Mag Progression 2

 

I have now put some focus into the masthead and the main features surrounding it to ensure it of a higher quality than it previously has been. I now need to work upon the background colours and the plugs and puffs i wish to surround my cover photo.

Magazine cover in progress

 

As you can see my cover photo is beginning to take shape, i have toyed around with contrasting tools and blurring tools to add contrast but more over to add definition to the face and surrounding hair. I do feel as though my current masthead will need serious attention to make it more professional and much more iconic than it currently is.  

Photoshoot- potential coverphoto images

These are the two pictures i have narrowed my photo shoot collection down too, i experimented with the lighting and green-screen to give me these final results. I now need to choose a final picture to use for my cover photo, this choice is dependent upon my key demographic and the mode of address I'm attempting to appeal to and focus around.

Design ideas for music magazine. Front cover, Contents and Double page spread

Front cover image ideas

 Mid shot and taken below eye level, no eye contact made, connotates the artist being above the readers and better than them.  Mise-en-scene is a grey gradient into white, which looks like a spot light from a gig.

    Candid photo most likely taken mid gig.

  I could use this kind of pose as it enforces the kind of genre and style I want my magazine to be focused around.

-        Colour block has been used to highlight the guitar. It has an interesting effect I could potentially use.

-        The contrast of red, grey, black and white works very well.

-        A slightly candid photo with some noise to it also.

-        The colours used in this with the highlighted guitar is a technique I may use.

      A rather unconventional cover, I could achieve this sort of cover although it would take a long time and a lot of work on Photoshop to get it to a decent standard.

          Again obviously a picture taken mid gig due to the noise.

DESIGN BREIF

•        My magazine is going to be in a rock/ punk genre, it will appeal to a young demographic, most likely in their late teens/ early twenties.
•       Most likely will attract males more than females due to its darker colour scheme I hope to use and a more male orientated house style.
•        It will be a fairly cheap magazine, aiming to a middle class demographic.
•       I hope to make use of in house advertisement, offering my customers the ability to access online content and visit events put on by the brand.
•        I want to make my sure that I stick to the result I received from my questionnaire, including using an interview for the double page spread and a mid shot for my front cover.
•       I hope to take what I’ve learnt from my analysis of existing brands content and use the conventions effectively in my own product.
•       I do also hope that for the contents and double page spread I have a variety of ideas that could give my product a USP
•       I will be sure to make full use of the Photoshop skills I am developing when editing my magazine content, as I want to have the highest possible finish to my product.

Questionare results

Music Magazine Research Survey

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Q DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD ANALYSIS

 

- The large feature photo used of Cheryl Cole is very dominating, her stance, with one arm above the other, and no eye contact used has connotations to empowerment and singularity, something all artists strive towards in the music industry. By having the main feature photo take up half the page it connotes a feeling again of strength and potentially domination, as there is a large amount of white, empty space in this image. This, however almost feels as though it has disregarded as a purposeful act of rebellion.

- The typography of her name is different for the first and second word. 'Cheryl' is in a quite glamorous font and is in lower case. This typography can be related to an idea of being quite ‘girly and gentle’. The text for 'Cole' however is in bold, block capitals and has connotations of looking quite tough and harsh which relates to the main feature article photo, although it is noticeable that both words still hold true to Q’s house style.

- It is noticeable that ‘cheryl COLE’ has been printed in a black text colour; this may have been done to ensure it does not draw back from large red ‘C’ that acts as a sort of drop cap for the article (something that is well within the conventions of Q’s house style) or from the pull quote at the bottom left of the double page spread.

- There is noticeable a smaller black ‘C’ has been used as a drop cap mid way though the page, this seems to fit nicely within the already mentioned ‘larger red C’ this is an interesting technique as it seems to help draw your eyes from the top left hand corner of the page, a place where naturally our eyes go to at the start of reading or analysis anything, down towards the image and pull quotes at the bottom of the page. This is most likely been done so when a reader skims past the article their eyes are instantly drawn to not only the feature photo but also a pull quote and another image of Cheryl Cole which would allow them to gain a hint at the contents of the article without having to read the main block of text itself.

- Although it is not a important factor for the article itself, at the bottom left hand corner of the double page spread there is a web address for Q, this connotes that the company understand their demographic and realise they need to offer cross media convergence to their consumers in the hope to make 

MOJO double page spread analysis:

-        The huge drop cap in the top left of the page creates a fixated starting point for the article, the serif styled font makes the W seem to point down, and into the block of the text.

-       The overall tone and mode of address created by this is to help show that this article is not about the present day; it is a constant reminder that is a look into the past, also ironically it is the colours used within the album the articles is focused around.

-       The huge picture of the members of Nirvana taken in black and white is also to help focus this tone further. The fact that they are sat upon the bonnet of a car that has been smashed by the closing garage door conveys the lack of care they have for the society around them, which is something key to their music style and genre.

-       The ratio between the pictures and the text is 3/5 picture and 2/5 writing, this creates a heavy focus upon the imagery on the page and what we as the audience perceive from it.

-       The large pull- out quote on the first page of the double page spread creates emotion and humour for the rest of the article to work off of. ‘SHUT UP BITCH!’ is separated in font size and colour which again connotes the humour surrounding the article and so the band.

-       The lede and kicker for the first part of this article is very large in comparison to the main block of the article in terms of font size.