Tobi Fagbenle

Production Brief

Preliminary exercise: Using DTP and an image manipulation program, 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. Additionally candidates must produce a DTP mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of the program.

Main task: The front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.

Preliminary

1. How old are you?

16

17

18 2. What is your gender?

Female

Male 3. Would you like to have a school magazine?

Yes, I would love a school magazine!

I wouldn't mind a school magazine

No, I would hate a school magazine 4. Rank these interests in order of appeal to you.

Polls

Music

Games

Media

Fashion

Sport

Gossip

Images 5. How do you feel about relationships at this age?

Fine and I'm currently in one :)

Fine and I'm looking for one

Fine but I'm not looking for one

Wrong :/

6. Are you a smoker? Plus your opinion.

7. How much do you like reading?

A lot

Somewhat

Not really

Never 8. What genres of music interest you?

Hip-Hop

R&B

Pop

Indie

Rock

Other (please specify) 9. What are your favourite school subjects?

English

Maths

Science

P.E.

Media

History

MFL

Geography

Other (please specify)

10. Would you like to see pictures of famous people?

Yes

No

Questionnaire

What is your target audience? Is it all Sixth Formers or a specific group?From the results of my survey, I can see that my target audience is mostly going to be people in Sixth Formers who are of all ages, are male and female.

What are their interests?My audience are primarily interested in music, but also sport, media and games. Along with polls on certain topics. People who are interested in relationships or even being in a relationship, also literate people who have different opinions on smoking. Also people who are generally interested in school, also in celebrities.

What magazines do they buy? How often?Looking at their interests, they must buy magazines that are based on music, games, media and sport. Most of them said that they would love a school magazine which suggests that they would buy it and that it would be quite often they would purchase magazines in general.

What socio-economic group are they?As my audience are Sixth Formers, they will all tend to be in the socio-economic groups of D and E and generally not any higher. My target audience are all in near full time education, so they have no time to be in full time employment which is the only way they could be in a higher socio-economic group.

How else could you classify them?My audience must be aspirers because they all seemed to like the idea of famous people being displayed on the cover and inside the magazine. They must aspire to the gracious lives lived by those who have found fame for various reasons.

Audience Research

My target audience of choice for the magazine is students or 6th Formers. My reasons for choosing this specific age group are that as a 6th Former myself, I have a great understanding of what the year group is interested in, what they feel strongly about and what information they need to help them with their studies.

These are students who are between the ages of 16-18 and have finished their secondaryeducation.

The interests for a student of this age tend to be specific: One of the big subjects that most teenagers are obsessed with is sport. This is why we are having a sports section which will be dedicated to all of the latest sports news that has been released in the editions of the magazine. Teens are also huge music enthusiasts; we recognise this, so we are going to put in sections on the latest trending tunes and classics that still get many listens today. Also, on the cover of the magazine, we will have pictures of lovely ladies who have made it in the music industry. If that isn’t enough, there will be free links to download a classic and a recent track for your listening pleasure.

Because this magazine is targeted at young students in 6th Form, the socio-economic group of these people is most likely to be in the range of D to E. This is the unemployed and unskilled workers.

Target Audience

Masthead

Strapline

Date

Barcode

Price

Splash

Image

Quote

People are used to having the date in two distinctive places; on the top near the strapline or the bottom near the barcode. I chose the top because there was more space and it was easier to spot.

I have chosen to make the masthead a orangey gold colour to match the colour scheme. I have also given it some effects to make it stand out from the rest of the normal stories and because the image rests below the masthead which allows you to do more with it.

This quote was used to add more depth to the whole idea of the magazine which is to appeal to 6th Formers. It’s a catchy quote which can help readers to remember the mag.

An image is one of the most important parts of a magazine cover; it has to look professional, but also have an original edge to it. I used this image to show that although I’m a student, I have a raw, rebellious side as well.

I used my splash in a way to emphasise the fact that the magazine is new and is at a reduced price, which draws people in.

The price is one of the most important parts of a magazine because it can persuade somebody to or not to pick up a copy. I have made it large and inside a splash to increase the emphasis.

My main strapline has catchy alliteration which readers will enjoy reading and convince them to look further. Also the pink word shows the relaxed nature of the mag.

For Barcode: All magazines have barcodes to go with the conventions of a magazine cover.

Evaluation: Photoshop skillsWhat did you find challenging about Photoshop?

