Evaluation

Evaluation

Before I began designing my own music magazine I researched magazines under the same genre, such as NME and RockSound. Looking over my front cover design, elements of my work are similar to the magazines I researched. For example the font and the way the masthead is written on my magazine is similar to that on the cover of Kerrang as the font is slightly , however the model on the cover image of Kerrang usually overlaps the title. I think the way I have advertised inside stories on the cover is similar to that on the cover of RockSound magazine particularly the font style and size. The way I have chosen to lay out my image on the page is also similar to that of RockSound and NME. This is not in the style of image but how it takes up the whole page and how the text is written over the image.

For my photographs that I have taken I have made sure the clothing the models are wearing are individual to them. This is because my magazine is a rock genre and generally for people who want to be individual and stand out from the majority.

As my magazine is under the rock genre I think it if it were published it would be done through a company such as IPC media which publishes NME. NME was one of the magazines that I researched before starting my own work and so some elements are similar. I think that my magazine would be sold in record shops as it is a specific genre of music that would not appeal to everybody.

The target audience for my magazine is middle to late teens. I think generally my magazine would appeal more to a male audience, but this is purely down to the style of music. The colours I have chosen to do my magazine in are fairly basic so they will appeal to both genders as I did not want to make a magazine that only appealed to a male audience. I think my magazine would appeal to Individualists. The magazines I researched before starting this project were also for the same age range as my magazine, but I think they were more leaning towards a male audience due to the images and the style of writing.

I have made my magazine for a target audience of middle to late teens and so to attract them to the magazine I have chosen a model for the front cover that it within that age range. This means the audience can immediately relate to the image and will be attracted to read what’s inside. I have also chosen to advertise things on the front that will appeal to people who like that genre of music, such as advertising a competition to win Jimmy Eat World tickets.

To begin with I found the software a bit difficult to get on with. I did have to change my ideas slightly because I couldn’t create the look I wanted using the software. However mostly my work has turned out how I had originally planned, this is evident when looking at my flat plans.

I definitely think my work has improved from the preliminary task. My design for the college magazine was very simple and didn’t really show a deep understanding of the software. I think my music magazine has very much improved from that, this is from experimenting with the software and spending more time planning my magazine.

When I asked others what they thought of my magazine they said it had a very clear layout, the choice of fonts are good because they fit well with the genre and that they thought the images portrayed the rock genre well.

This is a rough plan of my contents page for the college magazine. I have chosen a colour scheme of red, cream and green which matches the front cover and therefore creates a running theme and also means it will still attract the same audience. I have used a plain, formal text, again to match that on the front cover.
I have chosen the to put one large image and three small ones down the right hand side as this breaks up the page and means it is not completely covered in text and it makes the the comosition of the page interesting.

Music magazine - Flat plans

For this project I have chosen to do my music magazine under the rock genre. This is because that is the genre I know most about.

This is my flat plan for my music magazine cover. I have chosen Feedback as the title as it a terminology used in guitar playing when sound comes back through an amplifier. For the masthead I plan to use a stencil - like font As I think it would be appropriate to fit under the genre of the magazine. I will leave the masthead text in black and will choose a font that is slightly distorted, possibly similar to that on the Kerrang magazine cover.

For the sub headings and text on the magazine cover I will use a similar font to fit in with the masthead and I will colour it in black and red.

For my photograph I want to have someone playing the guitar - as it is a rock magazine. I also think the guitar is a good shape to have at the bottom of the cover.



This is the flat plan for my contents page. I have chosen to design it so it looks like a noticboard. I chose to do this because often smaller bands and their gigs are advertised on notice boards. I also think it makes it more interesting to look at. For the title and all of the text I will use a fairly plain font although I will use different fonts. I will keep a simple colour scheme on the contents page so that it is clear and not too busy. I hope to have a wooden effect for the background in order to add to the look of the noticeboard. On the contents page I will include a box with a list of the featured bands, a box for reviews, a box for interviews and a small box for pictures.

This is the flat plan for my double page spread. I have chosen to set it out in a way that is similar to a newspaper. This is becasue is to make sure it is clear and easy to read. Within the double page spread I will write a short band biography and an interview with the lead vocalist of the band. I will also keep a basic colour scheme for this so it is not too busy.

Preliminary Task - front cover

This is my final design of my cover for a college magazine.
I have called it 'sussex students' because I felt it was an appropriate name for a college magazine and also it includes alliteration which makes the name stand out more.
I have chosen a very basic colour scheme for my magazine as it needs to appeal to both genders. I have chosen a plain font that is formal as it is a college magazine. The language is also fairly formal so it is easy for students to read.
I chose this particular image to go on the front cover as I think it was the best of the 3 I took, it is taken from the right distance away and the model appears to hold eye contact with the reader.

