Photography Analysis - Front Covers

In order to further gain information which would aid in the photographing for my final front cover, I found 3 front covers of music magazines from any genre and looked into the framing, costume, lighting, poses and props (if used) and how they were effective in attracting the target audience.

Overall, I liked this image due to the unusual outfit which Kraviz is wearing. Her pose along with the fact she is looking directly at the camera drew more attention to the cover, along with the framing of the image meant she was taking up just the right amount of space to allow the placement of other features; whilst still ensuring she was the largest feature on the page and thus drew more attention.

 

I chose this image as it was from a magazine which aims towards a slightly different genre of music, therefore it allowed me to compare and contrast the difference between the magazines. Unlike the other two magazines which I have analysed here, props have been included to further draw attention to the magazine, therefore making the image different from, and more eye-catching than the other two.

Lastly, I chose this image in particular for its inclusion of a background. Unlike the other two magazine covers which I have analysed, this image has a background which is heavily blurred due to the very shallow depth of field. As mentioned, this was the effect I attempted to achieve in my preliminary task. It adds extra colour to the image and thus draws more attention.

Focus Group

For this task, I found two students who matched the general profile of the magazine's target audiences and asked them questions relating to the magazine in a 'focus group' video.

After recording the video, I uploaded and edited it in iMovie from scratch. Below, I have attached a screenshot to show how I put together the video in order to achieve the desired effect.

I started by importing the clips and then adding them along with the text into the timeline. I did this as chronologically as I could to make it easier. I had to cut, chop and split clips as well as adjust the audio in some as you could hear me asking the questions in the background. After I got everything in place, I added transitions and tweaked the brightness to complete the visuals.

Lastly, I added audio. This was probably the most difficult part as I had to adjust the volume levels in places so the voices could be heard over it. Not only this, but the audio clip I used (a standard iMovie clip so as not to potentially breach copyright by using a downloaded one) was too short for the video; therefore I had to piece it together with an earlier chunk of the audio as best as possible in order to complete it.

The video took around 2-3 hours to complete.

Overall, I would have preferred it if I could have had more people answering questions in the video. However, this was almost impossible due to time limits and difficulties I was having with my camera on the day of recording. It took around an hour to record the video of Molly as my camera/SD card suffered writing issues and would cut off at various places in the recordings. To improve, I would have allowed more time to record, checked any potential issues with equipment before starting and asked more people to participate.

Response to Focus Group

Why was it useful?

The focus group were useful as they answered my questions in depth, often expanding upon their answers and explaining why. They gave me answers to questions which would help in the development of my magazine and articles which will appeal to the target audience such as 'What are your favourite artists?'. They answered questions that may help increase circulation of the magazine such as price and how often the magazine should be released.

How has it helped you in the decisions you will make when creating your magazine?

The focus group helped me in the decisions I will make for the magazine as they have given me ideas for feature stories and contents pages, advised how often the magazine should be released and in what format. Their answers have been helpful as it gave an insight into the views of my target audience and therefore suggested how it could be targeted better to suit them.

Did you find out something that you did not expect to?

I was fairly surprised at their answers for 'Would you prefer a paper or electronic copy?’ as a number of existing electronic music magazines publish them online. This is due to the fact that EDM music, being widely distributed electronically, is reflected well in the fact that the majority of dedicated magazines also release issues electronically. However, physical paper copies can sometimes be easier to read, look better and, as Victoria stated, are more authentic.

What were your general findings?

One of my general findings were that the target audience felt as though their genre was somewhat neglected in terms of magazines, “The genre that I listen to, they don’t really have a specific music magazine.” This further backs up the fact that I found the magazine research difficult due to a lack of existing products. I also found that generally, as a fairly young audience, they would prefer a cheaper price (£2 or £3-4 for a good quality magazine) and would only want to purchase it monthly in order to allow the best quality production and to avoid spending often.

Has it made you change any of your initial ideas?

The focus group hasn’t made me change any of my initial ideas as generally, their responses were relatively predictable. However, it has helped me to refine ideas and gain a better idea on the opinions of the target audience, thus backing up the decisions I had already made.

Audience Research - Social Class & Demographics

We began further research into our audience so that we could gain a good knowledge of the kind of people who would be reading our magazine and how to be target it so that it appeals to them. We looked into the different social classes within the UK, shown below in a table.

After conducting research into this, I decided upon the audience I would aim my magazine at and presented it in a Prezi presentation (below).

