Personal Learning and Reflection

Front Cover Analysis

What I Learnt

In researching through lots of different front covers I found that lots of them use the same type of features which will be shown in the other box,. Some certain magazines which appeal to different audiences try to find their own independent way of setting out their front cover to try and appeal to people who want to find their own independent way of doing things. Lots of the fronts covers have bright colours but some have dark colours and this shows how it is very particular that only the dark colours on some magazines are particular to certain genres of the magazine. I will use this knowledge to have my front cover in bright colours and using the typical layout of a magazine as I think that it will mean I can appeal to the largest possible audience.

Typical Features

Text Dominant on One Side

Large Image in Background

Title At Top

Title Stands Out

Contents Page Analysis

What I Learnt

I found that the contents pages vary a lot depending on the certain audience and genre of the magazine. I found that for the magazines which have a more stylish look they will have the information spread out a lot more and have a image dominating the page, whereas others have a look where they try and fit all of the information onto one page. I will use this in my contents page as I think I will try and spread all of the information out over certain places to try and make the contents page seem more stylish rather than cramped in one page.

Typical Features

Numbers on Right

Large image in Centre

Title at Top

News at Bottom

Double Page Spread Analysis

What I Learnt

I found that with the double page spreads they have different ways of setting out the information depending on the topic and also depending on the genre of the magazine. It is similar to a contents page as the text can show a lot on what the formality of the magazine is, where the text is spaced out it means that there is more room for images which people may be more interested in especially if they have star appeal. I will keep my magazine in a formal style and space it out with a large title on one page and then images and text on the other.

Typical Features

Title which takes up half of one page

Image which takes up background of another whole page

Text is easy to read

Text is split up into different sections

Audience Research Analysis

What I Learnt

The audience results show I should aim my magazine at an audience of around an average age of 18 as these are the largest audience who read music magazines. If I can achieve a good magazine which can relate to this audience then it will mean I have a large audience to produce my product for
The music magazines showed that most people who I questioned like to read the iDJ magazines so I will be focusing my music magazine around the genre of house/ techno music as I believe that it will mean that I can achieve the largest audience possible.
The favourite band showed that they enjoy ‘Coldplay’ and this would be because the main genre of music for bands is ‘Alternative Rock’ and there are only music artists who work singularly in the genre of ‘House’.
The favourite music artists turned out as ‘Eminem’ and ‘Netsky’ who work in the rap and the Dubstep music genres and these will both be focused on in the magazine so that it means I have a very large audience.
The websites regularly used came out as the majority use ‘Facebook’ I will use this information for readers to be able to follow their favourite music artists on Facebook which means that popularity of the magazine and the artists will increase.
The festivals came out as reading festival was very popular so I may focus some of my work on what happens at reading festival and looking at features and artists who went there.
Accessing music came down to iTunes and YouTube and I think YouTube would be the best to use and advertise in the magazines as people can listen for free whereas on iTunes more people do not want to have to pay to listen to their favourite music.
TV channels and programmes and music channels had similar results as most of the top answers included music channels or shows to show how the music industry can dominate over lots of other popular TV programmes. The second favourite TV programme is a comedy so I will try and fit the aspect of comedy into my magazine.

Research Questionaire& Results

Audience Research Questionnaire

Age (Circle One): 10-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 40+
Gender (Circle One): Male / Female




What Music Magazines Do You Read?


Who are Your Favourite Bands/ Artists?


What Websites Do Your Regularly Use?


Have You Ever Been to a Music Festival?
If Yes, Which One?


How do You Access Music?


What would encourage you to buy a Music Magazine?


What are your favourite TV Channels?


What are your favourite TV programmes?


What Music Channels do you watch (on TV) if any?

Audience Research Questionnaire Results

Question 1:

This shows how I should aim my magazine at an audience of around an average age of 18 as these are the largest audience who read music magazines. If I can achieve a good magazine which can relate to this audience then it will mean I have a large audience to produce my product for.

Question 2:

This shows how the dominant amount of people who read music magazines are men and this may be because there are lots of specific genres for men as rap music can be related just to being aimed at a male audience.


Results for Other Questions

Question Top Answers From 40 People

What Music Magazines Do You Read? iDJ (15) MixMag (10)
Who Are Your Favourite Band? Coldplay (18) Boys Like Girls (12)
Who Is Your Favourite Music Artist? Eminem (15) Netsky (10)
What Websites Do You Regularly Use? Facebook (20) YouTube (10)
Have You Ever Been To a Festival? If Yes, Which Ones? Reading (15) Edinburgh (10)
How Do You Access/ Listen To Music? iTunes (10) YouTube (10)
What Would Encourage You To Buy a Music Magazine? Free Gifts (15) Competitions (10)
What Are Your Favourite TV Channels? BBC (20) ITV (10)
What Are Your Favourite TV Programmes? UK Top 40 (10) The Inbetweeners (10)
What Music Channels Do You Listen To (on TV), if any? 4Music (14) Kiss (10)

The music magazines showed that most people who I questioned like to read the iDJ magazines so I will be focusing my music magazine around the genre of house/ techno music as I believe that it will mean that I can achieve the largest audience possible.
The favourite band showed that they enjoy ‘Coldplay’ and this would be because the main genre of music for bands is ‘Alternative Rock’ and there are only music artists who work singularly in the genre of ‘House’.
The favourite music artists turned out as ‘Eminem’ and ‘Netsky’ who work in the rap and the Dubstep music genres and these will both be focused on in the magazine so that it means I have a very large audience.
The websites regularly used came out as the majority use ‘Facebook’ I will use this information for readers to be able to follow their favourite music artists on Facebook which means that popularity of the magazine and the artists will increase.
The festivals came out as reading festival was very popular so I may focus some of my work on what happens at reading festival and looking at features and artists who went there.
Accessing music came down to iTunes and YouTube and I think YouTube would be the best to use and advertise in the magazines as people can listen for free whereas on iTunes more people do not want to have to pay to listen to their favourite music.
TV channels and programmes and music channels had similar results as most of the top answers included music channels or shows to show how the music industry can dominate over lots of other popular TV programmes. The second favourite TV programme is a comedy so I will try and fit the aspect of comedy into my magazine.