I found quite a few things challenging when using Photoshop. I found adding effects to things like words and images very challenging; First of all, I had to find the tools that I wanted to use in order to begin to change everything which was one of the hardest things already. Once I had found them, making sure that the settings were adjusted to make whatever was being edited look exactly the way I intended.

How have your skills improved? What mistakes were made?

Before making the magazine, I had little experience of using Photoshop, so basically I have improved in everything to do with it: Copying the image into Photoshop and editing it to my liking, adjusting the fonts: size, colour, and special effects. The knowledge of the conventions of a magazine has improved as well. The mistakes I made were: There’s a lot of empty space on the mag which makes it look slightly unattractive. Also, I could adjust the contrast of the image, to look more realistic.

What skills would you like to acquire whilst making the final project?

I would like to master the use of the burn tool which creates a cool looking shadow around the image which brings it out well. Also I would like to learn all of the different effects that apply to the font, to create a flashy masthead and straplines.

Are there any tools that had a negative impact on your design?

Not really, There were things that I tried that didn’t work that I decided to get rid of such as the gradient tool. It didn’t work because it ruined the display of the title.

Evaluation: Magazine CoverImage

I think that the image is quite effective but it’s not perfect: It’s in colour which improves the realism of the image. There’s an attempt to produce a shadow around the image using the burn tool. It wasn’t particularly good, but it doesn’t look awful. There’s nothing in the background which makes it look unprofessional; that’s all been edited off.

Masthead

The masthead is slightly effective, but there’s room for improvements in it. For example, because of the length of the masthead, maybe instead of trying to fit it all in one line, I could have fit it in two or abbreviated the title. Also the colour of the masthead is slightly different to the colour of the straplines, this brings out the masthead and makes it look more stunning.

Use of Colour

A black and gold colour scheme was used in the design of the magazine, the only exception is the bright pink word “Lovely” which is a bit of a joke. The colours go with the magazine conventions of one primary bright colours and a couple neutral colours.

Straplines

There are a lot of straplines that are on the magazine cover, they are the main focus of the magazine apart from the image. They match the colour scheme of the magazine itself; black for the title and gold for the information. The straplines all form around the image nicely which makes it look professional.

LayoutThe layout seems to be normal like a normal magazine cover. The Masthead is at the top, and it’s very striking because it’s bold and large. There are lots of engaging straplines which are presented in a clear way to show them. The main strapline is the biggest part of the magazine cover which it is supposed to be to show its importance. There is a clear puff on the magazine which makes it look more realistic. The image is in the middle and takes up most of the space of the magazine cover. The date and the barcode are clearly on the magazine at the top and bottom just like a real magazine.

Preliminary Evaluation

How useful was your research?

To be able to do the task, I did a bit of research on how to use Photoshop: All of the different tools that are available to use such as the Gradient tool and the text box tool. When it came to actually doing the magazine cover, I found some of what I had done useful to me because I used it in the design of my magazine cover. However others were less useful to me because I ended up not needing to use them and I could have looked at other parts that could have improved my overall appearance.

Did you look back at it when designing?

When it came to designing the magazine, I had learned most of the tools that I needed to design the magazine so I didn’t really need to look back upon the research that I had previously done. It was more common for me to actually just randomly pick one tool and test it to see if it could be of any use to me in the designing process.

Was it easy to learn from?

For my research, I took it in note form; I looked up what the tool was useful for and I took notes on the most vital parts of the information. The use of notes was moderately useful for me because I could just look at what I needed to do to use the tool and simply just copy that. However it was difficult to locate what I wanted to use because they were all in the same colour and page.

What could improve it?

I could have used colour coding to distinguish the differences between all of the tools I wanted to use. I could have put in different sections which make it easier to find the different tools and increase the speed of the magazine process. I could have looked at all of the different tools that are available to me so that I would not have to do any experimenting to see if there was anything else that I could have used to make it look even better.

Research

MastheadThe positioning of the masthead is at the top which makes it very noticeable to the readers. Also it is much bigger and in a different colour to everything else so that it stands out and is easier to remember.

PuffThe puff is meant

to stand out because it looks

as if it’s not meant to be on the

magazine.

KickerThis is in a different font so that it stands out from other objects on the cover

QuoteThe quote is for the readers get an idea of what the article will be about.

