Research Into Similar Products: Analysis Improvements.

Earlier in the year (11th September) I did a very basic analysis of two rock magazine covers. The reason I have chosen to analyse them again is to show my progress in being able to identify the codes and conventions of magazine front covers.

Research Into Similar products: ISSUU

I have taken this magazine from ISSUU. It is called Alt-Mu magazine which i think would attract a similar target audience to the magazine I want to make.

I have done an analysis for pages 8-9 which is a double page spread.

Research into similar products.

I have chosen to analyse these covers because I wanted to work with covers that lack secondary images to see how effective they are in comparison to magazines that do have secondary images.

Drafting & Planning: Draft of my magazine front cover.

I have created a draft of the magazine i am going to create in the future because I need to know what kind of content I need to research and obtain. The colours used are not the house style, they are there so I can clearly identify which aspect of the codes and conventions goes where.

Creating a draft has helped me a lot because I know how I need the model to pose in the pictures that I'm going to take, so that the models face can be clearly seen, and is not too covered up by the secondary images and cover lines.

Drafting & Planning: Self Assessment of Codes and Conventions Task.

In the peer assessment of my Codes & Conventions task it was suggested that i should experiment with more colours for Pitch Magazine and M Magazine featuring Drake.

These are my improved versions of the magazine covers with the peer assessments taken on board:

I have changed some of the red text to purple. This is because purple is readable, and it also complements the red. I have kept the pug red so it stays clear and in-keeping with the house style of the magazine.

I have changed different shades of red to blue, grey and white. It shows that the house style can have clarity even with a variety of colours on it. I have chosen blue grey and white because Marilyn Manson represents himself as a dark character in his music, so brighter colours than blue or grey would be inappropriate for the cover star, and this genre of magazine.

This task will assist me to choose the correct colours when I begin to create my own magazine cover because it has allowed me to see which colours match eachother when put together within a houestyle.

Organisation: Planning my photoshoot.

My artiste's genre is alternative rock. My artist (the front-woman of Thorns and Roses) is a rock star. Female rock stars need to make a big impact because the rock industry is largely taken up by male artists. I am planning to do my photo shoot in my home on a plain wall. The photos need to have a plain background because if they are patterns behind the cover star it will distract from the main cover lines and the main image.

I am planning to use red nails for costume. I am planning to call my band 'Roses with Thorns' so I would like to be able to get a rose with thorns on it to hold in my photo shoot. It would also be great if i could borrow a microphone from the music department of my school.  I am planning to be my own cover star, so I am going to use red and black make up as it will complement the house style I am planning to use. The other band members will not be featured.

I will take pictures in the next few weeks on weekends instead of days I am in sixth form as I will need an ample amount of time to apply the correct make up and hair style that I need for my photo shoot.

I am hoping to get some of my friends to come over to my house to help me with my photo shoot, as I will not be able to take medium shots of myself on my own. I will also have the opportunity to take photos in the drama studio in school. I have my own camera so I won't need to borrow one from the school.

My photos will be taken inside, because main images for magazines like Rocksound and Kerrang rarely have outdoor backgrounds.

Research into similar products: Analysis on a double page spread from a similar magazine.

Research into similar products: Analysis of similar magazines.

I have chosen to analyse these magazines because they are similar to the kind of cover i want to produce.

Drafting & Planning: Codes & Conventions Task

 M Magazine improvements:

I have improved this cover by adding symbiosis, secondary images, a pug, anchorage text, a date, a price and a web address. Tyler The Creator, Jason Derulo and Jordin Sparks are all hip-hop artists; this is the reason I chose to feature them.

M Magazine 2 improvements:

I have added symbiosis, secondary images as posters, a pug, anchorage text, a date, a price and a web address. R'n'B artists usually have positive names so I named the cover stars 'Rhythm Affair'.

Music X Magazine improvements:

I have improved this cover by using symbiosis, secondary images, a pug within s skyline, anchorage text, a date, a price and a web address. Music X is a Niche Market magazine so I have only featured music artists that have worked with or are closely related to Bjork.

Sound Magazine improvements:

I have added symbiosis, secondary images, a pug, anchorage text, a date, a price and a web address. I have let 'Kings Of Leon' be the main cover line as adding a large cover along alongside this would clutter the cover too much.