Find Your Tribe

‘Find Your Tribe’ is a good way of finding out what type of audience you want to aim your magazine out. It shows what certain groups of people enjoy, for example you can look at how the mass audience enjoy their music or what type of music they enjoy. I turned out as a ‘townie’ because I have to work hard but in the long term I enjoy having time off and spending it with mates. I have learnt that most of the UK are ‘townies’ from another screen which showed the percentage and it was very similar around the country showing how that if you can get a product which this audience will enjoy then they you will really benefit from the amount of people which would buy this magazine. From this I will try and appeal some of the factors of the magazine directly to what the audience of my magazine wants.
There are direct links that you can do if you want to try and share it with the rest of your friends and then you could ask them what they got to try and get a idea of what you want to put into your magazine.
I will come back and reflect on this when doing the photo shoot as I think that if I have an audience which is as wide as it can be read throughout the whole country then I think that I will feel as though I have achieved something through looking at what information people enjoy inside magazines.

Research Double Page Spreads

1. Music Magazine - This double page spread is based on a new artist called ‘Brandon Taylor’ and he is trying to work his way into the singles charts which pop music and it may be recognised that he is trying to do a similar thing to what Justin Beiber did as he had a appeal to the female audience as he had young looks and still had a good voice. This magazine has lots of text in many different sizes and the main colours on these pages are red, grey and cream. These colours are quite subtle and it can show how his music relates to these as it is calm music. The font on this magazine is broken down to shows how he is still not fully in the music industry so the text is not completely full. The size of the text is larger on parts like the subtitles which mean that they have more importance and stand out more. The mode of address in this magazine is informal as it tries to relate to a teenage audience as they are probably the only people who would listen to this type of music. There are two pictures and one is a long shot of him standing on a pier at a beach looking into the distance which could signify that he is looking into the future and the unknown. The second image is a medium close up of three people who we recognise to be friends of his as that is what it looks like in this image; this is shown by the way that they are all close and if they were not good friends they would be more spread apart. The audience for this magazine is people who enjoy pop music and like artists like Justin Beiber and even though he has a very large audience he has a very large amount of people who do not like his music so ‘Taylor’ needs to be careful that he does not have the same amount of people who don’t like his music. This music magazine is very similar to lots others in the way that it is set out. It has text which is easy to read and catches people attention. The lure for this magazine is the chance to follow someone who may become big in the future as he has lots of potential.

2. XXL - This double page spread is showing the development of a rap artist who has come from a rough background and after reading in depth on the actual website we can see that it shows that his life was not as easy as we all thought, we thought that once he made the money he would be fine for the rest of his life. The text for this double page spread is set out so that the majority of people who visit this page can easily understand the text. The large text is a quote which he said and this quote may stand out as something important that he said. The mode of address on this double page spread is formal as it shows the story of his life so it tries to portray the serious side of this artist rather than the one which may be more of a joke. The shot of the artist is a long shot which shows him on a catwalk with speakers around him and this links to the mise en scene as it could be showing his career so far and what he wants it to become. The audience for this magazine are people who enjoy rap music and you can tell this by the way that the main artist in the shot is someone who is related to the rap music genre. It would be people who also enjoy other music genres which are closely related to this one. He mentions some of his inspirations while he was starting his career in this music genre and these appeals to people who may want to find more out about what he did to become as successful as he is nowadays. This magazine is similar to others as it is discussing the life story of a artist which relates to the genre of the magazine. The colours of black and red can show darkness and how he is going to go in depth about the problems he had to overcome. The appeal of this page is the fact that people will want to find out more about how he faced some problems and who he met to become a successful rap artist.

3. Vibe Magazine - This double page spread is showing a star who is promoting her new album and it talks to her about her life experiences. This magazine tries to appeal to an audience by using a double page spread which you would expect in a magazine and it has lots of star appeal. People who are fans of this artist will see her in this page and read the whole page which shows how it contributes towards keeping the audience focusing on the magazine rather than just putting the magazine down. The layout of the page is so that the main focus is on the image of the woman; this is noticeable because she is the only figure which is in colours which stand out. The font is a simple text as it means that the reader can go through it all without not understanding some parts of the text. The mode of address is formal as it tries to get in depth about her and what made her who she is at the beginning of her career. The shot is a long shot showing her whole figure and outfit and it does not concentrate on her facial expressions. The audience for this magazine and page is people who know who she is and can relate to what her life story is, people may see a advertisement for this double page may want to read through this magazine just to find some information about this artist. Other names in this page are her sister who is obviously famous otherwise it would not have her name standing out. This magazine is very similar as they have tried to appeal to a mass audience. The lure for this double page spread is the star appeal which this artist has.

4. Q Magazine - This double page spread is showing the story of the ‘Lily Allen’ and this magazine has conventions which you would expect in a music magazine. It has a very large title which takes up half of one page and this shows the importance of it and the fact they definitely want you to read it. The text is very mixed up in the title which could shows how her life has been mixed up, with highs and lows of her career. The text in the main section is very structured showing how it can be turning to a more serious topic rather than having a mix. The text colour is black and white which means that could be the light parts of her life are white and the dark parts are black. The mode of address in this text is formal as it shows her life in a light which means that it needs to be taken seriously rather than something to laugh at. The shot of Lily Allen is a medium long shot showing most of her upper body which can show what she stereotypically wears and also what the dark make up can show is that she can occasionally have a dark side to her. The audience for this magazine is for people who enjoy a range of music from pop to r&b and this opens it up to a wide audience but also means that it has other magazines which it has to compete with in order to achieve a good enough audience to create a profit. This magazine has features which are different to others as lots of others have smaller titles which means that their is more room for the text whereas this one wants this title to be noticed more than the actual text. It also has one image taking up a whole page whereas other magazines would have a smaller image with text underneath having a quote or more information about the image. The lure for this double page spread is star appeal as Lily Allen is a very well known artist and people may want to buy this magazine because they want to read more about her life.

5. NME - This double page spread is showing the story of the ‘The Teenagers’ who are a very well known band with an independent audience. The main colour scheme for this double page is blue and white and these are colours which stand out and look calm compared to other colours, this can be showing how they are a relaxing band to listen to and can appeal to a wider audience than the one they have the moment. The main focus the band as they stand out it shows that they are going to be the people who are giving the most information and who this double page is going to be based on. There is a variety of fonts in this double page and but they do not over-power what the text is saying. The shots is of a group in a long shot position as it shows their whole body but you can still see their facial expressions because it is in focus on their expressions. The mode of address for this band is informal as they are just lying on a bed and they are relaxing in informal costumes. The mise-en-scene shows lots of the same type of outfits as it would be what they wear when they are just staying with friends rather than going out. The audience for this magazine are people who enjoy a large range of music and this can be shown by a wide range of different genres on the left hand side of the page, by appealing to this audience they have a wider range of people to aim at but they have to compete with lots of other rival magazines who will be aiming at the same audience. The lure on this double page is the star appeal and the colours as the colours can attract them in and then when they are reading they may keep focus because they are a well known band in the rock industry. The mise-en scene in the background is what they think is a typical teenagers bedroom.

