Music magazine double page spread flat plan

Music magazine double page spread

 

 

 

Music magazine contents page

 

 

 

Music magazine front cover

 

 

 

Music magazine contents page flat plan

Music magazine front cover layout

Definitions

Genre- The genre is the form of the literature which could vary from a magazine to a film and therefore written or audio. Within the genre of the literature there are sub genres.

Sub genre: A sub genre is the genre inside another genre. Such a the magazine may be music based and therefore the magazine would be a music magazine. Other genres of magazines could be; fashion, sport, TV, film, gossip.

Hybrid: A hybrid is where the magazine has more than sub genre, e.g a fashion/gossip magazine. These magazines are good because they can wider the target audience as more information is included in them.

Proposal for my music magazine

Proposal for my magazine

 

The sub genre of my music magazine is indie music. With this in mind, I have decided to call my magazine Rush because I think that it goes with the genre quite well as the music could be seen to be quite up beat and fast.

 

My target audience will be predominantly men, in the age range of 15-25, who are middle class. These males will be very passionate about music and may even play an instrument themselves. They enjoy going to lots of concerts and festivals to see their favourite bands such as The Vaccines and The Stone Roses.

 

My magazines publishing house will be IPC, who publish other popular and successful magazines such as Q and Kerrang! They are a multinational media company, based in Hamburg, Germany. I think IPC would be good to publish my magazine as they are a well known publishing house and are familiar with the sub genre of my magazine.

 

Various features will be included in my magazine such as interviews, reviews (album/tours), festival and tour information, and adverts. All of these things were popular in my survey that was completed by possible readers for my magazine. Things like interviews with popular bands will interest a lot of people and if lots of different artists/bands are used then this will gain a wider audience. Adverts are important in magazines as they can relate a lot to the audience, such as in my magazine adverts for phones and energy drinks would be included.

 

My magazine will be published both online and in print. This is for many reasons such as, it appeals to the audience more as it is free of cost online. Webzines are becoming increasingly popular because they are very easy to access on your smart phone from anywhere in the world which saves time compared to having to go to the shop. Also real time media can be used online, such as videos which give the audience a better experience. Weblinks to other websites are also used. The internet can be used to promote my magazine as well, the use of social networking sites such as twitter and facebook were deemed popular in my questionnaire. Also, my webzine can be updated whenever there is some news, but my print version will only be published every 2 weeks.

 

I have decided to print my magazine as well because lots of magazines still remain printed, which shows that they are still popular. Some people prefer to have the magazine in there hand so that they can keep it, or on the other hand they could pass it on to a friend to keep the readership numbers up. Also, some of the special offers such as free gifts which my audience would like can only be retrieved on the print version of my magazine.

 

My online magazine cost will be free. This is because my target audience could consist of a lot of students, who do not have a huge disposable income that can be spent on buying a magazine. The cost of my magazine will be covered by adverts, which will be of interest to my target audience. Where as my print magazine will be the cost of £2.50 which was the most popular amount on my magazine survey. This copy will include free gifts and extras such as posters.

 

The unique selling point of my magazine will be that my magazine works with up and coming bands and helps promote them. This will interest the reader as they will be able to learn about new artists/bands before anyone else and widen their music choice. It is a good feature as it will encourage a lot of audience interaction, as fans will talk to each other to discuss the new artist/band or even send in questions for them.

Aquinas magazine analysis

Front cover

My front cover for my Aquinas magazine includes all of the usual conventions that a magazine requires, such as a main image which fills the full page. This image is a medium close up, of the person who is included in the main cover story. This is advertised on the front cover with a brief description of what the article is about. The headline is at the top of the magazine, along with the cover date and issue number as it is one of the first things that the reader will see and one of the main conventions of a magazine. The rest of my front cover includes the cover stories at the side, competitions in a badge and finally additional details such as the barcode and email address. The price for my magazine is free because I believe that students do not have much disposable income to spend on a college magazine.I think that my magazine front cover is successful because the image is very strong and clear and is the right size for the cover.It also includes a pull quote which is a very effective thing to have on your magazine as it gives the reader an in site to what is in the article. I think that the colour scheme is effective and it fits in with the Aquinas colours.

To improve my magazine, I would include more cover stories to make the page look more filled as the more there is the more interesting and eye catching it looks. Also, another badge may be included with another competition that would encourage the reader to get involved. The banner at the top of the page could be put in a different colour such as red to allow it to stand out a lot more.

Contents page

My contents page is successful because it includes everything that a reader would expect in a contents page such as a headline, images, page numbers, and an editorial.The colour scheme has been continued from the front cover and therefore it makes it look professional and neat. All of the images included on my contents page have the page number in which article the image is related to allowing it to be easy for the reader to know where to look.I think including a banner at the bottom of my page looks good because they are included in most magazines because it draws attention to the competition details and it stands out.

