First basic drafts of the magazine

The layout of the magazine front cover, in draft form.

Draft of the double page spread

                                             Draft of contents

Initial ideas

Price & publishing:

Due to my target audience my price will work around this. Because my magazine is aimed at the 15-24 age group there will most likely be spare money according to age, a 15 year old would be more mature than a younger teenager/child therefore will usually be given more responsibility from parents/carers which should determine them having allowance money to spend on a magazine. 16-18 usually sees people who are in after school education who would have money coming in from college funding or jobs etc. 18+ usually sees the working class, teenagers and adults mature and at work which means money.
Due to my target age group being 15-24 statistically having some money to spare, the magazine will be priced fairly at around £2.00. Other magazines similar to my ideas are priced from £2.50 - £4.50 depending on what freebies they contain, my magazine aims to beat these prices to be a cheaper yet just as informative and interesting as these magazines such as NME.

Demographics & Psychographics

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Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy Of Needs

According to Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy my magazine will apply to those in the ‘social’ and ‘esteem’ categories. Those who are in ‘physiological’ category who struggle in affording food and having shelter would not have the spare money to purchase a magazine. They barely have the essentials to live properly, therefore they would have no money spare to purchase a magazine.


‘Social’ and ‘Esteem’ both apply to my magazine, these are the target audience. Both have money spare and a positive mental state to purchase and read this type of magazine. With the ‘social’ and ‘esteem’ categories being in a group of friends and have admiration of others, there will be a fixed trend applying, for example a group of friends who listen to and take part in gigs based around ‘indie’. I am focusing my magazine on these two categories, as the genre of music my magazine applies to the ‘social’ and ‘esteem’


The ‘safety’ category may apply to my magazine due to those in the category having friendship group and a job, there could be money spare to purchase the magazine, but most would care more for saving money up, such as to reach the next segment of ‘needs’. So my magazine only slightly falls into this category, but I am not basing my magazine on the ‘safety’ category as my target audience.

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VALS

According to VALS my magazine is mainly aimed at Groups who are Inner-directed, ‘I-am-me’ ‘experimentals’ and the ‘societally conscious’. The people who are interested in new music and are willing to expand on their music knowledge.

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S.E.G

According to S.E.G. demographics my magazine will focus on the C1-C2 of Semi-skilled manual workers and the supervisory, managerial administrative. This is because the vast majority of the public are under this category, these are all semi-skilled and at work, the sorts of people who have money to spend on things like a music magazine. My magazine could apply to people in the D category which could be people who are in education (university) people who are semi-skilled and are interested in what my magazine will offer and what genre it covers.

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Gender & Age

      

                       

For gender and age my magazine is going to be aimed at the 15-24 age group. Under 15 is not to be focused on but it could apply to a 15 year old knowledgeable of the music in the magazine. From a demographics study on NME magazine which is on the same genre as my magazine 73% of readers were male and 27% are female, because of these statistics my magazine will apply more to a male audience than a female due to the statistic. 

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Simplified -


My magazine will:


. Be aimed at the 15-24 age group






. Be aimed at people who are in ‘Social’ and ‘Esteem’ groups of Maslow’s Hierarchy






. Be aimed at The Inner-directed group in VALS ‘ I-am-me’ ‘experimentals’ and the ‘societally conscious’






.Be aimed at groups C1-C2 Semi-skilled manual workers and the supervisory, managerial administrative Semi-skilled manual workers and the supervisory, managerial administrative in SEG.






.Be aimed mainly at the Male audience due to statistics from a survey showing men are more interested in this sort of magazine. But it will apply to both Male/ Female.

LIIAR analysis (market research) 3 products

Market research LIIAR analysis of NME

The masthead of this magazine is large and in the top left of the page like most magazines. It is dominant red in colour to make it stand out being eye catching. Part of the masthead is not visible due to the image of a band member covering the letter E, only a well known magazine could do something like this, because this magazine is famous it is clearly an NME magazine and the fact the masthead is covered doesn’t matter.

