Research and Planning: Collage of chosen genre (metal)

Collage of magazine cover:

The common theme between these magazine is that the image on the cover tends to be a medium-close up/medium-long shot of one or two models. This is consistent with most metal magazines as you can see in the collage above.

Metal magazine collage of mastheads:

The overall style between these mastheads are that they are all mostly large and bold. This is to portray the idea that metal is loud and wants to be heard.  

Metal model collage:

These are examples of model images that I can use for my music magazine. As the more famous magazines (kerrang or metal hammer) only use one or two models per cover, I intend to use only one model hens most of the pictures in the collage are of lead singers.

Research and Planning: Metal music magazine cover analyses 2

Analyses:

The target audience for this magazine is for classic, older metal fans who prefer the older bands to the newer ones. I can tell this because the bands included on the magazine are classic metal bands such as Tool and Cancer bats who have been playing for many years and only more die-hard fans will know and listen to them. The colours used are also dark and colourless therefore younger audiences may find the magazine to be a-little tedious and boring. The model used seems to be an older gentlemen with a priest costume and classic metal fans are the only fans who care about themes and showmanship anymore, younger fans just care about the music and not what the band is wearing. This is why newer bands tend to wear casual teen wear and no masks etc.

The magazine only uses two main colours, white and blue therefore not hitting the usual 3 colour scheme famous magazines tend to use. The two colours keeps the magazine consistent but to attract a wider range of audiences, it will have to include a range of bright and dark colours to make the cover eye catching to a reader.

The magazine doesn't include many cover-lines, and the existing ones are mainly about the band on the cover therefore the cover isn't portraying much information about the magazine and what it contains. Many people buy a music magazine for it's great range in bands, not only for the famous brand and the cover doesn't hit you with the fact that the magazine contains lots of information.

The masthead is large and bold so it can be easily noticed. The font style isn't very creative, with only two flicks on either side of the masthead, however, it works with the genre because the metal genre is very loud and the masthead portrays this fact. Metal wants to stand out and that's exactly what the masthead is portraying.

The background works very well with the model as instead of having a plain, single coloured background, they creators played with bands theme and added ghost followers creating a mysterious and scary look to the cover. As the torch is burning, the light only shines on the model therefore allowing him to stand out so out eyes are drawn to him. As the model is placed in front of the masthead, this creates a 3D effect and wants again, draws our attention to the model suggesting he is main story in the magazine.

The barcode can be easily noticed which allows the magazine to be easily scanned in a shop. It gives the impression that the creators spent time and effort into making the magazine therefore showing to the reader, that the magazine was made with care and accuracy. However, the position of the barcode in the middle left of the magazine takes up space which could have been used for more cover-lines.

The cover does contain a lot of empty space which should have been used for more cover-lines or more images so the cover looks more busy as, except for the masthead and model, there is not much more to look at.

Research and Planning: Metal music magazine cover analyses

Analyses:

You can tell the target audience is for metal lovers of all ages because the bands included on the cover are metal bands of old and new therefore hitting a broad age range. The young male on the front will be used to attract female audiences as "sex" sells.

Metal is known to be loud and the large masthead and capitalised cover lines portray the loud effect. Also, the model is posed to be screaming which adds to the metal theme as this genre is associated with screaming. The model is also purposely expressing his tattoos creating a "bad boy" look which metal fans can relate to.

The cover involves the 3 colour theme where the main colours are white, yellow and pink. These colours are bright colours which contrast from the greyish background therefore allowing text to stand out. This allows the text to be easily read. The grey background is boring so the 3 colours lift and brighten the page as metal is also about expression.

The cover has a un-organised look to it, with paint blobs and slanted cover lines. This is effective as metal is a genre which has a "don't care" attitude which is portrayed in the cover.

The masthead of "KERRANG!" is capitalised and has an explanation mark at the end which contributes to the loud vibe of the metal genre. The font style is also large but has some jagged edges to some of the letters which creates a unique and creative font style which can be associated with the genre. The model appears in front of the masthead which also adds a 3D effect and it shows the model is an important part of the cover.

The barcode however blends in with the bottom part of the cover whereas I believe the barcode should stand out for two reasons. The first reason is so the shopkeeper can scan the magazine easily and the second, the barcode makes the magazine look professional and if it stands out, it gives the impression to the reader that the writers took effort in making the magazine therefore it should be a good buy. However, with the barcode out the way, it makes space for more information on the cover.

There are many cover lines and photos suggesting the magazine is packed with interesting information and show that the magazine will be worth it's price. Many cover lines on the cover also make it easy for the reader to see what's in the magazine without looking through it therefore saving time when shopping.

