Contence and Double Page Spread Analysis

This is an example of a double-page spread from NME magazine featuring the popular solo artist Florence Welch from 'Florence and the Machines'. The double page spread follows a very simple format, the image is on the left, and the writing if on the right. This makes it easy to read and doesn't confuse the eye. As the photo a Florence is a big A4 sized photo it prevents the spread from looking too crowded with writing - making people happy to read the article.

To make add a little bit of style to the page the title's font is fancy. It is also very clever as one of the titles of Florence's songs is 'You got the love', and to fill up the extra space in the background the word 'USA' is in a very large bold font. It is in a light coloured font too, making it less distracting. The headlines tells us that there is something to do with America in the article. The  black front, which makes it look professional, stands out against the white/grey background. It is also clear to see.

The article includes a subheading before the text for an introduction to the article. This gives an overall summary and idea of what the article is about. In order to make it stand out, it is in a slightly larger font than the other writing in the article. It is in a plain, simple styled font to ensure that it is clear and readable. There are also highlighted words to make important words stand out.

 

The colour theme is quite simple and bland - including colours such as grey, black and white. It also has a small amount of red in the photo. The red is very effective as it is a very bright colour so it brings attention to the page and makes it look more interesting. It also matches Florence's red coloured hair. The red and white striped fabric also links to the USA, as this is on the flag.

 

This is an example of a contents page from MOJO magazine. The layout of this contents page is simple and effective. The contents are in the centre of the page, with pictures surrounding them, and the title at the top of the page. I like the way that the pictures surround the contents because it gives the page a background and makes it appealing to the reader. The pictures include the page number that they are located on. This is very helpful as it makes it easier to the reader. Also, pictures are more noticeable and attract attention, compared to text. Therefore, by using page numbers to label what page the image is on makes it easier for the reader.

The font is a very clear font to make it readable as this is the most important information on the page. The date and issue number is situated at the top of the page, above the title. They are both in small fonts, as these aren't important information, and therefore doesn't need to be the first thing that the reader needs to see.

 

As MOJO is aimed at an older audience the slightly old fashioned feel to the contence page is very clever. It will make the reader feel nostalgic and they will be able to relate to the page. I think it is a good idea.

Research

To help me choose a name for my magazine I created a short questionnaire and asked some of my friends and family.

The questions were:

1) Which name do you prefer, 'A cappella' or 'Musicology'?

2) How much would you pay for a monthly music magazine?

3) What makes a magazine front cover appealing?

4) What information do you want to find in a music magazine?

5) Are you interested in chart music?

What I found out:

• 70% of people preferred the name 'Musicology'.
• The average price the people would pay was roughly £3.50
• The majority of people agreed that it is the pictures and the cover lines that make a front cover eye catching.
• Most people said that they like to see interviews with artists and the latest music information published. A few people said that they also like to see upcoming gig's in magazines.
• I found that 50% of people said that they were interested in chart music, and 50% said that they weren't.

My questionnaire has helped me to develop my ideas for my own magazine as I now know what people want and look for in a music magazine.

New Project - Music Magazine

There are many different music magazines around. There are ones to suit all genres of music and every type of person. I am going to be doing some research to find out what makes these magazines successful. I will be  looking at Rolling Stone, NME, MOJO and Top Of The Pops. 

Rolling Stone is a popular American magazine contains music and entertainment news, videos, photos, downloads, music and movie reviews, cover stories and online exclusives. It focuses on  popular culture and is published every two weeks. As well as featuring music stories heavily, it also often has political content -  making it appeal to an adult audience. It began in 1967 when the hippy/rock and roll lifestyle was at it's peak. In the 90s Rolling Stone tried to change their image slightly and appeal to a younger audience - this backfired as many criticized it for emphasizing style over substance. They have since returned to their original style of content. The magazines total circulation (2011) was 1,467,739. Wenner Media are the publishers of Rolling Stone, they also publish US Weekly. It sells for $4.99. 

The logo has character to it and it almost looks like it is still from the 60s/70s. This shows that the target audience are more mature; young teenagers would not identify with this retro look and they would not want to read about politics. There is a classy feel to the front cover -  the fonts are clean and simple. The white colour of the fonts make the red logo stand out more. Adele appeals to both men and women, so this will appeal to a wide audience, therefore maximizing sales. The pose that she is holding is mature and striking, showing the magazine is for an older audience. 

NME has a different feel to it when compared to a music magazine like Rolling stone. It has younger target audience, aimed at 17-30 year old men. There is a big focus on more alternative music, rather than chart music. The magazine claims to bring you new music news first; something that makes it successful. NME has been published weekly in the UK since March 1952. Alongside the magazine there is a website, NME.com has 5 million users per month. From March 1998 onwards, the paper was no longer printed on newsprint, and more recently it has shifted to tabloid size. It has full, glossy, colour covers - making it appealing to look at. IPC Media publish NME. NME also has a music channel, a radio station, host award ceremonies and arrange gigs. There was some usful statistics about the magazine here.

