Final Pieces

Front Page

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

Double Page Spread Annotations

This is a double page spread featured in Kerrang! magazine which stars My Chemical Romance upon their release of their fourth album. It uses general conventions which are often used in magazines when releasing a double page spread of this nature. In this annotation, the main points and effects that the magazine are aiming to create are shown at the end of arrows.

Magazine Evaluation

Contents Page

  This is my contents page for BULLDOZE magazine where I have used a basic colour scheme making the images that I have used the most outstanding elements of the page. This is so that there is a professional appearance for the purpose of the page - to inform the reader about the page numbers that the magazines content are in.

  I have used the font that is used on the front page for the masthead of the page as well as the title of the magazine. This is so that there is synergy and the sense of recognition throughout the magazine. There is a lack of empty space around the page so that every aspect of the magazine is bold and stands out to the reader. The majority of the images that I have used are album pictures and promos which are obvious on first sight to the target audience that the page number next to it will be related to the band.

  Mainly, the included features are album/EP reviews that are a large part of music magazines and one of the main purposes that an audience buys them, to experience a well written opinion on their interests. The magazine also features interviews with currently large bands such as Expire, StickXTogether and Breaking Point. This is to add variety as well as features of hardcore communities such as LBU (London), plans for record labels (Back to Back) and 'the best LP's of 2012'.

Double Page Spread

  This is my double page spread feature of an interview with Expire's vocalist Josh Kelting. It features a variety of questions which have been inspired by the interviews that I have found online related to Expire and other similar hardcore bands. Carrying out research on the band, I found out that they are based from Midwest Northern America where they have a respectably sized scene for alternative music.

  The layout for the page seemed appropriate as live photographs and videos are a large part of the music; primarily to capture the impact and energy of live hardcore shows. As Expire are an acclaimed band worldwide at the moment, they have received good feedback and publicity regarding their shows and recent release 'Pendulum Swings', it was right to make a double page spread based on them. The fonts were limited to two based on the main content; however, the mastheads and titles at the top are varied to draw the readers eyes to the top. The title of the band itself was their actual logo that is used on merchandise and their album covers (which is shown in the competition area of the page). To prevent empty space on the page, arrows were placed in the top corner to draw the readers attention further.

Second draft

Aims

• Make it clearer that this is a music magazine.
• Change fonts so that they are more alike other music magazines.

Contents Annotations

Kerrang! Magazine Contents Page 

•  Kerrang! uses a grid style to show to the reader what is included inside the magazine. Here, the colour scheme is in black and yellow which displays a sense of urgency to the reader making the page seem a lot more important.

NME Magazine Contents Page

 

 

Classic Rock Magazine Contents

  Contents pages are used to show the reader where to look for selected features in the magazine if they do not intend on reading it cover to cover. In the above shown contents pages, there is a consistent layout and design to show continuity and make it easier to understand. Every magazine shown above uses similar features in explaining what every feature contains and shows images of the main articles.

Front Cover Draft #1

  This is the first draft of my final magazine front cover. I used an original image on the front cover, shown shortly underneath this on the blog, I then cut the image of the model out in front of Brooklyn Bridge in New York to create an edgy look to the front. Most of the fonts used were found online or used from the Photoshop selection, where assorted logos were placed to accompany them (e.g. the Lockin' Out logos at the bottom and the Judge icon in between Bull and Doze). In addition to this, the content in the left third of the page showing what is included in the magazine were also found online to create realism. I used a select amount of fonts which match the style of music that is included inside, and to create a professional and realistic product.

Title Ideas

  To decide name ideas, I decided to place them all into a mood-board to identify which would suit the magazine style more. I discovered that the title I used to create the mock-up was the most appropriate referring to an old, inspirational hardcore band in the heading. I came to the conclusion that 'bulldoze' has the most likely name to become a magazine which would get a second look from the general public in a shop. 

Photoshoot Pictures

Focus Group

  This video (from 0:00 - 1:58) features my focus group discussion about the magazine I have created and the general thoughts of my peers of the genre and conventions that they would ideally read about. This area of the research was aimed at a group of teenagers aged sixteen to eighteen which is in the age range of my target audience, the results suggested that the genre of the magazine that I created is not a widespread popular topic.

The questions featured were:

• How would you feel about purchasing a magazine related to more niche alternative music (e.g. acoustic, spoken word, hardcore, punk, and metal)?
• Are you familiar with the following popular hardcore bands - Black Flag, Descendants, Terror, Touche Amore, Trash Talk & Your Demise?
• What values would you expect to read about when purchasing a magazine?

  For the first question, half of the people questioned were not interested in reading about the genres mentioned. However, hardcore and metal were genres that another half is moderately interested in. Following this, the same percentage of people had heard of the example bands given in question two. Although most of the bands mentioned were unheard of, Trash Talk and Your Demise were known bands by the two people in question. Finally, the last question was reasonably answered by all of the volunteers where reading about the musicians was the main intention of them when buying a magazine, in addition to the news made by the bands. The focus group was not a success as the genre which is being used is only aimed at a small percentage of the public, where most of my peers are oblivious to the genres' existence. Although the age range is correct, and it is aimed at a niche audience.

Font Moodboard

  I created a moodboard of fonts to identify which is more suitable to the type of magazine that I have chosen. Using the title of my final product, I have been online to find a wider selection of fonts that I can use (legally). It is fair to say that the majority of fonts that I have included are not appropriate for the genre and audience which will be reading this magazine. The third and fifth font downward are the only ones which are considerable for this magazine. The final font is close to the theme, however it has a gothic edge which is not fitting.
The source of these fonts is from http://dafont.com.

