Research and Planning - Masthead Ideas

For the title of my magazine, I chose the name Chocolate, a song name by the popular band The 1975.
I was originally going to have a blue or purple coloured title against a silver background, however from both my target audience research and Indie music magazine I realised that those particular colours weren't often used in my genre of music magazine.
From my target audience research, because the name of my magazine is Chocolate a few people suggested that the colour of my name should be Gold. However, when I placed this against the background I was going to use they clashed.
A regular colour suggested was red, so therefore I started playing around with that colour in different fonts. Below is a design I might use for my final magazine cover.

Research and Planning - Double Page Spread Research

For my double page spread research I chose a simple page who's main feature is Ed Sheehan.              A large picture of the artists is presented on the left hand side of the double page spread. The background is a landscape photograph of London, including one of Great Britain's most Iconic landmarks; Big Ben. This could highlight where the music magazine is based, as well as the nationality and current place where Ed Sheeran lives. The use of Red and White could also be used to emphasise this British theme.  

"I'M BRINGING GINGER BACK!" is presented below the photograph of Ed Sheeran in bright bold letters. Furthermore, all the text is capitalised helping it gain the readers attention. Whats more, the text is white apart from the word ginger which is bright red. This could be a play on the word as the colour ginger can also be know as red, as well as the fact that Ed Sheeran is most known for, not only his music, but also his hair colour. Like Ed Sheeran it stands out, making him more recognisable as an artist. 

White, Red and Black are the main colours used in the fonts of this magazine. This helps the writing more eye catching against the darker background, as well as ensuring its easier for the audience to read as well. Plain and simple serif fonts are used instead of fancy fonts, to further ensure that people that buy this magazine can read the article easily. 

The double page spread article is presented in columns on the right hand side of the page. The layout stands out easily as well as being accessible to read.     

Research and Planning - Double Page Spread Font

From research I have gained when looking at double page spreads, I have decided to use Serif fonts for my text. This is because its easier and simple to read.

Research and Planning - Publication Plan Prezi

Research and Planning - SLR Test Shots

Here are all my test shots using an SLR Camera!

Research and Planning - Equipment And Software List

Here is all the equipment and types of softwares I will be using in the process of making my magazine:

Internet Explorer for Research

Photoshop 

Indesign

SLR Camera

Research and Planning - Costume And Prop List

This is both my costume and prop list which is very much shaped by my research and audience interview responses.

Props - 

For my props I considered many different items to apply in to my mise-en-scene, such as chairs for my models to sit on or particular items for them to hold. However I decided against this, as the majority of the Indie magazines that I have studied are quite plain and simple within the mise-en-scene. They also use quite natural settings which I took into consideration.
From this I have decided to use a simple, natural setting such as the models standing against a stone wall. This would further benefit the colours I have chosen to feature in my magazine, grey/silver being a main

Costume Design -

From all of my research based around Indie magazines and the fashion used with in them, I think that this is the type of clothing I would like my models to wear in the photo shoot for my magazine.
These are screen shots of New Look and Love Clothing's 'New In' page on their website.
The fashion consists of dark colours, such as blue, green, red, purple, grey/silver and black.
All these clothes also have simple designs and very few complicated patterns on them, which is very much associated with Indie fashion.
Vintage is also popular.
Whats more accessories such as hats are often used.

Research and Planning - Production Schedule

Here is the production plan I will follow for the following few weeks!

Research and Planning - Audience Interviews Videos (With Analysis)

For my audience Interview videos I asked the following questions:
1) Are you a fan of Indie music?
2) What would you expect to find in a Indie music magazine?
3) Do you think Chocolate is a good name? If not what name would you suggest?
4) What colours would you associate with this genre of magazine?
5) How often would you buy this magazine and how much are you willing to pay for it?

From the answers, I received a very similar response from my Interviewers. Two out of three of the people I Interviewed said they enjoyed listening to Indie music, where as the other was unsure about the genre. Similarly, two liked the name 'Chocolate' but the other was unsure about the choice, saying It reminded them of a food magazine. They then went on to give idea's to a new name.

Interviews, horoscopes and music charts were a popular answer when I asked what would you expect to find In an Indie music magazine, so therefore I will make sure to Include them either in the contents page or both my contents page and front cover, depending on there importance.

