Dolby

Olivia, which are your final pieces? Can you let me know which ones are to be marked please by labelling the final front cover, contents and double page.

Prelim task

I made this at the beginning of the year as a way of getting used to the software such as Photoshop and Serif PagePlus. This helped me to develop my skills and ensure that I was confident in using the technology for my coursework.

Images taken for my music magazine

Above are the images I have taken of the artist being interviewed and the images I have taken that will feature on my contents page. I have taken them all in black and white as I think it makes them look more effective, and having some in colour and others in black and white would make my contents page look messy and unprofessional.

Contents page final draft

I noticed one of the numbers was missing from a feature on my contents page so I added it in, as these are a very important part of the contents and it would not work without it.

Contents page third draft

I have added in another image to my contents page to break up the text. As well as this I have rearranged some of the colours used which I think makes my Contents look more effective. I have also adjusted my letter from the editor at the top of the page to make it clearer and easier to read. I have done a similar thing to the quote from "Maxwell" as it looked quite untidy going over the image and was hard to read in a light colour so I got rid of some of the quote allowing it to fit on the page.

Double page final draft

I have changed the colour to a pale green, I think this works best as it suits the male artist more, as a purple would have been too feminin. As well as this the green is much easier to read. I am happy with the layout of my double page spread, I think it look quite professional as I have used the codes and conventions of a typical double page spread found in a music magazine.

Second draft of double page spread

I changed the colour of this font to purple, as this is the colour I have used when featuring the artist on my contents page and I wanted to the magazine to look more proffessional so I thought keeping the same same colours used would do this. However, for this double page spread I don't think the purple looks very effective as it is very difficult to read against the grey background. So I am therefore going to change the font back to a brighter blue, making it easier to read. I may also change this on my contents page so that the two go together. I have also added a large M behind my text as I found this looks very successful in exsisting magazines and thought it would add a little to my page, making it look more interesting.

First Draft of my double page spread

I am happy with the image I have used for my double page spread, as it is the one that features on my contents page so it helps the magazine to flow and keeps it relevant. I think the image is strong, however for my next draft of this I may try out having another image on this double page spread. As I have looked at other music magazine's and usually there are two or more images used on the double page spread. I am happy with the amount of text I have on the page. I have moved some of the questions around on my double page, changing it from the original order I planned. However, I think this is more effective as I have ended the questionnaire with an important question about the new artist I'm interviewing, instead of asking him about other artists. This makes him seem like the main interest and hopefully leaves more of an impact on the reader. Overall, I am happy with the use of colour on my double page spread. However, I think using purple instead of blue may work better, as I have used purple when including the artist on my Contents page. So this will then make the two tie in together, making it look more like a real magazine.

Plan for my double page spread

Questions I am going to ask the artist:
1. Are you proud of yourself because of how far you have come in the space of a year?
2. As it’s known for being so difficult to make it into the music industry, how did you do it?
3. Do you think you’ve changed as a person?
4. Where were you this time last year?
5. Have you ever thought of helping out people that are currently living in the situation you were in?
6. Do you think your background has helped to influence your music?
7. What was your reaction when your album ( ) went straight to number one in the UK?
8. When are you planning on doing a UK tour?
9. Will the tour be in small venues like you used to do, or will you be cutting out all the stops now that you’re a big success?
10. Who’s your favourite artist that you have gone to see in concert?

I think ten questions is the right amount, as I want the answers to be in full detail so this amount should be enough to fill up my double page spread. I've also made sure that I ask the artist about his background life as I think this will interest my readers, as his story will hopefully make this interview stand out from others, making my audience more inclined to read it.

Second Draft of my Contents page

I think I have made an improvement of my Contents page by using a white background, as it works well with the genre of music I am basing this music magazine on. I found that a black background made my contents page look to dark and suggested a heavier style of music. I have changed my pug that advertises subscribing to the magazine, I am glad that I did this, as there is less empty space on the page and I think the bubbles look more effective.

