Diary Entry #4: Week Beginning 21st February

3 double page spreads, video, questionnaire

Questionnaire

1. In a music magazine, what type of articles/features do you like to read? (Can pick more than one)

• Lists eg. ranking best singles/albums/artists  [  ]
• Reviews eg. singles/albums  [  ]
• Interviews eg. bands/artists/other people in the music industry  [  ]
• Fashion eg. artist’s style  [  ]
• Music quizzes  [  ]
• Concert guides  [  ]
• Letters from readers  [  ]
• Other : ___________________________  [  ]

2. Which artists would you like to see feature? (Can pick more than one) 3. And which would you like to see on the front cover? (Pick one)

       Q.2                  Q.3

• [  ]  Lady GaGa  [  ] 
• [  ]  Katy Perry  [  ]
• [  ]  Ke$ha  [  ]
• [  ]  Glee  [  ]
• [  ]  Olly Murs  [  ]
• [  ]  Alexis Jordan  [  ]
• [  ]  Justin Bieber  [  ]
• [  ]  Beyoncé  [  ]
• [  ]  Rihanna  [  ]
• [  ]  Cheryl Cole  [  ]
• [  ]  Kanye West  [  ]
• [  ]  Chipmunk  [  ]
• [  ]  Pink  [  ]
• [  ]  Taylor Swift  [  ]
• [  ]  Miley Cyrus  [  ]
• [  ]  Diana Vickers  [  ]
• [  ]  Black Eyed Peas  [  ]
• [  ]  Ellie Goulding  [  ]
• [  ]  Taio Cruz  [  ]
• [  ]  Eliza Doolittle  [  ]
• [  ]  Eminem  [  ]
• [  ]  Pixie Lott  [  ]
• [  ]  Willow Smith  [  ]
• [  ]  Jessie J  [  ]
• [  ]  Adele  [  ]
• [  ]  Chris Brown  [  ]
• [  ]  Nicki Minaj  [  ]
• [  ]  Bruno Mars  [  ]
• [  ]  Britney Spears  [  ]

4. What is the thing that makes you buy one music magazine over another?

• The image on the front cover  [  ]
• The headlines shown on the front cover  [  ]
• The articles on the contents page  [  ]
• The price  [  ]
• The name of the magazine: if you just buy the same one every week  [  ]
• Other: ___________________________  [  ]

5. Do you prefer an ‘image dominated contents page’ or a ‘blocky contents page’?

‘Image dominated’

[  ]

‘Blocky’

[  ]

6. Which colour scheme do you prefer?

• Black, white and one other colour  [  ]
• Black and white  [  ]
• Cold  [  ]
• Warm  [  ]
• Earthy  [  ]
• Girly  [  ]
• Pastel  [  ]
• Primary  [  ]

7. Which of these names for a pop/mainstream music magazine do you prefer?

• Volume  [  ]
• Tickled Pink  [  ]
• Pink Noise  [  ]
• Other: ____________________________  [  ]

8. In an interview with an artist do you prefer one long continuous text or questions and answers?

• Continuous text  [  ]
• Q and As  [  ]

9. How much would you be prepared to pay for a music magazine?

• £1 - £1.99  [  ]
• £2 - £2.99  [  ]
• £3 - £3.99  [  ]
• £4 +  [  ]

Questionnaire Podcast

I decided to ask someone from my target audience about what they liked about their favourite existing music magazine covers, contents pages and double page spreads. I decided to ask about existing music magazines because it would help me to take things from current mgazines and use them in my own which I know my target audience like.

Double Page Spread Analysis #3

q magazine

Diary Entry #3: Week Beginning 14th February

5 contents pages, 2 double page spreads

Doube Page Spread Analysis #2

vibe magazine

Double Page Spread Analysis #1

Contents Page Analysis #4

This 'Vibe' contents page also uses a simple colour scheme: black, white and grey. A gradient is used in the background which changes from black to almost white. The title is on the right handside and split up on to three lines again. It is big and bold and as it is in the darker bit of the gradient, it is in white so it is easy to read and stands out. When the grandient turns lighter, the text turns to black or grey. The gradient is reflected in the image as Ciara is wearing dark shoes nearer the top of the page which then moves down to a light coloured leotard. This is another image dominated contents and the composition is quite clever. Ciara is lying down with her legs in the air which follows the edges of the page and the text fills in the space to the right. 'Vibe' often includes a big 'V' in the background and this is emphasised by the legs underneath it which almost make a 'V' shape.

