Friday 9 May 2014
7. Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the process from it to the full product?
Given that I constructed my preliminary task before undergoing any research or planning meant that looking back I can see just how dismal my school magazine was. I had not yet understood the expected form of a magazine or how to arrange things in order to appeal directly to my demographic meaning that the sales of that magazine would have been very low and unsuccessful.
I have come to realise that understanding the audience is key. Yet when creating these pages I had not done any research into my demographics' lifestyle, wants or needs from a school magazine. My qualitative and quantitative research into my demographic was vital in furthering my understanding of what my audience wanted from a magazine and therefore helped me to construct a more successful mode of address that would appeal to them for the main piece. The qualitative audience research focus group was incredibly helpful as it meant that I could gather rich, detailed answers from my demographic rather than just pre-written answers ticked from a selection which was what I received from my quantitative survey that I conducted using ‘Question Pro’.
My research into existing texts was vital as it helped me to understand the codes and conventions in detail and therefore take that knowledge of your audience (from my research) and use it to design the mode of address of a magazine that they would want to read. The in-depth analysis I conducted into three different front covers, contents pages and double page spreads all helped to advance my understanding of music magazine conventions and how they were codified to entice a certain demographic.
Among other things my technical skills with photo shop and publisher developed and improved the most from the preliminary to the final task. I learnt how to manipulate images fully in order to make them hyper real and also how to adjust them in order to make them appear more professional and of a higher standard. As well as this I became more confident when it came to using Microsoft Publisher and found it easier to crop images, place them according to the text and also became better at arranging textboxes and designing pages to make them appear as professional as possible.
It was also apparent that focussed audiences are much easier to target. With my preliminary task I had to make my magazine appeal to students, teachers and parents which is very difficult as they all look for different things they would expect of a school magazine. Thus when it came to constructing my main task I was able to take more time and conduct more research into my demographic as well as having a better understanding when it came to designing my pages to make them the best they could be in order to appeal to my niche audience.
The Process
6. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
The main pieces of technology used in creating my product were a camera, Adobe photo shop CS6 and Microsoft publisher. The camera I used was a Canon eos 600d, it took professional looking photos that came out in good quality. I used the sport action setting which meant that if I held down the capture button it would take a succession of photos depending on how long I held the button for. This came in very handy because if there was a certain pose I liked yet the model was blinking during one shot I could just pick another one of exactly the same pose in which he was not blinking. It also saved time and meant I would not have to conduct a photo shoot as I had a lot of images to choose from when constructing my pages.
When it came to using photo shop I made some decisions that were different and not generally expected of a professional magazine. Rather than drastically alter my images I decided to simply adjust the shadows and brightness instead in order to prove that my magazine is more about content rather than how aesthetically pleasing it is to the reader. This would instantly label my magazine as different and unlike other magazines available on the market.
Publisher was quite a simple software to use when it came to the actual construction of my pages. It was very easy to arrange textboxes and images in order to look most attractive to the audience. Internet research of other magazines and the annotations I did of existing magazines helped greatly in deciding the placement of words etc. on my magazine. Also, it was easy for me to pick up on things that could be done differently or things that had to be included given the expected design of magazines e.g. barcode, masthead.
However, it was not just in the construction phase that I used a lot of technology. During the research phase I used social media and an online questionnaire (created with the website ‘Question Pro’) in order to study my audience and form a sufficient audience profile. I also used the internet to research existing texts so that when it eventually came down to construction I had a sound idea of what needed to be done. This was massively advantageous as it meant the research could be done quickly and without much difficulty. Other than this, I used digital media technology for the evaluation- my blog. I used the site ‘Blogger’ which proved to be quite easy to work with; it was simple to upload text and images to form posts.
I learnt some very useful things during the overall coursework process. I discovered to what extent images can be manipulated in order to make them hyper real and also just how important the audience is in deciding how to create my magazine according to the genre of music I had chosen.
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
In order to successfully attract my audience I had to think carefully about what they wanted and needed from a magazine. Using ‘Malsow's Hierarchy of Needs’ it became apparent that what people require in order to live are aspirations, confidence, creativity etc. all of which my magazine could offer. By displaying famous artists with undeniable talent my magazine would be giving the readers hope and fuel for their dreams and desires. Essentially when the audience buys my magazine they are buying a little piece of that dream.
By considering the ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory', there could be a number of reasons for consumers to be buying my product. The ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory’ is a theory that centres on the understanding of why people use media. It is based on the premise that the modern audience are not passive consumers of the media. Instead they choose what media to buy and how it will thus integrate into their own lives providing them either with sources of entertainment, education, social affairs, current affairs and information. The demographic buying my magazine would either wish to be entertained by funny articles/their favourite bands or wish to escape from everyday life and so immerse themselves in the images and content of my magazine. Otherwise they may simply want information, such as tour dates, album releases or details regarding their preferred artists. Also, by staying up to date with these sorts of things it helps to ensure a certain degree of social interaction. After reading up on what is going on within the rock genre it means friends can talk about bands and music together and even form a deeper relationship based on mutual likes and tastes. The final reason for buying my magazine would be personal identification. As humans we generally like to identify personally with our idols and to draw similarities parallel to them as well as aspiring to be just like them. I believe that the most important one to consider is social interaction as it not only benefits the audience but will be extremely advantageous to my magazine given that sales would increase simply due to word of mouth which is completely free advertising.