Furthermore, the price range that these people would pay for this magazine varied between £2 and £4, and they would buy It every two weeks or monthly. 

Research and Planning - Plan For The Week

My plan of activities to complete this week:
- Upload my audience Interview videos
- Upload my production schedule
- Podcast of what I have done so far

Research and Planning - Audience Interview Questions

When I Interview my target audience, I am going to ask a series of questions that are presented below:

1) Are you a fan of Indie music?

2) What would you expect to find in a Indie music magazine?

3) Do you think Chocolate is a good name for a Indie magazine? If not what name would you suggest?

4) What colours would you associate with an Indie music magazine?

5) How often would you buy a music magazine and how much are you willing to pay for it?

Research and Planning - Questionnaire Results (Slide Share)

Research and Planning - Target Audience Prezi

Here is my target audience slide show presented on Prezi.

Research and Planning - Questionnaire Questions

To make my music magazine I needed further information from my target audience of teenagers and young adults based on the genre of Indie music, and what they would expect to find and see in this type of magazine.
Below are the nine questions I asked:

1) What gender are you?

2) How old are you?

3) Are you a fan of Indie music?

4) What would you expect to find in a Indie music magazine?

5) Do you think Chocolate is a good name for a Indie magazine? If not what name would you suggest?

6) What colours would you associate with an Indie music magazine?

7) How often would you buy this music magazine?

8) How much would you pay for this music magazine?

9) What type of photographs would you expect to find in this magazine? (Eg, shot types, models, ext)

Research and Planning - Music Collage

Research and Planning - Genre Research

From the genre of music I have chosen, the main musical artist that I would associate my magazine with  are bands, such as The 1975, Imagine dragons, Fall out Boy (ext). What's more, the mise-en-scene I would associate the magazine with are bright colours, but not to vibrant. Colours such as gold, silver, black, blue and purple often recur. Simple clothing are also used within these shots, drawing less attention to the artist themselves, which can be very intriguing for some people. Therefore, when it comes to my own photographs for the magazine, my models would have to wear plain clothing also. Denim's, grey and black are a popular within this category.

Research and Planning - Double Page Spread Analysis

The genre of this music magazine is the same as the contents page, Alternative rock/Indie. We know this through the large picture of Kings of Leon to the left hand side. What's more, the caption "We want Kings of Leon's career" hyperbolises this genre.

Also, the main colours of this page, black, white and purple, which are often interpreted with this form of genre!

The target audience that I would associate with this double page spread are mostly likely teenagers or young adults as Kings of Leon's fan base is made up of people around that age. More over, if any body else who isn't of this age is a fan of Kings of Leon they are also included in the target audience, as they are likely to buy a magazine that has a double page spread of their favorite band.

The layout of this page is fairly simple. Two columns are positioned in the bottom left hand side of the double page, with the large caption "We want Kings of Leon's career" in a black font, underlined by heavy purple lines. The way the title is presented is striking, helping the article stand out. 

To the left hand side is a picture of the band themselves, presented as a long shot. All three of the men are posing at the camera, hyperbolising the mature element of the magazine. More over, the simple colours of black grey and white are used within this photo, highlighting the genre of music that this band performs as those colours are often associated with it.      

Research and Planning - Contents Page Analyisis

The genre of this music magazine 'Spin' is alternative rock/Indie.
This is shown through the large picture of Duffy, the Iconic alternative singer. What's more, this is shown through the featured list to the left hand side as you wouldn't expect to find any of these in a Pop Magazine.

Within the layout of this page, only one Column labelled 'Features' is set to the left hand side of the contents page. This gives the readers an idea of what will consist in the Magazine. Other cover lines are used just to add a little more information than what we have already been given. The colours used on the text are mainly made up of black and dark blue. The only vibrant bright colours on the page are the figure of Duffy and the bright red font on the magazine name 'Spin', positioned in the top left hand side of the page. This is to help highlight the magazine so the readers are constantly aware of what they are reading, therefore if they enjoy the magazine they can easily buy it again.

The only representation on this page is the music artist Duffy, positioned from the right hand side to the centre of the page. This helps hyperbolise that Duffy is the main feature of this weeks issue of 'Spin'. Moreover, Duffy is smiling and laughing, obviously having a fun time at the photo shoot for this magazine. This helps intrigue the readers in as she is giving off a welcoming and friendly atmosphere.