Main ImageThe main image is to

show the audience who is the main attraction of the

magazine.

Date

Barcode

Magazine Cover Annotation

MastheadThis is the name of the magazine: It has to be very clear to the reader because the magazine want it to be remembered.

QuoteA phrase that the

cover star has said which hints

at the main story.

KickerThis is the main

story of the magazine. It is usually bigger than the other stories on the

magazine.

PuffA bit of the magazine that doesn’t look like it should fit onto the magazine. It is used to show a bit of extra information.

Main ImageThis is the main

focus of the magazine and links to the main story. It

is of a star which attracts people to

read the magazine. In this case it is

Brandy.

Representation of Cover Star The cover girl, Ashanti is sitting seductively on a small stool with a direct mode of address staring at the camera. This has the effect of drawing the readers into the magazine because of its verisimilitude. VIBE wanted to show that they are a classy, fashion relevant magazine and they wanted a beautiful, talented and successful woman to show that to their audiences. They have done that by getting Ashanti who is a stunning black woman with an excellent career so far with more to come. This appeals to the different genders in very contrasting ways: For men, it’s all about the sex appeal, they look at Ashanti and they are physically attracted to her and it makes them want to read the magazine. Whereas for women, Ashanti comes across as a role model for young aspiring women with her excellent weave and expensive jewellery. Essentially, men want to be with Ashanti and women want to be her. The text “Love Me” makes the image more motivated and provides anchorage for the seductive stance that she is in.

She is dressed in a very revealing white dress, lots of her glowing brown skin is exposed, along with some cleavage. Her perfect, blemish-free skin being exposed connotes that Ashanti is alluring to male audiences and successful to female audiences. Making audiences of VIBE believe they make a magazine that is sexy, but also professional.

The background is green, while Ashanti is dressed in white. The magazine are trying to make her the centre of attention by making her stand out against the background.

Masthead & StraplinesThe Masthead of VIBE is in giant white letters towards the top of the magazine. It is able to

be white because the background is green, which is unusual for a magazine. The reason for the enormous size of the Masthead is so

that the magazine’s name can therefore stick in your head because it is the largest thing on

the page. If you know the magazine’s name, you are definitely more likely to buy a copy in the future. Also, so it stands out a lot behind

a coloured background. A slight bit of the cover girl, Ashanti’s head is over the

Masthead, this is a popular technique used by magazines everywhere.

The main strapline provides anchorage for the image: it says “LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME

ALONE” and in the image, Ashanti is in a pose that says “I’m sexy! You can get with

me if you want or not and I don’t care what you do or what you think of me!” She’s

wearing lots of make-up and jewellery, she’s sat in an alluring way and her left arm is up in

a way that suggests confidence in one’s beauty.

Magazine Analysis

Magazine Cover Analysis 2

Representation of Cover Star The cover guy Lil’ Wayne is staring with a direct mode of address at the camera lens. This attracts readers because it adds verisimilitude to the image which audiences like to see. XXL’s aim was to show that they are a raw, hard-core rap music enthusiasts that don’t joke about with their music. This fits with the persona of the rapper Lil’ Wayne: a controversial, loud rapper who regards himself as a hard man, but has a more immature side. XXL definitely is primarily aimed at men and men only with the man staring with a serious expression on his face. Men look at Lil’ Wayne and they see a man who looks as if he is confident in himself, he believes that he is better than others and that he can’t be proven wrong.

Masthead and StraplinesInterestingly, the masthead is placed in front of the image. This goes against the usual magazine conventions which are the opposite way. With the image behind the masthead, it brings more attention and significance to the masthead. It could be saying that although Lil’ Wayne himself is a hugely famous rapper, no one is bigger than the magazine itself.

The main strapline says “I’m not hot. I’m great.” One suggestion the magazine could be making is that Wayne knows that he’s not an aesthetic desire like some of the beautiful ladies of music, but he believes in himself that he has major talent in the rap game. In his opinion that is what matters to him and what is important in the rap game.

Contents Page Analysis

Feature ListThis is a list of everything that will feature in the contents of

the magazine. It gives the number of the page that the

feature is on with a brief description of what the article is about. VIBE put the feature list

in an area where it will be to distinguish it. A feature list will

always be present in a contents page.

