Final Music Magazine - ILLUSION

DPS

The structure of my double page spread has changed. When I was placing the pull quote in the middle of my text, I have realised that not all the text would fit into one page, so I decided to place the pull quote on the other page next to the image. The image is the first thing many people would visualize - before the text so by placing the quote next to it would make it appear more attractive and make the reader not miss out on the quote said by the new artist. The quote 'This was when it changed my life!'' is placed next to the main image of the model to illustrate that it is being said by her. Moreover, I have also put an extra note mentioned by the model at the bottom of the page as a way to distribute the new single the artist has produced. I believe that this is a good way to distribute the new artists album as it would hopefully attract a range of audiences.

Front cover

I have changed by front page couple of times as I wasn't sure how to display my masthead and which image to use best. The final masthead I have chosen appears more realistic and professional compared to the masthead I'd chose before. Placing different mastheads and images gave me the chance to talk to my class mates for any improvements and opinions. This opportunity allowed me to understand the different views on my front cover and how it could appear better. My teacher told me to change the image as she thought that it wasn't a suitable image for the front cover as the front cover needs to be bold and should stand out from other magazine on the shelf, attracting the audience.

Contents Page

Fonts - Contents page

These are some of the fonts I have come up with on Illustrator for my contents page. It gives me a clear idea of the typography for the title.

Dps ideas

I have found these double page spreads (dps) from magazines. Although the magazines above do not refer to my genre, they have inspired me on how to present my double page spread for my final magazine. I adore the idea of the image being behind the text, shown on the 'JOHN LEGEND' dps as this would help me on my production of my dps. In the images above, it demonstrates the different backgrounds that I could use. The layouts give me an overall view on how the text, background and images would be displayed; this also gives me ideas on how to construct my dps.

DPS and Contents page - Planning

Contents page would be done on InDesign 

Photoshoot

Here I have used the website Picasion.com, which I think is a good way to display my shoots that I have taken,

Feedback from the magazine proposal

Music Magazine Proposal- Presentation

Using illustrator

Location and model

Call Sheet

My Music Magazine Proposal

The Photography Studio at LSC

Distribution of magazines

Distribution of magazines from ZebaSiddeki

Task 5 - Magazine Newsstand Task

This image was taken by me in WHSmith in the magazine section. By looking at these music magazines I have noticed the big bold masthead; it is significant the mastheads need to be able to attract the audience’s attention. These magazines have been displayed in rows and grouped based upon their genres. This would then allow the audience to discover new magazines within their chosen genre.   All of these magazines are colourful and bright – which would instantly catch the audience’s attention.  Some magazines include free CD’s attached with them; these particular magazines are place at the front as it would persuade the audience into buying the entire magazine including free products. Each individual magazine has its own font and colour scheme which would allow the readers to become familiar with the magazine logo. Moreover, the main images are big and conclude the front cover. This is important as some readers become attracted by the image and end up buying the entire magazine. This research has helped me understand how magazines are distributed and how it is displayed to convince the audience into buying. From this I would reflect about how my masthead would be presented – including the typography - on the front cover and how my image would be displayed for my final music magazine.  

Task 4 - Evaluation - Final College Magazine

College magazine - Contents page

Contents page - Planning

Making of my college magazine - Contents page

College Magazine - Front cover

Overall, I believe that this college magazine was a good experience as I was able to research the conventions of a magazine and understand the basic concept of it. This gives a background knowledge which would help me when making my final music magazine in future.

Case Study 2 - Front cover, Contents page and DPS

Secondary Audience Research - Vibe - Press pack

From this information, I could conclude that there are 10% of males to read this precise magazine than women. Moreover, there are 82% who are aged 21+ who read this magazine which emphasizes that this magazine is targeted to a specific range of audience. The image above also demonstrates the race of the different types of people reading this magazine, which is significant as it implies that the Vibe magazine are trying to encourage everybody to read it and increase their market share(customers). This press pack consists of information about Vibe.

This shows who Vibe magazine are partners with - AOL On and Vibe Media. This information was given from the press pack of Vibe and I have screen shot it. As it mentions here, AOL On powers the back end technology for Vibe media's video player which implies that Vibe has other organisations doing the technology part of the magazine which then can be distributed around the world. Moreover, publishing online is beneficial for customers as well as Vibe because anybody around the world would have the chance to see the magazine online it would be easier for people who are always on the internet.

Vibe magazine have a mission statement which is important as it would help the company stay focused and try reach their aims. This mission was found on the Vibe media kit.

Analysis of Vibe magazine - Front cover

Analysis of XXL - Contents Page - Case study1

In the XXL contents page, the first thing that would draw attention to the readers would be the main image; it would also allow the audience to understand that this person would be the main feature in the magazine. The main image is a medium long shot which allows the audience to establish what the model is wearing. The fact that she is posing in that specific way is significant as it demonstrates how she is feeling – in this case the model is happy and is feeling joyful and looking relaxed. Furthermore, there are no names or titles which link with the main image which suggests that the readers would be able to recognise who it is.

The page numbers are placed on the left hand side of the page and are evenly in sections. This makes it easier for the readers to read and understand where to look for what they specifically want to read. The structure of this contents page is basic, simple and is placed into categories which allows the reader to know what to expect and where it would be in the magazine.  The section ’first of the month’, demonstrates that the specific topic would be regularly on the magazine.