The image used on the front is in a style how most of NME magazines are, this is part of NME’s trademark design. The image on the front cover is always a band or artist placed there to show what the main article of the magazine will be based on. The fact band members are shown on the front cover will make a person who is a fan of the subjects in the image buy the magazine or other fans of the same music genre. There is a lot of use of reds and blacks, they are both very contrasting colours and are worked around with the make an effective house style which is persistent throughout the magazine. The colour red is usually associated with NME magazine and other music magazines; it is seen as the NME magazine identity. Below the image an interesting quote is listed from an interview with the featured band on the front cover and is humorous to a fan of the featured band, it shows hooking information of an interview which the magazine contains, this entices a reader to buy the magazine to read the rest of the interview. Other major headlines are listed on the right of the page in a fairly large font so it is easily visible; there is smaller font information about each subheading which is handy for a viewer to see what the magazine will contain. There is a black graphic circle to the top left of the page with yellow font with information about a new album that is being released. The use of colour makes this stand out despite it not being very large. There is a headline above the masthead which is unusual compared to other music magazines, the font is in yellow listing ‘studio news’ this makes it more eye catching and draws a fair amount of attention to the top of the page to read the rest of the information which is in white font.

On the contents page a handy and effective tool is used, there is a list of bands in a ‘band index’ which is handy for a reader to find information about certain bands they wish to read about. Information on subscribing to the magazine is listed at the bottom. It is very appealing due to the size of the font and yellow colour used in comparison to the band index and other smaller font information. The house style colours are persistent in the contents from the front cover; the logo of NME is at the top of the page like the front cover masthead. In the centre of the page there is an image with a major story the magazine features, all page numbers are listed around the image unusually but it is still easy to read. There is a large red graphic of an arrow pointing right, toward the next pages in the magazine. Inside the graphic there is information about a ‘No1 gig’ and the page number is listed. On the right hand side of NME’s contents page there is an index with different categories allowing simple ways to find pages and what information is listed on those pages. The date of the issue magazine is listed below the title to the contents which is shown as ‘this week’ if a person was new to reading this magazine there is no information on this magazine being a weekly issue, but the fact it is listed in contents would give information to the new reader.

In the double page spread the artist Lilly Allen is covering a whole page of the double page spread. She is dressed in a very iconic way to the style and genre of the magazine, the fact she is wearing a red tartan which is associated with the ‘punk’ culture represents what NME magazine is about. The image is dominant, seconding how dominant the image of who the article is based on is a major inspirational quote of an interview which is clearly from Lilly Allen as she is featured in the double page spread. The fact the quote is spread all across the page makes it more interesting to look at, the font is in a very distorted grunge style, this could have connotations with the way that Lilly Allen is portrayed as a problem person and the fact the quote says ‘attention seeker’ further enhances this effect in my opinion. Certain parts of text are highlighted in red, the main house style colour. From viewing the double page spread you would not have to read the smaller paragraphs with the information to know what this magazine is about.

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LIIAR analysis of Mojo magazine

The masthead of this magazine covers the whole width of the top of the page, like NME it is partially covered by the subject in the image. This is to draw more attention to the musician features and what top stories the magazine will feature. The front cover is in a similar layout, with information spread around the image, although this image is in the centre in MCU so more attention is drawn to the face. Like NME there is a circle graphic in red contrasting with all of the other colours on the front cover, the text is in white clearly stating that there is a free CD with this magazine. Unlike NME there are a couple of thumbnail images placed in areas where text is related to the image rather than them having mastheads. The house style scheme tends to vary with Mojo magazine in other issues, but the masthead keeps to either a black or white house style logo. Like NME and most music magazines there are bands which feature in the magazine listed around the page, showing what else the magazine contains.

There is no persistent house style in Mojo magazine, they tend to vary every issue, but the layout is persistent. The contents page like NME shows the issue number and date which seems to apply to most music magazines. Like NME there is use of a quote from information within the magazine with page numbers directing to that story. The ‘features’ list all have titles summing up what to expect in that section of the magazine, the page numbers are listed beside the list. The text is to the left of the page allowing space for the image to fit in, like NME magazine where the text works around the image.

On the double page spread, there is a clever use of dividing the duo Alex Turner and Miles Kane on either page, this linking with the title ‘best of both worlds’ which spreads across both pages allowing a fade effect of orange text from the left fading into white on the right page. The fact the title spreads across is a clever way to use this effect but also keep both of the separate information together to not section the double page as much. It lists the photographer and ‘words’ editor unlike most magazines, it is a way of showing who created the page for credit to be given to them. This may link with advertisement, but only vaguely. In the part of text explaining what the article is about, the band ‘The Last Of The Shadow Puppets’, ‘Alex Turner’ and ‘Miles Kane’  are all highlighted to show further what the article is all about.