Main ImageThe main image tells people who or what the subject of the main feature of the magazine will be. The main image takes up most of the screen, which shows the mass importance of the person photographed. Ciara is sexy and talented, which can connote that VIBE want to show that they are like that.

Main Feature/Artist Information

This gives information about the artist, Ciara

and a section about why they have

chosen her for their magazine cover.

Contents The way that VIBE have styled out the

contents page to be unique by putting

the first and last two letters on top and bottom of the

centre.

VIBE LogoThe logo is just set in the background of the contents page. It is there to remind readers that this is a VIBE magazine, not just any old one.

Contents Page Analysis 2Feature List

The feature list shows the reader what will be inside of the magazine. It gives you a page number, along with a short paragraph showing what the feature is about.

QuoteOne of the magazine conventions is to take a quote from the magazine and put it into the contents page. It gives readers a preview of what’s to come from that section of the magazine which can attract readers to read it.

The A-sideXXL have taken a unique method used in the past by some magazines by having two sides to their contents page. The A-side contains the feature list and a quote from the main feature.

The B-sideThis side just contains main stories and more images.

Main ImageThe images’ job is to inform the readers the subject of the magazine is and it gives you a sense of how they like to represent themselves. The image takes up most of the space on the screen to show its importance. The person on the contents page is also always on the cover too. Dr. Dre

Main imageThis gives the readers a visual view of who the article is about and an idea of their personality. It appeals to rap fans, especially Wiz Khalifa fans.

Cross headThis goes just above

the article and it introduces it by saying who it is who gave the answers and a mini bio

on them.

QuoteA saying that the

person who presented the

information. The article becomes

more personal to the artist involved and you get a peek at

what will be in the article.

ColumnPresenting the

article in columns makes it easier for

the reader to consume the

magazine. This makes it more

appealing for the reader.

Giant first letterThis is a common feature of magazine which brings significance to the article.

InitialsSome magazines use the initials of the artists that they get. This is a nice touch that brings attention to the article.

VIBE: The network represents over 25 sites and 19 million unique users a month. The premier destination for urban music and entertainment. The magazine follows celebrities and all of their new releases as they are released. VIBE creates as well as trends music and gives back to the community. A portal to young, inspired audiences ideas, they are the voice of urban music. They provide a democratic digital experience which encourages users to upload their own content. VIBE aim to give the unknown potential superstars a voice to express themselves and those who are established already a stage to show their beloved talent off to the adoring public. The magazine looks at not only urban music, but the celebrities, fashion, lifestyle, media, sounds and businesses. The magazine aims to be trendsetters, VIBE are the group that inspires a young generation to listen to urban music and culture. VIBE are excellent promoters of special events not just linked to music but: film and movie premieres and fashion shows as well.  VIBE also look at the world of technology through gadgets like beauty products to video games.

Media Kit Link: http://justmediakits.com/mediakit/1560-vibe.htm

Audience Research

XXL: A magazine that generally aims to bring Hip-Hop to interested readers in a more intelligent way for a higher amount of readers. They look at the lifestyle of who is who in music today. The magazine tends to target readers who are massive Hip-Hop fans and want to be engrossed in the whole business. The No.1 selling music magazine. According to the statistics, a massive 78% of their audience are males and 67% of their audience are African-American. Therefore XXL is mainly aimed at male African-Americans. This is shown through the features that are put into the magazine such as: “Step up your rap game!” – This addresses rappers with under-par lines and tells them to “Step Up!”

Media Kit Link: http://www.americasmedia.com/mediakits/XXL%

Audience Research 2

Mastheads AnalysedVIBE are a trendy, hip magazine who aim at people who

interested in music and fashion. I can see that the design aims to be cool and fun and appealing to both genders. The bold, wide letters makes it looked laid back.

XXL are a rap-based magazine that’s more male orientated. The masthead is white with a dark red background. The letters are thick and sharp and they have not tried to make it too pretty which is a stereotypical manly approach.

TIME are a classy, more adult magazine with political issues inside. The masthead therefore is sleek, pretty and elegant. The font is a classic widely used one that people think of as acceptable to write documents with.

VOGUE are a more aesthetic magazine that is aimed at females. I can tell by the name which is a way of describing the appearance of a woman. The font is very classy because of the stereotype of women that they are all dignified. NME are a music magazine that focus on rock music. Generally, it is aimed at men because of the genre, the masthead shows this because it is in huge bold, red letters. This gives the connotation that the logo magazine is strong tough and explicit.