3 Looks for the Front Cover Artist

Mise-en-scène plays an extremely important part in magazine design, the artist in the main image needs to reflect the genre well in order to attract the target audience. I have created moodboards of general clothing worn by male and female EDM/house artists and then drawn up 3 looks each from the information I gathered in the moodboards.

Male Artists

Drawing up 3 outfits for male artists was fairly simple. There was a recurring theme of t-shirts, often tight-fitting v-necks, sometimes with prints but usually just plain black or white. Generally, black jackets or cardigans are worn over the top and trousers are nearly always jeans with trainer-type shoes. Main colours tended to be black, white and grey with the occasional bright colour such as a near-fluorescent green or blue.

For the first look, I chose a white v-neck t-shirt that was tight-fitting, along with a simple black jacket, jeans and nike trainers. For the second, I swapped out the white t-shirt for a black v-neck instead. I picked a pair of baggy grey jeans and black trainers, as well as a black snapback. Lastly for 'look 3', I found two t-shirts that were bright in colour and paired it with a black leather jacket, dark blue jeans and Converse trainers. 

Female Artists

Drawing up outfits for female artists proved to be extremely difficult as there doesn't seem to be a general theme with their costumes. Upon researching outfits which female fans of EDM music wear, there was definitely a recurring theme of tutu skirts, bras, leg-warmers and shorts all in neon fluorescent colours. However, this isn't necessarily reflected in the outfits seen worn by female fans in music and festival videos, and so is more likely a generalisation of club culture. For that reason, I instead focused my outfit research on female DJs and produced the above moodboard. Although there isn't a recurring theme with their outfits, they are all more suitable for a magazine cover and in my opinion, reflect the genre better.

Out of all the outfits in the moodboard, I personally liked those worn by Audrey Napoleon best (the artist with black hair and a block fringe, first image has a blue tint and the second image she is wearing a pink-purple skirt). These outfits in particular are very contemporary and modern-looking, which reflects the genre well as EDM and house are very new genres of music. I am hoping to achieve this similar contemporary look in the final images for my magazine.

Along with costumes for females, I looked for make-up ideas which were fairly versatile and could be manipulated to work with any outfit. The following video I found to be the best one as the eye make-up is fairly natural and the lip colour could be changed to suit any colour of costume

Colour Schemes

After I had decided upon the name of my magazine, 'Reverb' and looked at fonts, I settled for the same font which I used in my 'Reverb' Google mock-up for the masthead, 'Dylan Dog' as I believe it works well with the name and size and began to look at potential colour schemes for my magazine.

Names for my Magazine

In order to come up with names for my magazine, I researched the genre further and looked out for key words which I could use and/or manipulate to create a name. I came up with a few and presented them in a Prezi online presentation along with a description of why I like each.

After conducting research into different names I finally decided upon the name for my magazine which would be 'Reverb' I then took different fonts which I'd collected from around the internet, mostly from 'DaFont' and wrote the name of my magazine in them and presented them on powerpoint documents, shown in images below.

Moodboard of General Costumes

I have created a moodboard of general costumes that includes images of different fonts, existing magazines, clothing and products which may attract the target audience. These all give me a better idea of the kind of content I should be including within my magazine and how to target it better so that it appeals to the relevant audience.

I included a wide variety of different fonts, including ones which could be used as titles, subheadings and body text. Most of the fonts I included are written in the names of them and so this may prove to be helpful later if I wanted to find and download that font for use. I particularly like the 'Voix' font for a masthead as it draws attention due to the filled-in 'o' and personally, it reminds me of the font used for Mixmag's masthead. Therefore, I immediately associated it with the genre. As shown (and described) with the Nylon magazine, I like how they have written the main feature story header in a handwritten-style font in order to draw attention and for this reason, I included a number of messy, handwritten-style fonts. Personally, I liked 'Rebel' and 'Raw Row' out of the ones shown.

By displaying existing magazines collectively allowed a general colour scheme to appear which could be associated with the genre, the main colours usually being dark and complimented with white text. The main image of artists are usually medium shots against a plain background, though some have been edited to have interesting overlays (similar to that which I used in my google mock-up). This will help later when it comes to designing layouts and colour schemes for the front cover as well as clothing for the main subject.