Contents first draft

I think there are a few things I need to improve on when it comes to my contents page as my first impression of it is that it looks very busy. It might be a good idea to make some of the text slightly smaller and move a few things around to tone down the page. I am unsure about the pug I have included in the bottom left corner, as it leaves a lot of empty space around it, it might look better if I change the pug to a circle or a square, as this will allow me to put text or an image around the pug, resulting in less empty space. I will try this and see if it makes my contents page look more professional. I am happy with the columns I have made for this page, as it follows the codes and conventions of a typical contents page. I also planned ahead and knew what I wanted to include on my contents page. By having an idea of what I wanted my contents to look like I have found it easier to make this page for my magazine to a level I am almost happy with. I may play around with the background colour behind the columns, as I'm unsure about the black background behind the grey. I think it could connote a rock genre of music which is not the genre I am aiming for, so it might be better to keep the background white.

straker

I like the over all effect of your front cover, not sure the delicate colours of the texts work though -possibly too vintage, unless this is the effect you're going for.

Dolby

Avoid labelling things as 'final version' until you are really happy. Overall this is quite successful but remember that if you are promoting an artist you need their name! Also, just try and make sure that the text is clear within pugs etc and not running over edges.
The font for the masthead works well but not sure all the pale varieties of font give it an edgy enough feel for the style of music?

Final front cover

Overall, I am very happy with how this has turned out. I am going to ask people that fit in with my target audience of young adults to ask there opinion of this front cover to see if there is anything I could improve on to make it look more appealing for my audience.

Front cover third draft

I decided to do a second photo shoot for my magazine, as I was not entirely happy with the images I took first time round. I am happy with the new images I have taken and I think this image works particularly well on my front cover, as it makes the artist look slightly rebellious and exciting, which could attract readers. There are certain factors I would still like to improve on for this page, for example it might be a good idea for me to change the quote from my artist, so that it works well with the image. For example, it might be a better idea to describe the new artist as a rebel or a bad boy as this would fit in well with the image.
I also have played around with colours on this draft of my front cover as I asked people what they thought of my colour scheme for my music magazine. Overall, people weren't very keen on the idea of dark purples, greens and blues as they thought this seemed too basic and unoriginal to use for a magazine targetting young adults. So I have experimented with lighter pastel colours, as I think these colours are not stereotypically aimed for young adults, but I have found that pastels are often used for music magazines aimed at older audiences, for example MOJO magazine often stick to a paler house style. I have asked peoples opinions of the use of pastel colours for my house style and they seem to be a more popular choice, as well as this people have said they are easier to read compared to the darker colours, so I think there are more positive effects of using lighter colours.

Front cover Re draft

(Not yet finished. I will sort out order of these and write about it next.)

Front cover first draft

This is my first draft of my front cover, I have used a different colour scheme to the pastel theme that I chose in my planning stages, just to see how another house style would look. I'm glad that I did this as it has given me a clearer idea of what colours work on a front cover, I think the greens and blues I have used on this draft look too dark and connote a Rock Genre which is not the style of music I am focusing on in my magazine and therefore targets a different audience. It's important that the house style and colour scheme I use throughout this magazine matches the Indie/Alternative style of music, I therefore think lighter greens and pastel colours would do this as they are seen as more lighthearted colours and also target a male and female audience. Whereas this test draft seems very masculine due to the darker colours, I also think the use of pastel colours will look more effective because they will stand out against a dark background, this is important as the page needs to stand out against other competing magazines whereas the text on this front cover does not grab your attention.
I am happy with my magazine logo, although it is possible that I may explore with this more just to see which logo works best wih my music magazine. For my image, there are aspects that I would like to improve. For instance, I'm unsure about using a black background on my front cover, as it connotes a heavier genre of music, so it might be a good idea for me to do a second photoshoot, using a white background. I think this would also make the text on my front cover clearer and easier to read, so I will experiment more with this. I'm not sure if my front cover has enough text, as it may look quite basic and boring to my target audience, so it might be a good idea to include more on the front cover in my next draft.

Straker

Me too!

Dolby

I really would like to see some construction drafts asap.