6. MixMag - This double page spread is about the teachers of some of the most successful music artists in the world and all through history. This page has lots of appeal to an audience as they ill want to know who it was who created the star appeal of so many of their favourite artists and bands. This magazine has a very ‘stylish’ layout as it has all of the different parts split around the page which keeps it looking very smart. The colours on this page are white, red and yellow which all have very different meanings and show a mix of moods and this could relate to what was in the text. The fonts on this page are very formal as it has a very easy way of being read and people will still find it interesting to read. The size of font is more dominant for the title as it takes over half of one page and then the smaller text is in a size which you stereotypically expect in a music magazine. The mode of address in this magazine is formal as it is showing clear information about the serious stories about the teachers of some of the biggest stars in the music industry. There are lots of images in this double page spread and these images are showing the teachers and some of the top music artists which they have taught. It shows potential for anyone who wants to start out as a music artist or a teacher an d shows how some people you may teach could soon be superstars. The audience for this magazine are people who enjoy a wide range of music as it covers all types of music from rock to r&b. There are lots of star names on this double page and this may expand the audience to people who are fans of the students of the teachers. These star names are also in bold which means that they stand out more which will grab people’s attention and if you see a star’s name in the text then people will buy the magazine to read more about what the text is saying about them. The lure for this page is star appeal as it mentions lots of stars and it also has the chance to give the reader the chance to see people who they can contact if they are trying to make it big in the music industry.

7. Kerrang - This double page spread is showing the development of a new band who have just come from a rough background and after reading more about this band I found that they are a growing band and they have a large fan base with them which is still growing. The text for this double page spread is set out so that the majority of people who visit this page can easily understand the text. The large text is a quote which someone from the band said and it is in the centre of the page and this quote may stand out as something important that they said otherwise it would have been kept in the smaller text. The mode of address on this double page spread is informal as it shows the way that the band formed and why they did, it also shows how they met each other and how they became a larger band. The shot of the band is a long shot which shows them in a room kicked someone dressed as a rabbit, people will want to read on to find out why they are doing this.The audience for this magazine are people who enjoy a range of music which includes rock music and you can tell this by the way that the band in the shot are people who are related to the rock and alternative music genre. It would be people who also enjoy other music genres which are closely related to this one. They mention some of their inspirations while they were starting their career in this music genre and these appeals to people who may want to find more out about what they did to become as successful as they are nowadays. This magazine is similar to others as it is discussing the life story of a band which relates to the genre of the magazine. The colours of black and red and white can show darkness and how they are going to go in depth about the problems that they had to overcome but the white colour in the background can show a chance of hope. The appeal of this page is the fact that people will want to find out more about how they faced some of their problems and who they met to become a upcoming and talented band.

8. iDJ - This double page spread is showing a new band called the ‘The Chapman Family’ they are a new band which feature in the genre Techno and House music, which is a hard genre to start in because there are already a lot of bands in this genre and it is hard to start off on nothing. This double page is very similar to lots of other magazines as it has the image on one side with text and then most of the text on the other side. There is a variety of text sizes which are used but it is a very similar font which is used the whole way through. The large text is where the producers want you to read because it has the most important text in large and in a bold format. The mode of address in this text is informal as it in a more ‘jokey’ format rather than displaying the information in a way which people may become bored of, it means that they can say what they want and still have the information put into it. The shot of the band and people around them is a long shot which shows them and also the scenario that they are in, it can be described as establishing where they are. The audience for this magazine double page are people that enjoy the music genre of DJ and house music which has a wide audience but for a band that can succeed in this genre they need to bring something new to the music industry rather than following all of the other bands. The other names in this article are other bands which have followed the same path of brining something new to the genre and it means that they can be compared to the bands which are a lot higher in the genre. The lure for this double page spread is the fact that people want to see how people get on when they try and enter the music industry, they want to watch new bands work their way up the music industry.

9. DJ - This double page spread is showing the development of a rap artist who has come from a background where he had a family reputation to keep up and after reading in depth on the actual website we can see that it shows that his life was not as easy as we all thought, we thought that once he made the money he would be fine for the rest of his life. The text for this double page spread is set out so that the majority of people who visit this page can easily understand the text. The large text is of his name with a rhetorical question on the end, this shows how it is a question of whether they want to read on to find out what the meaning of the question is. The mode of address on this double page spread is in-formal as it shows the story of his life but it shows it in a way of it being constantly relaxing rather than show all of the problems that he had to overcome. The shot of the artist is a medium shot which shows him sitting down with an iPod hanging down which could show the control he has over the music industry and all the power he has. The audience for this magazine are people who enjoy rap music and you can tell this by the way that the main artist in the shot is someone who is related to the rap music genre. It would be people who also enjoy other music genres which are closely related to this one. This magazine is similar to others as it is discussing the life story of an artist which relates to the genre of the magazine. The colours green and white can show a relaxing atmosphere but the black behind him can also show a darker side to the artist. He mentions his family which are famous which shows how he had a reputation to follow from. This magazine is very different to other magazines as it shows the artists life in a much more relaxed way rather than showing how others had to overcome lots of different problems to be where they are today. The lure on this double page spread is the fact that you can find about this artist more in depth than you may have already known.

10. Blender - This double page spread is showing the story of the ‘Black Eyed Peas’ who are a very well known band with a very wide audience. The main colour scheme for this double page is white, gold and silver and these are subtle colours but connotate achievement, this can be showing how they have achieved what they want in the music industry. The main focus is one person from the band and as he stands out it shows that he is going to be the one who is giving the most information and who this double page is going to be based on. There is a variety of fonts in this double page and but they do not over-power what the text is saying. The shots is of a group in a long shot position as it shows their whole body but you can still see their facial expressions because it is in focus on their expressions. The mode of address is formal as It gives a formal report on the band and what they have had to overcome to be in the position in which they are in. The mise-en-scene shows lots of different outfits as there are outfits for formal, informal, night out and neutral. The fact that they all have a similar type of shoes can connotate that even though people dress differently there is something which makes us a similar level. The audience for this magazine are people who enjoy a large range of music and this can be shown by a wide range of different genres on the contents page, by appealing to this audience they have a wider range of people to aim at but they have to compete with lots of other rival magazines who will be aiming at the same audience. The lure on this double page is the star appeal; the black eyed peas are a very well known band and have a wide fan base so they will be noticed from just one image.