The images of the audience in the bottom left-hand corner allowed me to see a general pattern with the age and gender as well as the clothes which they are wearing. As clearly shown, they are generally quite young and a mix of both male and female (which backs up my reader profile research). They are mostly wearing bright, often fluorescent colours and minimal clothing. From these images and further research I drew up several images of clothes which may be associated with EDM and house music and displayed them around the bottom half of the moodboard. However, the clothes shown don't necessarily match those seen on the existing magazines as they are generally more casual and sometimes smart (though they are nearly always 'current' and 'fashionable'). EDM and house are very new genres of music, and so it could be argued that a particular 'style' of clothing has not yet clearly emerged from it. 

Lastly, I included images of products which may be of interest to the target audience. Generally comprised of technology including mobile phones, laptops, speakers, headphones and game consoles; it gives us a better idea of the kind of people reading the magazine. Not only products, but there are also images of well-known festival logos which readers of the magazine may be likely to spend money on. These include Tomorrowland, Creamfields, Defqon, Electric Zoo, Qlimax and EDC as well as event organising company Q-Dance. This information will be useful for future use as it gives us an idea for feature stories, plugs or article content which may attract our target audience.

Google Mock-Ups - Contents Pages

After completing the mock-ups of my front cover, I then designed Google mock-ups contents pages. I made them to match both the magazine covers which I made, so I included the same artist as the main image and included all the relevant contents in relation to the feature stories on the front.

Control

Original Image which I used within contents page

Contents Page Mock-Up

   I started by opening a blank image into PicMonkey and applying the 'fade' effect to give it a slightly beige-coloured vignette background. I then added the title, date and magazine name and the dashed line underneath it. Then, I saved the image and opened it up into Pixlr Editor and added the main image and placed a border around it before opening it back up into PicMonkey so that I could add the page numbers, feature stories and descriptions. I made sure to leave space next to the descriptions for additional pictures, and added these later in Pixlr Editor. Finally, I opened the image into Pixlr Express and added various filters and tints before saving it as a final edit. I did go back and change the filters a number of times, however. 

   The layout of the contents page with the main image being on the left and the text around it was loosely based on MixMag's contents page. I tried to make the colour scheme of the contents page match the front cover I designed for 'Control' however, I don't think I achieved this very well.

   The main image which I used for this is in fairly neutral colours, mostly browns and beiges, and so I based the rest of the colour scheme around it with the hopes of fixing it to look brighter and more colourful later in Pixlr Express though this wasn't wholly achieved so the colour scheme is still very neutral. I think the colour scheme works well with the three images that I used, however I don't think it fits the the music genre which my magazine will be based on as well as the style which I used for the 'Reverb' magazine.

   I made sure to include all the relevant conventions of a contents page including the title, magazine name, date, page numbers, feature stories, descriptions, main image and secondary images. However, I think the page itself looks a little bare and is missing additional information. On the other hand, it could be argued that the simple layout and appearance makes it clearer and easier to read and therefore easier to find what you are looking for quicker. The main image is of Martin Garrix which matches the main image/feature story on the front cover and further emphasises the importance of that article. It also grabs the attention of readers and non-readers who may be fans of his music and so would be interested in reading an article exclusively about him.

   Overall, I wasn't entirely pleased with the outcome of this contents page. I think it looks a little bare and doesn't match the 'Control' front cover design very well. To improve the layout and appearance of the magazine I could include more information such as the names of contributors to the magazine, a short description about an upcoming album release, social media news, and so on. I would also use a different style of font as I don't think it matches the colour scheme or style of the contents page very well. It looks too 'contemporary' and would be better suited to a style like the 'Reverb' front cover and contents page which has a more modern feel to it. Lastly, I would use a different colour scheme as I don't think the colour scheme which I chose for this contents page reflects the music genre as well as the one used in the 'Reverb' magazine mock-up. The colours are a little too 'soft' and 'warm' and are therefore not as eye-grabbing as the mock-ups which have used brighter colours.

Reverb

Original Image which I used within the Contents Page

Contents Page Mock-Up

   I started by opening a blank image on Pixlr Editor and filling the background in black. I then added the title, layering up multiple bright colours and adjusting the opacity to give the desired effect. I then recreated a similar effect on the image of Miss Melera by drawing a selection around her and copying and pasting the image multiple times, adjusting the colour and opacity of each. I added the date and a random page number over the top of the main image. I then opened it up in PicMonkey and added the feature stories, descriptions and page numbers. I realised at this stage I'd made a mistake with the page number that I'd pasted over the top of the main image and so covered it up with coloured boxes in the same style as the title and main image and re-wrote the page number on top. Lastly, I opened the image back up into Pixlr Editor and inserted the secondary images before opening it in Pixlr Express and adding the same diamond overlay pattern that is seen on the front cover.

