Fonts

I am still a bit undecided about the font I will use for my front cover but I have three possibilities; Hydrogen, Pulse Sans Virgin or Astigma. I am planning on writing Digital in one font and Distortion in another but I will have to test this first because I do not want it to look messy. I asked some of my peers their opinion on the matter and there was a mixed response. Some thought it would look good but a couple were unsure and thought it would look unprofessional. The font choices I have chosen remind me of synthesizers and digital type music and also show energy, so I think they will appeal to my target audience. For headings to articles and interviews I am going to use a bold sans serif font like Ariel as it catches the readers eye and matches the bold feel to my magazine. As for main bodies of text I am going to use a serif typeface because it is easier to read large portions of writing in this typeface.

Since writing the first part to this blog, I then did some further looking through fonts on www.dafont.com. I found a font almost the same as the one I have designed for my flat plan. The font is called DeLarge and I plan to use it for the whole of my title on the front cover as well as the contents title. By keeping the font consistent I think it makes my magazine seem more professional. The font works for my magazine as it looks slightly digital as well as unusual. And I think this will appeal to my audience. When asking peers for their feedback on my font choice it was 100% positive and everyone agreed it worked in my magazine. I have also looked into some simple fonts for my main text and have decided on using Franklin Gothic Medium. I didn't want to use Aerial because I thought it was too boring and plain and if I used a different font it could be identified to my magazine if seen elsewhere by the readers.

Flat Plans

FRONT COVER
From my flat plans you can see that for my front cover I have chosen to cover the front page with a large image of an "artist". This will take up most of my front cover. My Brand logo will also be larger then some conventional magazines like NME or Q. But it is about the same size as Kerrang!s. Also for my front cover I am not having any main sells like a conventional magazine, instead I am going to rely on my bold image to sell my magazine. On my flat plan I have left room at the bottom for text which I might include. This would just be a small list or strap line of bands that my magazine will include, as they do on the front covers to NME and Kerrang! otherwise readers might not straight away guess the genre of music my magazine is. The image I will use for my front cover will be bright and colourful so that it appeals to my student/teen target audience. It will portray energy and fun but with an air of seriousness which relates to the genre of music my magazine is about. My barcode and price will go on the back of my magazine as I want the fornt to seel by just the image and look simplistic. I would then put the date and issue number on the spine of the magazine. This is different for a magzine but could confuse someone who was to pick it up in a shop.
CONTENTS
For my contents I will have Contents written in the same font as my brand logo aswell as the name of my magazine shortened to DD before it says Contents. I will then have a band index down the right hand side of my page. Then down the left hand side of my page I will have the contents of what my magazine includes with page numbers. The contents will be fairly vague but will tell you all the main articles and interviews in the magazine. The rest of the page is taken up by 3 images of a band. Over the top of these images will be some lyrics from one of their songs. The layout to this page is fairly similar to the contents of NME that I analysed but I will be using more images with less information.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD
For my double page spread I will be using two large images which are joined. These images will take up the whole page but there will be space down the middle for text or the interview. The title to the article will be central and there will be a quote from the interview running across the page. The two images I am using are my versions of the bands front covers. I am planning ot remake them in Photoshop. I would also like to scan glitter or sequins into the corner of my double page spread to give it a unconventional twist, catching the readers attention.

Analysis of Existing Magazines

2 Magazine Covers

The first magazine cover I am going to analyse is an NME front cover.
The New Musical Express gives the impression that this magazine is more like a newspaper for new music as it uses the word express, more normally used with newspapers. This title lets readers know that this is the magazine you should read if you want to learn about new music first.

For this front cover they have used their normal block outlined print for its title. They have then used a mixture of bold and italic writing for the main flashes as well as mixing sans serif and serif font. This gives the main flashes a punk like feel to them which matches the text. The subheadings are written in a bold sans serif font.

The main colours on this front cover are reds, blacks, whites and yellow. These colours are all very bold and contrast each other. The use of bold colours matches the bold picture and message that this artist is giving off. All the colours match the image for instance, the red in the main title matches the person in the images lipstick. They have then used this colour for the main sell and for some of the smaller sub headings, as well as the background on the smaller images. Apart form these 4 colours, there isn't really the use of any of colours, they have kept it simple but bold so that it will catch the eye of a passer by and make them want to pick it up and read it. The colours used are not only bold, but quite unisex colours, which helps the magazine relate to one if its key demographic groups of males, (69% of NME readers are male.) and females.