A different from of interaction I can offer my reader is via exchange, which is when magazines offer readers the opportunity to contribute and interact with the text in order to make them feel like they are part of the magazine. Exchange means that we are no longer passive recipients of the text. Due to web 2.0, the public has become more interactive given that we can now upload videos to ‘YouTube’, statuses on ‘Facebook’, form playlists on ‘Spotify’ and much more which is completely free and easy to do. This means that an old media text (magazine) has to evolve to incorporate this level of interactivity in order to compete with newer magazines. Some ways to encourage exchange would be to have a competition in which reader's make their own music videos and upload them to ‘YouTube’ with a prize offered to the best one. Also, in the way of user drive content readers could submit online reviews of new albums or gigs which would then in turn get published in the next issue of the magazine if good enough. Regarding my magazine, on my contents page I have sections for competitions, live reviews and album reviews which all help boost the idea of exchange among my audience.
Due to the sheer amount of channels and radio stations now available to the audience, audiences are now fractured meaning that it is harder to target a specific demographic given how divided reader's are. However, one way to overcome this is by having a multi-platform approach meaning that various accounts for my magazine are created on ‘Twitter’, ‘Instagram’, ‘Facebook’, ‘YouTube’, ‘Spotify’ etc. Thus I will have a better chance of targeting my audience if I have some sort of form of recognition on each social media platform. If my magazine becomes successful enough, eventually like ‘Kerrang!’ magazine it could have its own music channel and radio station specifically for the niche audience that make up my demographic.
Another key way to create more publicity for my magazine is by using synergy. This is when a mutually beneficial relationship is created between two texts. For example, I could have a page used to advertise another magazine and then that magazine in turn would have a page publicising my brand. This means that we would both get more fans from each other's products coming to check out something recommended by a magazine they trust and enjoy reading. One of the ways I chose to encourage exchange within my magazine was to provide a code on the contents page which can then be used online to get a free exclusive acoustic music download. This means that the reader would have to visit the magazine's site in order to actually get the download and so would hopefully spend some time on the website whilst there.
The language used would also be important in enticing my audience thus meaning that my choice of buzzwords would have to be considered carefully. Also by using colloquialisms my magazine will be seen as something informal and personal for reader's to enjoy rather than something talking down to them which would deeply aggravate my demographic given that they are teenagers. By considering this approach I am building a sense of community around my brand. I am inviting the audience to be a part of something centred on a mutual love for rock music.
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
The general consensus is that my audience will be young, white males who have a great deal of passion for rock music. They will probably be slightly rebellious and trendy and looking for a source of escapism by reading 'Awake'. Also, this audience are likely to be going to concerts regularly and are the type to always have their headphones in no matter where they are. They are probably up to date with fashion yet would still wear their own thing and do their own thing in order to be considered unique and apart from the majority of their friends who are probably very mainstream in comparison. Regarding the ABC1 demographic my audience would probably fit into the C1 category which are compromised of skilled workers such as engineers, plumbers etc. Even though my audience would not be working their parents would which is where most of their money would come from. Most advertising is aimed at the A, C and C1 category as these are the type of people who would thus have enough money to spend on things like magazines, etc. However, this model has now become outdated as barriers in society are not as rigid anymore. There is a new system now in place called 'Consumer Profiling'. This is where the audience are categorised by their personalities rather than their earnings. The main groups I will be targeting are aspirers, and explorers. Teenagers and young people are generally aspirers as they have no power/control they aspire to be powerful. This group normally have an icon that they want to be like and always want to be better than who they are. Explorers are similar to aspirers yet they are more adventurous, willing to try new things and keener to break away from the norms of society (which fits in well with the uniqueness of my demographic).
The results from my quantitative audience survey helped to give me a clear understanding and idea of who my demographic would be. As I was already thinking of constructing a magazine centred around rock music, I thought that it would be best to aim my magazine at young, white males as these are the types of people who would usually listen to rock music. The age range I chose for my magazine was 16-23 year olds. This meant I would have to use colloquial language to appeal to this audience and that I would be competing with other magazines such as The NME and Kerrang as these are two very successful rock magazines being published at the moment. With my survey the majority of participants selected RnB as their preferred type of music meaning that I would have to be careful when interpreting the data as a lot of it would be specific to fans of RnB. Thus by going with less popular answers for most of my questions I would be targeting a niche audience and going against what is thought to be mainstream. Although at the time of analysing my audience survey I had chosen to go with a green, purple and black colour scheme, when it came to constructing my pages I found that the colours may be different and quirky but they did not look very appealing when put together. So instead I decided to go with blue, red and black. These colours seemed to work better together and made my magazine look more professional. The rock artists that were favoured by my participants have me a good indication as to what type of bands needed to be mentioned in my pages. By using these artists I would ensure that out of loyalty to these bands, fans would buy my magazine simply for having specific artists names on the cover. Also, it meant I could use bands of a similar sounds to achieve the same effect.
Now with secondary data, I used www.nrs.co.uk to find some figures that could help me to establish my magazine's demographic. I found that people aged mainly between 15-34 buy Kerrang and The NME which means that as I want my magazine to be of similar stature to these two I have chosen a wise age range. Also, it is quite blatant that a bigger proportion of men compared to women buy these texts, which again means that by attempting to appeal to males I am targeting a wider demographic which will definitely improve my sales.
The data I collected from my qualitative research was invaluable when it came to the actual construction of my pages. By having people from my demographic around to talk to and probe with questions helped a lot as I was able to gather more than just answers ticked from a list. I was able to understand why certain things appealed to them and why other things would not be much desired in my magazine. I received a lot of constructive criticism and fresh ideas that helped a lot in creating my magazine and in deciding how best to entice my demographic.