   The contents page was heavily based on the google mock-up front cover, 'Reverb' which I had designed previously as I wanted it to match as though it were part of the same magazine. I based the colour scheme of it not only on the front cover but on the contents pages seen in MixMag as they always feature black backgrounds with white writing over the top.

   The main image which I used for this was in black and white so, again, I had to make a colour scheme for it. I based it upon the colours in the front cover which are generally bright colours such as pinks, purples, blues and greens. The colour scheme is a good reflection of the music genre which I am aiming my magazine at as the bright colours and dark background reflect, as previously mentioned, a clubbing or festival environment. The triangle overlay effect adds shapes and draws the attention of the reader.

   Again, I made sure to include all the relevant conventions of a contents page such as page numbers, feature stories, descriptions, a title, date and main image. I laid them out clearly in order for readers to find what they are looking for quickly and easily and this included putting the page numbers in a different colour in order to clearly differentiate them from the article names. The main image is of Miss Melera and I included this image as it relates to one of the main feature articles and the front cover of the magazine since she was the main image on the front cover mock-up.

   In order to improve this, I would condense the article lists down and include other information such as an editor's message/welcome or a list of the names of people who contributed to the making of the magazine. I could include links to the magazine's social accounts such as Facebook and Twitter in order to engage with the reader and keep them up-to-date via social networking (therefore making them more likely to continue purchasing the magazine) or latest news on the website.

Google Mock-Ups - Front Covers

In order to demonstrate that I have learnt and understood from my conventions analysis, I have designed a front cover as a 'Google Mock-Up' using images from Google. I took an image of Martin Garrix, a well-known DJ in EDM and house music and edited the image on various online image editing websites including PicMonkey, iPiccy and Pixlr.

Control

Original Image

Mock-Up Image

   I started with opening the original image into PicMonkey and cropped and adjusted the image exposure to make the colours appear brighter and then added a lens-flare-type filter called 'spotlight'. I then opened the image into iPiccy to further edit the colour and exposure of the image before saving it and opening it into Pixlr Editor - a very basic photoshop-like online programme - and used it to add the masthead, date, issue and skyline. Then, I opened the image back up into PicMonkey and added the main feature and other feature story, footer and plug. Lastly, I used a different Pixlr app called Pixlr Express to further add colour to the image through the use of 'light leak' filters before finally opening the image back up into Pixlr Editor to add the barcode and secondary images through layers.

   There are aspects of the cover which I pulled from design ideas in my conventions analysis and genre research. This includes the 'Magazine' being within the title text (seen on Tilllate's magazine cover in my genre research), the date and issue being in a vertical, column-like layout (inspired by Billboard's cover in my conventions analysis) and the footer being on an angle (Tilllate's front cover in my conventions analysis). 

   Since the original image didn't have enough colours to follow the three-colour conventional rule I emphasised the orange jumper which the main subject is wearing and used colours which I believed complimented it so that I ended up with a colour scheme of three main colours - orange, green and purple. The orange and green colours reminded me of the Autumn season which works well with the date of release of the magazine (October) and the purple provided a 'pop' of colour to draw attention to the magazine and reflect the often bright, fluorescent colours seen within the EDM and house scene. By overlaying 'light leaks' gives the magazine an all-round dreamy look.

   I ensured that I used all the relevant conventions of a magazine (i.e. masthead, plug, footer, etc.) as I found through conducting research and analysis into it that it aids in drawing more attention to the magazine whilst providing as much information as possible. The plug is relevant to the music genre as it offers the chance to win tickets to upcoming Q-Dance festivals, a renowned event-organising company in electronic music who host large festivals such as Defqon and Q-BASE. The main image is of Martin Garrix, a famous young DJ in EDM and very well-known, and I related this to the main feature article. Not only did I make this the largest feature story on the cover but I added secondary images to further attract attention. 

   To improve this, I would maybe use a different subheading text for the main feature article as I don't think it looks suitable for subheading text. I would also include more feature articles as there are currently only two minus the footer and, personally, I don't think it provides enough information about the features within the article. Lastly, I would probably change the title text as I don't think it looks particularly eye-grabbing due to it being a fairly dull colour compared to the rest of the cover.