Moreover, the logo is included, which illustrates the importance of getting the audience familiarised to the logo. The logo is also the only item which is red, which stands out from the rest of the images and fonts. 

Analysis of XXL - Double Page Spread - Case Study1

The audience can clearly see that the large image of Jay Z is significant as it takes up and entire page. The fact that the image is black and white is effective as it demonstrates many ideas. It could mean sadness, emptiness or not showing any emotion. Jay Z has a direct mode of address, which makes the image stronger and creates an engagement with the audience. The prop Jay Z is holding defines his personality. It lets the reader understand more about him, for example, the cigar on his hands and  a ring suggests that he is someone who wants to show others what his got and that he is interested in making himself look good. It can also connote wealth and power. The image is a medium long shot, which enables the reader to notice what he is wearing.

Questions are in bold and answers in normal font, which makes it easier for readers to visualise quickly and identify the questions from answers.

There are four columns which makes the double page spread more organised and easier for the readers to read. This is significant as the audience do not want to just read a lot of text, placing them in sections and columns makes the audience think that there is less text that should be read.

The title is in another colour, the gold/brown colour suggests that it may be precious and is a question worth the while. Also is a persuasive feature (rhetorical question) making the audience read the entire article.

On the Double Page Spread (DPS), there is a pull quote used mentioning that ‘Big is an insightful guy?’ This attracts the audience and makes them want to read more from the magazine. Page numbers are visible at the bottom of the page and also it mentions when the magazine was issued. Moreover, the background is simple and reflects with the image on the right, this links everything together.The font size of the article is suitable as the audience can clearly see the structure of the columns: this follows the conventions of a double page spread.. This magazine could be aimed at teenagers/ the youth as the language of the writing is informal. 

Preliminary task - LSC Magazine (Planning)

This is an outline of how my college magazine would look like. Planning where to place my conventions are key as it helps me understand how the magazine would appear overall and if there is any issues or misplacements which needs to be resolved. Moreover, planning my overview magazine would save me alot of time on the production of the actual magazine; it enables me to know where to place things and allows me to know the basic guidelines to a conventional college magazine. From my research, I have found out where certain conventions are placed within the magazine, for example the bar code and price typically go at the bottom.

College magazine analysis - Front cover & Contents page

Photoshop - Practise

This is my first time using Photoshop after a while. The above image is what I produced in class. I have included a random image copied from Google, blurred the edge of the image by using the paint brush, changed the colour of the background and included text, with colour and altered the font and size. This experience have given a clear understanding of how to produce my final magazine cover. Already, I have gained certain skills by resizing, and adjusting the image.

Task 1 - Production Schedule

Evaluation for induction assignment

Evaluation

When researching about piracy, I noticed that this topic is considered significantly as there are many people who are being affected by this situation, such as the artists who put in a lot of effort to produce and send off their music to the public. Overall, I think that the researching task was easy as there were many views based upon downloading music files without paying any money. This has helped me understand the thoughts and feelings people have towards this issue and how it can be resolved. Many people believe that it is acceptable to download music for free, as it would allow them to have free access to music from around the world. However, people disagree with this statement and consider that downloading free music is disrespectful towards the artists and so it should be banned.

The information that I have researched was straightforward and gave me an insight of how people react with music being downloaded for free. I have gathered my information from various articles, which allowed me to identify the different types of artists who either agree or disagree to piracy in the music industry.

When producing my magazine article on InDesign, I have developed many skills throughout the entire production. It has helped me acknowledge how to place images, edit the layout and add the title in any shape or form. InDesign has given me a clear understanding of how magazines and articles are produced. Moreover, I’ve gained knowledge of the conventions used within the magazine which refers to who the target audience is. For example, I have chosen to do a Glamour magazine; from my research, I have learnt that this particular magazine is targeted at women (or young female adults). For this reason, I have made my article appear feminine to attract that specific audience. Furthermore, I included formal language which would make it easier for women to read and have a clear understanding of the arguments for and against free downloading music.

In addition, I have created a questionnaire consisting 8 questions to help me collect feedback –from my classmates- on my finished magazine article. Some of the questions I have included are: Who do you think the target audience is for this magazine? Do you think the images are appropriate? How much would you be willing to spend on this magazine? And is there anything there is to improve this article? From the responses and opinions I have received, I have found out suggestions on ways to improve my article such as, to include page numbers to make it look more realistic. One of my other improvements was to include more pictures of the artist so the audience can recognise the artist and be drawn to the magazine.

The Web Publisher that I use to upload my work is on Blogger. This publisher gives me the opportunity to show how I worked and all my planning’s throughout this task. I have already published my magazine cover online and was easy to understand, this would enable my teacher to see my progress and give me feedback from it.

My targets that I have set for myself are: to upload all my development on Blogger, demonstrating all the work that I have produced, collect reliable information from websites which are suitable for the task, Proof read my work twice so no mistakes are found, and get the work done on time before deadlines, to insure that I do not fall behind on work. These targets would enable me to stay organised and stay on task. 

Finished Magazine - Front cover - Glamour