Research: Cover, Contents, Double-Page Spread Deconstruction (2)

The name of the magazine is big, bold and the colour contrasts with the background so that it stands out.Generally the colour scheme is very minimal with only the use of black, white and red to keep it simple as sometimes too many colours can make a magazine look tacky and cheap. There is only one photograph on the magazine which is a mid-shot of Eminem, who is also the top story. The fact that this image takes up the whole of the front page is appropriate as it shows the reader that eminem is a well known music icon. the photograph looks like it was taken at a live concert which relates to the top story of "the comeback that stunned the world" and he looks like he is passionate about his work and his talent which ultimately could lead to some readers buying tickets to see him live so the photograph is also promoting Eminem.

The other stories are scattered around the edges of the magazine which shows us that they are important enough to go on the front page but not to cover any of Eminem. There is also a list of other bands in he magazine that might interest the readers.

The contents page is completely separate from the cover, the colour scheme isn't the same and there is only a small image of Eminem in the top corner. There is a variety of photographs of other artists, some are from photo shoots and others are from live shows which could hint at the band genre or general attitude to music.
The layout of the contents is in three columns which shows us that the magazine is neat and organised. Also the page number are bold and clear so it is easy to find what you are looking for. The title "inside the week" tells us the reader that this is the contents page and the lettering is big and bold so that it stands out.
There is a smaller column entitled "plus" for some of the smaller, less important stories and perhaps not so well established artists considering the facts that there are no pictures of them.

For the double page spread, the article is very neatly laid out with only a few quotes picked out of the text and in a different colour to help draw the reader in as these quotes are one of the first things you see when you open the page.

The title "unplugged in...Ibiza" suggests that this is an acoustic band whos fanbase is mostly made up of older teens/early twenties due to the fact that they are in Ibiza which is where older teens like to vacation. This could also be interpretted as the band perform for the love of music rather than the fame.

Research: Cover, Contents, Double-Page Spread Deconstruction (1)

Q is a very well known music magazine therefore the name is bold and red so it stands out. The Q logo is slightly hidden by a band member which could be interpreted as the band is more important than the magazine, or that the magazine is SO well known that their whole logo doesn't need to be shown because people will still recognise it.

The colour scheme is very minimal using only four colours; red, black, white and gold. This gives the magazine a simple look which means it wont intimidate people and it doesn't seem overly complicated.

The words "Take That" is the largest piece of text on the page to show that it is the main story and above it says "The World Exclusive" which is immediately intriguing whether you are a take that fan or not.

All of the band member on the front cover are in the same outfit and all look very similar. This is to show that they are all equal to one another. the expressions on their faces show that they are incredibly happy, fun and like to laugh which makes them more relateble to the reader.

The "Q awards 2010" is in gold which is appropriate, the name
"Green Day" is also in gold, which mean this band could be involved in
the "Awards".

The Front page and the contents are very similar. The colour scheme is the same and they have used the same photograph of "Take That" which could be to make it easier for the reader to find the article.

Many photographs have been used on the contents pages which makes it more appealing and shows us clearly what the main stories are. Also with the photographs are large page number to make it clear to the reader. By using pictures and number instead of words for the top stories means that it is a quick process for the reader to find what they want.

The photographs are very professional as they are set up in a controlled photo shoot rather than paparazzi shots that we often find in less high-end

magazines.

They other stories are laid out visibly and systematically

 with all of the regulars on one side.

For the double page spread, the whole of one page has been over taken by a large photograph of Rihanna, from this we can see that the article will be centered around her, most likely an interview.

The main colour of the photograph is black. the background and her clothes are black which makes her face, her and the megaphone she is holding stand out. The black gives the photograph a sense of mystery, and she has a somewhat 'fierce' expression on her face which could give us an insight into what the article will be about or perhaps what genre of music she focuses on or what to expect from her music.

The actual article is very plain, the heading 'Rihanna' is short and simple. The questions are in bold which makes them stand out which is useful if you are looking for her response on a particular subject but dont want to read the whole article.