LIAAR analysis of Kerrang magazine

(not a fan of this magazine)

The front cover of the image shows a distorted typography in the masthead going along with Kerrang magazines normal association with heavy metal and other sub genres which are seen as hardcore and grit. Like the other magazines I have analysed the image of the band featured covers the masthead. The magazine is filled with images and the main image is not very large because of the lack of space. There is text scattered all over the page, with use of bright outstanding colours on all major points that need to be highlighted. The text seems to overwhelm the main image unlike NME and Mojo which only saw a few major pieces of text covering the image. The amount of clutter and information featured on the front cover would make a viewer be interested and take a closer look and dig out more information, the fact that a lot is listed may mean it’s worth the money! This may not apply to everybody’s preference as many people like the simplicity. The colour scheme is very busy, use of a lot of bright colours such as the electric pink and vibrant yellows highlighting key points such as the tag line, ’life is loud’ which is highlighted, whereas other information is in white text on top of a black background. Rather than subheading explain what the magazine will feature there are images listing up the left hand side of the page and the bottom right, there is information around working as captions.

There is a persistent house style throughout to the contents from the front cover. The same colour schemes and the page is fairly filled up. The main image of the contents has not been edited like NME and Mojo and seems more natural, this could be to do with the genre of music and the fact that ‘hardcore’ heavy bands are seen more rebellious and do not take part in the poesy pictures, but that is just my opinion. The main image has a page number with further information to the picture and the featured band, with information cluttered around the corners of the image. Like the other magazines I have analyses the information on issues and subscription are on the contents page in the same location to the bottom left.

The double page spread looks slightly different from the contents and the front cover, this is due to this article being about the band featured. The lead singer is clearly shown as he is in front of the other band members, his outfit contains a light purple and deep and vibrant reds. These colours are used in the title of the page ‘dirty little secrets’ which is a famous lyric of a well known song by this band and it also links with the fact this article is about asking questions to the band ‘dirty secrets’. There are humorous headings such as ‘might look and sound like a band your mum would approve of but don’t be fooled’ Like NME and Mojo a outstanding quote is shown, well… outstanding. There is a light purple graphic behind the quote linking with the title, this draws attention. Like the other magazines the double page spread sees text working around the image to not cause too much of a divide because it is a double page spread.

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NME

I will take influence from NME magazine, it covers the same genres I wish to base my magazine on. The layout of NME will be a big influence on my magazine.

The sort of bands that my magazine would feature, all bands I personaly listen to making it easier to write about due to my knowledge of this genre.

Beady eye

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The Black Keys




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The XX

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The Vaccines

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Radiohead

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Miles Kane

My genre!

The magazine will be based on the Indie genre and other similar sounding genres such as folk and alternative electronica which will apply to many indie music fans.

LIIAR analysis of the breif

LIIAR analysis of the brief

My music magazine will be based on the ‘Indie’ genre and other sub genres and related music. Due to the genre of my magazine my masthead will link with the style. My magazine will be called Amplify; because of this title I will have a speaker or amplifier in the typography of the masthead. This will further represent what my magazine is about which is important. The title ‘Amplify’ links with the amplification of music at gigs and other ways of making sounds, and sound is the music. The masthead will also be the logo of the magazine so it will be used in a smaller size around contents and the double page spread of the magazine. The language of the magazine will apply to a youthful audience with use of slang and other words that would apply to a 15-25 year old who is into Indie rock. There will be sub-headings listing some major stories to what the magazine will include like most music magazines similar. The font used in the magazine will be the same, but all titles and sub-headings will be either bold or in a different font linking with the main masthead on the front cover. The main image will either be in MCU or in medium shot depending on how many people will be in the image, they will be holding instruments to show that it is a band. The front cover image either way will be clear and have a plain backdrop; this will cause attention to be aimed at the image of the band/ artist like most music magazines.

There will be a persistent house-style sticking to two or three colours so it doesn’t look too busy with excessive use of colours. The colours used will be bright especially in the masthead. This is important in the magazine being eye catching.

The contents page will be laid out similar to the front cover. There will be images spread across to page linking to the page numbers, this will be helpful and will convey more information about what parts of the magazine will contain. With my target audience being into the genre of music the magazine is about, my magazine will act as an advertisement for new and upcoming musicians with information of tours and gig dates. The double page spread will consist of the main story of the magazine; there will be images of the same band/musician that will be on the front cover of the magazine. Information will be in a different layout to the contents page, with it being a double spread. Information will be scattered around the pages to merge to a ‘one page’ idea rather than the double spread being two separate pages. The house style of the magazine will persist into the double spread.