Research Contents Pages

1. XXL - This page which is the first page of the magazine ‘XXL’ is very different to other music magazines as others have a contents page whereas this one has information about a certain band and what they are doing at the moment. This is a good way of promoting upcoming bands as it gives the reader an idea of what music they produce and it also gives the band more popularity. The layout of this page is very different to others which we have covered as this one has a lot more text than others but it still has a large picture but the text may take a lot longer to read as it is in one large chunk rather than in smaller sections which are spread out. The font for this page relate to the target audience as it tries to connect with the theme of rap as the fonts are very bold and direct rather than being relaxed, this is the same for the smaller text as it still looks bold even though the text is very small. The mode of address of this magazine is informal as it includes taboo language and this would not be included in a magazine which is aimed at a more formal audience. The shot of the group is a long shot as it shows the whole band but you can still see their facial emotions and this is important as their facial expressions may be very important as it relates back to the original genre. The mise-en-scene shows a rough area which relates to rap as it is a ‘street’ type of music genre so this image relates back to the image. The audience for this magazine is people who enjoy rap music and want to read more about some of the artists included in this genre of music. This magazine is very different to others as it starts off with this page and does not have a contents page throughout the magazine to show how they expect the people who buy it are already buying them and know what to expect when they open the magazine. The lure on this page is the new band as they show new talent and people are usually interested in reading more about these new bands.
2. Vibe - This contents page has features which you would expect from a fashion magazine rather than what you would expect in a music magazine, the layout of the contents page is structured so that you can see all of the sections and what is included in them down the right hand side, the title is split down into 3 lines which people have to read it to understand it, this shows that to understand this people have to be concentrating on reading the magazine rather than just skimming through it. The text and the image work well together as they both use simple colours to display the information but it is all clear and still easy to understand. The only colour is the heart which connotates love and it also displays how everything else is worthless without having a heart e.g. having love. The font for the contents is very formal as the word ‘features’ is displayed in a way which would make it easier for some people to understand and some people to not understand. The shot is a medium shot of a artist who is Kanye West who has lots of star appeal for the genre of rap and r&b which is the genre which this magazine is aimed at. The hand coming over and taking the heart could connotate that there’s always someone who wants to take the love away from you. This magazine follows what a fashion magazine would have as their contents page as it is set out like there should be a fashion model to the left with only a small part of text whereas in other music magazine their contents page is more text as they want to say more about the magazine. I think the feature which would have the most lurk would be the image of Kanye west as it has lots of star appeal which will attract a wider audience

3. Q -This contents page has a quite simple but stylish format as it has the text down one side and the images down the other side, but this stylish layout may not be recognised by the images which are used as a few of them may be quite ‘dark’ images to show evil. The font which is used is formal as it has a very bold format to show how it needs to stand out as they want the text to be read as well as people looking at the images only. The mode of address for this contents page is neutral as it uses some punctuality which would keep it out of the formal section but it also has sections which are more formal like the use of silver and gold for the colours of the text as this represents wealth. There is a range of pictures on this contents page and some examples of shots being used are a medium long shot of ‘groove armada’ on a sofa which also shows the mise-en-scene represents a relaxed atmosphere. Another shot which is used is a close up of a woman wearing make-up to connotate mystery as people will want to open the magazine to find out about why she is wearing the make-up. The audience for this magazine is people who enjoy a range of music including alternative, rock and metal as this is what the images show by their facial expressions and some of the other captions. This magazine has different features from some other music magazines as the images are not structured in any way whereas some other magazines they are structured so that people know exactly where they have come from. The lure for this page is all the star appeal from all the images of different artists as they appeal to different people’s tastes.

4. NME - This contents page has typical features which you expect in a music magazine as all of the information is packed into a small area which means that they can get all of the information to the readers of the magazine directly and they know exactly what is going to be in the whole magazine. The page is laid out so that all of the page numbers are on the right hand side and this is what you would expect in a typical music magazine. There is a subscription box in the bottom left hand corner and I think that this will catch people’s attention as it stands out as the rest of the background is in white and this section is in black which are opposite colours. The font on this contents page is informal as it does not have many fancy flicks on the end of the letters to show how it tries to keep with its target audience and not try and appeal to a more formal audience. The language used in this contents page is informal and it uses simple sentences to get straight to the point. There is a medium long shot of a building in the background which has the name of a popular band on the front of the sign for the cinema. The mise-en-scene for the background image is all the parts which are connected to a typical cinema as it has the ticket booth and also places above it where people obviously stay. The audience for this magazine is people who enjoy alternative music and rock music, this is shown by the way that all of the information is packed onto one page which shows how they just want the information and they do not care about how it is displayed. The representation of this magazine is that it has all the information that the audience wants but if they care about the way that it is displayed they would be better buying a different magazine. This music magazine is different to others as others try and spread the information out whereas this one tries to get all of the information into one page. The lure of this page is the star appeal as it has many major bands for the alternative genre of music including ‘a day to remember’ and ‘mayday parade’.

5. Music - This contents page is very similar to what is shown on the front title page as it tries to have the same house style throughout the whole magazine. The layout is typical is very different to what you expect in a typical music magazine but this music magazine is very different to lots others. It has slanted text and the different sections are spread out by unique names which if you had not read this magazine before then you may not know what each of the sections is. The mode of address for this contents page is informal as it uses language which can be connected to a nightclub scene and you would not normally see people who are related to a formal category at a night-club. The three shots which we see are extreme long shots showing the whole perspective and three different scenes if they were not these long shots then you would not be able to understand where the place is or what type of atmosphere it is. The audience for this magazine are people who like a wide range of music, this opens up the audience but it also means that they have to compete for all the readers as there are lots of similar products. This magazine does not have the same style which all the other music magazines have as this has lots more of the information put into small phrases rather than described. The lure for this page is the colours and images as they are bright and colourful so they stand out to an audience from other plain contents pages.