So by conducting questionnaires and doing research into secondary sources I have been able to form a strong idea of my demographic and what they expect out of a rock magazine. A lot of this can be seen in my audience profile in which I give a vivid description of a typical person buying my magazine as well as images that capture the particular lifestyles I am attempting to draw in or offer to those looking for escape buy reading my media text.
3. What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?
When it comes to distributing my magazine I have three options. I could either choose a major or independent publisher or choose to self-publish. Karl Marx stated that 'Power resides with the few who have ownership and control of the means of production and distribution'. From this quote it would appear that the best choice for publishing would be a major publisher. For example, Kerrang magazine is published by Bauer Media who also own Absolute Radio, Q magazine and 4music meaning that in order to advertise for 'Kerrang!' they could chose from a range of products all owned by their own company which would prove to be very efficient; this is horizontal integration. This level of multi-platform, horizontally integrated synergy is only an option for the major publishers. They will also have larger departments responsible for their online platforms such as websites and social media. Also, major publishers would tend to have a larger budget and more resources when it comes to production of the magazine which is why it is usually more successful. Within major publishing there are generally two types of integration. Vertical integration is when the production, distribution and exhibition are owned by one company. Horizontal integration is otherwise when one organisation controls companies that produce a range of media. This is generally more advantageous because content created for one media platform can be adapted to fit other formats e.g. printed magazine to online site.
Now with independent publishing there is a blatant disadvantage given that they do not have the money or resources that the major publishers possess. However, due to web 2.0 it is much easier to advertise a magazine. A page could be created on Facebook advertising competitions and free downloads in order to achieve more likes. Also, someone could be in charge of my magazine's twitter feed, posting interesting and attention grabbing tweets made to appeal to male teenagers especially. This would all be free and effective distribution of my magazine. By taking a multi-platform approach I would ensure that my magazine would be advertised everywhere from traditional media to free advertising on web 2.0. I could use billboards, posters, radio adverts, spotify adverts etc. all to create a bigger fan base for my magazine. However, use of traditional media such as billboards would be limited due to the expense. Independent publishers will usually be aimed at niche audiences who would sustain a loyal readership for the text. They would also take more time producing the magazine yet treat it with a lot more passion as it would not be one of a plethora of magazines produced by the company. The independent publisher will also have less resources.
The final option is self-publishing. Normally this would be done online as it is free and extremely easy to do considering that most people have a media hub in easy access to them. For example, one of the most famous self-published magazines to date is Sniffin' Glue. This was a monthly punk fanzine created by Mark Perry in 1976. The issues were all constructed by hand and had a haphazard randomness that fans loved as it was something new different. Initially only 50 copies were sold but very soon circulation figures soon rose to 15,000 within the year that it was published. The big appeal of Sniffin' Glue was that fact that it was so personal and informal which greatly appealed to fans of punk music. Tony Fletcher stated that 'Sniffin' Glue was not so much badly written as barely written; grammar was non-existent, layout was haphazard, headlines were usually just written in felt tip, swearwords were often used in lieu of a reasoned argument. . .all of which gave Sniffin' Glue its urgency and relevance.' A lot of critics view this magazine as the pinnacle of early British punk rock as well as the start of the DIY punk ethic. If I were to self-publish on the internet it would mean that I would have to give the product away for free and rely heavily on online advertising to create revenue. This may prove tricky as advertising on 'Facebook' or 'Twitter' would still cost me money rather than just creating a page available for likes.
Given all this information I think I would be lead to choose a major publishing company to produce my magazine. Although there is certainly more passion and dedication within independent publishers, the resources and use of horizontal integration would indefinitely insure a successful publishing of my magazine. Also, as my magazine is covering a genre of music that is not considered mainstream having the backing of a major publisher would be very helpful given that most already publish well established and thriving magazines. The use of other companies within the organisation of a major publishers that is horizontally integrated could prove very helpful in using synergy and advertising through these other companies. The organisation I would opt for is probably IPC Media. This is because the only rock magazine it produces is 'The NME' meaning that it already knows how to achieve success for music magazines but that there will also be not much competition from other similar rival texts within the organisation.
2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
The male gaze is a Marxist, feminist, Freudian, psychoanalytic theory thought up by Laura Mulvey in her 1975 essay 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema'. She stated that the audience, and thus the camera, is male and so gains visual pleasure from a dominant, voyeuristic perspective. We live in a patriarchal society in which men are dominant which is why females will normally be shot in submissive and passive poses as this is what men will deem as desirable. Mulvey wrote that the audience is generally put into a masculine position meaning that women are often objectified where the frame 'cuts' them into abstract shapes to increase their attractiveness. This reinforces the dominant ideology that men are powerful and women are compliant.
While women do not feature on my magazine pages, I did use some of the techniques that would usually represent women to represent the male in my articles in order to 'soften' his image. Essentially, I have attempted to strike a balance. By having him sitting cross-legged, I have placed him in a position that is more relaxed and not at all intimidating which fits the focus of my article which is one of him 'confiding' in the reader. However, his T-shirt (which features the image of two half-naked women kissing) illustrates that he is still a man who is able to reassert his masculinity should he wish to. So, he is represented in a 'softer' mode which is atypical yet his T-shirt serves to reinforce the dominant ideology that men are more powerful than women resulting in the objectifying of women.
My model due to his being 17, white and male would be a stereotypical type of person to see featured in a rock magazine. My audience would also probably have these characteristics and so find it easier to identify with my model due to his looks. The stereotype is that white teenage boys mainly listen to rock music which is why so many magazines such as 'Kerrang' target their magazine specifically at that demographic. My constructed images help to reinforce this as they show the model looking exactly how the audience aspire to look and be like.