The language used in the main sell is informal and is supposed to have a punk/teen feel to it, "Kiss my ass!". This appeals to one of NME's key demographic groups, where 50% of their readers are between the ages of 16-24, meaning they can relate to this young slang. The rest of the text is mostly names of artists, meaning that readers are to have an assumed knowledge of some of the bands and that these bands will appeal to its audience.

The image on the front cover is supposed to be an "in your face" picture. Beth Ditto has posed in a pin up style way which is normally only posed by the stick thin models in men's magazines because she wants to let people know she is proud of her larger size image and wants to flaunt it. Also you do not normally see nude pictures on the front of music magazines, so this image would catch readers eyes. Her facial expression is the same as you would see in a pin up style photograph. This magazine cover was extremely popular because of its distinct cover and helped Beth Ditto become very popular in other aspects of the media.

The main sells on this magazine is the interview with Beth Ditto, New Music Posters and the Kaiser Chiefs interviewing Paul McCartney. The magazine also has a bar code in the bottom right hand corner, a date and price of £2.20 next to the bar code, as well as NME's website (http://www.nme.com/) underneath it.


The magazine has the name Kerrang! because it is a rock magazine and Kerrang sounds like a guitar when you strum on it. A guitar is the most common instrument in a rock band. The tagline is then written over the top of one corner of the title. It reads, "Life is Loud". This matches the genre of the magazine and matches the main title.

The title and the main sell is written in a bold, fractured font. The title size is similar to the main sell size which isn't always that common on magazine front covers. Other fonts used are a bold, sans serif font for all the subheadings. The font and boldness gives you an impression of what genre music the magazine writes about (rock/heavy metal, e.t.c).

The main colours on the front cover of this magazine are red, black, white and yellow. The use of yellow as the background to some of the text matches the yellow lighting in the main image and the red matches the outfit that Matt Bellamy is wearing in the main image. The White and black is used in the main sell and the title. These are the two boldest colours and catch peoples eyes when they look at the cover. Also all the colours contrast each other, helping it look bolder. These colours are also unisex, this helps as Kerrang!'s readership is of the male majority but does have a high female readership. I have looked at figures from NRS.com to discover what the main demographic groups were for both magazines.

There is a mixture of formal and informal language used on the cover. This appeals to the main demographic group of 16-44 year olds as informal language would not appeal entirely to an older audience. The magazine uses mostly formal apart for when they are quoting an artist. There isn't much text on the cover. Most of the text is names of bands and artists. This also means that the magazine assumes that readers have a understanding and knowledge of its music as these bands are supposed to catch people's eyes.

The image on the front cover shows a live picture of Matt Bellamy performing with Muse at one of their concerts. There is other small images down the left side hand side of other bands performing live, like My Chemical Romance, Greenday and Metallica. These images all match the main sell of, "100 greatest gigs ever!". The images they have used are not posed and all have natural facial expressions as the artists are photographed performing. The artists used on the cover are all quite large stars internationally which would encourage people to want to read it. The main sell is "100 greatest gigs" and there is a smaller subheading of, "The Black Crusade Vs Taste of Chaos".

On the front cover there is a price of £2.10, a date, a bar code, a issue number and the Kerrang! website. These are all int he bottom right hand corner in a white box.

Contents Page

The NME contents page is very clear and detailed which is how a contents page should be. It is supposed to be a simple and easy to follow as it gives the reader information on what is inside the magazine. It is split into two sections. There is a bands index of which bands you will see on each page and then there is a more detailed contents on what interviews/articles and features there is in the issue. The band index is for the convenience of the reader and for first time buyers as the bands in the index could appeal to that reader.

There is a medium sized image in the centre of the page which illustrates a event from the week with a very small article underneath describing something interesting that has also happened this week. This isn't a main article and isn't from the same shoot as the main image on the cover but it illustrates some importance in the magazine.

Underneath that is a medium sized advertisement for subscribing to NME. The advertisement is white and yellow writing on a black background so that it stands out to the reader and helps the magazine gain possible subscribers. Some things listed int he contents have arrows to the right of them to indicate that these were featured on the front cover.