If I was doing my contents page again I would try to include one more image to my page, just to show a greater variety of the stories. Although, I found it very difficult to fit in any more details because I had to ensure that the writing was big enough to see and therefore it took up quite a lot of space. Finally, I could have included a picture of myself on my editorial as usually the editor does put one in theirs.

Contents page analysis

Contents page analysis

 

 

This is a Kerrang! Contents page, which is very packed with information and images. This is what readers expect from a contents page as it contains a brief outline of the whole magazine. The masthead that reads ‘Contents’ is placed in the top left hand corner, in a yellow/ orange colour with a big, bold, cut out font which reflects the genre of the magazine ‘Rock music’. Under the title is the issue number and cover date, which are a convention of a magazine and is for the knowledge of the reader. This information is in a smaller white font which is still hugely visible to the reader.

 

The main image is placed in the top third of the page, amongst the masthead. The images is of a man, who is in a band called ‘Slash’ as shown below with the page number.  The picture is a medium/ close-up shot and he is placed in the right third of the image so that he is fully shown. The image is very dark which is associated with rock music as the connotations of black are danger, fear and mischief. The man is dressed fully in black with sunglasses, you can hardly see his eyes but it is obvious that he is making eye contact. This could be to intimidate the audience as he also has a little smirk on his face. On the other side of the image is two images of two of the pages from the magazine, these are marked with the page number and band that is presented on that page. This is a very effective thing on a magazine contents page as it makes it so much easier for the reader to find where the main articles are. These are the articles that the reader will want to read most as they are promoted on the front cover and contents as being the best in that issue.

 

In the rest of the page, the rest of the contents page is placed. This consists of the editorial which is a short message from the editor, telling the reader about what they have done this week in order to produce the issue. The editorial is a good way of the editor getting involved and having the chance to directly talk to the people who read and buy their magazine. Also, it is a convention of a magazine and it used in every contents page. It is completed with an image of themselves and a signature.

 

“Kerrang! This week” is a further title placed under the main image, to introduce what the contents of the magazine is. Kerrangs contents page has unique layout which is different to other magazines contents page, as all of the pages are under several headings. “Win!“ is one of the headings which is a buzz word and will definitely get the readers attention. Usually, magazines may just have the two, but this has a bigger variety which would make it much easier for the reader to find what they are looking for. The sub headings are bold and clear to notice, the under there is the page number and name of the page, some also include a brief description. They are set out in 4 columns in a neat order which makes the page look very professional. The pages are also split up by images of the bands in some cases which give the page a variety and makes it look more interesting.

 

The colour scheme for this contents page is black, white, red and yellow/orange which is the usual house style for Kerrang! These colours compliment each other very well and allow everything to be bold and easily seen. They also fit in with the genre and target audience as this magazine would not look right with bright colours such as green and pink. The target audience of predominantly men ages 16-25 would not appeal to a different house style.

 

Finally in the bottom right hand corner, is information about how to get a magazine prescription. A price, number and images are included which will persuade the reader to look into it. “Delivered to your door” makes it sound a really good deal and may sound appealing to the reader.

Aquinas contents page

Aquinas magazine front cover

Double page spread analysis

Double page spread analysis

This is a double page spread included in a music magazine of an interview with a band.In this ariticle, the main image is taking up the whole of the left page, this is regular in double page spreads because there is lots of room to take up.This particular image is an action shot of the band members, it is a long shot and some of the members are stood up looking down to make them look powerful.Two members are using eye contact where as the others are not, their facial expressions suggest that they are rebellious. There is a pull quote overlapping this image which is effective and is used to make the reader want to read the article.

The headline is very bold and eyecatching, placed at the top right hand corner, in white and red which compliment eachother to make it stand up. This is one of the first things that the reader will see. Although, 'teen spirit' are not the bands name, as their name is placed just above that in a smaller font, and black and white which is unusual as normally it is the bands name who is the headline.This may be the case because the image is so big and fans will be able to recognise them because of that. On the other hand, it is good that the headline is different as the bands name may look boring where as readers are looking for short and snappy headlines that are unique. The design of the headline is effective as it reflect the band as being quite different and not scared to cause trouble as the red may represent blood and danger.

The colour scheme of this double spread is like most other music magazines such as NME and Kerrang! as the colours used are black, white and red. These colours go really well together and allow everything on the page to stand out and be recognised. The connotations of these colours are danger, anger, passion, darkness for black but then oppisitely light for white. Usually the colour schemes in magazines are 3 or 4 colours that don't clash or look too bright, these are continued throughtout the magazine and often used in every issue.

