Preliminary task

This is my preliminary task and the first attempt at making an actual magazine from scratch. After receiving  class feedback I feel that my actual product will be well improved/

Contents page analysis

This is a contents page for Q magazine follows the house style of red white and black. There are thumbnail images which give an insight as to what is going to be on the pages. This contents page is spread across two pages which is somethimes done in magazine and this is probably due to the amount of pictures used. 

Double page spread analysis

The headline is on the right hand side above all of the text so draws the eye towards it. The whole left side of the page is a long shot of the artist and is the main background for the spread. The drop capital at the start of the article attracts the eye towards in and makes the reader think it is worth reading. The massive 'USA' in the background of the article gives it a theme and the red and white tie in with this. 

Magazine research (double page spread)

This double page spread is for an american hard rock band called The Pretty Reckless hence why the background is black. The main singer Taylor Momsen is dressed in all black an completely fits the expectation of what a rock girl would look like. She had very dark eye makeup which also fulfills expectation. However a bright fuchsia pink has been used which stand out and completely contrasts with the black. This may have been used to give a feminine streak on the magazine article as it is on a female band member. There is a bold headline and it uses both white and bright pink. 'Wild' is written in pink and looks hand written however the 'Child' is in a very bold font in capitals and looks very computerized which provides a comparison. 

Research into target audience

As an example billboard magazine is a pop magazine which is usually targeted at young teens and young adults. The magazine is based around chart music which particularly appeals to those age groups. Billboard sometimes goes away from the "norm" of chart music and have feautured people on the covers such as Lionel Richie and Paul Mccartney. This will openly appeal to a wider range of people creating a wider target audience.

Magazine cover research

This magazine cover uses monochrome colours on everything apart from the magazine name. It doesn't follow the codes and conventions as the masthead is usually at the top and shifted towards the left hand side on the page which draws in the eye. The red stands out against the black and white photograph which takes up the whole of the page. The typography is simple and nothing very complex is used. Cara Delevigne looks very classic in the photo and has a retro feel to it due the the use of colour. 

Research into similar products

I looked at this magazine cover for inspiration. The colour scheme is similar to one which I am going to attempt to achieve. There are three main colours used and I feel like this works well. 

Magazine cover research

When I saw this magazine cover it really inspired me as I particularly like the editing used in the background of the photograph. There is a clear house style on this magazine. The fonts used are futuristic which tie in with the space looking background. I like how billboard have slightly changed the masthead so it doesn't clash completely with the rest of the cover. 'Stars Dance' as a subheadline explains the theme of the cover.

Magazine cover research

I like the way Ke$ha has been photographed here. The picture had the perfect setting which completely  fits with the theme of the cover. It is unusual to see a long shot on the cover of a magazine however I think it looks particularly effective on this one. The main cover line is in black and orange which arent necessarily colours which match the photograph however it still works well with it. The whole background of the magazine cover is just the photo of Ke$ha and I really like the way it has been used. Most covers use close ups and they are what I have mainly been doing my research one however after looking at this cover I am going to do further research into covers which use long shots as I feel that it works well. 

Research

I like this photograph as a close up of Miley Cyrus holding a vintage microphone. As it is a close up I think that it would be a perfect shot to use on a music magazine cover. There is a country kind of feel to this photo which isn't what I'm aiming for however I feel that it would be easy to interpret it into a pop/rock genre which I mainly like the covers of.

Codes and conventions task

I chose to call this band the Uptempo's because I feel like it fits a jazz which is the genre of music I chose for this  band. I used a yellow orange colour for the font as it stood out but did not clash with the background colours. The subheadline is in white which ties in with the white outline of the main headline. In the top right hand corner I featured an interview with Adele in black because it contrasted with the orange and white headlines about the uptempos and I wanted a different colour to make it clear that it was going to be a seperate section of the magazine. The main headline is quite big and does make an impact as it is the first thing you read. I don't think that putting it across the main image hindered the effects at all.

Pitch magazine was designed for a niche market so I tried to keep it focused on mostly Marilyn Manson as he doesn't really appeal to a wide range of people. This would mean that this issue of 'Pitch' wasn't aimed at a mass audience. The red masthead meant that I kept red as the main colour used. Red contrasts with the black and white background so was a good colour to use. An exclusive sample of Marilyn Manson's album was featured as an incentive and I used a bright yellow font to make it eye catching. 

SounD is a rock and roll magazine white provided influence and meant I kept it tied in with this theme. The fire and 'ROCK' plectrums added character to the cover. The main headline is in a faded black and grey which gave a rock look. 

Music_X is a niche market magazine. Bjork is the cover star so the main cover line says that Bjork is going to give the readers an insight. The other cover lines talk about new bands from the specific genre and also features parts from Bjork's interview such as her dream collaboration? I chose to use fonts seeing as the background was black and it totally complemented the masthead and cover picture. 

M magazine is created for a mass market. Alliteration is used in 'Drake Domination'. I think that as a mass market magazine it needed to be quite a typical cover. The colour red is bold and stands out against the contrasting black. I used rihanna as she is also a pop artist who features mostly in top 40 music. The cover line is placed in the middle as I think it was the most "stand out-ish". Featuring readers opinions on top 10 tracks is including the readers so they feel more involved.   

Music magazine research

Rolling Stone magazine has used Miley Cyrus as their cover star. Rolling Stone is a rock magazine and have featured Miley looking rock n' roll. She has dark eye makeup and fits with the codes and conventions.The typography of this magazine fits with the style of the cover star. The contrast between the lightly coloured background and the black fonts etc work really well. 

Music magazine research

I am really liking the pop/rock genre and Miley Cyrus fits in with this. I like this cover because it is simplistic but completely fits in with Miley's look. I think the use of black and white is really good and makes an impact as it is unusual. This is a fashion magazine however I feel like this could be used as influence and easily interpreted into a music magazine. 

Music genre research

When researching music genres I started to look at covers which Avril Lavigne has featured in because I like the pop/rock genre.I found this magazine cover of 'zink'. I like the way Avril Lavigne has punk style clothes and makeup in contrast the the girly pink fonts. This is unusual as it doesn't fit with the codes and conventions as normally the cover stars genre fits with the typography on the magazine. 

Typography exercise