The cover is packed with images and cover-lines giving the reader lots to look at without making it look too busy suggesting the magazine is full of information to read.

Research and Planning: College magazine evaluation

Evaluation:

Masthead "NOSEY PARKER":
The masthead is in the font Copper Black in a size of 120pt. The font style is a large, bold font which makes it easily readable and noticeable. The style also adds a funky look which younger audiences would appreciate. Changing the opacity of "PARKER" means the pink doesn't blend with the pink of the "NOSEY" therefore the masthead doesn't look messy. If it was messy, it would be hard to read and would portray a messy feel throughout the magazine. I named the magazine "NOSEY PARKER" as this is famous saying for people who listen in to other peoples conversation therefore I am saying my magazine contains people's gossip and news being spoken around the college.

Cover Lines:
My responses to my target audience questions said that they would like either new and updated news or something about technology therefore they inspired me to add a little of both. Gossip tends to be the news younger audiences look for so I added a little. "17 and pregnant" is gossip which relates to many students as people are interested to see how people cope with college and a pregnancy. "Apple FEVER" and "PS4 or XBOX1?" are typical technologies found within my target audience and I believe they appeal to my target audience responses. The free cafeteria coupons was a selling point as it may influence students to buy my magazine as who doesn't love discounts on food. I used the style "Cooper Black" for the cover line and "Marker Felt" font for the cover line description to allow the cover line to stand out and show the difference.

Medium close-up model image:
My model was a student in my media class. This therefore portrays my target audience very well as his clothes and hair create a college themed vibe to the cover page. The medium-close up of the model adds a different variation view instead of a boring full body shot.  I also altered a few facial features on the model such as spots and freckles using Photoshop to create a more professional look.

Barcode and issue number:
The barcode and issue number are clear and out of the way which adds professionalism to the cover and makes it look real as no publisher would create a magazine without a barcode. The "issue 1" line allows the students to see that it is new magazine. The "new issue" symbol also portrays the fact the magazine is new therefore students will be curious and see to buying it.

Selling line "We put our noses in everything":
The selling line links to the masthead very well and noses symbolise that people are listening to conversations therefore I am showing the magazine knows the news being spoken around college.

Research and Planning: College magazine contents mock-up

 This is my mock-up of my contents page for my college magazine. I used Adobe Indesign to create the mock-up...

Research and Planning: Photo's of model for college magazine

I took these images in the corridor outside the media classroom. The location didn't matter as I am going to photoshop the background out of the image, just leaving the model. One of these images of the model will be the picture I use in my college magazine cover. I think the second image will be the one I use as the model is looking directly at the camera with the least light reflecting of his face meaning less work on Photoshop.

Research and Planning: Finished college magazine

To complete this magazine, I used the programme Adobe Photoshop which was useful in creating the text and altering the models features, similar to real publishing companies and how they make there models look perfect. My draft cover work heavily influenced this design except for a few exceptions such as the selling sentence, 2 additional cover lines and a "new issue" symbol. I consistently used the 3 colour scheme technique of pink, yellow and black as well as a bar-code and issue number to create a professional look.

Overall, I am thrilled of how my college magazine cover looks as my own research and planning lead to as I feel a successful front cover.

Research and Planning: Attempt at my college magazine

This is my first attempt at making my college magazine. As you can see, I am using my draft cover page as as an influence although there are a few tweaks. The tweaks include more cover lines, a star instead an explosion and I have added a selling line.

Research and Planning: Analyses of Drafts

Analyses of cover draft:


Masthead "NOSEY PARKER":
The style of the masthead is large and bold to make the title easy to notice and read. I decided to call my magazine "nosey parker" as this is a very famous saying for someone who is listening in to everybody's conversations so I thought it was perfect as my target audience responses stated that they would like common news such as gossip. I overlapped the masthead as this creates a new and unique title instead of a boring 1 -2 line masthead. The shape of the masthead also makes it look a little like a nose.




Cover lines "PS4 or XBOX1" and "TEENAGE AND PREGNANT":
These cover lines are stories which are very popular within a student's life. The target audience responses suggested that they would like upcoming news and technology news therefore I have added both on the cover.



Barcode:
The barcode is located on the bottom right as this is a spot on the draft which wasn't being occupied
therefore the barcode is useful in filling the space.


Colours:
The 3 colour theme I used for my draft is black, pink and yellow. This is because the students I interviewed said I should use the colours associated with Hyde Clarendon which are mostly black, yellow and pink. Using these colours means the students can link my magazine with the college.


The model:
I drew the model as an outline sketch just to show the pose and position I would like the image to be on my cover. The model will be holding some form of book as the students I interviewed would like to see this prop.






