MUSIC MAGAZINE!
I have been given the task of creating a music magazine for my school media project. In this i will have to create a front cover, contents page, and article.
In order for my magazine to be a success i have to aim it at a certain audience so that it appeals to people. To achieve this i am going to first look at the existing products on the market, to see what sorts of things are a popular success.
I have began by looking at the following music magazines front covers and analysed them, so i can focus on what areas i will use to inspire me for my design.
On this magazine the thing which stands out to me the most is the large Q in the corner. I particularly like the red background of this as the white writing then stands out. It looks like there i a shadow around the Q which again makes it stand out, the bold colours are very eye catching.
I can see that there i one large image as the main story, i especially like the way in which the head slightly over laps the title of the magazine, as it gives a sense of importance, that the story is the main part. The image is using the convention of putting an attractive woman on the front cover, which will appeal to the audience. The main heading on the front cover links into this large image, and again by using a bold colour it stands out from the rest of the page.
The theme of red and white text seems to be the theme for the colours of the magazine and i feel this is used to its potential against the black background as it stands out and is clearly visible.
I think the text size is of a suitable size and it spaced out adequately, as there isn't a over crowding of stories on the page.
At the bottom of the page i like how there is a large bar advertising something FREE as it will make the reader want to purchase it. This light grey bar contrasts against the darker background and stands out from the page.
The bar code is small and situated out of the way of the important text so that it doesn't distract from the contents of the page.
On this second magazine cover there are lighter colours being used compared to the 1st which i analysed. I still think everything stands out, as the contrast in the text is much darker than the background.
The image again uses the convention of having a attractive woman as the main pose. It is a large image again which shows that it is the main story of the magazine. Her head partially covers the title, however you are still able to read what it says.
The title is bold and large compared to the other text on the page, and uses a bright colour to stand out from the rest.
The sub stories are spread out around the outside of the page to a suitable place, and are not over crowding. The text is all at a reasonable size for you to be able to read but not to large that there is hardly any writing.
I particularly like the way in which there is a larger bold comment 'how will it end' after one of the stories as i think this draws your attention.
Again the bar code is placed out of the way of the rest of the layout so it doesn't distract the reader.
This magazine in my opinion appeals to a different audience to the first two. There is much more Gothic genre to the theme of it, this is achieved by using dark colours. I think it would appeal to a male audience, the image on the front is this time on a group of male models. There is a much more rougher feel to the theme of the cover, than the '
girlieness' of the others. There is again a large heading which stands out, and wit the effect of almost a smash in it gives it again the Gothic appeal.
I think the writing and images are all of a size which doesn't over crowd the cover, and again in contrast to this doesn't look to sparse.
The dark makeup on the models show there controversial style which would once again only appeal to the Gothic audience. This will draw the attention of the reader and make them look up to the models and want to be like them.
This Q contents page follows the same conventions as the front cover. There is the same logo in the top left corner and the colour scheme is continued throughout. The large image is in a natural environment, the four male models contrast to that of Madonna on the front cover. There is one large
column which suggests they are the main stories throughout, i feel the layout is very well thought of in here, as the text is a suitable size, so it is clear to read but there is enough space to present the reasonable amount of text. The page number are nice and bold and big enough to stand out, and the text writing is again red and black which contrasts with the white background.
From my analysis on the above covers and contents page i now have an idea of what aspects are essential to achieve a product like that of ones on the existing market which people are going to want to purchase.
- I will ensure i have a bold heading which will stand out from the magazine and be eye catching for viewers.
- I am going to use contrasting covers between the background and text so that the text doesn't blend in to the rest of the page.
- I realise that the text needs to be a suitable size, font and colour so that it is clearly readable and doesn't overcrowd the page.
- I will ensure i have a good quality image in the middle of my front cover, preferably a large image which will attract you to want to read it.
- I may make my magazine contain a slogan, in a footer bar along the bottom of my page which will make it unique from others.
For my contents page i will have:
- a suitable spread out page, containing images & text.
- i will continue the colour scheme and any themes from the front cover to the contents page
- i will then ensure that the text is a suitable size for the amount which needs to be added.
These are just a few aspects which i have picked up on from existing market products, however i feel that i need to do more research into what the market is looking for from a brand new product.
I have decided to create a questionnaire for 20 people to fill out, this will consist of a series of multiple choice questions, i will then gather the information from this and start to think about what feature will be suitable for my product.
Below you can see the questions and results of my questionnaire.
Do you buy music magazines?
Yes --- 14
No --- 6
Which kind of music do you prefer?
Pop-rock --- 9
Hip Hop --- 4
Indie --- 2
Country --- 0
Dance --- 5
Which colours would you like to see in the magazine?
Green --- 8
Black --- 7
Yellow --- 1
Pink --- 4
Orange --- 0
Which of the following titles would you prefer?
Beat --- 15
Baseline --- 2
Electric --- 3
Rhythm --- 0
What would you like the magazine to contain?
Gossip columns --- 1
Beauty tips --- 4
Celeb interviews --- 15
6 . How much would you be willing to pay for this magazine?
£1.50 - £2.50 --- 12
£2.50 - £3.50 --- 4
£3.50+ --- 4
Would you prefer a male or female on the front cover?
Male --- 5
Female --- 15
It is clear from the highlighted values which were there highest. I will therefore aim to create my product so that it is aimed at a 'pop/rock' audience, i then chose the highest three values for the colour scheme so that i have a selection of pink green and black to choose from. I will have the title of my magazine as 'Beat', have celeb interviews in the contents, aim for the price to be no more than £2.50, and aim it at a female audience, all of the people i asked where between 14 & 18, this therefore makes me suggest that it will be suitable for a teenage audience.
Now that i have the basis of my product i will be able to start thinking about building it.
I have then made the heading slightly smaller and in place added a subheading. This is catchy and in my opinion will be something that becomes well known with the product if it was on the market.