6. MixMag - This contents page has many conventions which you expect in a stereotypical music magazine as there is all of the information down the left hand side. This means that there is a wider space for all of the images to be displayed. The fonts and text sizes are small and only the most important information e.g. the sub headings are in bold as these are the only parts of text which need to stand out. The mode of address in this magazine is informal as it uses phrases like ‘‘eck’ which shows how it does not use full and Standard English sentences. The outfits which the stars are wearing could connotate formality because they are dressed in a classy style. The shot on the centre of the screen is a medium long shot showing her whole body but you can still see her surprised facial expressions. The mise en scene in this image is that her clothes show how she is modelling and she is advertising those clothes. The audience for this magazine is anyone who likes a range of music which includes alternative, r&b and pop, it is less for people who enjoy hardcore or scream music. This magazine does have a similar style to lots of other magazines and it works as it is a very successful music magazine. It easily competes with some of the other top magazines and has a large fan base and sells the same as other top magazines. The lure for this contents page is the image of the woman as it adds sex appeal to the magazine as men may open the magazine and see her and think that they want to see more images of her so they might buy the magazine.

7. Kerrang - This contents page has features which you expect in a typical music magazine including the large title and page numbers but this magazine also has a lot of differences as for the page numbers it only has the main parts which show how they mainly want people to read these sections. It also has all of the people that help contribute to the creation of the magazine down the left hand side and this is different to a typical music magazine as this part is usually at the back of the magazine in a corner, they obviously want people to take recognition of the people who helped produce the magazine. There is a large section of text which is ‘It’s a RIOT’ which stands out from the rest of the text and this text catches the reader’s attention as it also has a different coloured background which means that it stands out. The mode of address in this contents page is informal as it uses language which relates to the target audience which is people who enjoy rock and alternative music. The camera shot which is the main image is a medium long shot showing a whole band and the stance which they are in would connect to the song/ album and what it is based on. For this genre of music there are typical features which you expect to be in these magazines. There are usually long/medium shots of different bands and this is usually because they are promoting different parts of their music e.g. merchandise, new songs, and albums. This gives a display of what is to expect in the magazine and if people recognise the band then they are more likely to buy the magazine but if they do not recognise who they are then they may think that this magazine is not the type of music which they want to buy the magazines on. The lure for this contents page is the large text at the top of the page as it is the first text that you see and you may want to read more to find out what the text is showing

8. iDJ Magazine - This page is a double page spread when you open the magazine and it is talking about a new song from ‘groove armada’ which is called ‘superstylin’ and this double page spread is talking about this new song and this has been done so that it promotes the band and as people open the first few pages just to have a look through without reading the whole magazine it may catch people’s attention and they may look further into this music artist. The layout of this page is so that the text is on one page and the image is on another which is a good way of making the information clear. The font in this page is informal but it relates to the genre of r&b, dubstep and Drum and Bass, it has the style of the text which you expect in a magazine which is aimed at people who enjoy this genre of music. The mode of address on the language in the text is formal as it goes in depth on the descriptions of the technical language of the music songs and albums. The shot is a long shot of two people running with headphones on and this shows how they are being thrown away by the volume of the music showing how it is up loud because of how good the music is. The mise-en-scene is in a deserted place where the only things that connect to reality are the speakers in the background of the image.

9. DJ Magazine - This contents page has a layout which you stereotypically expect in a magazine as it shows the page numbers of the different section and it also highlights the main features so people can turn the magazine directly to that page so they do not have to look the whole way through the magazine to find certain parts which they want to read. The page design is using lots of different colours but only in the section titles and these merge into colours which match the background to create very stylish section titles. The font for this magazine is formal as it is very clear and easy to read and easily displays the information, it also have some words bolder than others to show their importance over others. Some text is slightly larger than others to show how it is more important but most of the text is very similar in size as it tries to create a consistent house style on this contents page. The language on this contents page is neutral formality as it uses words like ‘raving’ which show how it does not enter the formal section but it does still have a stylish and classy flow in the text which stops it from going into the informal section. There is a range of shots in this contents page which include a medium close up of a person doing there tie up and this has black and white colours with a red tie which can be highlighting the ties importance. There is also a extreme close up of a person’s face which is recognised to be one of the artists’ which is listed next to the image and people who read this magazine may recognise him. The mise-en-scene for most of the images is that most of them seem to be taken at a music concert and this is shown by their surroundings of the metal gates and other people enjoying the music. The audience for this magazine are people who enjoy a DJ style of music which can be a range of different music and has a wide audience to appeal to. This music magazine is very similar to lots of the other magazines and this will appeal to lots of people as they will understand where different parts of the magazine are just by looking at the contents page. The lure for this contents page are the colours which are used as they are bright but they are subtle which means they do not dominate the page but they are still noticed.

10. Blender - This contents page has features which you would again expect from a contents page and I think that more magazines are trying to look more like fashion magazines as they have a more formal appearance and that they want to try and appeal to more of a sophisticated audience and by making it look more formal they may be able to achieve this. The text matches with the image as this text is in a black colour and the image is in colours which can match with a black text colour (Red, White). The fact that they have put her onto a white background shows off her skin colour and makes her stand out on the dull background. The text is large for the title and sub-title but then it gets a lot smaller when it reaches the parts which are in the contents as they want the less important parts to be less noticed than other parts. The text font is all in capital except for the smaller text as they believe this is the less important part. The language being used for this contents page is formal as it tries to give an in-depth description of what is in the magazine sections. The shot of Katy Perry is a long shot and this works as it gives a view of her whole figure but you can still see her facial expressions. The audience for this magazine is people who have opened the magazine and want to look at what is in the magazine without having to read through the whole magazine. This magazine is also trying to follow the typical format which you would expect in a fashion magazine and maybe this is what more people want to see when they open a music magazine. The lure of this magazine is Katy Perry and I think she is the main focus as she has sex appeal for men and for women she may be an idol for some people.