The dominant ideology is a Marxist structure in which certain beliefs and ideas are held by the majority of people. Regarding the male gaze, it is thought that women are the weaker sex. These hegemonic values help to decide what kind of images to use as I would want to appeal to a majority of people who think a certain way and so create my pages according to that.
Normally in a magazine, images would be airbrushed. However, as I want my magazine to be purely about the music I decided to only change the tones and brightness of my images to make them look professional yet not so striking that they distract from the article. So even though I only changed the images slightly they are still hyper real and so are not completely accurate portrayals of how my model looks in real life. However, I felt this had to be done in order for my magazine to seem en par with other magazines of its stature such as 'The NME' etc.
By using attractive models and inspirational artists within my magazine I have ensured that I am going according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs in which he states that aspirations are something each being needs in order to survive. Thus by having someone the audience will aspire to be like will help popularity and sales of my magazine as people will buy the issue to read up on the artist featured and attempt to be more like them.
The design of my pages had been thought out to carefully represent my audience. I chose bold, striking colours such as red and blue as I would presume my audience to be defiant and rebellious and outside the norm considering that they listen to music which would not be deemed as mainstream. Also, the language used will appeal to teenagers as it is informal and simple which is what they prefer and are used to. Furthermore, the typography follows the same theme of being quite big and bold and loud in order to entice the reader.
Also, the use of buzzwords and colloquialisms help to represent my audience. I chose to use words that they would use without much thought when talking to their friends in order to make my magazine seem as though it was not talking down to them but instead interacting with them like a peer. My audience are more than likely to be going through a rebellious, defiant phase so this will help in targeting them more than other audiences.
The bold colours and design elements also represent my audience. The red has connotations of danger and passion i.e. the love my audience has for music whereas the blue can easily represent masculinity and freedom i.e. my demographic is easy to be free from rules from their school, parents etc. Also, by making my pages seem slightly scruffier I am attracting teenagers who take pleasure in a more chaotic, crazy lifestyle.
Regarding ethnicity I mentioned a lot of bands on my contents page that feature young, white men. This is generally what my demographic would listen to and so it made sense to feature these artists. The colloquialisms used relate more to the white ethnicity than other colours in order to attract that audience. Also, my artists tastes and sentiments discussed within the article are something that white teenagers would find more interesting perhaps compared to other races.
1. In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
When creating my magazine pages, I had to think very carefully about mode of address which is how my music magazine uses codes and conventions to be presented and perceived by the audience. Genre would greatly affect the mode of address e.g. if I were creating a classical music magazine the pages would look elegant, refined and somewhat mature. However, as I chose to create a magazine centred around rock music, my pages could look rougher, messy and almost thrown together. Also, details about my target audience would affect the mode of address. For example, using results from my survey would influence my choice of colours, format and images as I wanted all of these conventions to successfully entice my audience.
The codified conventions I used were chosen specifically to appeal to my demographic. My colour scheme was red, blue and black. I chose red as it is used in a lot of prominent magazines such as 'The NME' and 'Q', I also decided on using blue and black along with the red due to the advice of my focus group. They felt that the two colours complimented each other nicely and would fit in with the rock vibe I was trying to project. The fonts I used were simple and bold. They were quite striking which would appeal to teenagers in a defiant or rebellious phase or who are simply looking to stand out from the crowd and be different. Also, the images I used were carefully chosen as I wanted the reader to aspire to look like the model and to aim to have his attitude and talent, thus meaning he had to look aesthetically pleasing.
I tried to keep all my pages similar in order to portray a strong brand identity. Each page has two red banners running across the top and bottom of the page in order to express a sense of continuity. The colour scheme is also consistent throughout and I have used similar hues for each colour to ensure that they are visually pleasing.
The magazine 'Kerrang's masthead is made to look cracked and jagged which fits in well with the fact this the name was inspired from the sound a guitar makes when all the strings for a chord are harshly played. This puts further emphasis on the idea that this is a rock magazine and is thus made to appeal to rock fans. Also, the style is quite unique meaning that it can be easily recognised and used further to represent the 'Kerrang' brand. Furthermore, the choice of white is quite wise as this means that Kerrang can freely use dark colours on their front cover knowing that the masthead will still be clear.
The NME's masthead has been created to be quite bold and striking given the vibrant red colour used and the two outlines of white and black. The NME's colour scheme centres around the three colours used in its masthead which helps to tie in all aspects of the front page together. The typography used is known as Serif which gives the magazine a slightly youthful look, making it seem sort of carefree and relaxed which the audience wants from an entertainment magazine.
Q magazine's masthead uses the same shade of red as the NME which instantly in the audience's subconscious brings to mind that the two are quite similar in the type of music they feature and who they are aimed at. This is a bold yet uncomplicated masthead. The unique flick of the 'Q' helps to reinforce the brand identity and ensure that just from this single letter 'Q' magazine can be recognised. The simple name 'Q' shows maturity suggesting that the demographic for this magazine is an older, male audience.
My masthead is most similar to Kerrang magazine. The typography I used is one that's style is reminiscent of the 70s punk era. It brings to mind the idea of cutting out individual letters from headlines in newspapers in order to string a sentence together. This typography was mainly enforced by the 'Sex Pistols' who were an English punk rock band responsible for instigating the punk movement in the UK and thus inspiring many future punk rock and alternative artists.