Analyses of contents page:
Masthead "Contents":
Once again, the style of writing is large and bold so the masthead can be read easily. The arrow is for design as it's showing the direction in which to get to the stories.


Picture board:
The white squares are spaces for images to be placed to do with each story. The yellow square behind them act as post-it notes to create the feel of a noticeboard. Many pictures allow you to read with your eyes, not just lots of words which students would find boring. The story lines and contents writing will be placed on the yellow squares as the pink writing will stand-out from the yellow background.


Colour:
Once again I followed the black, yellow and pink colour scheme so the contents page matches the cover page. It creates the feel that each page will link with the last.

Research and Planning: Drafts of college magazine

Draft of cover:

Draft of content page:

Research and Planning: Linking masthead font styles to genre

This exercise was useful as the masthead has to link with the genre and the font style is one way of doing this. 

For "DEATH METAL", I chose the marker felt font style as death metal is loud and the capitalised adds a loud effect.

For "PopWorld", pop is all about jazzy and upbeat trends and the font style looks new, and the spray paint effect works with younger adults who love pop music.

For "POPCORN", movies are associated with bold and large fonts as people want to see adverts from long distances therefore the font above suits with this theme.

Research and Planning: Experimenting font styles for Masthead

For a reader, the masthead is one of the first noticeable features on a magazine therefore the font style and size of the masthead is very important in making a cover look good. The masthead "HYDE NEWS" is a title used only for this research and does not represent the masthead I will use for the college magazine.

ARIAL BLACK: This font style is clear and bold which allows for easy reading. 

CENTURY: This style is is a posh, old style font which will be used for more serious based news.

THRILLER: I would use this font style to add a horror factor to the magazine as it has a scary look to it.

RAVIE: This font style has a playful, unique look which would go well with a magazine of a younger audience.

ELEPHANT: The font style above adds a posh look to a bold, easy readable font style.

Research and Planning: Responses to the Target Audience questions

Video's:

These videos are the responses to my target audience questions. There feedback will help me design my magazine to there wants and needs, as the customer is always right.

The responses for the cover line questions suggested that students would like to read about technology and gossip therefore I am thinking of cover lines such as the IPhone and made up gossip such as pregnancies and so forth.

The students would like to see the model in common college wear swell as holding textbooks/notebooks so the model portrays college life. They also would prefer the model to be a student and not a teacher. This is probably because students can relate with other students easier than they can with teachers.

The students ideas about the masthead was the same "hyde news". As we were all in the same place and we were nervous for the interviews, I think "hyde news" was just a masthead title they said just cause it was the only one people could think, not because it was a good masthead therefore I will not take this response into account. Although, they did all agree that a masthead is a main feature of a cover page therefore it has to look effective.

Research and Planning: Target Audience questions

Target audience question:

1. What cover lines/stories do you like to read in a college magazine?

2. Do you have any views on what the model should wear or any props they should use?

3. Would you prefer the model to be a teacher or student to represent the college life?

4. What colours would you use for the magazine?

5. Any ideas about the college magazine masthead and do you find the masthead to be a main feature of a cover?

I have asked these questions to students in my media class as students will know exactly what they would want in a college magazine. The questions above explore the key features in a magazine cover such as the model, colours, cover lines and masthead and how the students of Hyde would like them.

Research and Planning: Medium close-up images

Medium close-up images:

For my college magazine, I would need a medium close-up model image just like the images above. A medium close-up image is a picture of a model from the chest up while ignoring the rest of the body.

Research and Planning: Magazine analyses 2

College magazine analyses 2:

The target audience for this magazine is for young adults such as college or university students. You can tell this because the model on the front is also a young adult who looks to be a student. Such details as her clothes create the image that she is in college life therefore readers will see her and get the impression this magazine is for students. The cover lines such as "she's 15 and pregnant" are stories which only younger adults will be interested in as the information relates to them and there age. The "COLLEGE" masthead is the eye catcher of the magazine and it's clear that the magazine was meant for a target audience of students or else they would change the masthead.

The background is bright and natural and adds a campus look to it. As the background is blurred, this means the model stands out and our eyes are drawn to her suggesting she is an important feature within this issue. As the background is bright, it gives the magazine a peaceful look to it.

The issue number and barcode creates a professional look to the cover making the reader feel that the creators took time and effort to produce the magazine therefore the reader knows it was made from a good source. Issue numbers also suggest the magazine has a been successful in the past and plans on continuing giving the impression the magazine has a large fan base.

The masthead is very large and bold which is done to allow the audience to recognise the magazine from afar and so the reader can see what the magazine is going to be about. It is in a different colour from the background so the masthead doesn't blend in to allow it to stand out as much as possible.