The colour scheme is consistent with the front cover but the colours are more plain and less bold as this page is more informative then eye catching. It uses a bold, sans serif font for text on this page.

Double Page Spread

This is a double page spread from NME. It uses a pull out quote from the interview for the title which dominates just under half the spread, with the other half being covered by a medium close up shot of Lily Allen. This is the only image on the double page spread. The drop quote is written like a newspaper headline that has been cut up and swapped around. The font for the feature headline/pull quote is the same style and font as the main cover line on the front cover. It gives a sort of punk look to the title which matches the image of Lily Allen. Lily Allen is wearing tartan and her short, quirky, black hair matches the punky feel to the photograph. This is also portrayed in her thick black eyeliner as well. Lily Allen has her wrists positioned in a way that shows off her tattoo, which shows her rebellious side. Lily Allen is making eye contact with the camera which is normal for magazine photos as it draws the readers attention and her face is quite expressionless connoting that she is strong and independent.

There isn't much of the interview text on the page but the text does start with a drop capital and the interview does continue on the next page. The spread mainly uses black, white and red as the colour scheme. This matches the main colour scheme that is per usual throughout NME magazine (where this double page spread is from). The text is in four same sized columns separated with gutters. There is a white, uncluttered back ground which helps make sure the reader keeps their attention on the text and the photo. This double page spread would appeal to teenagers which is the target audience for NME as Lily Allens music appeals to the younger audience and the general layout and rebellious feel to it also helps engage the teenage audience.

(All demographics were taken from figures on www.nme.com/mediapack/ or NRS.com)

Target Audience

My target audience is both males and females between the ages of 16-25 who are interested in the Electro/Pop genre of music. I decided to research into my genre a little further; researching current artists, the background of the genre and influences of the current revival of electropop.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0BwxYNy6Gbf9BNDBhNjU3ZGQtNmQ0Yi00N2M3LThjZmYtMzg1NmU3NjNlYWU1&hl=en

A typical reader of my music magazine would be someone in their late teens, like a student, who enjoys listening to music which is less mainstream and more experimental then ordinary music. The magazine will include bands and artists which aren't as well known and probably aren't in the charts as well as very well known artists.

The Demographic factor I need to consider is the social status of who my magazine is aimed at. I think it would appeal to audiences in the BCD social status. This is because my magazine will not be cheap but I think people will be willing to pay more as it is a niche/specialised genre and there is no other well known magazines for this genre just yet. Also as it is aimed at the student age group and teens, they have a larger disposable income because of parents giving them money and at that age some teens have got part time jobs. This means my target audience would be able to afford the magazine.

I have looked on http://www.nrs.co.uk/ at their media packs for magazines with a similar genre of the magazine I am going to make. I looked at the target audience and reader figures for NME magazine and Kerrang!. Although the two magazines aren't quite of the same genre music that my magazine will be, they do feature bands that I will feature in mine.

In this table it shows the general week periodicals for lots of different magazines. It shows that NME have around 388000 readers on a weekly basis and Kerrang! has around 417000. Both magazines have more readers in the ABC socio economic classification group. This assures me that my magazine will appeal to my target audience as my magazine will be similar to these. Although both these magazines are unisex, both magazines have a larger audience from boys. Less then half of readers of Kerrang! are girls and less then a third for NME.

After researching on NRS I then went onto IPCmedia.com to see if their figures were the same as NRS. On IPC I found a reader profile for NME readers.

These figures back up the points I made earlier about NME's readers but also shows that the magazine is read more by full time employees then people who are still in education or working part time. I wanted my magazine aimed more at students which possibly means that NME is priced to high. This helps me to decide a price for the magazine I will produce so that it appeals more to students and part time workers.

Introduction to Main Coursework

For my main coursework task I will have to design and make a front cover, a contents and a double page spread for a music magazine. The genre of music I will be focusing on will be electro music and the target audience for my music magazine are males and females between the ages of 16 - 25.

This task will be a development of my skills form the preliminary task of making a college magazine.