Research Front Pages

1. MixMag - This magazine has a wide range of colours and this is good as it stands out from a lot of other magazines which may have been using dull colours as they did not want it to be too bright for the reader. The target audience for this product is people who like the music genre of Drum and Bass and also Dubstep. There is a large audience for this product as there are only a few magazines which use this genre as they believe that there is a small audience but this small audience is ever growing and is becoming a wider audience which wants a new magazine to view from. The layout of the page is very similar to a typical magazine as it has news features and other parts which you would expect on a typical front of a magazine. The text is varied through the page and this is done to show difference in importance between different parts of the front covers and the text which stands out the most is the ‘Pendulum’ text which has pink on black which means that it will stand out from the rest of the text. The language on the front page is quite formal as it uses serious topics such as ‘mephedrone’ so it shows how even though it is using bright colours it still has serious topics which it talks about. The background shot is a long shot of someone on a stage and the mise-en-scene makes it look like it is someone performing on stage as you can see by small parts of images. The star names on the front page create star appeal as people will recognise their name and want to read more of the magazine. This magazine tries to creates its own image with the colours which it uses and it works as it is one of the most popular magazines compared with others which are decreasing in the amount of sales they are receiving

2. Music Magazine - This magazine is set out in a totally different way to other magazines as the typical way is that there is an even amount of text on either side or this is not the same on here as it has most of the text on the right hand side and only has one section of text on the left. The title on the front page looks very informal as it makes the title look scruffy but this may be the effect that is trying to be reached as the colours on the front page look dark and the only bright colour is purple which is outlining some text and this may be to show that it is more important than other text. The title is in the largest size of text and this is important as it means that it stands out more than the rest of the text so people can easily recognise what magazine this is. The mode of address is informal as it uses text which makes it look less formal than other magazines. The background image is a long shot of someone playing a guitar and as he is the background image and there is a quote next to him we connect this quote to being from him. The mise en scene is what you would expect when someone is playing the guitar as it has the place for storing it and it also has a amplifier which makes the music louder. The audience for this magazine is very wide and this means it has a chance of appealing to a large audience but it also has to compete with other magazines which are aiming at the same audience. The other names on the front page add star appeal as they may have fans which pick up the magazine then see their name and then want to buy it because they may have information which they may not know about the band/artist. This magazine has a totally different look to a typical magazine and this may work if people like the way it is set out but they may not like the massive change from a typical magazine layout.

3. iDJ - This magazine is aimed at an audience which enjoy drum and base and reading about upcoming and new DJ’s. There are bright colours on this magazine and as this was released in the summer it relates to this with the surrounding of the people as it is advertising some of the festivals which are happening in the summer. The colour gold which is dominant is all around the page as it shows wealth. The way that the title of the magazine is shining shows how it is valuable and this makes it stand out from the rest of the text as the colour silver is brighter than all other colours. The page layout is not as similar as other magazines which show how they have tried to keep a similar style while still having their own independent style. The mode of address is neutral as there are no features which make it very formal but there are no features that would put it into the informal zone. The shot is a long shot of three people in a car which is being twisted which shows how they are excited for the summer. The mise-en-scene for the background image is that it looks like a stereotypical image from a festival as it has tents and places where people are sleeping. There are some other names in the DJ industry which people who listen to lots of drum and bass would know who they are as people who listen to other music such as rock would not know who these people are. This magazine is similar to some with the content which it has but it has tried to use some presentational features to make it stand out from the rest.

4. Q Magazine - This magazine has a typical layout which you expect from a magazine which looks to a range of different music genres to get its audience, the text is very spread out over the page and the four dominant colours are white, grey, black and red with red standing out the most from all of these. The use of the colour red means that it will stand out from all the rest of the dark colours, so they have used this colour for the text which they want people to see the most e.g. the title of the magazine. ’100 most shocking moments in music’ appeals to people who want to read about celebrities and what they get up to which may be embarrassing for them. The font which is being used is a formal font as it is in a way which is very clear and it still stands out and makes an impact on the other images which are being used. The biggest text size is ‘Lady Gaga’ and this is star appeal as her name may be easily recognisable be a lot of people as they have heard about her in the news and on music channels. There is then her in the background when she is topless with the phrase ‘has risen’ which shows how she is finally revealing who she really is. The shot is a long shot as it tries to show her whole body but her upper body stands out more as she has more colours further up her body. The mise en scene is very simple as she is wearing trousers which have spikes on either side and her gloves are long with spikes on the ends which show how she is trying to seem evil in this image. The audience for this magazine is people who enjoy a wide range of music from pop to r&b which means that it has a wide audience to appeal to but it still has to compete with lots of other magazines which have the same audience. This magazine is very similar to lots of other magazines in the way it is set out which shows how it has tried to follow the trend on how they are set out.

5. Kerrang - This magazine has a layout which has most of the information around the edges of the page rather than having the text spread all over the page. The fonts for this magazine relate to the colours which have been used for the text and this is trying to display a dark and mysterious feeling to the front cover and this relates to the audience which would be young people who enjoy rock, screamo and hardcore music which would be the main focus of the magazine and the dark colours of black and white which are dominant. The background image is a medium shot of three people who are in the band ‘Green Day’ and we can work this out by the text which is in front of the people. They are also wearing all black which relates to the theme of evil and if someone who enjoyed music like drum and bass were to pick up the magazine they would put it back down as the colours for this magazine are relative to the only genre of hardcore music. There is no mise-en-scene in the image as there is only their costumers which also back up the ‘evil’ point. The banner down the left hand side is using freebies and other ‘star names’ in the hardcore music genre to attract more people who may be fans of the magazine which means that they are expanding their audience slightly. This magazine is very different to other magazines as it uses its dark colours to attract a specific audience rather than using lots of bright colours to make the magazine stand out.

6. DJ - This magazine has a page layout which appeals to its audience which is people who enjoy music from DJ and drum and bass music and this can be described by the colours which are sued as they are brighter than some of the other colours on the magazine front covers and the way the text is laid out on the front page is more dominant on the left. There is a variety of fonts being used on this front cover and there are certain ones which stand out more than others and this is the information which they want to be displayed clearer as it is more important and it is easier to read. The more dominant text is also in a larger font which also shows the fact that they want certain text to stand out more than other text which will attract more people as the main text is ‘scorching’ and this could be talking about the background image, the magazine or the summer. The colour pink which the text is in relates to the background image of two women who seem to be on a beach in the middle of summer, this background image adds sex appeal and the target audience for this magazine are dominantly more likely to be men and this is why they have used this image for the background. The mode of address on this front cover is informal as the background image already takes the front cover out of the very formal category as in the very formal category would not want women in bikinis as they would find it disrespectful. The shot for the background is a medium long shot as it shows their bodies but it also focuses on their facial expressions as they show emotions which are positive the mise en scene focuses on the costumes as they are in bikinis which also shows how it is the summer and the background of the bright sun and the small section of beach which can be seen also seems to make people think that it may be the summer in a different country which has more sun than the UK. This magazine is different to others as it has a very positive front cover as other magazine covers are telling real stories so use darker colours, this one will stand out more against other covers.