A well known band, or singer, always appear on the front cover. This along with the recognisable logo help to make the magazine successful. The poses on the cover arent always serious, making the target audience be able to relate to them, especially as they are often males on the cover. As the logo is red, this colour is nearly always used elsewhere on the cover.

MOJO is slightly simular to Rolling Stone, it is aimed at an older audience. As the magazine focuses on the classic rok genre, it attracts a more mature, adult reader. The magazine began in November 1993. It is published monthly by Bauer. Until 2008, it was published by Emap. Last year Mojo sold 94,617 units. A website compliments the magazine, and helps to support it's popularity. To keep readers interested special issues are often published, for example a 60s edition. MOJO has to cease brroadcasting their radio startion in 2008 in order to save money.

A free CD is given with every isuuse, giving th magazine a unique selling point. There is often a lot of information on the cover, giving the reader a teaser of what is inside. The well known MOJO logo is clean cut and simple - appealing to the adult reader, and making it recognisable.

Top Of The Pops is aimed at young girls aged 9- 13. It was launched in February 1995 and  is still in publication despite the cancellation of the TV show. Over the years the music content has been whittled down and there is more of a focus on 'girly gossip'. In 2010 the magazine recorded a circulation of 94,224. Unlike the other magazines, Top of The Pops does not have a veru successful website; there isn't a lot of information on it. This is probably because it's target audience aren't heavy internet users, however, this is changing. It is published monthly by BBC Magazines.

The front covers are extremely girly. Pink is almost always used (to attract the target audience). A propular artisit is usually posing on the cover, again attracting interest. The magazine often has special editions, eg. the Justin Beiber edition. When this is the case, the cover is full of information about the artist to make people want to read more.

My Final Design

This is my final finished design for my college magazine front cover. I decided to change the orange font to green as it is opposite red on the colour wheel; therefore it creates a clashing effect that grabs attention and makes it look pleasing to the eye. To make the mast head stand out more I put a block of colour behind it and made it a bright lime green shade. I think this looks much better and makes my front cover look vibrant. To make people want to buy my magazine I have enlarged certain key words to grab buyers attention. For example  the '20% off' is much larger than the rest of the cover line that follows it. I improved the banner at the bottom by changing the colour and the font, I also made the banner less transparent. I added the date and price to the front cover, but kept them small and discreet to not take the focus away from my cover lines. I changed the position of my barcode as I felt in my first draft it was too close to my models head. The final design is slightly different to my flat plans that I originally produced as I felt that it was important that the main image was spread across the whole page. I also got rid of the puff as I felt that there was already enough information on the cover.  Initially I was going to have a tag line, but after much thought I decided against this as I thought it would sound too cheesy and it wouldn't add anything to the page. Overall I am very happy with my final design and I thing by using reds and greens it will appeal to both genders. 

Cover Design Attempt One

This was my first attempt of my front cover. It was still in development (hense the boxes around the text) so I decided to review what I was doing. The orange was not eye catching enough and didn't create the bold effect that I wanted. The text also wasn't big enough. The banner running across the bottom of my front cover was too transparent; the models arms were showing through too much. I decided that this was another thing that I needed to pay attention to. My masthead was also not bold enough, another thing that I needed to address and change. 

Cover Lines

To appeal to my target audience I will have to have cover lines that interest them. They must also relate to the content of my magazine and be short and snappy.

'20% off at Topshop and Topman, Student Discounts'  - This will be one of my cover lines because it will attract students attention as they will want to know how to get this discount. Topshop and Topman are very popular with young people ages between 16-20, it also appeals to both genders. 

'Thank God it's Friday, What to do at the weekend' -   The weekend is an important time for students, this will make them want to read my magazine to get ideas of things to do this month.

'The Secret to Success, How I got 4 A's' - To go with my cover picture, I will have this Tag line. The word secret will intregue readers and make then want to find out what it is. Most students want to get good results, so this cover line will grad their attention and make them want to read the inside story.

'Chocolate or an Apple? What do you prefer? Have your say!' - This cover line interacts with the reader, the use of a rhetorical question will make them feel involved. It gives them a chance to 'have their say', something that will appeal to students as they want to get the most out of their college expericence.

Masthead

As  I have decided to call my magazine 'The Southdowns Special'. I asked my classmates which font the preferred. The majority of the class decided on the second from bottom - Princetown LET. I am going to use this font as I feel it will maximize my magazines success.