I looked at this NME magazine, as it is relevant to college students as such. All students enjoy music and keep up with UK top 40's. This is why I felt compelled to incorporate this aspect in to my magazine.

For my last choice for magazine research i chose to look at 'OK!' magazine as this magazine represents many young people’s news values as it contains drama and all the gossip on celebrities in which most students like to keep up to date with.

Cd cover design breif

Design Brief

Band name:

Human Nature

Target audience and demographic:

·         Age range:

 11-33

·         Other music they listen to:
       Indie/ pop

·         Other interests they may have:

               Interests may conclude of socialising going to gigs, maybe play an instrument.

·         Style of clothing so they have:

               Indie dress wear, latest fashion, surfer look.

Imagery and colour schemes:

Colour would conclude of a forest back ground with an image in the centre which would represent the band symbolically by the use of a metaphor. Vines would come out from one of the corners which would look elegant and graceful.

Type faces and font style:

The font style for my magazine cover would be unique

CD Front/Back covers

 

My front cover of my cd project design is meant to emphasize peacefulness calmness and relaxation. I have done this by using a forest back ground as it shows calamity. For the effects I have increased the contrast of the way light beams through the trees so that it looks intense and has a clearing effect. I have also put a layer photo over the forest back ground and lowered the opacity so that it has a see through effect and makes the scene look more calming. My title has a white gleam to it as I raised the intensity of the colour to make the light coming through look more intensive.

My back cover consists of a forest back ground in which I have once again enhanced the colour to make it seem more intense. I have also put a vines picture in the corner and lowered the opacity to give overall all effect. The writing is in red so that it stands out against the white and green back ground.
My song titles are rather simplistic and I was inspired by Florence and the machine as her music is very calm but has passion and her songs are powerful but almost elegant and that is what I wanted for my Cd cover designs.

For my mood board I chose a range of different activities my listeners would be into. For example a love for festivals, Parties, Shopping, hot weather and chilling on the grass, compose their own music.

Cd pp of ideas

Open publication - Free publishing - More cd