Below the headline their is a grey box including an introduction to the article to inform the reader exactly what the article is and to warm them up before they read it. This is a good way to draw the reader in, making them wanting the read the article.The elipse at the end makes it like a cliff hanger,meaning the reader has to read the article to find out why they dont like being called 'arty'.

To start off the article there is a dropped cap which is a convention of magazines and is used at the start of every article. This allows the reader to see clearly where the article begins, it is in a much bigger font and usually in a different colour.The article that follows this dropped cap is in columns which make it easy to follow and looks very neat. This way it is easier to fit the article in, instead of it being all mixed up.In this double page spread their are 3 columns but it can range from about 2-4, this allows it to looks professional.

At the bottom of the article is another grey box including extra information in images. This is just an extra feature for the reader to enjoy which is humorous. Finally in the bottom right hand corner, is the page number which is a convention in a magazine and is always placed there as the reader knows where it will be and can find it easily.

Contents page flat plan analysis

Magazine front cover analysis

Front cover magazine interview

The genre of Kerrang! Magazine is rock, which includes sub genres of heavy metal, pop rock, punk rock, indie rock, emo, rap rock and alternative rock.

 The colour scheme/ house style for Kerrang! Magazine is black, white and red which are unisex colours but aim predominantly at men. These colours are consistent on every page, and every issue of Kerrang! The connotations of red and black are danger, darkness and blood which are all associated with rock as people relate it to scary men who wear dark clothes. These relate to the images as the men look quite scary and rebellious with their tattoos. Although, there are a contrast of images as in the main image the band members from ‘Bring me the horizon’ look very smart as they are wearing suits where as in the 3 bottom images the men are at concerts singing.

 The structure of the magazine is very bold and outgoing. The font represents rock as it is big and in your face. At the top is a banner which consists of some of the main articles included in the magazine. This is at the top as it is one of the first things that the reader will see which will interest them, especially if it is one of their favourite bands. The headline is placed underneath the banner, in a font that is consistent in every single Kerrang! Magazine, and therefore it is a known font and headline.

 The main image is overlapping the Kerrang! title, and it covers the rest of the page. The image is a long/median shot, and the band members are using eye contact. This makes the reader feel intimidated, although their facial expressions aren’t scary. The band name ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ is in white, bold writing to really stand out above the image, making it clear who they are. Even though no pull quote is used from their article, the headline ‘Northern Uproar’ is presented underneath in red which is a contrast to the white font. There are 3 different stories from the magazine under the heading ‘K! Week of rock: poster special!’ which include the band name and an image of the poster. All of the images on this front cover are of men because it is much more usual for them to in the band and play instruments such as the electric guitar. Also it is mostly men who are the targeted audience where as women are the secondary audience as they still read Kerrang!

 There is also a banner at the bottom of the page, which like the banner at the top is a regular with Kerrang!, with a pug saying ‘Plus’. This is an effective word that would make the reader be drawn to it as they know they are getting more. Then 7 bullet point artists are listed in the same colour scheme to inform the reader of which other bands they can read about in this issue.

 Finally in the bottom right hand corner the barcode, issue number, website and date is listed. These are all conventions of a magazine and have to be included legally. The website also encourages the reader to visit it and continue to read Kerrang!

Front page layout

Contact sheet

Questionnaire

My questionnaires tell me that the students favourite shops are Topshop and Topman which means in my magazine I can use this information to make the prize be a voucher for these shops. This means I can assure the student would enjoy it as I have found it out from the students who would be buying it. Also, I found out that the most popular phone is the iPhone which I can also use involve in one of the prizes. Therefore I have chose to make the new iPhone 5S a prize because I know it would be very popular with the students.

In terms of favourite TV programs and films, all of the answers were mixtured and therefore I could  not do anything with this information as it appears the students I asked all have different tastes in film/ TV choice. This also occurs with music genre as most people chose rock but it varied from that to pop.

From my questionnaire I found out that all of the students had a range of different favourite subjects which tells me I have asked a mixture of different sort of people as some students preffered exam based subjects such as sociology where as others like more practical subjects such as music. 

Rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is a grid used as a guide to help you compose your photographs properly. The guideline is divided into 9 equal parts to make 3 by 3 squares, they allow you to place your photograph in the correct position. Therefore you can compose your image onto this grid as certain elements should be placed on different alignments to make the image look professional. There are many different techniques that can help you do this. The rule of thirds is used as it helps position the objects in the photograph properly as it makes the whole image noticeable although the main object is placed where it would be seen first.

Double page spread annotation

Magazine Annotation