Tuesday, 8 November 2011Music Magazine Brief


Main task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine (if done as a group task, each member of the group to produce an individual edition of the magazine, following the same house style).

LIIAR evaluation of my own products

LIIAR evaluation of my own products.

L- My product contains a large and standing out masthead, it is colourful and has a black background to make it stand out further. It is located to the top left of the page like many other magazines and fills most of the width of the A4 page. Next to the masthead there is the slogan. The slogans font does link with the front style of the title, but the issue with the slogan is that it is not clear to read. It could have easily been made more opaque. The issue and term of the magazine are listed adjacent to the masthead and is made clear by the white shadow effect behind the text. It is also the same colour of the Wyke college logo which is below the issue and term. There is information listed just slightly lower of the centre of the page not overlapping the MCU image. There is a white shade effect behind all text to ensure is clearly visible, the text is in the same font colour as the issue and term. The contents page contained a large and colourful masthead linking with the style of the masthead of the front cover. It is also in the same colour order as the front cover. It keeps to the same house style with colour and layout, not differing much but the shade of blue is slightly lighter on the contents draft in comparison with the front cover, I could have easily altered this. Despite some difference in colours the layout is similar to the front cover keeping to the fixed house style keeping it’s identity to what magazine the contents page belongs to.  There are strap-lines summing up what the span of pages will contain, this has a further description below in a sentence or two to make it clear what the pages will contain. The strap-lines/ descriptions are in the same font used on the front cover, and are in the same purple as the logo of the organization the magazine belongs to giving it clear identity. The word ‘‘Wyke’’ is in orange, this makes it stand out further expressing that the magazine is all about ‘’Wyke’’ college. All information and the listing of page numbers are in red, almost categorising what the different parts of text on the page are there for, such as strap-lines being in purple/orange and all contain the word ‘’Wyke’’. There are images laid out the bottom left and bottom right of the page, these images do not have captions or any information as to what they are about, I could have captioned these thumbnail images linking to a page number etc.



I- I wanted my magazine to be professional yet free to ensure people will pick it up and be interesting. I made sure I made it stand out with the use of colour, It must look interesting and e interesting for the Wyke student, although the magazine would only really apply to Wyke students I wanted to show a positive representation of the college for people who do not attend to have a good judgement wherever they would see this magazine.

I- I was inspired by the Grimsby institute magazine, I like the use of colour and that all colours do not clash, the layout was professional, I took influence when Designing my borders around the edge of the page. I have also placed a thumbnail image in the bottom right of the page, just like the Grimsby Institute magazine. Like the Grimsby Institute I have listed the college website, I believed this was an important feature that was compulsory of a college magazine. My college magazine is mainly used as an information source with notices for what is happening in the term.

A- The target audience for my magazine is for Wyke students Aged 16-19, could possibly be useful for parents of students but is targeted to appeal to the E and of the grouping system. The masthead is very appealing and vibrant, something the ‘’youth’’ would be fond of, there is not too much information listed that it becomes hard to look at as students are usually very busy and like to get down to the basics.

R- My intentions where to represent a positive representation of college life at Wyke, and for my magazine to be a source of information annually for what is happening and what is to come. I want my magazine to be seen as a place for information about further education in universities, will have many links and information about universities and students who once attended Wyke who now have careers or are attending university.

Questionaire table

I printed off a colour copy of my front page & contents page and wrote out a questionaire based on what criticism I recived off my drafts to see if I took it into account on produceing my final products. I then handed both colour copies and the questionaire to 6 students to get some feed back. I then put this basic table together.

I am surprised that nobody found any faults with the magazine. But when doing a LIIAR of my own products I will focous on the faults I notice and what could have been included.

My webpage draft/ mockup

The website for my 'VIP' magazine

The website for the magazine would be linked on the Wyke website rather than advertised due to the target audience being current Wyke students. It would not really apply to the outside world, However it would be strongly advertised in Wyke College. The layout of the page will have a similar style/ layout to the magazine with the electric blue border on the left hand side. The website would be linked with the current magazine style, basically an online version of the magazine with more information for Wyke students. It will work as a further explained part of the actual magazine. Depending on the term the contents will change, so if people don’t get the chance to get hold of a copy of the magazine there is always the online version which is basically the magazines website.

My contents page draft