The target audience for this magazine I believe are older teens or 'Young adults' (15+). The fonts and pictures used give a sense of being grown up, as well as a mature element. Furthermore, the artists and features mentioned at the side of the page wouldn't interest younger teenagers.

Research and Planning - Music Magazine Drawn Drafts (Cover, Contents And Double Page Spread)

Here are my first drawn drafts of my Indie Music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread!   

Research and Planning - Masthead Designs

For my music magazine I created a number of Masthead designs with different fonts, so I have a wider range to choose from! Furthermore, I have picked the names 'Talk' and 'Chocolate' as they are my favourite songs from The 1975, and Indie band. However I haven't yet chosen which name I would like to use as my Music magazine name so have therefore created different masthead designs for both! 

Research and Planning - Plan For The Week

This week I would like to complete the following tasks and upload them to my blog:
- Music college
- Three masthead designs for my music magazine name
- Music magazine drawn drafts (cover, contents and a double page spread)

Research and Planning - Music Magazine Analysis Covers x2

For our first media topic we have to design a music magazine. For this I have picked the genre of Indie/alternative rock, as it is my favorite and a very popular genre within the music industry!

Below are two front covers of Indie/alternative rock magazine's, which I will be analyzing.

The first Indie/alternative rock music magazine I have decided to analyse the front cover of is NME (which stands for New Musical Express) which is a poplar UK weekly music journalism publication. The magazine title is positioned in the top left hand side corner in bright red bold letters. This helps to highlight the magazine name, making it easier for its weekly readers to recognize. The cover is mostly covered with a picture of the band 'Foals', informing the audience that they will be a large feature of the magazine. Moreover, the colours white and yellow are used for the cover lines to help the text stand out further. What's more, these colours symbolize happy and enjoyable colours, intriguing the reader to the magazine.

The second magazine front cover I will be analyzing is SPIN, another popular UK music magazine! Similarly to NME, the title is positioned in the top left hand side corner in a white and red bold font, informing the reader of the magazine. Furthermore, the band 'Fall Out Boy' are in the center of the page, informing the readers that a large part of the magazine will feature them. From this (and the same with NME) it might encourage people who like that specific band to buy the magazine, as them being in the center of the page will come across as very appealing to the fans. Fall Out Boy is printed in the same font as the title across the page, exaggerating the importance of the band and the article about them. The magazine also has cover lines to inform the readers what will be in the magazine, in white black and red fonts. All of these are eye catching against the dark and yellow background. Another eye catching aspect of this front cover is the advertisement of new video games, circled in a bright bubble. A large 20 emphasizes how special the games are, and quantity is used to help sell the magazine. 

 

Research and Planning - Media Shots

Below are different types of media shots which will help me in my future assignments!

Aerial view shot

 Establishing shot

 Long shot

Master shot

 Wide shot

 Mid shot

 Over shoulder shot

 Point of view shot

 Two shot

 Close up shot

Research and Planning - College Magazine Front Cover And Contents Page Analysis

Here are my final drafts for both my front cover and contents page of my college magazine!

The first thing I notice when looking at both pages, is the bold title at the top of the page, "Student voice" and "Context". The bold font I use helps the magazine name more visible and easy for the readers to recognize, like wise for the contexts page, so the readers know what the page is about.

From my target audience research, I decided to stick with the main colour of blue as that was a popular answer. This way my magazine is more advertising to a wider range of people.
Another colour that was popular in my questionnaire answers was the colour white, so I took this into consideration making the majority of the text colour on the pages white. This colour furthermore fit well with the blue theme, as neither of the colours contrasted badly against each other and the white helped the text become more noticeable.

Similarly, I made the font of "EXCLUSIVE" bright red and bold, making the text stand out in comparison to all the other text on that page, highlighting the how exclusive an article in side the college magazine is.   

Moreover, another aspect of the magazine that might help intrigue the target audience are the pictures I used. All of them have a friendly vibe to them, inviting the audience in, as well as being a similar age. Similarly, on the front cover I used a picture of 5 seconds of summer, a popular teenage boy band, to help sell the magazine and also notify that a certain proportion of the magazine will feature them.
Also, I believe the cover lines I used were important, as I inform the readers what they should expect to find within the magazine, furthermore they are all relatable to the student audience.