Research and Planning
I have chosen to create a music magazine aimed at older teenagers who are interested in the dance/electro music genre. I have chosen this genre as I feel that it is quite modern in society and is also popular in clubs and bars where people aged between 18 and 22 like to go out. Prior to actually starting the magazine however I had to do research into different magazine covers to help me decide on the design for my magazine. These included magazines such as 'Rolling Stones' (as shown on the left) and 'Clash' (shown on the right). When evaluating 'Clash' magazine I really liked the style of it as I could easily see what the genre of the magazine was without having to even open it. The front cover suggests to me that the magazine is aimed at females because the background colour of the magazine is purple. The title is also very classy which also implies its target audience is female. I would also say that the magazine is for people with a very specific music taste e.g. Duffy and Soul music because there are no other types of music e.g. rock featured on the magazine. The fonts used on the magazine are also very sophisticated and are not overpowering. When looking at ‘Rolling Stones’ magazine I could see that the genre was very mixed. This meant that the layout was a lot different to the ‘Clash’ magazine I looked at before this, unlike Clash magazine which had a specific audience; this magazine had a very wide audience. The front cover was a lot more varied and busy. I continued my research into different magazines and discovered that the way to create a successful magazine is to have an image which stands out on the front cover, so the reader know the genre of the magazine before even having to open it. When planning my own magazine I decided that the magazine should have a continuous theme running through and that it should also be modern and edgy.
Construction; Front Cover
After looking at these various types of music magazines I decided that I wanted my magazine to look quite simple yet affective. I decided to use only black and white as the colours on the background I then thought that the image on the front of my magazine needs to stand out as the colours black and white are usually classed as ‘dull’. I therefore decided that my picture should be extremely bright and will therefore become the focus of my front cover. When taking my picture for the front cover I had to consider different things, the background, and my pose and how close up to camera had to be to me. I wanted the picture to look quite serious i.e. I wasn’t going to be smiling but the bright colours of the clothes I was wearing give the image the contrast I was after. One I considered these factors I began taking practice shots in the media studio and experimented with different poses. After I took the photos, I uploaded them onto the computer and decided which photo would best suit the genre of my magazine. Once I chose the photo I had a problem to overcome; due to the colour scheme of black and white I have on my front cover I had to cut the picture out because the background the photo was taken on was not completely white. I found this quite difficult to do because of my hair and the tu-tu were similar colours to the original background and were therefore difficult to pick up by the computer. Next I though of the name of my magazine, being a dance music magazine I wanted the title to fit in with this genre; I brainstormed various names to which I feel will fit with my genre and eventually I came up with the name “BOOOM” with three ‘O’s. I gave my magazine this name because the base usually in the back of a dance song ‘booms’. The title is also very bold and catchy with a specific relevance to dance music. The font I have used is called “Confussion RNG” because it is easy to read and simple to fit with the modern genre. One the title and image were in place I then started to construct the layout of my magazine. Being the focus of my magazine I wanted the image to be in the middle with the headlines so I organised it so it was in this way. I have chosen to do parts of the magazine in checkerboard as I feel it will give my magazine an edgy look. I also decided on the font I am going to use for the title and also the size of my font. I feel this is important to get right because the title is the main focus of my magazine other than the picture. The font I have decided to use is called “Confussion RNG”; it is quite simple but effective. I have put a white shadow around my title as because it is on a checkerboard background it would be difficult to see without it.
Contents Page
Once I constructed the front cover I then started on the contents. Carrying on from the theme of my front cover I also wanted to give my contents page an edgy look. I therefore decided to put the photos in the contents page as if they were Polaroids down the left hand side. I also put them at angles to give the contents page a more edgy look. I decided on the background as black because then the pictures on the white Polaroid background would stand out. I also did the title in the same font so the magazine layout and colour scheme was consistent throughout. I used the same fonts for the text as on the front cover which are easy to read but fit in with my genre well. Instead of putting the writing in a line like it is usually seen in magazines, I decided to put the writing slanted at angle, this again gives my magazine an quirky look which again fits in with the modern genre of dance. Whilst doing my contents page I ran into a few problems, similar to the problem I had with the picture on my front cover I had to cut out the pictures which took quite a lot of time to do, this gave me less time to complete my double page spread as we had a specific deadline to meet.