These are the other two photographs I took as possibilities for the front cover. I decided not to use the first one as the model's eyes are partly shut and I decided not to use the second one as it is too zoomed out.

Evaluation of RockSound magazine:

The magazine is of a rock genre as suggested by the name. The font is very plain and traditional, it is simple and easy to read which means it will appeal to a younger audience - most likely teenagers. The cover only uses a few colours which is effective as the cold blue and white contrasts with the red and yellow to make sections stand out, including the main sells of the magazine which are most important for attracting a reader. The language is informal and does assume a knowledge of the subject area but not so strongly that a different audience wouldn't understand it. I think the magazine is aimed at a latish teenage audience. I think it is mainly aimed at a male audience, however I think it would attract a small majority of girls who are into that type of music, but I think it is mainly a male magazine, this is suggested by the colours, language and image that have been used. The image on the front cover shows two members of the band Fall Out Boy. The band members are photographed wearing boxing gloves and with their mouth open, suggesting anger against a person / people. The cover for this magazine usually shows a male model(s) on the front cover as bands are generally all male. There are very few female members in rock bands which I think is why the magazine is mainly aimed at a male audience.
The front cover also contains important information such as the bar code, issue number and price.

RockSound contents page:
The font used for the contents page is the same as that on the front cover of the magazine which is important as it keeps the theme and genre up, and also because it needs to stick to the same target audience that the front cover attracts. Also the colour scheme used for the front cover has remained pretty much the same on the contents page, again keeping the rock theme running through the whole magazine.
The information is set out clearly and under sub-headings to help guide the reader to what they're looking for.
Each story has a bold title and a short sentence describing what it includes, this is so the reader is not put off by huge amounts of text. The language used is informal which is appropriate for the type of magazine, it also uses some slang which is also appropriate because it is aimed at a teenage audience. The image at the top left of the page shows a man wearing boxing gloves which continues the theme created by the photograph on the front cover. The large image on the left of the page shows three men drinking, shouting and using a fire extinguisher which shows the rebellious rock attitude. Their clothing, hair styles and tattoos also portray the rock image and therefor fits with the genre of the magazine.

I think this double page spread is very clear and well presented. The colours are all very similar except for the sections in yellow which really stand out to the reader, this again keeps with the colour scheme used for the front cover and contents page.

The photograph has good composition and the facial expressions in particular have been used to create the band's image. The clothing and body language shows fits the genre of the magazine as it shows the rock image, however it is not as rebellious as the images on the front cover and contents page.
The font is very plain and informal but easy to read. There is not much text on either page which keeps the readers focus on the image. As with the last two pages from this magazine that I have evaluated, the writing that the editor wants the reader to take notice of is highlighted in yellow and red. The pull quote is highlighted in a white box which stands out because the rest of the text is on a black background.
The font used is again similar to that used on the front cover and contents page which also keeps the rock genre running thoughout the magazine. The language is reasonably simple and uses some slang which works because it appeals to the target audience.

Analysis of NME magazine:

The title of the magazine is NME (enemy) this in it's self attracts a particular audience and suggests the genre of the magazine. The font is plain, sans serif and is informal. The title is coloured red which suggests blood and anger which fits the theme of the magazine. The language is very informal and does not really require a knowledge of the subject area. The language used on the front cover also represents the rebellious rock attitude, the fact that there is swearing on the front cover immediately tells us that this is not a magazine suitable for young readers. This particular magazine cover includes a quote written across the image which uses rebellious, informal language. The quote attracts the reader to the story inside which contains that sentence. The target audience for this magazine is a young audience, most likely older teenagers, due to the language, image and genre and generally I would say this magazine is aimed at male readers. The image is of a member of the band 'Fucked Up' and it shows aggression and anger and violence. The photograph has been set up and is designed to show violence and aggression through the facial expression and the props used. The model is not wearing a top and has a tattoo accross his chest which is a sereotypical characteristic of the rock image.
The main selling item on the cover of this magazine is the quote across the image as it attracts people to that story inside the magazine. Another selling point would be the the story advertised at the top right of the cover and the main image that goes with it. The front cover contains the things most important to the buyer, such as the price of the magazine, the date of the issue and the bar code. An issue of NME contains between 60 and 80 pages.

Preliminary Task

This is the blog for my preliminary task. I will be creating a front cover for a college magazine including a portrait picture of a student and information of what's inside the magazine. To do this I will be using Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop to edit and create the front cover. I will also produce a rough layout of a contents page.