Reverb

Original Image

Mock-Up Image

   I started by taking an image of Miss Melera (a female EDM and house DJ whom I discovered through conducting conventions analysis research on Tilllate Magazine), and opened the image into iPiccy to adjust the crop and exposure. I then opened it into Pixlr Editor to add the masthead, date, website and skyline. The original skyline which I put in had a gradient rectangle similar to the previous mock-up, however I changed this later. In order to achieve the desired masthead effect, I inserted the same title three times and then adjusted the opacity, making sure to erase each so that it didn't overlay the subject and appeared to be in the background. Then, I opened the image up into PicMonkey and started adding the plugs and feature stories. This is where I changed the header by overlaying it with a simple black rectangle and re-writing the skyline in the same font. Lastly, I opened the image into Pixlr Editor once again and added the secondary images before finally opening it into Pixlr Express and adding the triangular-shaped overlay.

   This magazine cover was influenced by a number of ideas such as the Mixmag front cover in my genre research of Sub Focus, which features the triangle overlays and angles on the shapes placed behind the text. I also took influence from Miss Melera's own website, which heavily features disorienting overlay effects and bright colours.

Screenshot from Miss Melera's official website

   Just like in the previous mock-up, the original image had very little colour to work with and so I had to invent a colour scheme which would work with it. The main colours within this are bright pinks, purples, lime greens and a little bit of blue with predominantly white text. This works well with the chosen music genre as it reflects a clubbing environment where there would be a dark room lit with bright colourful lights with an all-round disorientating effect.

   Again, just like with the previous mock-up I ensured that I had used all relevant conventions including a masthead, skyline, footer, date, website, main feature story, other feature stories, secondary images and plugs. I ensured that these were all clear and most of them in bright, eye-catching colours in order to attract the attention of the audience. However, I did forget to add in a barcode and/or price and will ensure I do this next time in order to make it appear more realistic. The plugs are relevant to the music genre as they offer a festival guide and advertise a new album which will attract the target audience who generally have a lot of disposable income to spend on festivals and CDs. Just like with the previous mock-up, I related the main image to the main feature article and added secondary images in order to further attract the attention of the audience.

   To improve this, I would make the current feature stories smaller and add in more so that extra information could be included and utilise the space better. I would also need to include a barcode and/or price so that it looked more like a realistic magazine cover. To do this, I would maybe move the website so that it is within the actual masthead text just like the previous mock-up and place the price where the current placement of the website name is.

Genre Research - Music Videos

As part of genre research, I found some music videos which fit the chosen music genre and included them here to analyse.

The first music video, 'Breathe' by Borgeous follows the artist whilst on tour performing at different venues and clubs, including Dreamland festival. I picked this music video because it shows real-life performances and thus, the kind of people in the audience, how they are dressed and the venues which artists perform in. The venues which feature in the video are always lit with bright, colourful and often strobe lighting though the venue itself is fairly dark, similar to a clubbing environment. Generally, the audience are quite young, usually twenties, and are dressed in 'clubbing' outfits or just casual, fashionable clothing. Often in the darker venues, they wear bright, fluorescent clothing so that they stand out. The video itself is very fast-paced with a lot of flashing lights and transitions as it is intended to emulate the clubbing environment. This gives us a good idea of the kind of things to include within our magazine, what colour schemes and images we should consider including, and who we should be aiming it at.

This second music video is done in a similar fashion to the previous one. The track is 'BFAM' by Martin Garrix and Julian Jordan. It, again, follows the young artists on their travels to perform in Ibiza, including clips of them at the airport, on the plane and in their hotel all the while incorporating clips of them performing live in various venues and clubs. I chose this video because of the Ibiza setting, which is a little bit different to that of the previous music video. Ibiza is renowned for its clubs, and clubs are renowned for playing electronic dance and house music. The audience are young, around their twenties and dressed in bright, often fluorescent clubbing outfits. Usually these outfits are very minimal due to Ibiza being a hot country and, undoubtedly, the venues themselves being quite hot due to the amount of people dancing in one small space. Just like in the previous music video there are bright, colourful lights and fast-paced editing. The audience and DJs are dancing throughout, also reflecting the fast-paced atmosphere of clubs.

