Music Magazine Contents Page Analysis

Music Magazine Front Cover Analysis

Double Page Spread Analysis

Mode of Address

- The mode of address is quite informal and focuses mainly on gossip type news that Davey Havok has views on.

- The style of text is quite chatty and comes across friendly and easy to understand.

- The questions asked are very much related to the type of person that Davey is and what he represents.

- The whole feel of the double page spread very much connotes a sense of rockstar and fame by the use of a border made up of 'around the mirror' lights and the big bold masthead of the D.P.S.

 

Central Image
- The main image of the D.P.S for this magazine (KERRANG!) is of frontman Davey Havok from the rock band AFI. 
- Davey Havok is a well-known rockstar, fashion designer and actor so is perfect for the genre of music KERRANG! focuses on.
- The image is a medium shot of the singer which shows off his tattoo's and his relaxed posture. This connotes a sense of relaxation, and someone who is carefree which reflects the thoughts of the readers who are young rebellious and carefree.

Layout
- The layout is very conventional for a music magazine with the main image on the left and the text on the right.
-  The image to text is a 50/50 ratio, this is done so there are not long amounts of texts and keeps the reader interested.
- The text is layed out in three columns which is very common for music magazines as it is an appropriate amount to read through without getting bored.
- The lights around the outside of the page create a border that gives us a showbiz feel that connotes a sense of excitment, wild and a rockstar life style.

House style and Fonts
- The colours used in the D.P.S are quite basic but work well. The light grey background allows the other colurs to really stand out. The use of white and pink in the text against a black box in the masthead connotes a sense of fun and fashion.
- The text in the masthead and questions of this D.P.S are capitals connoting a feeling that the magazine is loud and wild linking to the genre that they portray (rock).
- In the masthead some words are highlighted in pink, this is to show the importance of the words and makes the reader focus on them first.
- The drop cap 'D' in the beginning of the interview focuses on the importance of Davey Havok and this interview is about him. Also the questions in the interview are sepearated by being put into a white box, this makes it easier for the reader to deifferentiate between question and answers.

Music Magazine Front Cover Analysis

Institution Research

Initial Ideas for Magazine

Music Genres and Sub Genres

Music Magazine range on sale in UK

Action Plan

Week 1

Intoduce main task
Initial ideas
Instituion research
Analyse 2 front covers

Week 2

Analyse 2 contents pages
Analyses 2 double page spreads
Start to develop pitch

Week 3

Present and post pitch
Post audience feedback from pitch
Start mock up of magazine pages
Complete mock ups
Produce style sheet reflecting brand identity and house style
Organise photoshoot

Week 4

Complete photoshoot
Develop front cover

Week 5

Complete front cover
Develop contents page

Week 6

Complete contents page
Develop D.P.S

Week 7

Complete D.P.S
Get audience feedback on pages
Develop design in response from feedback

Week 8

Finalise design of all pages

Week 9,10,11

Develop draft evaluation

Week 12

Complete evaluation

Introduction to Main Task

Main task: Create a front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.

Student Magazine Evaluation

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? 

Before I started the preliminary task of designing and creating a student magazine I did some research on another magazine called ‘ONE Magazine’.  This gave me an idea of the typical themes and features that I could include in my own. The magazine featured a central image of a student which is similar and appeals to the target audience. The student is seen as being happy, well dressed and enjoying life which connotes a good student life compared to the way students/teenagers are portrayed in media today as being poor, drunk and loud. The house style consists of around 3 or 4 different colours and around 3 different fonts which are fresh and bold; this connotes a young but sensible magazine. The mode of address is quite witty and straight to the point, but is made to feel like it is friendly and aimed at the reader. The masthead has a large font which stands out, and is positioned in the top right of the page and follows the house style.
After doing my research and analyses I went out and conducted a photoshoot, I used a variety of models but they were all the same age as my target audience. For the photographed I used I took a medium-close up which was part of the brief, but I had the student facing away from the camera. The photograph was taken against a stone wall as Ludlow is known for its big castle walls. I used the black and white setting on the camera; this was so that the image continued the house style and linked in with the brand identity of the masthead. I chose four main colours for my magazine; Light blue, red, grey and black. I used these colours because they linked in well with the Ludlow college logo and they also stood out really well against each other. The light blue and red connote a sense of youth, while the grey and black connote a sensible, formal side. I used the name ‘LSM’ for my magazine as I took inspiration from the magazine ‘FHM’. The name is an acronym of Ludlow Student Magazine, which was too long so a shorter version suited it better. The masthead is situated in the top right corner in its own box which gives it its brand identity; it also uses a font which is used throughout the front cover.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My magazine appeals to an audience that are a similar age group to me; around 17 – 23. I also conducted an interview with a group of people to find out what they wanted the magazine cover to feature, to make sure I was creating something that was appealing to others as well. My central images and features represent more of an emergent ideology as it shows students that are happy and that are doing well in life, this is very typical of all student magazines. Using a female to appear in both my central image and secondary image while using a colour scheme that would more likely appeal to a male audience meant that I wasn’t limiting myself to a female or male audience, instead it appeals to both genders. From my interview with a group of students I found that they thought the magazine should be cheap (below £1), however in my experience I have found that student magazines are mostly free, therefore I chose to not add a price to my front cover. This would appeal to my target audience as they may not be able to spend much money on a magazine.

What kind of media institute might distribute your media product and why?

I would publish and distribute my magazine here at Ludlow College as it contains useful information about the college and what is going on around the town. The magazine is free so therefore all students should pick one up and give it a read. The writing for the magazine would be great as a project for both media students and students taking English.

Who would be the audience for your magazine?

My audience would be students who attend Ludlow College or are living in the town aged around 17 – 23. Students who are interested in what happens at the college and also events that take place outside of college.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my audience by using images and fonts that looked fresh and new, and at the same time connoted an exciting student life. My central image shows a young happy female student, who is enjoying life in Ludlow, which is where my audience is based. My coverlines feature stories that a variety of people in my target audience would like to read about. The headline and coverline fonts are in red, this way the viewer can quickly see what is in the magazine and catches their eye before anything else.
The house style of the magazine has a very minimalist feel as the research I did showed that student magazines shouldn’t be cluttered with coverlines all over the front cover, therefore this makes it easier for the viewer to view the important features. This minimalist style runs through into the contents page too.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

To create this magazine I used Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop. I had never used InDesign before, but I did know my way around Photoshop. I found that the layout and tools in InDesign were quite similar to Photoshop so it wasn’t too hard to get the hang of. Things like adding layers, creating text boxes etc. were quite easy to remember to do after spending a bit of time on it. I think InDesign is a great program for creating magazines, and will come in really helpful when I create a music magazine for my main project. It was also my first time using Blogger, which I am slowly learning the basics of, but is a great way of showing my work and keeping track of what I need to do.

Student Magazine Front Cover and Contents Page