The main convention that I have challenged is the use of photo shop. I did not want to drastically alter the images of my model as I wanted my magazine to be mainly about music rather than beauty. I felt it was better to deliver the truth and an in-depth coverage of music rather than a modified version of this. Also, the rock audience do not aspire to the levels of glamour seen in other celebrity based magazines so my decision not to create overly hyper real representations is entirely consistent with my demographic's expectations. Using photo shop I merely brightened the images slightly and toned down the shadows. Then on publisher I used a setting in which I turned up the saturation a little to give my images a more professional, polished feel, so even though they were only slightly manipulated my images are in some ways hyper real.
The use of mise en scene can mainly be spotted on my double page spread. It is a formal convention to have an image filling up an entire page of a double page spread so I positioned my main image on the right page yet still kept another column of text on that page as well in order to show that there was so much to say about this artist that I had to use more space which is not commonly used for text. I gave the image a black border that was broken up by white dashes and used copied in images of black tape to position on the edges which made the image appear as though it had been stuck down haphazardly. I felt this portrayed the rock genre quite well as it gave my magazine a rougher, more chaotic, almost punk-like quality.
Also, I only used red and black on the double page spread to show that this article would be to the point, honest and filled with emotions such as anger or passion. The use of my quotes help to give the reader an idea of what to expect from the article, so those were chosen carefully and worded particularly to pique the reader's interest. The image used on the contents page is one of my model sitting down cross legged on the floor. This represents a relaxed atmosphere and gives my model a chilled out, hippie type of vibe. He also appears quite humbled as even though he is very famous, he still just wants to sit on the floor for a photo shoot rather than posing with any gimmicks or props i.e. guitars etc. This gives the effect that the model is quite informal and conveys that he is not so caught up in the fickleness of fame.
On my double page spread, the use of a notepad in the top right corner used to deliver key facts about the artist, gives a scruffy feel to the page. It makes it seem as though a page has just been torn out of a book and used to scribble words upon. The font I used for the notepad is one that could be thought of as someone's messy handwriting which enhances the random edge of my magazine; this reinforces the personal mode of address that I am trying to portray. A few magazines have been seen to do this so it is not extremely uncommon yet it is not completely expected of a double page spread.
I have had to use language that would mainly appeal to my demographic of male teenagers and so chose buzzwords for the front cover based on this premise. Also, the names of bands or festivals on the cover were specifically chosen to entice the reader as most teens who see their favourite band’s name on a magazine cover would perhaps buy the magazine more out of loyalty to the band rather than the magazine. Thus, putting a very famous band's name would usually ensure more sales as they would have a large fan base.
My front cover is not particularly unique as I have followed the expected design and form mostly seen in other music magazines. I have used one main image and no supplementary images as I want all the attention to be on the artist taking up most of the space. The feature articles are all positioned around the main image which is typical. However, the banner going across the main image with the words 'THE TRUTH' is something different. This is the cover article which is about the artist on the cover. The words 'the truth' are written in white inside a black textbox. This makes it seem as though the truth is very black and white and also as the model is trapped behind the truth, it can be assumed that by giving the public the truth he is releasing himself from feeling so trapped. Also, the barcode is in the expected place, as is the masthead, and banners which are used to maintain brand identity and advertise more of what is inside the magazine.
The form of the contents page is a little different than normal. The title 'Contents' is written down the left hand side of the page in big, bold, red letters and the text is all in one column in the centre of the page yet separated by different headings such as 'Features' etc. This text goes between white or black as due to the position of my image it is sometimes difficult to read the words clearly. I wanted to make the text as easy to decipher as possible because the contents page is from where the reader navigates the rest of the magazine. I made the image big enough so that it could be used in the background and then positioned it towards the right with some of it behind the text. I also had to feature an anchor which is a convention of contents pages as it shows from what article the picture relates to and what page that particular article is on. Also, an editor's note is a typical convention and is sometimes accompanied by a photo of said editor. However, I felt that by including another photo it made the page seem too cluttered and complicated which is not what I wanted so I left the note in a simple black box written in a white typography in order to make it easy to read against the image/background.
The magazine 'Kerrang's masthead is made to look cracked and jagged which fits in well with the fact this the name was inspired from the sound a guitar makes when all the strings for a chord are harshly played. This puts further emphasis on the idea that this is a rock magazine and is thus made to appeal to rock fans. Also, the style is quite unique meaning that it can be easily recognised and used further to represent the 'Kerrang' brand. Furthermore, the choice of white is quite wise as this means that Kerrang can freely use dark colours on their front cover knowing that the masthead will still be clear.
The NME's masthead has been created to be quite bold and striking given the vibrant red colour used and the two outlines of white and black. The NME's colour scheme centres around the three colours used in its masthead which helps to tie in all aspects of the front page together. The typography used is known as Serif which gives the magazine a slightly youthful look, making it seem sort of carefree and relaxed which the audience wants from an entertainment magazine.
Q magazine's masthead uses the same shade of red as the NME which instantly in the audience's subconscious brings to mind that the two are quite similar in the type of music they feature and who they are aimed at. This is a bold yet uncomplicated masthead. The unique flick of the 'Q' helps to reinforce the brand identity and ensure that just from this single letter 'Q' magazine can be recognised. The simple name 'Q' shows maturity suggesting that the demographic for this magazine is an older, male audience.
My masthead is most similar to Kerrang magazine. The typography I used is one that's style is reminiscent of the 70s punk era. It brings to mind the idea of cutting out individual letters from headlines in newspapers in order to string a sentence together. This typography was mainly enforced by the 'Sex Pistols' who were an English punk rock band responsible for instigating the punk movement in the UK and thus inspiring many future punk rock and alternative artists.