The third music video is 'Toulouse' by Nicky Romero which is very popular with over 183 million views on YouTube. The music video is in a very different style to the previous two music videos as it (somewhat) tells a story. All the people who feature in the video are approximately in their twenties, dressed in quite casual outfits suitable of their age which reflects the general audience of EDM and house quite well. The setting is urban which, again, reflects the EDM and house audience well as I have found through conducting research into reader profiles that the majority of people who read magazines based around that music genre tend to come from urban areas and live in cities. Finally, the masks which are featured in the video are Guy Fawkes masks, however are more commonly associated with the online activist group 'Anonymous' who are anti-cyber-surveillance and censorship. This links well with the EDM and house genres as they are generally distributed online, thus, the general audience are more likely to be associated with the organisation.

Lastly, I have included the Tomorrowland 2014 Aftermovie. Though it is technically not a music video in itself, it is a short film summing up the Tomorrowland festival weekend and so includes some very useful information about the audience of EDM and house music. Almost all of them are evidently in their twenties and are dressed in fashionable summer clothing suitable for a festival. There appears to be an almost equal divide of men and women who attended, though it is still a predominantly male audience. The artists which perform in the video such as Avicii, Martin Garrix, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Alesso are some good examples of artists which I could include as feature stories within the magazine in order to grab the attention of readers. Lastly, the mise-en-scène of the whole festival (generally bright colours and lights and a dream-like atmosphere) gives some good pointers to general themes and colour schemes for my magazine.

Genre Research

We conducted research into the potential music genre which we wanted to base our music magazine around. I have decided to base my music magazine on electronic house and EDM music (very similar genres of music which are often linked and in the same larger category of music, which is electronic). Firstly, I looked into the history of electronic music, taking note of the fact it generally developed over the 20th century, and presented the information I collected onto a timeline so that it could be presented clearer. 

I then conducted some basic research into my genre including costumes, existing magazines, and current artists.

Reader Profiles - Mixmag & My Own

After conducting our conventions analysis, we then found and researched reader profiles in order to gain knowledge on target audiences and why magazines conduct this research. I chose to look at Mixmag's reader profile as I had done an in-depth analysis of the magazine's front cover, contents page and double page spread already. I found a 'media pack' online that contained all the relevant information about Mixmag.

Then, based on the information and knowledge I gained through analysing Mixmag's reader profile, I then made my own based on the requirements for the target audience which I think would be best suited for the EDM/house music genre. I chose a random name for the magazine, 'Control', and included images of products or events that could be advertised within it that would appeal to the gender and age of my target audience; as well as statistics and information about the readers of the magazine.

Some of the images which I included in the reader profile I based off my own personal taste as someone who would be interested in buying an electronic music magazine aimed at that audience. I also included images which I think would be best suited for an audience interested in EDM and house music based on my knowledge of the genre. Creating this reader profile will help in the production of my final product as it gives me a general idea of who is reading the magazine and how I should tailor the content so that it appeals to them and they continue to buy it.

Conventions Analysis - Billboard & Tilllate

After doing an in-depth analysis of the Mixmag magazine, I conducted an analysis of the front cover, contents and double page spread of two more magazines. Below is my analysis of pop music magazine, 'Billboard' and 'Tilllate'.

Billboard is a printed magazine generally aimed at pop music and culture.

Tilllate was formerly a printed magazine however is now an online magazine, generally aimed at EDM (electronic dance music).

Conventions Analysis - Mixmag

For our introductory task, we took a magazine from the music genre which we are planning on making our magazine for and analysed the different features and conventions of it in depth so that we can gain ideas for our own product. 

I have analysed the conventions of this magazine in the powerpoint slides and explained how it relates to the target audience underneath each section on the blog post itself.

The magazine which I chose to research is 'Mixmag', a dance and clubbing magazine aimed at people (usually a young target audience) who enjoy listening to electronic and similar music. The front cover shows the target audience through its use of bright colours and the main image/feature story. The model herself is young and dressed in fashionable, colourful clothes which grab the attention of the main target audience. Also, the main feature which accompanies this image is headlined 'Festivals are go!' and this all suggests a young target audience due to the young model as the main image and main feature being about music festivals. The plug also further suggests the target audience, giving them a chance to 'win tickets to every UK dance festival' which would definitely appeal to a younger target audience who like and enjoy listening to dance and electronic music.