Evaluation

I think my college magazine has been quite successful. I have managed to stick to my flat plan design very well and I think this magazine cover, if I made a few small changes, would appeal to the art students at Lewes, which was my target audience. I asked my friend, who is an art student at Lewes and he really liked my choice of fonts and how I have used lots of different styles but he thought my photograph could have been more art related, which I agreed with as at the moment it has no relation to my target audience.

If I was to do this again I would spend more time on my picture choice and make it have an appropriate background so it appealed to my target audience. I would maybe choose a photo from the art department of someone painting or some pictures from one of the art exhibitions. However, because of the time of year this wasn't possible and I couldn't interrupt a lesson to take photos. My picture has also become pixelated when I stretched it to cover the space on my front cover, this was due to the camera I used but in the future I will make sure I use a better camera so that it would not go pixelated. I would also change how I presented the main sells on my front cover because at the moment they have white backgrounds which overlap my picture and this looks messy.

I am very happy with my contents page but the alignment of the numbers with the writing isn't quite straight and would need to be sorted if I did it again. I would also change my idea of a white background as I think that the contents and front cover are maybe too simplistic for an art magazine.

Apart from these, I am very pleased with all the other elements of my front cover. I am especially happy with my title on the front cover. I think it looks artistic and would definitely appeal to my target audience. I also like my layout on my contents page as I like the contrast between the contents and the front cover. I enjoyed searching for all my fonts and taking my own pictures but I did not enjoy using In design as it felt awkward to use as I am unfamiliar to it. Also I felt you couldn't do much artistically because there wasn't enough options to do so. I would have preferred to have made the magazine in Photoshop as I was more familiar with the programme and it has a much larger variety of options and tools to be creative.

Flat Plans

Before I drew up my Flat Plans, I made a spider diagram of ideas and sketches for what I could do. This included ideas for the name, logos, the title, the contents page, the fonts and ideas for what the magazine could include. This helped me choose the title for my magazine and the layout I liked. I chose the name The Martlet for my magazine because a Martlet is a bird that is on the crest of Sussex and it also has the word 'Art' in it, which corrosponds with my target audience.

For my title I chose to use a diferent font for every letter, each very different but with an artistic feel. This would draw attetention to the title and would appeal to the target audience of Lewes Art Students. My medium close up picture will be in the right of the page and will take up a majority of the front page. I have chosen three main stories for the front cover which are; "Fresher Party Pictures", "Student Elections" and "Art Trips 09/10". I thought these would all appeal to the target audience. I have drawn a sussex downs logo in the bottom left hand corner but because I will not be able to get the permission to use it in time for the hand in date, I don't think I will be able to use it. I have written. I think this should appeal to the art students because of the large picture, the artistic font and the main sells at the side of the page.

For my contents page I have planned to make the layout contrast with the front cover. The title will now be down the side in a large block font. The name of the magazine and the issue number will also be displayed at the top of the page, but in a unfancy font which I havent decided quite yet. For the typing on the page I will write it in a sans serif typeface (Century Gothic) and make the first letter of each word to be in normal type and the rest of the word in capital letters. This is just to intrest the target audience as its different and quirky. The page numbers will be written in in a block type print aswell but not the same as the contents print.

Photographs

For my front cover photograph I had to take a photo of a student. The picture had to be a medium close up and I chose to take the photo face on for simplicity and because low angle shots make the person look intimidating and high angle shots make someone seem inferior. I took two photographs with different frames (landscape and portrait) as I was unsure at the time of how I would design my front cover.

My picture was taken in the main hallway of the college as it is a well lighted area and also because I wanted a college logo in the background of my picture. Although I have the logo in the background, I also have other things which make the background seem messy, (the poster, the top of a table and chair), and if I was to do it again I would photoshop out parts I disliked or would have chosen a tidier background. I would also look for a college logo without any writing below it, as I feel this would make the picture smarter and more about the college as a whole. I didn't dress up the person in my photo because I wanted them to look natural and I also had her smiling as it made the front cover more cheerey. I experimented with whether to have the photo portrait or landscape, as I wasn't 100% sure at the time on the exact layout I was going to do for my magazine.

Introduction

I have been asked to design a Lewes College magazine for a target audience of my choice. I have to design the front cover using a photo that I have taken myself and a contents page. My college magazine will be aimed at Art Students at Lewes.