The main convention that I have challenged is the use of photo shop. I did not want to drastically alter the images of my model as I wanted my magazine to be mainly about music rather than beauty. I felt it was better to deliver the truth and an in-depth coverage of music rather than a modified version of this. Also, the rock audience do not aspire to the levels of glamour seen in other celebrity based magazines so my decision not to create overly hyper real representations is entirely consistent with my demographic's expectations. Using photo shop I merely brightened the images slightly and toned down the shadows. Then on publisher I used a setting in which I turned up the saturation a little to give my images a more professional, polished feel, so even though they were only slightly manipulated my images are in some ways hyper real.
The use of mise en scene can mainly be spotted on my double page spread. It is a formal convention to have an image filling up an entire page of a double page spread so I positioned my main image on the right page yet still kept another column of text on that page as well in order to show that there was so much to say about this artist that I had to use more space which is not commonly used for text. I gave the image a black border that was broken up by white dashes and used copied in images of black tape to position on the edges which made the image appear as though it had been stuck down haphazardly. I felt this portrayed the rock genre quite well as it gave my magazine a rougher, more chaotic, almost punk-like quality.
Also, I only used red and black on the double page spread to show that this article would be to the point, honest and filled with emotions such as anger or passion. The use of my quotes help to give the reader an idea of what to expect from the article, so those were chosen carefully and worded particularly to pique the reader's interest. The image used on the contents page is one of my model sitting down cross legged on the floor. This represents a relaxed atmosphere and gives my model a chilled out, hippie type of vibe. He also appears quite humbled as even though he is very famous, he still just wants to sit on the floor for a photo shoot rather than posing with any gimmicks or props i.e. guitars etc. This gives the effect that the model is quite informal and conveys that he is not so caught up in the fickleness of fame.
On my double page spread, the use of a notepad in the top right corner used to deliver key facts about the artist, gives a scruffy feel to the page. It makes it seem as though a page has just been torn out of a book and used to scribble words upon. The font I used for the notepad is one that could be thought of as someone's messy handwriting which enhances the random edge of my magazine; this reinforces the personal mode of address that I am trying to portray. A few magazines have been seen to do this so it is not extremely uncommon yet it is not completely expected of a double page spread.
I have had to use language that would mainly appeal to my demographic of male teenagers and so chose buzzwords for the front cover based on this premise. Also, the names of bands or festivals on the cover were specifically chosen to entice the reader as most teens who see their favourite band’s name on a magazine cover would perhaps buy the magazine more out of loyalty to the band rather than the magazine. Thus, putting a very famous band's name would usually ensure more sales as they would have a large fan base.
My front cover is not particularly unique as I have followed the expected design and form mostly seen in other music magazines. I have used one main image and no supplementary images as I want all the attention to be on the artist taking up most of the space. The feature articles are all positioned around the main image which is typical. However, the banner going across the main image with the words 'THE TRUTH' is something different. This is the cover article which is about the artist on the cover. The words 'the truth' are written in white inside a black textbox. This makes it seem as though the truth is very black and white and also as the model is trapped behind the truth, it can be assumed that by giving the public the truth he is releasing himself from feeling so trapped. Also, the barcode is in the expected place, as is the masthead, and banners which are used to maintain brand identity and advertise more of what is inside the magazine.
The form of the contents page is a little different than normal. The title 'Contents' is written down the left hand side of the page in big, bold, red letters and the text is all in one column in the centre of the page yet separated by different headings such as 'Features' etc. This text goes between white or black as due to the position of my image it is sometimes difficult to read the words clearly. I wanted to make the text as easy to decipher as possible because the contents page is from where the reader navigates the rest of the magazine. I made the image big enough so that it could be used in the background and then positioned it towards the right with some of it behind the text. I also had to feature an anchor which is a convention of contents pages as it shows from what article the picture relates to and what page that particular article is on. Also, an editor's note is a typical convention and is sometimes accompanied by a photo of said editor. However, I felt that by including another photo it made the page seem too cluttered and complicated which is not what I wanted so I left the note in a simple black box written in a white typography in order to make it easy to read against the image/background.
Friday 2 May 2014
Preliminary Task
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Here are my two preliminary task pages. As I had done these without any of the research or knowledge that I had when constructing my main pages they look unprofessional and unattractive which means that I can clearly see how much better my designing skills and knowledge have developed.
Rough Designs
Above are the rough designs for my front cover, contents page and double page spread. Along the process, some things were altered as when it came to actually using publisher to create my pages I was unhappy with the position, colour and general lack of appeal of a few factors. On my front cover I decided to change the whole colour scheme as on completion of my pages I could easily identify that purple, green and black was an unattractive choice as the colours did not suit each other or look nearly as professional as I wanted my pages to seem. There were other small changes such as the position of feature stories and what was written as the feature stories. Other than this, the only thing changed was the colour of the typography in which I had designed the bold words 'THE TRUTH'. Originally, I had designed them to be orange as I wanted it to have connotations that the truth was something dangerous and fiery. However, it did not take long to realise that this colour choice looked awful on my page even with the new red, blue and black colour scheme. So instead I chose a white typography to symbolise that instead of dangerous this particular truth was something innocent and pure, thus capable of setting the artist free of his burden.
I feel that my contents page changed the most. The whole position of my image changed as did the title 'contents'. Also, of course the colour scheme was changed to the more preferred red, blue and black. Finally, due to the adjustment of the image the text had to be moved. So instead all the the text was moved into one column arranged down the centre of the page which was different to how I had designed it yet still simple to understand as the contents page is from where the reader navigates the rest of the magazine and thus must be the easiest page to decipher.