Double Page Spread
Finally I created my double page spread. Once I had researched the double page spreads of other magazines similar to my genre I decided on a completely different colour for the background. As both the contents and front cover are both black and white with only hints of colours in the pictures I wanted to use a colour from the images on my double page spread. I decided to do this as as I have already mentioned, black is usually associated as being a dull colour; using a completely different colour with show the fun side of dance and my magazine. The colour I decided to use was red with a hint of pink, which was the colour of my tu-tu on the image on the front colour. My colour scheme for my double page spread therefore was black, white with red/pink being the main colour. This meant that although it looked slightly different to the front and the contents page it still fitted in because I still used black and white also. Once I had set the colour scheme I decided on the images. When I took the pictures for my front cover I took quite a lot, and because it was an individual artist the pictures needed to be the same style so I used the other images that I didn’t feel were suitable for the front cover but are suitable for the double page spread. Again I had to cut out the images because similarly to the contents page I wanted to continue the theme of using Polaroid’s. I edited my images on Photoshop before I put them onto my double page which was done in Microsoft Publisher. Once I had done this I arranged them down the left hand side which also continues with the style of the contents page. I put a black border around the Polaroid’s to make them stand out more against the red/pink background. I used the same font for the title as I did on the main headline about the artist on the front cover. I wrote my interview out in Microsoft Word as I felt this was easier then I copied it into my magazine. The font I used for my interview is simple because it needs to be easy to read. I did the questions in black and the writing in white so they stand out on the red/pink background. So I do not waste space on my magazine I put a box in the bottom right hand corner with peoples opinions on the artist, I chose people within the age range to which I wanted my magazine to be aimed at so it fits in with my target audience. In the top right corner I put the name of the magazine then I created a border around the double page spread to make it stand out because it was an interview exclusive for “BOOOM” magazine.
Evaluation
Once I had completed my magazine I was very pleased with the final result, I feel it fitted in well with the genre and the target audience. I also kept to my initial plan and the magazine looked just ho I expected it to look like. I kept my magazine quite simple to fit it with the modern genre I chose to base my magazine on. The front cover is very neat with the colour scheme of black and white making it look very sophisticated and modern; the bright picture gives the front cover an edge and stands out in the middle. I continued the colour scheme throughout my magazine to link the front cover, contents page and double page spread together so it shows the continuity of my magazine. In the contents page I also continued with the edgy look by slanting the text at angles which gives the magazine its own original touch. The language used in the double page spread interview is very informal, I chose to use this type of language as my target audience for the magazine is young adults, this can be represented through the informality of the text. In the interview I included put a lot of emphasis on the idea of family, this is because, again, as the artist interviewed is quite young, family is still quite an issue as they are not yet fully independent. This will maybe reassure young artists in the same position that your family will still be there and will not disappear just because you are in the music industry at such a young age. The pictures used in the magazine were taken in the media studio and were edited on Photoshop before I put them on the magazine. I used Photoshop as felt it was the most professional method to edit my photos. Whilst I was producing my magazine I did run into a few problems. On taking my photos I wanted them against a white background, but because I did not set up the lighting properly the background was brown rather than white, I therefore had to cut out my images on Photoshop which took quite a long time and meant I had less time to complete my magazine. The pictures were also quite dark so I brightened them before I put them in my magazine. I also found keeping to the timescale very difficult in general, I spent more time than I should on my front cover which meant I couldn’t spend as much time as I would have liked on my double page spread. If I were to do my magazine again I would have spent less time on my front cover and more time on my double page spread, I would also have planned my time to take into account different problems that may occur in the construction of my magazineOverall, I am extremely happy with the final product, having never used Photoshop before I feel I have gained a lot of experience in editing picture and using this programme to create similar media pieces. I feel I have kept to my initial ideas and I have included all that I wanted to include.
Feedback
To complete my evaluation I got feedback from people who have viewed my magazine. I asked each person the same questions on what they liked about my magazine, how it could be improved and whether or not they would buy it on the commercial market and why.
Mum, age 45: What do you like about my magazine?
I really like the magazine because it is colourful and funky with a modern style; it has a ‘pop’ music image which means it should not be confused with other magazines directed more towards those interested in rock or heavy metal music for example. I also like the use of using only three colours because it makes it stand out from other magazines with coloured covers. The contents page is very well set out which makes it easy to find the pages on which the articles I want to read more on. In the article I really like the box with what the fans thinks because it adds a bit more human interest.
What could be improved?
I think that the pictures could be referenced to a page so that I can easily get to the article on Darren Swayz for example without having to read the contents. I don’t know how much it will cost so that may influence whether I buy it or not.
Would you buy it if the magazine was on the commercial market? Why?
If I was younger and into dance music I would probably buy it as I like the front cover and it has captions on the front which would attract me to the contents inside. However, I am more into magazines about the home.
Dad, age 44: What do you like about my magazine?
Bright cover, good contrast between the black and white, emphasis the red and green of the central subject and the red feature headline, the cover is very striking.
What could be improved?
No price, ‘booom’ is spelt wrong, the contents page is a ‘bit’ unclear.
Would you buy it if the magazine was on the commercial market? Why?
No I would not because I am only interested in car magazines but if there was a Porsche on the cover I would certainly thumb through the magazine.
Brother, age 14: What do you like about my magazine?
The colours show a nice contrast with the outstanding fluorescent colours against the retro black and white background. The different fonts of writing keep it looking modern and funky. There is also a good consistency throughout.
What could be improved?
Would you buy it if the magazine was on the commercial market? Why?
Being a boy I wouldn’t buy this magazine as it is aimed at a female audience, although I believe it would catch my eye if I saw it on the shelf in a shop.
