Technology

I will be using and have been using several pieces of technology to create my magazine and carry out my research.

Firstly, I have been using imac computers a lot of the time because they are the ones that we have at school. Also, I use the macs to upload my photos that I have taken with iphoto and this is a really good software to use.

For my research I have been using google search engine because it is very fast and I find it the easiest one to use as its simple and efficient. I always use google to access blogger and other useful websites.

Blogger is the website where I am going to be updating all my progress on the making of my magazine. I felt that it was very hard to get used to at first but now I can use it knowing how to work it. It is also a website which is very easy to access.

The camera that I will be using is probably going to be a nikon camera as the photos produced on this are very clear and precise. Once, I have taken my photos I will import them into the imac and edit them ready for my magazine. 

 

I will be using software like picnic to edit my photos if any imperfections need looking at. This is a great program to use so that you can change lighting, colous and cropping the photos. To make sure that my pictures look professional I will use this.

 

I will use the website Da Font to help decide which font I want for my magazine. It has a range of font to download and I think this will be a great way to pick a font that will appeal to everyone.

Lastly, I may use programs like Microsoft word and excel to create my questionnaires for my target audience and then convert the results into a graph and diplay my findungs on my blog.

Shindig!

As I have been looking at all mainstream magazines so far, I think its essential to look at a magzine with a niche audience specified to certain groups of people. Shindig is a magazine which sells just 26,000 copies a month compared to magazines like Top of the Pops which sells hundred of thousands a  month. This is due to the fact that it only covers 4 types of rare music genres these are,  Mod, Garage Rock, Psych and Freakbeat.These aren't the most popluar music genres as they are from the 60's therefore not really appealing to a younger modern audience. 1 issue costs £4.95 and an annual is £11, this is a lot more than modern music magazines which appeal to much bigger audience.

Conventions Of A Music Magazine: Front Cover And Double Page Spread

After looking at a pop magazine in detail, the conventions I wish to use for my front cover in my magazine are:
Masthead: I would like this going across the top of my front cover and in a large font with bright colouring so it stands out.
Mid Shot- Most magazines use mid shots of the artist on the front cover.
Direct mode of address- When I take the picture of my model for my front cover I will make sure that she has eye contact with the camera because I think that the audience will feel more involved if this is used.
A splash or a burst- This will grab the readers attention straightaway.
At least 1 sell line- Using these will grab the attention of the reader so it will make them want to purchase it.
Picture of a boy band- Because, my magazine is appealing to girls I think it is important that there is some eye candy on the cover to intise them to buy the magazine.
Barcode with price and date- This is essential as it informs the player of the price and what date it was released, a barcode will go in the corner of my magazine.
Competition/Freebie- Many magazines usualy include posters or a competion with a prize. This will appeal to the readers as winning something will appeal to them especially the age group im looking at.
Sans serif font- This will make the magazine seem more moderns so it will appeal to a younger audience.

The conventions I would like to use in my double page spread are:

Image: I would like my image to either cover both pages or just one page and then I can write on the other one. This is so it will be big enough to catch peoples attention.

Pull Quotes: I think these are very good because, if a person wants to quickly scan the page they can still get the idea behind the article. Also, I think if people start the read the pull quotes then they will want to read the whole thing.

A Banner: This will give the reader a little introduction to the double page spread catching there attention.

Colours: Some magazines stick to using 3 main colours and I am going to try and stick to this covention if I can.

Recce Photographs

I quite liked this background as it was different however I don't think it is very conventional for a pop magazine as most pop magazines i have looked at either have a plain background or a background relating to fame. 

I like this photo because the fact that the starlight relates to fame I think this would be good for a pop magazine. I am going to clear the background and have a different pose with possibly a different person in it to make it seem more conventional.

I took this photo because looking at some music magazines especially for pop magazines they tend to have plain backgrounds and fill them with bright energetic colours. I like this curtain because it seems like your at a show and it gives the picture some shape, instead of a plain straight backdrop.

My Target Reader

For my magazine I have chosen to do a pop magazine.

My target reader would be in the middle class socio economic group and aged between 14-17. My gender is going to based on girls because I know what they like more than I do boys, and I want my magazine to be aimed at people from a white origin because I think a lot of pop artists are from a white origin themselves as most are english/american. This dosn't mean that people from different ethnic groups can't read my magazine I just don't think it will appeal as much to them.  