The contents page further shows the target audience through again, the use of the main image/feature story. The image is of a young adult, possibly late teens, who is evidently in some kind of club/festival environment. The model further suggests the target audience through her apparent age, the use of her clothes which are again, modern and fashionable and the setting which the photograph appears to be in which would all appeal to a younger target audience (late teens to early 20s) due to the fact it may be relatable. The stories and features would also appeal as they are features which a younger target audience who enjoy electronic dance music would find interesting to read about (such as 'Clubs of the year') as they may find them informative and relatable to their taste in music.

Finally, the double page spread also appeals to the target audience as, although the subject within the main image is not young or in a clubbing environment he is a fairly iconic DJ/producer within the chosen genre. Many of the target audience may recognise him and so this would attract them to want to read the article in order to find out more about him.

Main Brief

To design a front cover, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, a minimum of four images must be used.

Evaluation

What have you learnt?

During this preliminary task, we learnt how to use Photoshop, developing upon existing basic skills to slightly more complex skills such as using layers, selection tools, shapes, colours and text. Having used a basic form of Photoshop before called Serif, I was able to apply the knowledge I had from using that to this task. However, there were many things I hadn't done before such as use shapes and text, group layers into folders in order to keep them organised and use layer styles and adjustments. 

We also developed our analysing skills with our conventions and semiotics analysis. We had to look at the different features of magazines and become familiar with the names of these (e.g. masthead, skyline, plug, etc.) and then apply analytical skills in order to show how each of these features were effective to making the magazine look aesthetically pleasing and eye-catching so that it attracted an audience. 

How have you used technology?

During this task we had to use and become familiar with two different computers and their operating systems: PCs running Windows and iMacs running OS X. I was already quite familiar with OS X however it did prove difficult to use at times and there were many things I had to get used to such as the mouse not having a right-click button, the sensitivity of it quite low and the scroll direction being reversed (the latter two of which I was able to change and so this made everything a lot easier). Eventually, I found myself preferring to use the iMacs over the PCs as I found them easier to navigate and generally a lot more smooth-running than the PCs. 

Also, for this task I had to become more familiar with the exposure settings on my DSLR camera in order to achieve the effects I wanted within my main image. This meant learning what aperture, ISO and shutter speeds were and how to use them to my advantage. I also had to learn the different framings and composition of an image in order to make it pleasing to the eye and easy to work with when it came to editing the front cover (e.g. allowing space at the top of the image for the masthead and skyline).

Lastly, I had to make a Blogger account in order to post all my work in the form of a blog and get used to using it. This included making posts, changing the text in the posts, adjusting the pictures so that they looked good on my blog and regularly updating it. This was all new to me as I have never had a blogger account before and so I had to learn how to use everything so that I could get my blog to look just as I wanted it.

What conventions have you used and why?

In my final image I used a main image, masthead, skyline, footer, plug, date, website, barcode, price and multiple feature stories. These were all used in order to make my magazine look as professional as possible and attract the target audience (which is students at a college). I tried to keep these conventions looking clear, bold and colourful in order to make the magazine eye-catching and easy to read. I slightly challenged the genre of college magazines by making my front cover bright with feature stories that might attract a teenage student (such as the summer festivals article) rather than cramming it with information about academic-related articles. However, I didn't really challenge the placement of conventions and this was because I wanted to keep my magazine cover looking as realistic as possible.

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What would you change if you were to do this task again?

If I were to do this task again I would take more photographs for the main image in different locations and of various students (e.g. science students, art students, etc.). I would pay more attention to the exposure when photographing indoors in order to get clearer pictures that would be easy to work with. I would also try out different angles such as tilted angles, low angles and high angles; props such as science equipment, art equipment and computers and poses such as somebody sat writing, drawing or working on the computer. This would give me a greater scope and variety of images to use as a main picture as well as images to include within the magazine. 

If I were to do this task again I would also make the magazine look more professional. I am not keen on how the plug looks with the shape and gradient and think with drawing or downloading shapes could give the magazine more verisimilitude. I would also download and use more fonts as I think using only two main types of font really restricts the visual appearance of the magazine.

I would also ask the teacher more questions as I usually take it upon myself to find things out alone. However, if I had asked a teacher it could have made the task a little quicker to do and my magazine cover may have looked better through receiving more feedback on how to improve had I sought it more often. 

Final College Magazine & Contents Page

This is my final college magazine cover and mock-up contents page for my preliminary task

Final Front Cover

Contents Page Mock-Up

As mentioned in my previous blog post, I used Image 6 as the main picture. The font which I used for the masthead is called 'Headline' (which is not featured on my mood board, however is very similar to one or two fonts which I did include) and the feature stories included fonts 'Headline' and 'Helvetica Neue' in light.