Straplines Analysed

Main StraplineThe main strapline of the magazine is located at the bottom of the cover separate from the rest of the straplines. The strapline’s purpose is to provide anchorage for the image and to address the main story in the magazine. The words “innocent” and “guilty” are bigger and highlighted, this anchors the image by explaining the stressed out look on the face of R. Kelly.

StraplineThe other straplines are aligned to the side of the cover so as to avoid getting in the way of the main image. They feature a list of other artists involved in the magazine. They do this to attract more readers into buying.

Puff/StraplineThis is a more of a

puff strapline because it doesn’t

look like it is supposed to be on the magazine. But

it does give information about

the contents of the magazine.

Main StraplineThe main strapline is in a different colour to the other straplines to show that is the most important strapline in the magazine cover. It provides anchorage for the image by explaining who the cover star is and what they are here for. In this case it is a interview on Rihanna.

StraplinesThe other

straplines are fit around

Rihanna’s body so that the

image is still decently in view for the readers.

The most important parts

are in black, while the others

are in white.

Puff/StraplineThis is a puff

like part of the magazine

which contains some

information about the

magazine. The puff might have been

used to allow the magazine to give more

info without it looking to

much.

Planning

Production ScheduleWeek 1: For the project to commence, I must know the people that I will target with the production of the magazine. Their age, their wealth, and other things. It is important to establish the target audience of my magazine, because they are the people consuming the media. To find out which audience I will be targeting, I will create a questionnaire which I will hand out to both genders and between the ages of 16-25. I will try to see whether my magazine appeals to teenagers or young adults. The questionnaire will ask questions like what artists they like, how often they buy magazines, how much they would spend and their general interests in music. The questionnaire will be multiple choice so I can see what answers were more popular than others. I will record my results in a chart so I can assess them and figure out my target audience.

Week 2: When I have found out enough information about my audience, I will look at how other magazines look at attracting audiences in to their magazine. This will give me increased information about readers who buy magazines. The magazines that I have used are VIBE and XXL because they are very popular magazines with different target audiences with age and gender and genres of music that interest them. I will use the internet, and the magazines’ media kit to find out about this, and I will present my ideas in tables to assess it all.

Week 3: I will use this week to look at different magazine covers. Comparing different magazine covers is important because you will be able to understand the brand values, ideology and genre of the magazine. I will use VIBE and XXL to compare with each other for ideas. I will look at different conventions of the magazine like the masthead, straplines and main image. Looking at the magazines will help me for ideas for my own magazine because I can see what goes well with the genre of my own magazine from real magazines. I will look at magazines that are similar to what I want to create and some that are total opposites. From this research, I can begin to plan my own magazine cover.

Week 4: After the cover itself, I will start to move on to contents pages. I will look at a vast amount of contents pages to get as much ideas as possible. I aim to find out the different types of layouts like the feature list, image and others are arranged onto the page conventionally. This will allow me to make my own one from the information.

Week 5: Then I will move on to the double page spread. I will look at many different ones to see how certain magazines spread out their main story. I want to get a better understanding because I believe that different magazines lay out their double page spread according to the genre of the magazine. I will choose magazines that have different brand values and ideologies. I will then plan the double page spread, looking at the language used to appeal to the target audience.

Week 6: For this week, I will look at magazine mastheads, and give myself options for the final magazine. I will use lots of different colours and font styles to see which type of masthead would work for my magazine. After that, I will make a decision on which masthead works the best for my magazine and explain my decision. Then I will look at the conventions of other magazines and how they have placed everything, then decide on the straplines and what appeals to my audience, along with different colours and font.

Week 7: Once I have found my perfect mastheads and straplines, I will look at finding images for my magazine. The image is a very important part of the magazine cover, contents page and double page spread, so my photos have to be excellent: The styling has to be great. I will take multiple photos and the one that I’m happiest with I will use them for all of the projects involved. Then I will use Photoshop to alter all of the pictures to my liking like contrast and brightness. I can compare what works best for my magazine.

Week 8: I will assess the end results and see if I am happy with the cover, contents page and double page spread, and make adjustments if needed.

Mock-Up Contents page

List of FeaturesI decided to put my list of features on the right hand side like VIBE magazine. This is important because it informs readers of what they will read inside.Main

imageThe main image lets the audience know who is the main attraction of the main article is about.