Mock-Up Music Magazine

 This is my mock-up for my magazine idea. I set the layout similar to current music magazines which are available and popular worldwide. In creating this, I took note of the header size, opacity, price and left third rule along with many other conventions of creating a magazine. I used images which I had found on the internet along with the header font which I had also found online. The barcode is not legitamate and the headers used are not based on my final piece, though this is a representation of what my final piece may look like.

Music magazine moodboard

 This is a mood board relating to different conventions of the genre which I have chosen to include in my magazine. It includes live shots, promo photographys, merchandise, record labels icons and records themselves. These are the representation of the genre as a whole. It is often more rare for promos to be taken in the hardcore and punk genre as the quality of the music is more evaluated than image alone. The image of a band tends to be the least important aspect as with the fans themselves. Live photographs are more common to capture the energy which is given at concerts. I believe this moodboard generally sums up the genre and scene as a whole.

Demographics

Demographics

Demographics are the relation of the structure of a population. This may be done through focus groups, questionnaires and general market research when determining the prospects of a product. It can also come under general research when evaluating statistics such as an ethnicity. Below is an example of a demographics table for the age of Scottish citizens.

 

In demographics used to create research, there are certain aspects which are taken into consideration. Primarily, it is the social classes which determine what kind of audience that should be aimed for. These are assessed by the amount that each individual earns at a given time. Only 2% of people in the UK count as 'upper class' in the eyes of this statistic which is Class A. This is for the professional workers or businessmen which are earning the highest out of the country. Class B is the middle class people who may be intermediate managers or present professionals in less successful businesses than those in the upper class. The Class C is determined through C1 and C2 which is the difference between lower middle class and skilled working class which is the most frequent class which is found in the general public. Class D is standard working class and it goes further to the lowest wealth (Class E). All of these social grades need to be taken into consideration when producing a magazine to determine the pricing and quality of the magazine. I believe that my magazine will be aimed at class C2 and D as it will be mainly older teenagers to young adults reading it and they will be earning a low amount of money if not in education.

Prezi

Music Magazine on Prezi

This prezi represents the general idea of the type of readers which will purchase the magazine. The prezi presentation features two music videos which suit the genre showing what the live shows contain and what type of people would listen to the music which isn't limited by an image. The presentation also includes a mood-board of examples including some of the products that may be bought by the crowd that hardcore music brings in. This features skateboards and a mixture of vinyl. 

Brief

To design a front cover, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, a minimum of four images must be used.

Polls

How old are you?

15 and under

15 - 24

24 - 35

35 - 55

55

Create your own poll

What is your music taste?

Metal/Hardcore

Pop

Ambient/Jazz

Rap/Hip-Hop

Rock

Electronic

Alternative

Ska/Reggae

Create your own poll

What is your occupation?

Technical/IT

Management

Proffessional

Administrative

Sales/Support

Production/Manufacturing

Other Employment

Unemployment

Student

Retired

Create your own poll

What is your favourite music magazine?

Q

Uncut

Metal Hammer

Kerrang

Vibe

Rolling Stone

Raw Roots

NME

Create your own poll

How much would you pay for a music magazine?

> £2

£2 - £3

£3 - £4

£4 - £5

£5 <

Create your own poll

Which shop would be your first option?

HMV

The Internet

Topshop/Topman

Designer Outlet

Krispy Kreme

Game

Waterstones

Create your own poll

Magazine Evaluation

  In this topic, I was meant to create a college magazine using the conventions of existing models which are available for other students. I began the project with research which was based on the film magazine Empire, and the music magazine Q. By this, I annotated their work by stating the standard conventions of any other magazine front cover. Mainly, I learned that the primary information is held in the left third side of the page so that it is faster to read for the consumer.

  I then went on to annotate a contents page, and in addition, the same concepts were used in editing. Most images are shown on the right side of the page. Annotating the contents page was a useful procedure as there is this page in any magazine in the market. Contents pages help the reader navigate their way to certain features which are inside the content itself. Furthermore, I performed a LLIAR analysis to the front page of Empire magazine to understand the basic features.

  Finally, I began creating my main piece which is the front cover. All of the images that I have used are taken by me except the barcode used at the bottom right. I took a photograph of a student outside of the Oak area of college whilst holding books and folders to make the concept of the magazine clear to a possible consumer. I used a medium shot so that the facial expression and work is the clearest feature in the cover. I believe this is a very good image to use as a cover because it is relevant to the genre. I titled the magazine as ‘W’ as it is straightforward, easy to remember and has relevance to the name of the college. I made small headings to reel the consumer into the idea of purchasing a college magazine with articles. In addition, I placed the idea of ‘free posters’ and ‘50% off subscriptions’ as a selling technique which would  make the idea of buying more appealing to the reader, as this is a realistic method that magazine companies would use.

  Through my research with surveys which I gave to my peers, I discovered that people are not willing to pay a large amount for a magazine of this nature. They suggested that it were to be available free of charge, however speaking realistically with my knowledge of business, it would be unlikely that this would be funded by the government if it were to be created. I set the price as £1.99 as it is not a lot to ask and students would be likely to pick this up for a small price. I believe that I carried out this project successfully and my concluding product would appeal to many of my peers.