In terms of lifestyle my ideal reader would be quite fashionable person shopping in places like New Look, Topshop and H and M. This is because many of the artists on front covers of pop magazines look very up to date and fashionable so I think teenage girls will replicate that. Also, they will like up to date chart music and there ideal holiday would be an hot canary island, where they can relax. Furthermore, there ideal car would be a convertible or a range rover, and there favorite film would be a chick flick like 17 again. Lastly, the readers favorite food would be pizza and they would love puppys. All, these lifestyle choices are what I would imagine my ideal reader to have.

This is what I would expect my typical reader to look like and I hope to aim my magazine at this sort of audience.

My Chosen Genre

After looking at a variey of different magazine like NME, Q, Top of the Pops and Kerrang I have decided that I am going to be doing Pop magazine because I believe it is the genre which I know most about and pop music is very well known to myself.

Also, pop music is very popular particulary with teenagers which the age group I am wanting to advertise to. Pop is one of the most popular music genres out there today and so I think that there is a wide range of magazines and stories I can look at for inspiration.

Popular pop magazine include:

Smashits

Top of the pops

We heart pop

Target Audience, Ideology And Representation

Each magazine made is aimed at a different audience. The design of the cover of a magazine is crucial in portraying the audience it is aimed at and the font colours and images help represent the ideology of the genre. Ideology is the set beliefs a person/ groups have and different genres have different ideologies.

Pop music is usually a very positive representation, because most pop magazines use bright colours and pictures. The front cover is less cluttered than a rock magazine and the music within the magazine has a limited sexual reference. There isn't as much swearing in the music either and this shows in the music starts face when there on the front cover. They always seem to be happy and smiling so it is a positive connotation. Pop stars are usually seen as attractive so on the front cover they do look dolled up, however people find them as role models and look up to them so people like Jessie J try to be a good influence.

Rock and Hip Hop music magazines tend to have a negative connotation and show violence or aggression, maybe even both. The front cover is always in a very dark colour, and they sometimes have a lot going on but some front covers are quite empty scaring the reader a bit. Also, rock and hip hop stars can be very violent and people see that in some of there music that they can be very rude and potentially offend certain people. Overall, not many young people look up to these sorts of stars as they don't have the qualities of a role model.

Research Methods

There are 4 different research methods.

Firstly, there is primary research and this is when marketers conduct research to collect original data for there own needs. Primary data can be collected by doing questionnaires or interviews.

Next, is secondary and this is whn people collect data that already exists. You can get this data from past experiments or even on the internet.

Quantitative data is displaying in a numerical form and it can be measured. Multiple choice questionaires are a good way to collect this type of data because the answers can be measured and even put into a graph.

Lastly, qualitative data unlike quantitative data can not be measured. A good way to collect this type of data is a focus group because it can be taken by observation of a researcher.

Primary research is the one I have been using to analyse the the magazines as its information that I am looking for myself and further on I will be doing a questionnaire therefore primary research will still be being used. Also, when I do questionnaires I can get a large amount of information from them so quantitive data will be used. If I was to hold interviews then qualitative data would be used here however it is time consuming.

Textual Analysis Of Music Magazines

The second magazine I am going to analyse is Kerrang.

Firstly the masthead it is in a bright white colour which contrasts against the dark red black background. This makes it stand out to the reader and its easy to tell what the magazine is called. At the top of the front cover there is a banner which includes what is going to be included within the magazine and the use of the bright yellow stars in between each one draws attention to it. Also, on the front cover they are advertising a give away, by enlarging the number 5 and making it in a bright yellow colour it will make the reader want to purchase it. Furthermore, the band "The Blackout" are using direct mode of address by using eye contact with the camera therefore it feels like there making eye contact with the reader and involving them. Next, there is the barcode in the bottom right hand corner which is used in shops to scan the price of the magazine. For the colour scheme they have used white, yellow and red with a black background, whcih means the writing stands out and contrasts against the background.

The colours on this page especially the yellow and black they stand out quite a bit from each other so they are clear to read and stand out. Next, some of the pictures used on this contents page the artists use direct mode of address which makes the reader feel involved but some of the pictures don't so this could turn off readers. Even though the page has yellow and black contrasting from each other in comparison to other magazines I find this page to be quite dull and a bit boring. they could have used more electric colours to appeal more to me. Furthermore, the font used here is sans serif font and this makes the magazine feel very modern so it will appeal to a younger audience.