7. XXL - This magazine is very similar to the last one in the way that it is set out and this is what some magazines try to do to be different to the magazines where they have all the text spread evenly on the front cover. The text which has been used on the front page of this magazine is bold and the main colours for the front page are red, black, white and these can represent the American themed colours. The text which stands out the most is the largest text and is also in white set out on darker colours which means it will stand out from other colours such as black and dark red. The mode of address is very informal as it uses taboo language and even though it is covered up you can still understand what it says and I think this formality relates to the genre of hip-hop and rap as this is what you expect to relate taboo and vulgar language to. The shot which is being used as the background is a medium long shot which shows his upper body and part of the lower body and this is used because it shows his power and his position backs this up as he is in a boxing position which shows his strength. The names down the left hand side of the page are well known rap stars and this relates to what the audience wants to see and they connect to the genre of the magazine which is rap and hip-hop. The typical features for this genre are that most of the colours which are included on the front cover are not as bright as what you would expect on a typical front cover of a magazine.

8. Blender - This magazine has a typical layout which you would expect on a music magazine. It is laid out so that the main image is Britney Spears in a medium long shot which shows how the main focus of the magazine is her and this means that people who like her music are more likely to want to buy the magazine. There are 3 dominant colours and these are orange, black and white and these are the most dominant as it shows a mix of dark and light colours and the colour that stand out the most is the orange and this is why they have put the orange colour on the most important parts of the cover. The text is more relaxed than powerful and this relates to the colours as orange and white can show relaxation and the way that the text flow also shows this point. The mode of address on this front cover is a neutral tone as there is no very formal language but then there is no ‘taboo’ or ‘vulgar’ language which shows how it is not in the informal section. The use of the scene in the image on the background has a smoking ash tray at the bottom which connotates stress and how some people try and over-come the stress. There is also a ‘red bull’ can which shows how she may be drinking energy drinks because she believes that is the only way she can get through the day. The audience for this magazine is mixed as there is a wide range of artists along the top which shows that this magazine is aimed at a wide audience and the artists show that the age will be for under 30’s as it is music which a younger generation may prefer.

9. NME - This magazine does not relate to what you would expect from a stereotypical magazine cover, this has much more of the text on the left hand side and on a typical cover the text would be evenly spread between both sides. The font is consistent on the page and this is useful as they use a wide range of colours and if there was also a wide range of texts it would be hard to read some of the text. The colours which are included are green, red, white, yellow, blue, white. The colours red and green relate to the Christmas theme as it is the colours which you think of when you think of Christmas. The colour white can represent snow as it is a feature which you want when you think of Christmas and all o these colours give you the image that this magazine is going to be a Christmas special. The mode of address on the front page is informal as they do not use complete sentences and try to keep words simple. The sentence ‘Their favourite worst nightmare before Christmas’ would not be in this structure if this magazine was in a more formal tone. The shot of the image which is the background is a long shot of 4 people and it is at a low angle looking up at them which shows power. Their outfits show that it is Christmas based as they are dressed as elves and there is also the prop of the Christmas trees in the background which adds to the Christmas theme. The audience for this magazine is for people who enjoy alternative and rock music and this audience has a very large fan base which means that they can try and appeal to a lot of people but there will also be lots of other magazines trying to aim at the same audience.

10. Vibe - This magazine is aimed at an audience which enjoys rap music and one of the biggest stars in the rap industry at the moment is Eminem and as he is on the front of the magazine people will see the magazine and want to buy it because it has a ‘star appeal’ on the front which people may want to buy the magazine and as he is a world star it will attract more people to buy the magazine. The title stands out from the rest of the colours as all the text around the title is either red or black or grey and the title uses all of these colours to create a mix of colours which makes it stand out. The text on the front page shows the main headlines and topics which will be in the magazine and they do this so that people can see what is in the magazine so if they like what they see on the front cover they are more likely to buy the whole magazine to read more in-depth about the certain topics that they want too. There are also more stars on the front ‘Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Jay-z, T.I’ which shows how there fan base for this magazine is large as these are some of the biggest stars in the rap industry and when people see these names on the front of the magazines they will think that they have really tried to get the biggest stars possible just to try and sell the most. The language is very direct on this magazine as it tries to get the point across without using long sentences otherwise it may bore the reader. The font is very bold which shows how it stands out from other magazines.

Preliminary Research& Tasks

Preliminary research

This magazine is a style magazine for a college and it has lots of different colours but most of them connotate stylish which means that it relates back to the clothes. The images are of students who are obviously from the college and they are dressed in the most recent style as it shows by the sub title of ‘You’ve got style’. The ‘In this issue’ part shows certain topics which are covered by the magazine and this gives a good insight into what will be in the magazine. This magazine would stand out as it has bold colours which would stand out from duller colours. the top of the page shows a mosaic style which gives the feeling of a history to the college, it also shows a small section of students feet which shows how they are personally involved in this magazine. the target audience for this magazine would be people from 'Framingham State College' and this is shown by the banner which is up top. anyone who is not from this college may not understand some of the events/ people which are represented in the magazine.


This magazine is constructed in a way which makes it look very stylish and it also has a large image which dominates most of the page and this image is also the main topic which the magazine is going to discuss as it is based on the trip to Berlin, this shows how they have focused this edition of the magazine on the trip to Berlin and this means that only people who want to read about this article will want to take this magazine away. the text 'Spring 2010' shows the time which it has been released and this means that it gives a specific time when this magazine should be read, and any time after this would not be the best time for reading this as it would not relate to the certain time period that they are in. the constant focus on the colour black means that it is still in thwe spring and not in the summer and the spring can also be represented by the colour of the sun coming up in the background. the fact that all of the students are all close together can show a union at the college and can represent how they are using teamwork.


This magazine is for secondary schools which may also include 6th form students who may be going to colleges as well. This magazine was easily built and was constructed in a small amount of time on a low budget but it still has colours of blue and pink which would make it stand out from other magazines. They could have improved the background colour which would mean that it would stand out more. The image is of a secondary student which shows the target audience and by having the student it means that peole can relate to the situation which she is in. the colours can be related to the two genders that would be reading this magazine as blue is stereotypically for boys and pink for girls. this can also relate to the jumper as it is also in pink which can relate to the model used as they are female.