I did not edit my main image at all as I wanted to keep with the natural colours and lighting in the photograph and not risk making it look less natural through editing it. I stuck with a colour scheme containing mostly blues, greens and reds with white, black and grey being the main colours used for text. The colour scheme was heavily influenced by the images which I collected and displayed on my mood board and the colour scheme ideas which I drew from that (in the same blog post). However, when working on the final magazine cover I used the colours within my main image by picking them off certain aspects (i.e. blue jeans and red lipstick on subject and green trees in the background) in order to get a colour scheme which worked best with the main image.

I stuck with the mock-up layout of the front cover that I posted on my blog earlier and included almost everything picked out on the conventions analysis so that the front cover contains as much information as possible and is eye-catching to the target audience.

For the contents page mock-up, I also stuck with the contents page layout which I posted on my blog earlier and added a variety of contents, including the ideas for contents which I also drafted in that same blog post. I then added in what images would go where and gave it a title. However, the font which I used for my title I would adapt and change to fit with the front cover if I were to make the actual thing.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the outcome of my college magazine however, I feel that there are some things which could be improved in order to make it look more professional and realistic, such as a better-looking plug and one or two more font styles.

Draft Front Cover

During my free time, I took one of the images from my framing photoshoot and used it as a main image in a draft of a college magazine front cover. I then played around with the various tools and texts on photoshop in order to get more used to its features and pick up skills which I could then use when it came to creating my final front cover.

I quite liked the black, white and pink colour scheme however, many would argue that this would make it predominantly aimed towards girls and women and so I have decided against using a similar colour scheme in my final front cover. Instead using colours which will make my magazine as gender neutral as possible.

I downloaded a font called 'Headline' to use for the masthead and feature stories. However, I'm not entirely sure about using this same font for the feature stories as it looks a little bit overwhelming so I may change this later.

I wanted the headline to be just behind the head of my subject and so took the opportunity to try different tools and layers on this draft to achieve the effect whilst keeping it looking as realistic as possible. This required me to work with the polygon selection and paintbrush tools, feathering and layers and so these are all skills which can be applied when it comes to creating the final front cover.

Lastly, I also worked with shapes, gradients and opacity for the plug and feature stories. It took me an awful long time before I finally found the gradient tool but when I did, was pleased with the outcome and will definitely apply this to my final front cover as well as the rectangular shapes that make the feature stories clearer to see.

Photoshoot - Final Front Cover Images

This is a sample of 14 pictures out of the 80 which I took when shooting for my final front cover image. I based my images upon the ones which I had collected and displayed on my mood board earlier. I took them around the college, inside and outside, and have included a sample of good and bad photographs in order to critique and give a good idea of the ones which I took.

The first 10 photos shown here were all taken outside in the courtyard of the college grounds. I wanted the background to be blurred, preferably with some greenery in it, the image light and bright and the subject in the foreground clearly in focus. The first two pictures did not wholly achieve this as the aperture on my camera was too small, making the image appear sightly dull and dark and with a wide depth of field. Image number 3 was after I had increased the aperture however set the ISO too high and so it appears to be way too bright. Images 4 to 9 were after I had found the perfect exposure balance with the widest possible aperture (ensuring a shorter depth of field which created the blurred background effect I wanted).

Images 10 to 14 were taken inside. Though they didn't look too bad on the screen of my camera, once I uploaded them I realised the images were 'noisy' and had a lot of grain due to the low ISO (the settings of which I hadn't changed from when I took the pictures outside). The images are fairly dark as well as the colour not appearing as vivid as the outdoor ones. If I were to take these again, I'd have to look into increasing the ISO and/or shutter speed in order to compensate for the lack of natural light.

In some of the images, composition and framing of the picture was the issue. I would say personally in images 1, 8 and 13 the subject is a little too small. The background in image 12 does not do the photo much justice and images 3 and 14 are a little too close. However, these framings and composition may look good on a magazine, just not the one I had in mind.

I found shooting outside to be a little bit difficult at times as people were constantly walking in and out of the shot, as well as the windy weather messing up hair (seen in image 9 as Molly's face is slightly covered with a piece of her hair that blew across at the last minute). Despite this, I was pleased with how some of the images turned out and will be using image 6 as my final image.