I asked a sample students a small amount of questions after showing them my media product. This is their response.
Can you tell which of the following genres of music the magazine is about by looking at the cover?
Indie 2
Synth 9
Rock 6
Pop 0
Hip Hop 0
Metal 1
The correct answer was both Synth and Rock
How often would you buy the magazine?
Never 4
Daily 2
Weekly 4
Monthly 1
Six Monthly
Annually 1
How much would you pay for the magazine?
Less than above 1
£2.40 5
£2.70 3
£3.20 1
£3.40
More than below 2
I priced my magazine at £2.40
Who or what is the feature on the front cover?
The following are individual responses
Richard
Richard's Experience
The image
Dunno
Richard's Experience
A man
Richard
Not sure
Richard's Experience
George
Richard and his experience
Richard's Experience
The main feature is Richard's Experience, the unusual answer George will be because the model used is called George.
Thursday 29 March 2012
Wednesday 21 March 2012
The Evaluation Drafting
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlZ8DAm4xzm61OgGh4BgDXmYEupl6Yypklb0fFW5tvJKO-8Om7wuYClXKNQkTwm67KOEaIzG_Xq6Zzq0Gh2VINce0pbgMLfoYYpk6VAlzIPtGQp2f8HAdI5LYJyDc2HYYpiTilCMuFRU/s320/Presentation1.jpg)
My magazine also has a skyline like the NME; however the skylines both feature different things. NME's advertises Glastonbury festival; however, Larynx instead has a list of the featured artists inside the week's issue. This is a common method used by magazines to advertise or more so tease the audience the contents of their pages without taking up too much space on the front cover; this is commonly present on the cover of Kerrang! magazines.Unlike the NME, Larynx’s sell line is quite in-your-face, this is also emphasised with the use of a splash graphic behind the text ‘The Biggest Guide to Synth-Rock’.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7E3ji1xgRh4PXRQdPfJqIJ5ayL2OJvt5sDseQbyrIcIrQPvQmLjd7qJ-V92VeUcrRXMVB0bxDqv4y62UyPJODpeFWlh_DF0hXiKubon6pr1Hlbzs4hlXm-0ShgFtXgYC34mw4Ydi1E8/s320/Presentation2.jpg)
My magazine contents page takes a lot of inspiration from Kerrang! magazine, this can be evident when shown side by side.
The dark black banners and text boxes help emphasis the vivid colours of the text thus making it more eye-catching for a person who may just be flicking through the magazine. The use of a variation of colour for the competition aids it in standing out from the rest of the titles. Also, the use of it as a screamer also aids in this.
On the left hand side I had added a photo of the editor for the magazine, this and the signature from the editor gives the magazine a more personal feel while still being quite formal. There are not many words apart from the articles and a small message from the editor. This makes the magazine look easy to read as most audiences are put of from reading a long page of text. The fonts are all sans serif which gives my magazine a youthful feel to it.
The main photo is very dominant as it takes up approximately 40% of the page. This is again to focus more on the content of the magazine rather than having text that would put off a new reader. I chose to use a live photo of the band because it helps makes the magazine feel somewhat spontaneous and fun, if all images were just photos in which the model is striking a pose, then the reader make get quite bored as it would make music seem all about the image and the money when it's not. Music is about the live performances and the atmosphere.
Of course being a contents page, I used a lot of numbers to direct the audience to which feature they're looking for. However, I didn't just randomly place numbers, I tried to arrange the articles in a logical order by comparing my articles to the articles in other magazines and seeing which order they were presented in.
For my double page spread I feature a photo of the main artist that took up around 40% of the two pages. I edited the photo to makes the colours and lines seem somewhat comic book-like as it helps it run along side of the article title 'Taking Over The World'. In addition to this, the artist is wearing a superhero-like headband, this allowed the opportunity to insert a direct joke (in the form of a caption) for the reader, in this case it was in reference to Sylvester Stallone's headband in Rambo. In the background of the DPS are very vivid disco lights to relate to the genre of the music, however, they can also be seen as searchlights and almost have that superhero Batman searchlight effect, again relating to the title. It also gives off a lot of fun connotations suggesting that the Richard's Experience music is also very fun and exciting.
The pulled quote is a very common convention in magazine interviews, these quotes are normally catchy or mysterious to make the reader want to read the article. I also used this pull quote technique and placed it on the left side of the DPS, this is because a reader would naturally read from left to right, therefore they would read this quote first and hopefully become intrigued and want to read the full interview. I also inserted a drop cap at the start of the article, which again is a very commonly used feature in magazines. This shows that it;s the start of the article and also helps give it a professional and formal feel to it.
The font selected for the title of the article is made up of little cubes, I specifically chose this because of the genre of the music. The font is very LCD or digital, which naturally makes people think of electronics, which again relates to electronica and synth type music. I also added a blue and a red back layer to the font to make it seem as though it's meant to be 3D. This almost makes the artist seem futuristic.
On the left hand side I had added a photo of the editor for the magazine, this and the signature from the editor gives the magazine a more personal feel while still being quite formal. There are not many words apart from the articles and a small message from the editor. This makes the magazine look easy to read as most audiences are put of from reading a long page of text. The fonts are all sans serif which gives my magazine a youthful feel to it.
The main photo is very dominant as it takes up approximately 40% of the page. This is again to focus more on the content of the magazine rather than having text that would put off a new reader. I chose to use a live photo of the band because it helps makes the magazine feel somewhat spontaneous and fun, if all images were just photos in which the model is striking a pose, then the reader make get quite bored as it would make music seem all about the image and the money when it's not. Music is about the live performances and the atmosphere.