SloganLots of magazines have a catchy slogan that readers remember about their magazine.

DateThe date lets readers know

what edition of magazine they are reading.

Magazines do this because they release monthly.

The age of my audience will be from 16-25 year olds, the gender of the magazine will be of both genders almost equal to each other and the level of ABC1% readers will be reasonably varied; I would say about 50-60%. My magazine will be more like VIBE than any other magazine. It will also have aspects of XXL too. It will be like VIBE because they have a huge focus on urban culture outside of music like fashion and media. They focus on Soul and R&B music as well as Rap and Hip-Hop which is a huge passion of mine. The audience of VIBE is of both men and women, their audience are interested in entertainment, culture and fashion. My audience are interested in fashion and design. I will release my magazine once a month like VIBE would because a monthly release of my magazine means that the quality of it is of a higher standard. This builds up the anticipation levels of the audience because they are forced to wait longer for the next one. My audience will be interested in seeing pictures of famous musicians, reading celebrity secrets, likes to read magazines, be interested in rappers such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z and singers like Ciara and Brandy. They like going to see concerts, seeing studios, meeting famous artists and travelling. Other ways to classify my audience would be by their attitude and mind-set, their ethnicity and the region they live in. The mind-set of my audience is they are passionate lovers of music and the urban culture behind it. They are determined to know everything about this by reading the magazine. With ethnicity, I mean the difference races who read my magazine like White British and Black British. And the percentages of those audiences that read it. With region, I mean the different areas of the UK and how much they read it and the other continents like Europe and Africa. I based my audience upon the results of my questionnaire and my general ideas.

Audience Profile

Masthead Ideas

LIVEMST – Music Station

I have chosen this name for my magazine because I believe that this name connotes the style of my magazine. In terms of colloquialisms, the word LIVE suggests something fun and enjoyable. My magazine aims to be exactly that in the way it is represented. Also, the name is similar to VIBE which is the magazine which my magazine has the most inspiration from.

I have chosen this name because It is catchy and goes with some of the conventions of a music magazine. The MST abbreviation is popular amongst lots of famous music magazines like XXL and NME. The word station is commonly used in music to describe the name of radio companies, so I thought it would be conventional to include it in the name of the magazine.

Masthead fonts

MST

MST

MST

MSTMST

This idea of fonts are so that my magazine looks like a decent blend of something that looks serious but also laid back at the same time. The masthead will be as usual on the top, but because it’s not very long I will align it towards the left of the magazine cover so that it will look more professional. Out of there fonts, I have to say that my favourites are Bauhaus 93 and Verdana because they fit the conventions the most and they look very appealing to me.

Masthead fonts

LIVELIVELIVELIVE

LIVE

These fonts I believe will be the perfect ones for my magazine because I want my magazine to be simple but nice and clean looking. I believe that all of these fonts achieve the simple, nice and clean look that I am aiming for. My favourite fonts are Narkisim and Bodoni MT Black because they look the nicest to me and they fit the conventions that I am trying to achieve with the making of the magazine. I have decided to use LIVE as my masthead because I believe that that title is more suited for my magazine because of the conventions of my magazine suit this name. My magazine fits the conventions of the name live.

Strapline Ideas

More Than a Woman - Main Strapline

The cover star of my magazine will be a woman, so this strapline seems perfect for my magazine. The magazine will be music linked so I decided to use a strapline that relates to music. “More Than a Woman” is the title of a famous song by the singer Aaliyah. The reason for the strapline is that it will give anchorage for the image which will be of a woman that is multi talented: She can sing and play instruments. The strapline is suggesting that the woman can do much more than just look pretty, but incredible things with her voice and with her hands on an instrument. This will be the main strapline in my magazine and it will sit underneath the image in bigger font size than everything else but the title. The word “More” will be in bold and underlined in order to exasperate what is meant by the strapline and the word “Woman” would be in a feminine colour like a purple or pink.

What to Wear?

As my magazine will try to explore music as a culture rather than just its lyrics. This is why I have decided to include this strapline in my list of ideas. There’s some alliteration with the words “what” and “wear”; alliteration is fun to read because it brings a little laid back light-hearted feel to it. It will be about getting people to know about the latest trends and what musicians recommend that people wear.