The different stories are again split into different catergories. The catergory titles are also bigger and in a more interesting font. The page number and story title are on the same line but are slightly different colours so that it is easy to see that they are seperate things. Again a small blurb is used with fun language eg. "Ms. Goodies gets provocative about life, love, and (gasp!) sex". A dotted line is used to split up the stories. "Fashion" is a catergory again which shows that teenagers like reading about their favourite artist's style. There is some text describing what Ciara is wearing and where it came from which also supports this theory. Along the bottom there are details of where, when and who photographed Ciara. I must also remember to include the page number and name of the magazine which is written in a smaller size along the bottom. This magazine also includes the date with this information.

Contents Page Analysis #5

This contents page mixes the 'blocky look' and 'image dominated look' so that the benefits of both can be seen. Because the images are smaller there is more text and room for more than one image.

Contents Page Analysis #3

This contents page is more 'blocky' which means that instead of having one main dominating pictures there are lots of pictures in varying sizes. This layout also

Contents Page Analysis #2

This is also a very image dominated contents page. I like this contents page as the image is very unusual and intrigues the reader so they read the story. It also shows how quirky and unique Katy Perry is. This contents is from a magazine that I have already analysed the front cover of ('Blender' with Katy Perry. See 'Front Cover Analysis #1'). The colour scheme continues throughout the magazine: both pages use black and pink text with a white background. More colours have been introuduced however as Katy Perry is now wearing a red outfit which matches the mushroom. This is why there is less pink text on this page as pink and red clash. The change of outfit shows Katy Perry's versatility.

The "Contents" title is huge and fits right across the top in a sort of retro style font. Down the right hand side there are four headlines, but only the main stories have been included on this page. All of the stories are just the names of the artist and underneath is a small blurb. Beside the image is a quote from Katy Perry, which is unusual for a contents page, but gives the reader an insight in to the story.

Contents Page Analysis #1

This contents page is very image dominated making it feel less structured and more fun which appeals to a younger audience. The colour scheme is very minimal: the text is all written in grey or black which matches Shanell and Nicki Minaj's hair and dark clothes. "Contents" is the biggest and boldest text on the page. Situated in the top left-hand corner, the word is split up in to three seperate lines which gives it a more edgy feel. The text is sidelined to the left as the main focus is the image. The stories are split up in to different catergories: the headings for these use a more interesting font and are bigger so they stand out more. Under these are different stories with their page numbers which also include a small blurb sometimes. The blurbs are written in grey because they are less important.

This magazine is aiming at a similiar audience to mine (female teenagers) so looking at the stories included on the contents page will help me to decide my own. From this contents page I can see that fashion is important and teenagers want to know what their favourite musicians are wearing. One catergory is "V Style" and beside the image there is text telling the reader where the clothes Shanell and Nicki Minaj are wearing came from. A "Playlist" and "20 Questions" page is included in the magazine which continues with the idea that teenagers like lists to read as they are easier to digest. There is also a small caption beside the image describing who the artists are, who photographed them and where and when.

Diary Entry #2: Week Beginning 7th February

This week I started the market research for my media music magazine. Firstly I had to identify a target market for my magazine. I thought that the best way to do this would be to use my own music taste as this way I could make the magazine more believable as I would already know about the music. My music taste is mainly mainstream pop music: what the typical female teenager listens to. I then researched in to magazines aimed at teenagers (mainly female). I found that these were mostly American music magazines including 'Billboard', 'Blender' and 'Vibe' however I also thought that I could take inspiration from 'Q' as although it is not soley aimed at female teenagers, teenagers still read this magazine and 'Q' feature some of the mainstream pop artists that I would in my own magazine.