Now the double page spread was not change too much. The text and main image were kept in the same place. However, instead of the black and white images I decided to use images of black tape positioned as though they were keeping the image down. I believe this gives my magazine a more rougher, chaotic look which is what the audience would look for in a rock magazine. Also, instead of the image in the top right hand corner I chose to put in a little scrappy notepad with facts on the artist that has been written about within the article. This gives the reader a feeling of closeness with the artist and forges a sort of personal bond with them. Other than this, my double page spread remained the same.
Tuesday 15 April 2014
Contact sheets
The image I chose to be on my front cover is the fourth one as the model is looking directly at the camera and appears confident to the audience. Thus, the readers will want to be just like this boy and so buy the magazine in order to identify with him. Also, his pose adds a certain sense of nonchalance and blasé attitude as he does not seem like he views being on the front cover of a magazine as that much of a big deal.
For the contents page I decided to do something unique and have am image of my model sitting cross legged on the ground. This gave him the edge of seeming down to Earth and more identifiable with the audience as he was not striking a complicated pose. He was simply sitting down and facing the camera. As I had the camera on a setting where it would take a succession of photos straight after the other some of the images were very similar which is why the last two photos are the same. I chose to use the last photo.
I decided to use the last two images on my double page spread. The shot of my model standing up would be the main image on the right page whereas the shot of him sitting down and looking away from the camera would be a smaller image used on the left page. I felt that the main image was of a good, clear quality and sat well amid my article. The other image was chosen because it is not a 'perfect' shot of my model which gives him a rougher edge and hopefully conveys to the reader that he is not perfect, yet people still want to be just like him.
Tuesday 8 April 2014
Audience Profile
Using results I gathered from my survey I had to decide upon my demographic. I decided to aim Awake at young, white males aged between 16-23. They would enjoy rock music and generally be in a defiant phase of their life in which being different is something they aspire to be. This demographic will hopefully be generally more into the music than the fame and aesthetics of artists thus meaning that content will mean more to then than the 'look' of my magazine.
Qualitative Audience Research Focus Group
Although the quantitative audience survey was helpful in understanding my demographic I still had to get a better idea of what my audience were specifically looking for in a magazine. I showed a group of 10 people who represented my demographic some templates I had created and asked them to give their opinions on them, stating what they liked and did not like and reasons why.
The majority of my focus group said that they like the templates that I had done in blue and red. Further questioning revealed that they thought it would be better suited if I combined these colours and used a colour scheme of red, blue and white. It was decided that the masthead should be black and the feature stories a mixture of blues and reds all of the same hue to ensure the magazine still looked appealing.
They liked the idea of the cover story spanning across the main image as they thought this was different and striking. Also, they thought that I could inclue more feature stories as otherwise it seemed that there may be blank spaces which would make my magazine seem empty and not as though it is bursting with content.
My focus group found the positioning of content on my magazine unappealing and instead said they would prefer the title: contents to tun down the right side of the page and then the text and image positioned in the rest of the available space. I felt this was a valid point and so decided to follow their advice and make another template depciting this.
The double page spread was the most agreed on page. The focus group largely liked what I had done and the position of text was appealing to them. However, they also came up with some different ideas for where to situate the images. The idea of the main image on the left page towards the right was accepted yet they did not like the idea of the smaller images as they found them distracting and pointless. It was so decided that to give my magazine a rougher edge I would copy and paste sections on black tape from Google and arrange them around the image to make it appear as though it has hastily been stuck down. Also, I was to use another image on the left page; one of the model conveying a different emotionto what was shown on the right page. They also stated that the position of my quote should be more in the centre of the columns of text as this is what they had seen in other magazines.
Wednesday 29 January 2014
Annotated Examples Of Existing Texts - Contents Pages
Contents pages are all designed with the same aim in mind: for it to be a simple page that can easily be used to navigate the rest of the magazine. They are all quite different though due to their demographics and mode of address.
Kerrang magazine have positioned their masthead on the contents page in order to reinforce their brand identity. This acts as a continuous reminder that the audience are reading Kerrang magazine. Spin magazine have used the colour red sparingly in order to keep the page simplistic and mature whereas the page feature the kings of leon has no particular colour except from the colour black and the various colours within the images. The contents is all put into separate boxes to make it easy for the reader to look through and process
Kerrang have chosen to split the page in half horizontally with the image taking up the top half and text the bottom half. The text is all split into columns under various headings made to look as exciting and enticing as possible. This suits the teenage, male demographic who like this chaotic, random effect as they seem to have a lot going on and can be sometimes considered as having 'crowded' lives. In complete comparison Spin and the other magazine are very well organised and uncluttered. Their demographic is clearly more mature. The fact that Spin only has a fewer contents suggests that rather than just flicking through the magazine they are forcing the audience to read the whole magazine.
The conventions are all quite similar in that none of the pages have the word 'page' in them. Also, although Kerrang is the only one of the three to have an editor's note, it is a convention that a lot of other magazines have followed. The use of images are chosen carefully as they want to use popular artists in bigger pictures in order to excite the audience and cause them to go through the magazine seeking out the page of the artist they wish to read up on.
Annotated Examples Of Existing Texts - Front Covers And Double Page Spreads
After annotating and analysing these three different front cover it is evident that they all have a set of conventions to follow. Yet these conventions are all codified differently depending on the target audience and the mode of address that is specific to age, gender and sometimes class.
