Front Cover

Looking at text

Whilst looking at the different texts for my magazine, I showed some fellow pupils the following image and asked them to decide what text the liked.

A majority of the people I asked said that they preferred "AutographS Bold". So I have decided that will be the main text for my magazine headings and sub-headings.

Planning a shoot

When planning the shoot for my front cover, I will take the following things into account:

• Lighting - The use of light is crucial to an images mood/feel
• Composition - How the image is composed e.g. Too the left looking at a guitar
• Props - What items should the subject be using (If any)
• Location - e.g. And old factory that doesn’t work anymore 
• Equipment - Camera, lights etc.
• Subject - Choosing a subject is important because he/she will be a large factor in which target audience will purchase the magazine.

Composition
Subject will be in the middle of the image looking at the camera, and his full body will be shown. His eyes looking directly into the camera will draw the viewers attention because its attention grabbing to see someone lookin at you.
Props
No props just to increase the focus on the subject and not draw your eye away from the main story.

Location
In the studio, or a place with a plain background.  This will make it easier for the subject to stand out and make him/her more in focus.

Equipment
Nikon D5000 dslr
Studio lights
Studio

Subject
The subject will have a "rock" look about them e.g. Long hair + Wearing a hoody/jacket.

Magazine Analysis

Analyzing a front cover 

This cover by "NME" grabs the attention of the viewer by:

• Using multiple images
• Using a big bold text that stands out from the background
• The subject of the background image is looking down the lens
• They have used different colors in their text to add emphasis to bands and important quotes
• Used emotive words like "revealed" and "Inside"

I think that the target audience is boys around the age of 14 - 18 because:
The publisher has decided to use colors that are connoted with boys e.g. blue, yellow and white. They have played on the stereotype that young people like to get drunk, by using the text "When in Rome, Get drunk with...". Also its trying to appeal to a indie style market, which is predominantly men.

Analyzing a contents page

One of the first things you notice about this page is the big, bold text saying "contents" in the top right hand corner. This is added to inform the reader of what they are looking at. Also the style of the contents box is the same as all the writing inside a "kerrang" magazine. By doing this the editor is reinforcing the house-style of magazine so the readers become familiar with it and relate those colors to the magazine. The images on this page make up a majority of the space available because they catch the eye of the reader better than text. Although, the readers are required to read the text on/underneath the images because it will give them some information on what the article is about and what page its on. Another thing that has been added to this contents page is an editors snippet. The magazine company's like to do this, because it makes the reader feel more involved in the magazine. This makes the reader think they have some inside knowledge that no-one else has. By seeing this the reader is encouraged to come back because it feels more personal.

Analyzing a double-page spread

  This double page spread is very much a two sided affair. On the left hand side you have a attention grabbing full page picture and on the right you have some articles which are mainly oriented towards the image on the left. On the left hand side you have a small amount of text that gives you some quick information on the band. The color scheme used here is also used through out the double page spread (Blue, black and white). Another interesting feature is the title that goes across the spread. This draws your eye along to each side of the magazine. The title fonts are big and bold, with a contrasting background to help the information stand out.

Choosing a Title

Titles for the music magazine normally use a pun in the title or have some correlation with their subject genre e.g. "Kerrang", "Vibe", "Off - Beat" etc. The title is crucial for a magazine because it becomes a brand and represents the magazine as a whole.

Because the genre I have chosen is rock, I came up with some titles that are related to my genre.

1. "Twang!"
2. "Heavy Beat"
3. "Base-Line"

After asking a few of my fellow pupils we concurred that "Base-Line" was the best Title, mainly because in incorporates a pun, but also because it rolls off the tounge.

Time Management

Using my planner I can keep too a plan, set myself goals and stick to any of my deadlines.

Target Audience Research

Who?
The people who will by a rock music magazine are people from the age range of 14 - 18 and a majority of the purchases will be by boys.

Why?
The people who will by the magazine will usually buy it because it covers there musical taste. The people who enjoy rock/indie music are usually in the bracket of 14 - 18 year old boys.

Pricing
I asked 10 people their thoughts on pricing of the magazine.
How much money would you spend on a music magazine?

• 1p - 99p
• £1 - £1.99**
• £2 - £2.99******
• £3 - £3.99**
• £4 - £4.99*
• £5 +

Result
As a result of the test I have decided to price my magazine at £2.49. I chose the price because most magazines are at around £2.99 so they buyer would feel like they got a good deal.