Of course being a contents page, I used a lot of numbers to direct the audience to which feature they're looking for. However, I didn't just randomly place numbers, I tried to arrange the articles in a logical order by comparing my articles to the articles in other magazines and seeing which order they were presented in.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u8nyKbu89JU5_og6zTSFOOgKas7xTZXqta69_yg7f1hmCQx8Rv8ESBfO75FSZCxx8JjFCA-qY_yHR-Cq-KbTok0f1ikQhNVFj6wzMmAbzpf2I7nvcGZUn1uz1yeFuZlm5U5Yyxmpz-0/s320/Presentation3.jpg)
The pulled quote is a very common convention in magazine interviews, these quotes are normally catchy or mysterious to make the reader want to read the article. I also used this pull quote technique and placed it on the left side of the DPS, this is because a reader would naturally read from left to right, therefore they would read this quote first and hopefully become intrigued and want to read the full interview. I also inserted a drop cap at the start of the article, which again is a very commonly used feature in magazines. This shows that it;s the start of the article and also helps give it a professional and formal feel to it.
The font selected for the title of the article is made up of little cubes, I specifically chose this because of the genre of the music. The font is very LCD or digital, which naturally makes people think of electronics, which again relates to electronica and synth type music. I also added a blue and a red back layer to the font to make it seem as though it's meant to be 3D. This almost makes the artist seem futuristic.
2. My media product represents musicians as being quite serious when it comes to their music. It somewhat represents the stereotypes of people who listen to rock or synth music as being quite reckless and carefree. This is shown through the main featured artists having a beard and long scruffy hair. It also represents the music scene as being for the younger audience as all the photos/artists I have featured are below the age groups of 20.
3. The institution I would be aiming for would be Future PLC. This is because Future have operations in the UK, US and Australia. They also specialise in special-interest publications and have created over 180 publications, websites and events for people who are passionate about their interest. They hold market-leading positions in games, film, music, technology, cycling, automotive and crafts.
Additionally, Future do not have a magazine for the electro/synth genre. I also feel it's a good decision as they would not be too much out of their comfort zone; they have published many heavy metal magazines, and many guitar magazines. These magazines include Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Revolver, and Guitar World. They were also voted No.1 for guitar magazines worldwide. My choice of genre for the magazine has never been published by Future, and I don't think there is a magazine out there specific to this niche genre.
Future were established in 1985 with just one magazine. Today, Future sells 3.2 million magazines each month; they attract more than 23 million unique visitors to their websites; and they host 27 annual live events that attract hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts. This is perfect for me as my target audience is people who use the internet a lot, keeping up to date with social networking, and people who love to go to music events and gigs as such. They employ nearly 1,200 people in our offices in the UK, the US, and Australia.
4.The reader of my magazine is to be predominantly male, around the ages of 17 - 30. This will hopefully help me when creating my magazine as I personally fit the targeted audience. The SEG is to be a range between D and C1 as I want my magazine to be appealing to the younger generation such as students, while still having that appeal for a working class adult.
The interest in genre is to be electro/synth rock, such as bands like Enter Shikari, Muse, Lights, Attack Attack and Crystal Castles. Their personality is to be quite distinctive. As well as this, the interest in 'fashion'. They don't want to wear the latest high street brands but rather they would wear the lead singers latest tee shirt, or they have to have that cool necklace the bassist is wearing. Brands that are quite indie and unique.
I want to aim towards people who are well networked, those who own a computer and have a broadband internet connection. For example, everyday users of electronics such emails, iTunes, Facebook and Twitter; people up to date on technology. As well as this, I would be wanting to draw in readers who want to know about the latest gigs and festivals near them and likely those who have an interest in playing instruments and creating electronic music.
In addition, I would want readers who are fairly up to date on political events and social issue (this includes celebrity gossip) as this can give the opportunity for small captions and puns that will entertain the reader more so than 'knock-knock'.
And finally, I need the readers to be passionate about music. Music has to be first, and it has to be important to them.
I did some audience research and received feedback on my magazine to see if it achieved what I had aimed for it to achieve.
5. I attracted my audience by the use of a 'special offer' within specific issues. For example, in this instant, my magazine cover advertises that it's poster special in which the buyer will get lots of free posters.
Wednesday 14 March 2012
More Double Page Spread Corrections
Added a crease line.
Moved the title from the crease so would be more clear if physically printed.
Added a drop cap to the article.
Made the article fill the text boxes.
Added a quote to the image.
Made the 'Cover Story' box smaller.
Moved the title from the crease so would be more clear if physically printed.
Added a drop cap to the article.
Made the article fill the text boxes.
Added a quote to the image.
Made the 'Cover Story' box smaller.
Friday 9 March 2012
Magazine Feedback
Planning: 10/20
Construction: 58/60
To improve:-
Complete research and analysis (10% lost).
Add a prezzie to blog.
Add comments to photos and images.
Create draft mockups of double page spread and contents page.
Improve time management.
Final deadline is on the 30th March
Construction: 58/60
To improve:-
Complete research and analysis (10% lost).
Add a prezzie to blog.
Add comments to photos and images.
Create draft mockups of double page spread and contents page.
Improve time management.
Final deadline is on the 30th March
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Double Page Spread with Corrections
Here is the corrected version of my double page spread such as spelling errors. I also included another photo. Below is just an experimental version of the double page spread in hope of matching my chosen genre more closely.
Contents with Corrections
Edited with spelling corrections and articles changed to match the cover. Also changed photographer names just to create a more realist and believable feel.
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