This is a double page spread of Kerrang Magazine. Firstly, the title is a quote so it could be seen as more personal so I think the reader would like this and it is quite big so it stands out against the contrating background for example white on black. The artist being pictured here has a direct mode of address and this makes the reader feel more involved in the magazine. Also, the main image is spread all on one page which makes it easy to understand what the double page spread is about but also that it will grip the reader and make them want to read it.The colour scheme used here is black, white, grey and a little bit of pink and I think that the pink is used to attract more girls to read the article as the artist seems very manly and aggressive. Furthermore, the pink stands out against the monchrome colours and there is alos a banner which gives a little information about the aritist and what they are going to talk about. This will intise the reader to carry on reading it. The artists clothing gives the audience an idea of what sort of people it is aimed at and the tatoo's make it seem quite edgy and aggresive, so I think that it has a limited audience.

Textual Analysis Of Music Magazines

The first music magazine I am going to analyse is Top of the Pops.

Firstly, the masthead which is in pink, it stands out quite a bit from the white background. This makes it clear what the magazine is about and the title will stick in the readers head as the font is quite large and it will pop out at them. Next, the magazine has a menu bar at the top which informs the reader of what celebrities there are inside so it intises them to purchase it. Furthermore, it has a bar code which on this issue is on the right hand side. This is for a machine to scan so the price is noticible at the till. Also, there is a splash which is the white circle under her name and this stands out from the dark background so it attracts peoples attention. There is a second splash where its bright yellow so it really pops out against the white background. Another convention here is direct mode of address, here Tulisa who is the main artist on the front cover has eye contact with the reader as well all the other artists like the saturdays and Cher Lloyd. Having eye contact with the reader is very important becasue it likes there being spoken to directly and so the reader will feel involved. Carrying on, there is a banner at the bottom which shows the reader some of the contents of the magazine therefore it will persuade them to want to read it. Also, the cover uses sell lines like" JLS confess everything" just so the reader will want to know whats inside the magazine and whether the sell line is true. Lastly, the shot used here is a mid shot which most magazines use to capture the artist.

This is a contents page for a top of the pops magazine, I couldnt find one for the same issue but I think they all have very similar conventions in them anyway. Firstly, the house style of Top of the Pops is that it has bright colours and similar images. Here it proves that the housestyle is kept throughout the magazine to keep persuading the consumer to carry on reading it. Also, the contents page uses sans serif font which is better than sefif font because its more modern so it appeals to a younger audience. Just like the front cover of Top of the Pops One Direction use direct mode of address which makes the reader feel more included and as if they are seen as friendly. Furthermore, the colours in the contents page are very bright and they make the titles pop out against its background so it seems like its jumping out at the reader therefore it catches more consumer attention. The use of numbers on the contents page makes the magazine feel organised and it will be easier for the reader to find what they are looking for. Lastly, in this magazine they use many different images so that the reader will be intrested in seeing what else is on offer in that particular column, and they use images which they think there typical audience would love so it appeals directly to them.

This is an example of a double page spread from a Top of the Pops magazine. Again I couldnt get the same issue double spread. Firstly, the title of this story is actually a quote which I think makes it seem like its being said by Leona herself making it seem more real and intresting for the reader. Next, underneath the title is a banner which gives a quick short summary of what the rader can expect from the article. In this article they have stuck to just using 3 colours black, pink and white, this makes the article still really fun to read but not to many colours are distracting the reader. Also, they have included a very big picture of Leona Lewis herself and here she is making eye contact with the reader therfore this will directly address the reader making them feel included. Around the double page spread there are little teasers and quotes to intise the reader into reading the whole interview making them think its really intresting. Lastly, other little images have been used to make the story have a funny side to it making it more enjoyable to the reader and the sketches will intrest a wider audience.

Tropes And Memes

A trope is a recurring element, which are repated over time they can form a convention. Tropes are very similar to memes and they are the building blocks of a text.
A meme recognises beliefs or ideas that are transmitted form a single person or to a group of people. The concept of a meme comes from an anology as memes transmit beliefs or ideas and genes transmit biological information.

History Of Music Magazines

The second magazine I am going to analyse is NME.

Brief History:

NME better known as new musical express first issue was published on 7 March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles chart, in the 14 November 1952 edition. and in the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper.

Typical contents:

NME do such content like album and single reviews as well as concert reviews. Also they do 1 main interview or story based on the person on the front cover, and they do a small giveaway with in the magazine for example posters.