Font

I like the style of all of these fonts as I think they look quite sophisticated, I think they could work for the title of my music magazine as they will fit with my target audience. I think my target audience would relate to these fonts because the fonts are not childish, therefore young adults may tend to prefer these fonts compared to something like comic sans. I also thought a font such as the last one (Ancestory SF) could work well for the title of my music magazine, as it could seem quite ironic. I thought this because the music for my magazine will be quite heavy, as the genre is mainly indie and drum and bass, this is then quite the opposite compared to the delicate font. It's possible that this could work quite well for the title of my music magazine, however there is a danger that a delicate font could connote a different genre of music of music, resulting in a misunderstanding with my target audience.

Images

Overall I think it is best if I do two or three separate photo shoots, as I will then have more images to choose from. This will then give me more freedom when selecting the best images and I will have more variety on my contents page which will hopefully make it look more interesting for the reader. I do however need to make sure that I don't overload my music magazine with images, as I do not want it to look too busy or messy, as this could result in it looking like a child's music magazine and I am not targeting at that audience.

Audience Feedback

It is important to ensure that I am targeting my audience correctly throughout this unit. I therefore decided to post a link to my blog up on my Facebook page, asking anyone between the ages of 17-20 to give me feedback. I posted this link with a small amount of text stating "I'm creating a music magazine for young people that are into Indie/Alternative and Drum and Bass music. If you don't mind taking a quick look and telling me what you think of my planning and research pages I'd really appreciate it! Thanks." Although I did not receive an awful lot of feedback it has made me feel more confident in my work, as most of the people that answered would be interested in reading my magazine.

"So far so good! The genre of music is unusual, I don't know any magazine that  features drum and bass so that's a good niche market you have thought of. One thing that could be better could maybe be the plan layouts of the three pages. They all look very busy and relatively messy. I think you should maybe plan them more carefully and think about where things would look best. Can't wait to see the final product." Georgie

"I love the name [Voltage] you've chosen it's really rock and roll! :) haha I looked at the different fonts you've thought about using and I like the Ancestory font best. It's quite light and feminine which could contrast well with the manly name of Voltage! The colour scheme would also look good with this too. I like the overall style you've started to create, it looks good and I like the vintage feel to it!" Becca

"The colours are unusual? Don't think they are too girly do you? I'd add in more dark colours if its for males too. Like the name though! The layouts you've planned could be better, I'd go over them a bit." Dom

"I disagree with Dom, the colours look sweet! Should look cool with a grey background like you've planned. Stick with it! You've got a good eye for stuff like this anyway :) I would definitely have another go at the layout for the double page spread. There is a lot going on there and you need to sort out what's going to look best where." Rob

"I'm not sure on the Voltage fonts, you should try and find something more retro that fits in with the vintage pastel colour scheme you've planned. I think that could work really well." Matt

Overall, I have learnt from my Audience Feedback that I should redraft the construction plans I have made for all 3 pages. As my target audience were not impressed by my first attempts at this as they thought they looked too messy. I think I could do a better job at planning my construction by redrafting these pages and organizing what I will feature on each page. For example, my contents page will look more effective if I redraft the plan by organizing what I topics I will include on the page and where they will go in order for the contents page to look more professional.

Straker

I like your thinking, but you need to remember the other connotations of the names : Fuse and wire suggest a magazine for people into electronics and Rush is the name of a hairdressing salon! Is Motion too close to Motown? Just a thought.

Name ideas for the music magazine, and article features to include

Here are some names that I have thought of for my music magazine. I need to make sure that the name of my magazine fits in with the genre of my magazine, as well as working well with my target audience. I therefore need to use a name that isn't too childish so that it attracts my target audience of young adults and suits the music magazine.

I thought names such as Wire could work well with my music magazine as it fits in well with the Genre of Drum and Bass as it gives off the impression of an electronic feel. This therefore suits the Genre of my magazine and could possibly work well. I think Wire could also work well because it fits in with both Genders, as other names could sound too feminine or masculine, however I think Wire can work with both sexes, this is more effective as it will ensure that my audience is more general, rather than attracting just a female/male audience.

I also came up with the idea of calling my music magazine Fuse, I think this could be more effective compared to other titles such as Wire. As Wire may fail to connote music, this could be because Wires can be found in any technical product and are not particularly focused on music. Whereas Fuse may be more likely to attract my target audience as it is more obvious in connoting what music my magazine genre focuses on.