This college contents page is the best set out even though it has been made very simply. The topic titles get straight to the point as this means that people who read the magazine can easily read through these and find if there are any sections that they want to read about and they won’t have to read the whole magazine just to find some certain parts of what they want to read. people can also call the number which is given and they will be sent a text-only copy of the guide and this means that it is easier for some people to view. the image in the background is of a modern school and this relates to the target audience of the magazine and also it relates to what is going to be included in the magazine.

This contents page has features which you would expect more in a fashion magazine and this means that it looks as though it is aimed more at a female audience because it is laid out just as a women’s fashion magazine would be set out. The colour green is dominant and this could connotate that this magazine is helping the environment and it can also mean that the colour green is a good colour to be wearing.






This contents page has in depth descriptions of hat is in each of the sections of the magazine and this means that people can have a look through these sections and decide whether there is anything that they want to read more about. It has a more formal layout as the text is evenly spread about all of page and the image of the student’s connotates that they are enjoying life at the college.











Preliminary Tasks



Front Cover

I started off by researching what the stereotypical layout of a college magazine would look like so that I got an idea of how to set my created front page out. I then found out I would like it set out in a format which is similar to an American style college as I think people would be interested to see how these are set out. They have many of the different parts which are included in the rest of the magazine on the front page to give you an insight of what is in the whole magazine. This is useful when someone picks up the magazine as I think it gives them enough information to make them decide whether to buy the magazine.
The next part that I did was the title and I found this with a text that I thought would make it stand out and people may notice it when they are walking past. The colour for the title is gold and silver and these are the colours which I use as a house-style for the magazine as I think that this connotates achievement and I think this is a good thing to show on a magazine cover.
I then did a masthead which ran across the top of the page and this gave the basic information for the magazine as it shows that it is for ‘The Henley College’ and it is ‘Free For Students’ this masthead gives the most basic information and I found that this is what most of the mastheads do as I found out in my research they just normally give the information which people would need to know before the magazine and this is why the text has to be in a bright colour and it has to stand out so people know what they are going to expect when buying the magazine.
For the background image i used one of the model looking more relaxed than usual as i think that it relates to the title of the topic which is Stressed? Dont Be... I took all of the images myself for these preliminary tasks
I then added a bar-code to suggest how people would have to ask for them and how they would have to scan the barcode before giving them out to check how many have been given out and how many have been taken in a certain amount of time and this will show whether it is worth producing them as if they are not many being given out then there is not much point in producing the magazines as it is a wasted of money.
I then started to add the text and I began with the parts which were inserted underneath the title and these were ‘Issue 15’ and the date which shows which issue it is to keep up to date with what information should be in the magazine. The second section of text that I put on was ‘Real Life stories’ and I included this as I think people will be able to relate to what the topic is as they may face the situation later in life or may want to know how people have coped in certain situations as people like to read about other people’s success as it makes them feel good. The next part of text I added was the heading 2 which related to what the background image was based around as I thought that people would feel more relaxed after reading the title and realising that they need to relax more and stop worrying about exams. The subtitle underneath this heading says ‘Read Inside For More Information’ and people will want to read more about this topic as it relates to what they are doing at the moment and they may want to know how to cut out the stress.



Contents Page


I then set out my contents page and started off by setting the background to a gold colour and this is useful as it relates to the title page as it has a similar house style colour which means that it is consistent throughout the magazine. If there were many different colours it would be hard to understand what the magazine is as you would not be able to recognise it from other magazines.
I then added the two images of the model for the magazine as i think they relate back to the target audience who are teenagers. i also took all of the images which are shown in this contents page.
I then added the text which will show what is inside the magazine I chose the colour black as it stands out well on the gold background and some of the headlines are in red to show that they are main topics and more important than other parts of the magazine. This may make people turn directly to these sections to save time from reading through the whole magazine to find certain sections of the magazine. I chose the topics from research I did on the internet and this helped me choose different topics which were still relevant to people in college.

Topics

This magazine is very similar to lots of other college magazines so I have used different colours to show accomplishment to make them stand out when people are picking them up as it will make them notice certain parts more than others which will mean there is less chance of them putting it back down. This magazine is challenging the stereotypical feature that all college magazines have to be ‘mediocre’ and this magazine challenges this by using brighter colours than other magazines and it has features which will interest the reader rather than make them put the magazine down. I developed the idea of the stereotypical magazine format as I changed some features from other magazines including college/ music and fashion but I changed what they look like on the front cover to make sure that it related to that it was still a college magazine and not a fashion magazine.
This magazine tries to represents teenagers and young adults in a way which can be constructive and it shows how they are in tough times at the moment with exams and coursework to keep up with. It does not represents that they are a problem and this is good as if it did then people would not want to read it as they would not want to read something which puts them down on a lower level. It tries to represent all students as having the same potential and also having the same opportunities if everyone works hard. It also represents teachers and how they don’t have to be people who you dislike and how they can always help you get a better grade.
The people who would distribute this item would be people who want to produce this magazine for their college and they can have the option of changing the college name as I think it would be good if there were similar magazines throughout each college as it would give what you can expect when you pick up the college magazine. The main college that I focused on was ‘The Henley College’ as I think that they could use a magazine like this to benefit all of the students who read it. The audience for this product is college students who want to read about what is happening in the college and also how they can be helped by tips in the magazine so I think the fact that they can relate to that what the magazine says can help them when they are having exams or looking for higher education. I attracted this audience by having colours which can represent achievement which will keep people reading as they believe that the colours show that the magazine can help them in other parts of college e.g. exams and keeping up with work and university.
I have learnt about the amount of different way that the use of technologies can help you when creating a product e.g. a magazine. The first technology I used was when I was researching the other magazines and I used ‘Google’ as it is suitable ways of searching for magazines without having other products appear. I then used Microsoft word to use the images for magazines that I had from the internet to analyse the way which they can appeal to a particular audience and how each part of the magazine is important when attracting the audience. We then used Microsoft publisher to construct the front pages of the college magazine and this is good as it allows you to connect lots of different parts of the magazine without it looking messy. If I did not have the technology then I would of had to draw all of the plans for the front cover and contents page of the magazine by hand which would have taken a lot longer and would not of had the same final product.