The best thing to happen to music since MJ

For my next strapline, it will be about the cover star and how they are a brilliant influence to music. So much so that they can be compared to the King of Pop Michael Jackson. The strapline will provide anchorage for the image by explaining who it is and why they are so important. I have chosen to mention Michael Jackson because he contributed the most to music out of my favourite musicians. Although he has passed away, he still remains the biggest influence to me musically. Also using MJ will attract more people to read the magazine because he is a huge name in music. The word “best” will be in bold or in a different colour to represent the superlative in a more open way. Also Michael Jackson’s name will also be in a different colour to represent his star power.

‘90’s or ’00’s: Which era is best?

The last strapline will be of two eras of music. The ‘90’s and the ‘00’s. It will be a part on which of the two produced the best Hip-Hop and R&B music. The 90’s and 00’s bit will be in the biggest font size and be in bold letters, which represents the subject matter in a more clear, visible way. In magazines in general, the convention is to have numbers on the cover, so that explains my decision to include numbers. I believe that this is a perfect strapline for my magazine because my audience are teenagers who are obviously interested in music from the 00’s and possibly from the 90’s too. The music will be from both singers and rappers which conforms to the aims of my magazine: for males and females.

These images are the choices that I have for the magazine cover I am going to create for coursework. I explored different poses and props to see which would fit the magazine the best. I used face on mode of address along with side on photos. Also with and without headphones for a more casual appearance.

Process of images

After inspecting all of the images from the pictures I took, I decided on this image for my front cover.

Mock upsMastheadThe masthead is the name of the magazine. This is usually placed at the top of the magazine and spread across the whole page. This makes it clear to the reader and makes the name more memorable.

StraplinesMy straplines are

along the sides which is how most

magazines position their straplines on magazine covers.

They are brief, catchy passages that inform

about the stories.

Main ImageMy main image is right in the middle of the cover. Almost all magazines have their main image, because it makes it the centre of attention which is correct because it links to the main story.

Main straplineThe main strapline

goes towards the bottom of the page

conventionally. Mine will be in a large font and a

colour suited to the magazine.

Web linkSome magazines have their website on the front cover. I liked the idea and decided to use it.

FeaturesThe list of features is normally on the side of the contents page. This is to accommodate for the image being very large and taking up lots of space.

Main imageThe main image is

massive on the contents page; it

takes up most of the contents pages’

space. It shows who is the subject of the

main story in the magazine.

ContentsThis normally goes

on the top of the contents page

which makes it more clear to the

reader. Also it is usually on the

right hand side of the page.

Web linkWeb links are optional on a

contents page, but I like the

idea so I included it.

Main imageIn a double page spread, there is a lot of space reserved for the main image. Conventionally half a page is used for the image.

ArticleThe story of the double page spread. This is usually on the right hand side of the spread. It fills up half of the page as well.

Web linkThe web link is sometimes on the bottom of the magazine, and to one side. This keeps it out of the way of the main features but still in view.

Cross headMagazines like VIBE use the idea of a cross head to briefly introduce their story to readers. I liked the idea of a cross head, so I used it in my DPS.

Page number

Language used in DPS

In my double page spread, I have opted to produce an interview with the cover star: A famous musician. The musician is asked questions about her life in music and outside of it so readers can get an exclusive insight on her life. The interview is a blend between formal and informal because the questions are just asking you about a topic, but they allow you to expand your answer further past just a “yes” or a “no”.

Some questions link to the production of the magazine itself such as the first question on the album and the tribute edition question. While other questions relate to music like the musical influences and collaborations question.

Questions

First of all, how do you feel about your new album “More Than a Woman?”

Who are your musical influences?

What songs do you sing in the shower?

How do you feel about R&B’s sexualised style?

What is your best collaboration and somebody who you would like to collaborate with

one day?

What do you think of the idea of the Tribute Edition to Aaliyah, Michael Jackson, 2Pac

and The Notorious B.I.G.?

How much time do you spend with your family?

Technology

I will use a Canon SLR to take the photos of the cover star that I will have on the magazine project.

I will use two software's on Adobe called Photoshop and InDesign. Photoshop will be used just for the front cover, the first project of the coursework. InDesign will be used for the final two projects: The Contents page and the Double page spread.

Link to My Evaluation

http://prezi.com/jidlpp1jw3f7/as-media-studies-evaluation/

My ProjectsMagazine Cover, Contents Page and Double Page

Spread.