Typical Reader:

The typical reader of NME is between the ages of 15-45 which is a broad age gap and isnt really very specific. 218,000 people in this age group read NME and only 34,000 over 45's read it which is a significent difference. More men read NME at 167,000 over double the amount of women that read it at 86,000. I think this is because NME use quite dark colours and I think a magazine needs to have bright colours in order to attract womens attention.

The House style:

The house style of NME is that on most of the front covers ever created the masthead NME is always in a bright bold red colour which means that no matter the background or the main photo it will always stand out so that it is easy for people to see what the magazine is called. Also, the masthead is always in the same place the top left hand corner so that when people are looking for it on a shelf its easy to find because they know where to find it and so it does not confuse the reader.

Producing and distributing of NME magazine:

The distributer was IPC media and the producer was Krissi Murison.

How are social groups represented in your magazine?

I think that this magazine is aimed at more people in the grungy social group because I think that this magazine is for more darker people as it feels like a lot of rock music would belong in here.

History Of Music Magazines

The first magazine I am going to investigate is Q magazine.

Brief History:

Q was founded by Mark Ellen and David Hepworth and it was first published in october 1986, setting itself apart from the most of the other magazines. Originally it was to be called Cue  but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine.

Typical Contents:

In Q magazine the contents usually includes an extensive review section, new releases and concert reviews. Most of the magazine concentrates on interviews with modern music artists. Also, the magazine is very popular for the lists it makes. It has created many, ranging from "The 100 Greatest albums" to the  '100 Greatest songs of all time'. Every issue of Q has a different message on the spine. Readers then try to work out what the message has to do with the contents of the magazine, which I think is a great way to keep readers interested. Also, often promotional gifts are given away, such as cover-mounted CDs or books.

Typical Reader:

The typical reader of Q magazine looking at the figures is that  345,000 men a week read it whereas only 132,000 women read it weekly, this does not surprise me because I feel that men are more into a varied music genre whereas women prefer up to date more feminine music magazines. The age range of readers isn't very precise with 386,000 readers being between 15 and 44. This is a big number but that is a 29 year age gap which isn't very helpful.

The House style:

Firstly, in the house style of Q magazine each issue published has the same masthead and this is to create consistency through the magazine and it will make it easier for viewers to recognise which magazine they are purchasing. The masthead is always in the top left of the magazine and some times it is overlapped by the main image which will interest the reader to be tempted by the artist on the front cover. Lastly, because the name of the magazine is short people are more likely to remember the name of Q magazine. Next, is the images and the images used in Q are all model shots so the artist has been dressed up especially for that shoot. They will wear certain clothing to get the shot the magazine want to appeal to the audience. 

Producing and distributing of Q magazine:

Q is distributed by Gareth Viggers and it was produced by John Renolds who was even nominated for Q magazine producer of the year.

How are social groups represented in your magazine?

In Q magazine it is aimed at a more mature audience so the readers wont try so hard to look like the people in the magazines.

Final Contents Page For Preliminary Task

This is my final contents page. I haven't included any pictures because I wanted to really add a lot of vibrant colours therefore I thought both together would over do it. I have kept the same font which is sans serif because i think the vibrant colours and the modern font all together will appeal a larger number of younger consumers. I made the top story heading and the competition time heading bigger in size so that they will stand out to readers, therefore they will draw in the attention of readers making them want to purchase the magazine.

School Magazine Contents Page Textual Analysis

This is the contents page that I am analysing. Firstly, they have included pictures in there front cover which I think will make a wider audience more likly to read it, also the colour scheme is only using 3 colours like most magazines do use however, I think that they could have used much brighter colours.

An aspect I do like is that they have still used different font sizes in particular for there page numbers as it then makes it easier for people to spot them and find them. Furthermore, the students in the pictures are making eye contact with the camera therefore it makes the readers feel like they are interacting with them.

The font used for some of it is serif font, which is more formal. I would have used sans serif because it would appeal to the younger audience.

Final Front Cover Draft For Preliminary Task

This is my front cover for my school magazine, which I am really happy with! I particulary like the red font which represents Southfields and I feel that it really  stands out even though the background is still quite colourful. The main image has been cropped and I feel now that there isnt much empty space left which I like, due to the fact that I feel it attracts to more people. I chose sans serif font becuase it is more modern therefore it will appeal to the younger audience of a school environment.