I plan to analyse these magazines to find codes and conventions throughout their front covers, contents pages and double page spreads so that my own magazine looks as professional and believable as possible. This week I started with analysing 5 front covers to see what I should include on my own front cover.

Front Cover Analysis #5

This is my favourite front cover out of all of the ones I have analysed. 'Billboard' is obviously targeting females with this cover by using a pink background and flowers in the image. As I am targeting mainly female teenagers when I come to create my magazine, I could use a pink background myself. The image is obviously very important on this cover as it takes up most of the space. The colours in the image relate to the colour scheme: the black in her dress and hair match the text and the pink in the flowers match the background. I'm not so keen on the yellow that is used on some text as it is hard to see and doesn't really fit in with the rest of the colours. Another criticism would be how all of the text is on the left handside. I think this looks too structured and I don't like how it seperates the cover in to two halves. In my front cover I would have the image in the centre. "Katy Perry" is again the biggest headline and it is also different to the rest of the text on the left which is all written in upper-case letters. This makes "Katy Perry" seem more feminine. There is a small variety in font: 'Billboard' use font to convey an image of what the story is about for example "Retro Sound, Modern Marketing Plan" is in a more retro font.

Front Cover Analysis #4

The colour scheme for this 'Blender' (blue, black and white) is different to the last one I analysed, however the black and white is kept the same throughout all of their magazines so that it is instantly recognisable. Unlike the other 'Blender' on my blog, Taylor Swift's black and white clothes match the colour scheme. The font is slightly different aswell, but still kept sans serif and simple. The font is kept the same throughout the whole cover but the title is cracked giving it an edgy feel. The artist's name is again in large font and numbers are used aswell. The language is very informal, obviously aiming for a young audience by mimicking the way they talk eg. "stoopidest music-biz blunders". It also says "teen special" which makes teenagers feel like this magazine is especially for them.

Although the rule of thirds does not seem to be applied to this front cover as much at first glance, it is still used on this cover. The figure is split up in to three sections: her head and one arm take up the top section, her upper body and other arm fit in to the middle section and her lower body fits in to the rest. The writing is kept to the outer sections and even that is split into sections. The rule of thirds makes it appealing to the eye.

Front Cover Analysis #3

'Q' was once known as being aimed at an older audience, but now they seem to be changing their image by fetauring artists like Lady Gaga, Jay-Z and Beyoncé. These are the kind of artists I would want to cover and 'Q' now appeals to a younger audience aswell. Although their target market may have altered, they have mostly stuck to their ordered and organised presentation that they started with. This issue involves one main image slighty to the right, but mostly centeral making this another image dominated front cover. There is not a definate colour scheme on this front cover. The red background behind the title matches with a circle at the bottom and the rest of the text is wither black or white. The white matches the white clothes that Beyoncé is wearing but apart from that the image doesn't match the red, white and black colour scheme. They have chosen to include the background in the photo rather than cutting the figure out. The background is blurred slightly so that the reader is not distracted from the artist or the text. Although this doesn't follow with the colour scheme, I think this is quite effective. The gold border also doesn't fit with the scheme but it makes the magazine feel special as it is the "20th anniversary special".

Again the biggest headline is the artists name which seems to be a convention in current music magazines. The font is not as varied but some is bolder than others to show their significance. This magazine uses numbers in the headlines to make it seem like there is a lot of things inside. It says "20 exclusive new interviews!". The "20" is bigger and bolder because it emphasies the large amount. The "20" is also a recurring theme that matches the "20th anniversary special" and "20 greatest albums and tracks in Q's life". The repetition of this number is to draw attention to the fact that Q has been going for 20 years (which means that it is a good and successful magazine). The barcode this time is situated on the right hand side which shows that there is no conventions where the bar code is on a magazine. The date, cost and website are all under the title.