Research: Questionnaire Results

I constructed a questionnaire to give me an idea of what the target audience want from a Music Magazine. This will help me to design a front cover, contents page and double page spread of a new music magazine aimed at teenagers. I asked 16 sixth form students the following questions and here are my results:




 I made sure I asked the same amount of males and females so that the music magazine will appeal to a wider demographic as it will be a unisex magazine.

I asked only sixth formers who are 16/17 years old as this is my target audience and it makes sense to find out what they want from a music magazine so that I can meet that demand and have a successful magazine.

From this result I will know how often the magazine should come out. it is clearly shown that people are more likely to by a magazine weekly therefore the  music magazine will come out every week.

This was a very useful question to ask because I can now base the majority of the magazine around the fashion and style side of the music industry. I also think it would be a good idea to include gossip in the magazine because as much as people hate to admit it, we all love a bit of gossip!

By asking this question I was able to find out how much the magazine should be sold for. Most people are willing to pay £2 - £3 for a magazine however considering that this particular magazine is new, it would be better to sell it for somewhere between £1 -£2 because more people are likely to buy it.

This question may seem rather pointless because if everyone said no then there would be no reason for making this magazine, however I thought it was important to know if anybody would actually read a music magazine and as it turns out the majority of people like to read music magazines.












 By asking this question I was able to find out what are the most popular music magazines amongst the target audience. I can then use this to find out what the most popular music magazines stories are about and get an idea of the kinds of layout I should use.












This was probably one of the most important questions to ask because now I can see what genre of music the target audience would like to know most about which is pop. I can also use this to help me with the layout, colour scheme, stories and of course the double page spread.









How often do you listen to music? (open question)
To this most people answered daily/all the time/ 2-3 hours a day/ 4+ hours. luckily there wasn't a single 'never'! this shows me that people will enjoy the music magazine because they clearly enjoy listening to it.

From analysing these results I can see that the majority of people like to think that they are up to date on new music. However for the percentage that said no, I can see that the magazine will be useful in updating people and perhaps teach the people that replied 'yes' something new.

Who is your favourite musician/band? (open question)

I recieved various answers to theis question as can only be expected. Some of the answers were: Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swft, All Time Low, You Me At Six, The Killers, Roll Deep, Michael Buble, Mcfly. I am pleased with the answers as the genres of the artists/bands are very popular.

I am pleased with the results of this question as I also find the competitions a bit of a waste of space in magazines especially if hardly anyone enters into them. I personally have never heard of anyone winning one of these competitions.

What attracts you most to a magazine? (open question)

Again this was an important question to ask and the answers I git were thing such as: The front cover/bright colours/the pictures/the person on the front cover/the contents. From this I know to make the front cover very eye-catching by using bright colours and it needs an attractive image on the cover. 

It was useful to ask this question because I now know what to do for the double page spread- an interview. Perhaps including a small review on an album or single, something like that.

From these results I can see that most people buy their magazines from their local shop. this tells me how to make the magazine stand out. Also where the target audience will expect to find the magazine.

A new music magazine would look best in what colour? (open question)

The results from this question will tell me what colours people would like a magazine to be. the answers I received were: silver/blue/white/black/red. From this i can see that the magazine should be mainly silver with highlight of blue/red.

Preliminary Task - School Magazine Cover and Contents.

The preliminary task was to produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. We also had to create a mock-up of the layout of the contents page.

By looking through some current magazines I got an idea of the kind of layout and colours that should be used. As a not so well known magazine using bright colours would help to make it stand out and by using pinks and blues it would appeal to both male and female.

After a lot of deliberation I came up with the name G!NEWS (a play on E!News, changing the 'E' to 'G' for Guilsborough).

The majority of original photographs on the cover are Mid-Shots of Sixth Form students which was appropriate as this is the target audience. The photographs are clear and represent the main stories. To come up with the story headlines I exaggerated on the things that were happening at school at the time and to photographs that related to them.

Overall I am pleased with how the cover turned out, however it could be improved with the photographs being controlled. for example, better lighting and to
think about the connotations of the images.

For the contents page, I carried the colour scheme throughout and again looked closely at current magazines for the layout. It was difficult to come up with so many stories but I think they are very appealing to the target audience. I included a few words from the 'editor' to give a more realistic look.

I am pleased with the final contents page, again I do think it could be improved with better images and more detail.