Vogue's demographic is generally very different to that of Kerrang! and Clash magazine. The colours, language and mise en scene all contribute in reflecting the target audience. Vogue's masthead is quite sophisticated as are the other typographies used for the feature stories. From this we can see that the magazine is mainly aimed at females (given also the feminine purple colour used). It reflects the girlishness yet elegance that the reader's have or aspire to have. The main colour scheme is purple, black and white. Purple has connotations of royalty whereas the black symbolises mystery and the white reflects purity which is how the demographic are reinforced. The main image on the cover also helps to reinforce the demographic . Emma Watson was photographed in a way to make other women aspire to be like her. She is making eye contact with the camera and is on the same level with it which goes against the Male Gaze Theory in which it was stated that the camera is male and thus women are photographed as sexual, desirable objects who are inferior to men. This image is in line with Maslow's hierarchy of needs in which the audience buys the magazine in order to be brought closer to reaching their goals and aspirations (to be like Emma Watson). The buzz words chosen are fitting for this demographic. Words such as 'Must Have' and 'Beauty News' are written in bigger fonts which entice the audience into buying Vogue.
Kerrang's masthead is written in a cracked typography which adds to the defiant, rebellious edge the magazine has. The predominant audience for Kerrang are teenage males which is why this sort of design would appeal to them. The front cover is quite cluttered and random given the younger demographic. Opposing to Vogue, Kerrang's masthead is positioned behind the main image as if they are popular enough to have an obscured masthead and still be recognised. Clash also has Kurt Cobain obscuring their curved masthead. They seem to be confident with their brand identity too. By doing this both magazines have created the impression that they are bursting with content and have to do squash everything together in order to fit it all in. Kerrang's colour scheme for this particular issue is black, white, green and yellow which work very well to create a striking front cover that stands out on a magazine shelf. However, Clash has created an odd cover with everything black and white except for the name 'Nirvana' and a small feature at the top of the page. This represents quite a serious demographic or the fact that this issue is going to be comprised of a big Nirvana feature. Billie Joe is photographed in a dominant position with a guitar strapped across him. The lighting suggests that he is just about to step on stage and perform. The Clash cover is quite odd. It has Kurt Cobain smiling manically and staring at the camera in an almost unnerving manner.
All the magazines have chosen feature stories that are in line with the Use's and Gratifications Theory as they are entertaining, allow social interaction and are also informing. This theory states that there are several main reasons why people use media. The feature stories are compromised of different typographies and colours which attempts to show the reader that the magazine have lots variety (Clash is the exception to this- it seems to have put all of its faith into Nirvana for selling this particular issue. Also, it is their 20th special edition meaning that it may already be hyped up amongst fans). The mastheads all follow the same convention of being aligned to the left yet Kerrangs spans the top of the page perhaps due to its size and length.
Both Kerrang! and Clash have banners advertising other feature stories and things to expect from the magazine which could be because they are both aimed at almost similar demographics.
Almost all double page spread consists of an equal balance of text and images. Normally, there is a main image that takes up most (sometimes all) of one page whereas the rest of the page is consistent of text in the form of an article. The NME has done this with Lily Allen. Apart from the newspaper-esque heading the rest of the two pages is quite simplistic which is true to the NMEs mode of address. This has also been down with the article about Noel as his image takes up the whole of the right hand page. There is also a smaller box on the right side page entitled Noel's Greatest Moment which helps to deliver key things about the artist which should be short and attention grabbing. The article about Solange Knowles is slightly different as she does not take up the whole of one page. Instead she share the page with a column of text and a quote. Also, there have also been several black and white images included amid the background perhaps to indicate the different sides to her personality.
Most double page spread contains a sort of bridge between the two pages to show the reader that they are linked together. Both the NME article and the one about Solange Knowles have done this in an attempt to give readers an idea of what the articles are about. The Noel Gallgher article does not do this. Instead it goes against conventions completely and has one page with a red background and one with a white background. Perhaps they want to depict how unique the artist is himself or want the reader to be different and unique.
The NME does not necessarily have a specific colour scheme for this article. The heading has just been written in black and the most colour is seen on Lily Allen's shirt displaying that she is colourful and different among other 'drab' artists. The blue, white and black on Solange Knowles' article is quite basic with her wearing the orange again insinuating that she stands out. The Noel Gallagher article has one main colour: red. This suits the artist as he is well known for having angry feuds with his brother.
Apart from Now magazine, the other two articles both start with a drop cap. The fact that Now magazine has refrained from doing this is quite unusual given that it is a general convention of all double page spreads. Again, the Uses and Gratifications theory can be seen as the articles seem to be informative, entertaining and encouraging social interaction.
The mise en scene of all magazines adds to the mode of address. The NME has got Lily Allen wearing a lot of black eyeliner and seeming somewhat rebellious, quirky and alternative as this is perhaps the type of girls thought to listen to her music. The girls may identify with this and so this is in line with Maslow's hierarchy of needs given that the girls aspire to be like this and so invest into this dream buy buying the NME. However, the NME's audience is predominantly male so they were in fact drawing in the niche audience in this case. Now magazine has Solange standing quite innocently in a vibrant dress. She is made to look submissive suggesting that she is in line with the male gaze. The choice of an orange dress may be due to the fact that she is used to standing in her sister, Beyonce's shadow for so long that she now wants to stand out. Noel Gallgher's image looks almost as though he took it himself giving the audience the idea that he is in power and in charge especially given the low angle of the camera which enforces his dominance. All of the images have an anchor which is a convention included to convey meaning of the photo to the audience.
Quantitative Audience Survey
In order to ensure that my magazine was appealing to my target audience I had to conduct a questionnaire using QuestionPro in which I asked certain questions to form a better understanding of my demographic. It also helped me decide some of the specifics when it came to designing the pages of my magazine as I had a clear understanding of what my target audience wanted.
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