Front Cover Analysis #2

The image is obviously a very important part of the presentation of this magazine as there is only one and it takes up the whole background. All of the text is written in white, yellow or blue: all bright and fun. In the 'b', 'o', 'a' and 'd', the holes have been filled with bright colours which brings attention towards the name of the magazine. The name of the artist is again the second largest on the cover. There is a variation in font styles this time however, emphasising certain stories. The smaller headlines and information looks simpler as it is san serif whereas the big headline "Ke$ha" is serif. This font goes with the artist as she is quite sharp and edgy (which is also emphasised by her expression in the image). The smaller stories are on the left whereas the main story is seperated on the right hand side. The barcode appears at the bottom on the left handside with informations such as the price, date and website just above it.

Front Cover Analysis #1

In this issue of 'Blender' the colour scheme is simple: using only black and pink. The pink is bright and fun suggesting that it is aimed at pop fans and the girly aspect attracts young female teenagers. The white background makes the front cover simple and unclustered which I think would appeal to teenagers. On this front cover only one font is used, however different text sizes are included. The largest text is the title which is big and bold, the next biggest are the most important headlines. Eg. "KATY PERRY" is obviously the main story. Under the headline titles, a very short and snappy blurb often appears. Some more large text is the "186". Numbers appear on the front cover to appeal to readers, especially the younger audience, because reading a list of lots of things is easier to digest than huge chunks of text. This number is also included because it is a very big number which suggests that the list is very long and full of information.

This cover uses the rule of thirds effectively. Only one image is used and it is placed right in the centre which draws the eye. The colourful clothes make the image stand out from the white background. The text is also positioned around the central image. The figure's head is blocking out some of the title which I think looks effective. It shows that the magazine is well known but also makes makes Katy Perry seem more important as she is in the foreground.

I like this front cover because of the image and I think I will use a central image in my final magazine. However I think a more varied choice of fonts would make the magazine look more effective.

Diary Entry #1: Week Beginning 31st January

During this week we created a school magazine cover and contents page, as a preliminary task, to help us with the main music magazine task we have started now. This began with researching codes and conventions using existing school magazines. I then drew some rough sketches using these codes as to how I pictured my front cover and contents page to turn out like. The next step I took was using the cameras to take photographs for my magazine. When I had collected all of my shots, I started creating my school magazine on Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0. This meant using mostly the text tool and the shape tool. I then evaluated my final product to find out what worked well and what didn't which will be useful when I create a music magazine. This week helped me to understand the conventions of magazines and I have also learned more about how to use the cameras and photoshop.

Evaluation of School Magazine

I tried to follow as many school magazine codes and conventions as possible so that the genre was obvious. First of all, on my front cover I used several photos of students. I used one main image as the background (which 'Fusion' did) and smaller ones to show what is inside. There are also several headlines on the front cover so the reader knows what to expect inside. The font is simple and there is not much variety but this is often seen in school magazines. The language is clear and concise, also emphasising the simple aspect of the magazine and the name is bold and in the top left hand corner (more conventions). I used a simple colour scheme: deciding to stick to red and black, which is quite eye catching (which also feature in 'Chill'). I continued to use this colour scheme on the contents page aswell to create a sense of unity. This is also seen with the font, the bold titles and the red line that appears under the title. On the contents page I only included two images, far less than the front cover, which is often seen in school magazines. The language is simple and fun eg. "What's Going On?" is the title (which is also big and bold). The various headlines are on the left hand side with a small blurb underneath and the page numbers on the right. Overall I think that my magazine follows codes and conventions well.

I took several different shots for my magazine but most were medium close-ups. I did this by adjusting the zoom and focus on the camera to create a decent quality photo. I also tried to use mainly natural light as this produces a less yellow look and makes the photos seem more calm. However on the main image I used the flash to create dark shadows which looks quite interesting. I created both pages on Photoshop, using mainly the text tool, shape tool and border tool. My knowledge of Photoshop has impoved and I can now use layers successfully. Overall this task helped me to understand Photoshop and the Digital SLR Cameras more.

Final Front Cover and Contents Page

Front Cover and Contents Page Draft