The cover lines and text are aligned over the model as this allows the model to take up as much of the cover as possible without making the text look small and hidden away. It also creates a 3D effect and looks visually pleasing.

Research and Planning: Magazine analyses

College magazine analyses:

This college magazine is created for a target audience of young adults, ages 16 - 21. You can tell this as first of all, the title of the cover page is "STUDENT" and the age range 16 - 21 falls within a students age. The model on the cover is a young adult therefore a younger audience will see this and instantly think the magazine and it's contents can relate to them, whereas an older adult, 56 for example will see the young model and will not show much interest as they will feel it won't relate to them. As well as the model, the information on the cover, such as "Guide to music" and "Top 10 ways to help you revise", is information which only relates to a younger audience as an older adult wont need to revise or figure out about what music they should listen to.





(GAP)
I like this cover page and there are a few features on the page which I would like to use on my magazine. How the model is in-front of some text and behind others is a feature I like very much as it adds a 3D variation and it means text can be placed over and around the model instead of the model dominating the cover with text hiding away. Adding such features as issue number, price and bar code adds authenticity and a professional feel which I would like to portray in my magazine. I would also like to use a dominating title like the one in this cover page as the title is the eye catcher and tells the audience what the magazine is going to be about therefore it needs to be big and bold.

(GAP)
There are also features which I would like to copy for my contents page. The numbers and titles of the pages are easy to see so the reader will find it easy to navigate the magazine. Many pictures of college activities and young models re-assures them the contents of the magazine relates to them. Pictures also look visually pleasing and add a variation from lots of text.
(GAP)




Initial ideas for my magazine:
I plan to use one of my friends to pose for the cover picture. As he is a fellow student, this will add to the theme of a college magazine and portray a 16 - 21 target audience. The title of the magazine will be something on the lines of, "Clarendon Way". This title highlights the fact that the magazine is for Hyde Clarendon college and it's students. I intend to add bright colours and a dull background colour which allows the bright text to stand and pop out.




(GAP)
Stories I would like to include:
Stories about enrichment activities as it is the start of college and students would like to know when certain teams are having trials (maybe include a fake advertisement). I can talk about popular student items such as IPhones or games consoles which will interest students (such as the one above which talks about music).

Research and Planning: Adobe Indesign tutorial

The tools i used in Adobe indesign include:

• Create guides tool. In this tool i created guided lines which can be used to order the text into neat columns or rows depending on the article.
• Place tool. This tool allows you to place your text wherever on the page instead of the programme putting it anywhere.
• Text tool. I used this tool for the title where i also changed the style and size of the text.
• Fitting tool. This tool allowed me to alter the size and shape of the picture which I imported so I can alter the image to fit the space.

After practising with these tools in Adobe In design, I am able to locate and use these tools effectively to allow me to create an article to a professional standard. I can now use this programme and it's tools to use for my own music magazine.

Research and Planning: Photoshop challenge

Tools I have used for the Photoshop challenge:

• I used the file setting to open a new document in which i changed to an A4 sized document using the international paper sizes.
• I used the text tool swell as altering the style, colour and size of font.
• To change the background colour, I used the new fill layer option in the layer settings.
• I gave the text a drop down shadow by using the layer style tool.
• To add the image, I downloaded the picture form the internet and used an elliptical tool to create the oval shape around the face and imported it into the document.  
• To change the hair colour, I used the brush tool and turned the opacity down to 9% which allows the hair's natural flow to still come through.
• The tool I used to add the border around the face was the elliptical tool once again and filled it in dark blue.

The Photoshop challenge has allowed me to use a broad range of tools which I will come in contact with when creating a music magazine therefore this document teaches me how to use these tools in an effective way and where I can find them within the programme. 

Research and Planning: Photoshop CD tutorial

Tools I have used in this tutorial:

• Magic wand tool to outline the horn
• Elliptical marquée to outline the CD
• Colour balance to adjust the colours of the horn, CD and background
• Emboss tool to alter the look of the horn
• Text tool to add the title of the CD
• Show transform controls to adjust the size of the horn, CD and notes
• Wave filter tool to alter the background image
• Toggle text orientation tool to style the text

Research and Planning: Photoshop skin tutorial

Tools I used during this tutorial:

• Brush tool for her hair and cheeks to change the colour and add make up.
• Sponge tool for her cheeks.
• Spot healing brush tool to remove all her spots and freckles to produce clean skin.
• Colour picker for her hair and cheek colour, where you can also change the gradient of the colours.
• I also used the opacity and size options for the brush tool so the colour doesn't cover over the natural flow of the hair.

Having practise of these tools can allow me to alter any features of a person in a photo for the future such as the model in my music magazine cover therefore adding a professional finish to the front cover.