Pitch Magazine improvements:

I have added symbiosis with secondary cover lines, a pug in the skyline, anchorage text, a date, a price and a web address. I reduced the brightness of the main image so that the main cover line and secondary cover lines are easier to read.

Target Audience: Survey Monkey

Please fill out my magazine questionnaire to help me with my research into target audiences :)

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BSGTSGY

Organisation: Response to blog feedback.

WWW: At the moment, I have done well on my 8 posts on similar products

EBI: I need to research my Target Audience, and begin to plan my organisation.

Drafting & Planning: House Style/ Colour Schemes.

On the covers I've researched, I have found that red looks best on a white background, or with white text, and that only large text should block the cover star. I have also found that covers are more effective if the cover star is blocking the masthead, instead of the cover star being behind the masthead. The background should never be flashy as it takes attention away from the main image and the main and secondary cover lines. 

Drafting & Planning: Masthead Fonts.

My top favourite out of the fonts I have collected is Category 5 the best because it is edgy with an urban twist. Despite this, it is still easy to read and its originality would make it the most attractive to potential readers in the Left Third. I will most likely use this font or something similar on my front cover.

My next favorite is Hard Rock. It is a very attractive font and it is easy to read, but I think it would distract readers from the main image and cover lines.

I like Disturbed Type because it is interesting. It incorporates one of the main instruments (electric guitar) into its fonts, which would match with my magazine. Unfortunately, it is not as clear as I would like, and the 'CLA...' of Clash Magazine which would take up the Left Third, is not eye-catching enough.

Next down is Mustafar Reloaded. It is similar to Category 5 but I don't like that the S doesn't look like a proper S. I don't think Mustafar Reloaded may not be as interesting to readers as Category 5.

I chose to study the aftermath font because it is very abstract. However, I find it childish and inappropriate for a magazine with serious professional artists featuring in it.

My least favourite is Keep On Trucking. Although in itself it is a nice font, it is inappropriate for a Rock/Metal magazine. I feel as though it would be targeting the wrong audience and would not suit the artists that I want to feature in my magazine. It would suit an RnB magazine better.

Unfortunately, after some research, I have discovered that Clash Magazine is already in existence in an online form, so I will choose a new Magazine title and test some more fonts.

Drafting & Planning: Masthead research.

I have searched on the internet for 3 different rock/metal magazines that are similar to the magazine that I want to make, and I have found that the majority of mastheads are red. I want my magazine to mimic Rocksound Magazine, so I will make my masthead red when I create my front cover.

Also, all of the mastheads that I have researched have been in capital letters. This grabs a potential readers attention. Capital letters in mastheads are also something I want to incorporate into my own front cover,

Research: More analysis of similar front covers.

I have analysed these covers because I really like the cover stars, but also because I admire the house style and colour schemes of the magazine.

Research: Analysis of similar double page spreads with new terminology.

Drafting & Planning: Investigating Typography.

I have rated these fonts with 1 being the best and 6 being the worst.

6: C - The font used in Cover C is is the worst because it is really childish and makes the cover star seem unimpressive.

5: D - This font is also inappropriate. The font looks handwritten, not computer typed, meaning it has no connotations with 'Machine Mutha!'.

4: A - This font is okay, but it is most commonly used in newspapers, which makes the magazine cover look too formal.

3: B - The font used in Cover B is better than the previous few, but the bold letters at the beginning of each word is unnecessary and gives no added effect except slightly distracting the readers from the image of the cover star.

2: F - This font is quite good, and it is appropriate,but to me it doesn't seem bold enough to get the readers attention.

1: E - I like this font the best because it is bold enough to grab the readers attention, but not over bearing. It is all in capitals which gives the connotations of importance, and makes the cover star look impressive.

This task has assisted me in being able to choose appropriate fonts for particular magazines. As I am researching rock music magazines such as Kerrang! & Rocksound I would use B for a main coverline and E for a masthead. This is because B is bold and serious enough to attract a potential readers attention, and E is urban and broken enough to be an effective and distinguishable masthead in the left-third.

Draft Contents Page for STACS magazine

I have drafted out a basic contents page for my preliminary task.