Rush could work well for the title of my music magazine, as it indicates that the music featured in my magazine will be quite upbeat, helping to denote the genre of my magazine. This will appeal to my target audience, as may help attract the audience to my magazine. I think the sound of this title also works well because it is a short title, therefore it is easy to remember and is more likely to be remembered by my audience. This could be beneficial when it comes to my audience buying my magazine again, as they are more likely to remember a short, snappy, name.

Using the name Motion for my music magazine would denote music to my target audience, as it clearly indicates what my magazine is focused on, which is likely to make it more successful. However, I am not as keen on the name Motion compared to my other title ideas as I think it is quite unoriginal and too general. As it does not connote what genre of music my magazine focuses on, as well as this it could also connote Dance, rather than Music which is likely to cause misunderstanding with my target audience, as the name Motion is too general.

I thought of the name Voltage for my music magazine, this could work well for my music magazine as it connotes electronic music. This fits in well with my Genre and is likely to work well with my target audience, as it clearly indicates the Genre of music my magazine is focusing on and who I am targeting my magazine at. The name Voltage also sounds quite energetic and indicates that the magazine is exciting and full of information. This title could therefore be a successful way of selling my magazine as it has positive connotations of energy and power.



 I think having an up and coming artist featured on my double page spread works well with my target audience, as I am targetting the magazine at young adults, therefore they will be able to compare themselves to the up and coming star and in some ways look up to them for inspiration.

Straker

This is excellent planning and preparation. Is it time to get constructing?

Layout: Front cover

I like the way that this front cover looks, as it follows the codes and conventions of a typical music front cover. I thought it was important to make the main image on the front cover as big as possible, so I have made sure it covers the entire front cover. I think this works well, as the pull quotes and text can be layered on top of the image. Hopefully this will work well on my front cover, I need to make sure that my image is angled correctly as a medium close up so that the text doesn't cover the image, as this will make my front cover look too busy and possibley messy.

Layout: Contents page

It is important that I include the basic codes and conventions that you usually see on a Contents page. Such as advertisements for subscribing to the magazine, images from the main artists featured in this issue, the magazine logo and a letter from the editor. I like the way this contents page looks, as it is neatly laid out, this is important as it needs to be clear so that the audience knows where to find the pages they are looking for. However, I decided to do a second draft so that I could properly plan what features I am going to include in my magazine, and how I will lay them out in an organised way on my contents page. I'm glad that I've done this as it's given me a clearer idea of what my final contents page will look like, and it's also allowed me to make it look more effective and professional  Although there are a lot of different features on my contents page, the use of 3 columns makes the page look neater. I'm happy with my second draft of this and hopefully I will be able to create a contents page similar to this when it comes to construction.

Layout: Double page spread

This is my first draft for the double page spread, I think it may be sensible to redraft this plan as it looks quite messy and unprofessional as there are a lot of different features on the page. Things I could alter would be making the image larger, as I learnt from analyzing Real Media Artifacts that the image needs to be bold and large to grab the readers attention. As well as this, the image should bleed through onto both pages, as this allows the readers eye to travel across the page. It is important that the Artist or Bands name is featured a lot throughout the double page spread, as it will help to promote them, so I therefore need to make sure the title is clear. My second attempt of this plan looks a lot more professional  I am happy with the amount of text and images on the page as they look as though they are in equal amounts. It is important that I feature more than one image, as a way of making the page look more interesting and I have also made room to include the image of the album art as this will help to promote the artist.

Colour Schemes

I think the use of pastel colours challenges the usual codes and conventions found in existing Real Media Artefacts which target young adults. As existing music magazines tend to follow the same house style of Black, Red and White. I wanted to go against this in order to ensure that my music magazine was noticed by my target audience. The use of pastel colours is unusual and does not typically match the Indie/Drum and Base Genre which I will be targeting  However, I think the use of pastel colours could still work well within the magazine if they are used in subtle ways, as they then suggest a modern and fairly fashionable style. The use of cool colours such as this suggest a laid back approach within my product as well a suggesting that the magazine is ahead of it's time and the cool thing to read.