Detailed Research of Front Page

In conclusion, I feel that my research has been effective and helped me to create an idea for what I want for the front page of my magazine. As i looked at many different types of magazine covers I can differentiate between different magazines, and what features if magazines I like, and ones that I don't like as much.

For the final magazine cover I looked at, this is the one which I think I will

 mostly relate my magazine to. I think the pose of the model is used extremely well, as they are not just standing there, or looking slightly vacant. The focus on the hair and face is also what i would like to do for my magazine as I think this works really well and gives a good focus to the front cover.  The overlapping of the photo on the title of the magazine is used well, and I like the way they have in co-operated colours into the title. The grey background allows the rest of the features on the front cover to be shown well and therefore the magazine can get across to the reader what the main focus of the magazine is. The cover follows a colour scheme well which means there is continuity throughout the front cover. Overall, I think this is a very good magazine cover and is very effective in many ways.

This is largely what I want to base my magazine around for my front cover. I think the layout is extremely effective as the title is very bold, creating a lot of attention to that area of the magazine. The use of the black and pink works well as they are quite contrasting colours, so it stands out more and looks less cluttered on the page, The use of the background colour on the 'Nicki Minaj' subtitle works well as it shows what is important and the main focus of the magazine for that week. The use of the different fonts is also effective as it makes it more interesting and differs from other parts of the front cover. The shadowing of the photo is used well, as well as the editing of Nicki Minaj. Her skin looks almost shiny with a good complexion, and her hair looks neat and in place. The only negative of this magazine which I would not like to include in my own is what the model is wearing. Personally I feel it is too revealing, and will give off the wrong image in my magazine. It may also be very hard to photograph my own model like this as she may feel uncomfortable and ultimately will not want to pose for photos. Therefore when I am taking my own photos for my magazine, I will not make her wear clothes like this, however I do think this type of pose is used well and is very effective.

Specific Research of Front Cover

 

Out of all of my research and all of the front covers that I have looked at, I like this one the most, and would want to base my magazine around something which follows this design. I think the pose of the singer is used very well, and this is for many reasons. She portrays her body well as she is pulling a slightly sexy pose. This 'sexy' type look is also portrayed through the clothing she is wearing. She is showing quite a lot of skin, however, is not used in a cheap and slutty way, but used to make her attractive. She is also pulling a serious face to add to the pose she is using. The overlapping of the photo to the title is used effectively, and makes it more attractive. I also like the use of a running colour scheme throughout the front cover. The use of her pose, as well as her style, especially focusing on the clothes she is wearing, reveals the type of artist that she is. The use of different sized fonts allows you to see what is important on the page, and what is less important, giving eye-catching headlines to the page. However the downside to this magazine is the fact that it really focuses on a a particular audience. Not only is it related to 'pop' music but the use of the pinks and grey colour scheme allows us to think that this magazine is mainly created for girls. This would put certain buyers off purchasing this magazine, and ultimately it would not appeal to a lot of people.

From my research I have now gone down a particular route which I would want my

 magazine to resemble. I again like the overlapping of the picture and the title, as I feel this is a very modern way to edit a magazine. I also like the use of down the right hand side there is a small title with a quote underneath. This feature is running throughout the whole front cover of the magazine and gives a slightly 'edgy' feel to it. Throughout the magazine they have used dramatic and 'catchy' words to entice readers, making it more interesting. The pose of the celebrity is very striking, and gives off a particular impression. Her make-up is very striking and her red lipstick stands out on the page. She is also pulling a pose which looks as if she is about to have a fight. This portrays the impression that she is daring and resilient, and gives off a slightly 'hard' image. The quote above the picture interlinks with the pose she is using, and allows us to slightly understand what will be included inside the magazine. The bold title of 'PARAMORE' also backs up the idea of the hard exterior that she contains. Overall I think that this magazine cover is extremely effective. I like the bold pose she is using, and think that this would be very effective in my magazine.

General Research of Front Cover

 

This second magazine cover has a lot of appeal and effective features that I may use in my own magazine. I think the fading title is used very well as it makes it more interesting and gives a feel of the style of the magazine. The title is extremely bold and clear, giving off a strong feel and we can also expect the type of genre of music that will be included in the magazine. The use of the picture overlapping the title and the way the sub headings fit and mould round the picture is also used effectively. The photo of the magazine is the main feature of the front cover and is extremely eye-catching. The pose of the artist portrays what type of genre music he plays, as well as revealing that he is a 'raw' and 'hard' artist. This is complimented with his clothes and jewellery, as we associate this style of clothes with a 'gangsta' type style and rap or r'n'b music. This is again complimented with the highlight of the tattoos that he has. The running colour scheme is also effective as there is continuity throughout the front page. Similar to this magazine, I want the main focus of my magazine to be a picture, also containing a bold and striking title to compliment it. I may use ideas from this magazine to in-cooperate into my own magazine.


This magazine is a very effective music magazine for many reasons. It has a catchy and edgy title, which defines the style and feel of the magazine. The title is also very bold and strong and although it is in a black colour, it is not boring. I also like how the main feature of the magazine is seen clearly, as this will attract more readers, especially those who are fans of that particular band. Another feature of this feature which is effective is the layout and font of the description at the bottom of most of the photos. The arrow type shaped use allows the reader to know what picture the description is talking about. The running colour scheme of black, red, and white is also used well as it breaks different parts of the magazine up whilst also having a unified feel. The bars of information at the top and bottom are also effective as it gives some more information of what features in the magazine as there is not that much writing on the middle of the page. Although I feel this is an eye-catching and adequate magazine cover, I don't want to aim my magazine at this genre of music. This is partly due to my own taste in music as well as the fact that I think it would be hard to photograph my model posing with a 'rock' type style. However although I would not use this style of magazine I may adapt features of it into my own product.

Introduction to Music Magazine

I am now starting a new project as part of my media coursework for AS. This includes me designing and making a music magazine, which will consist of a front cover, a contents page, and a double page spread. I will research ideas and decide on a type of genre I would like to use for my magazine. I will then produce my magazine in the most effective way that I can.

Evaluation of School Magazine

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge the forms and conventions of real media?When researching for my school magazine I looked at different forms of school magazines and ideas that I could incorporate into my own product. I then developed these ideas into my own product, using real media in my own work. The ideas that I included in my own magazine that have been used in school magazines are; a small print screen of the front page on my contents page, large headings to attract the audience on my front page which are bold and bright, overlapping of features on the front page, and a running colour scheme throughout the front page and contents page.
How does your media product represent particular social groups?My media product represents certain social groups as it portrays art students of a certain level. When researching for my product I realised that using pictures of art students was effective as it drew in attention from readers and gave a positive look to a school or college. It also made the magazine look more creative and give a relaxed and enjoyable feel to not only the magazine, but the school that the magazine is meant to be about.
What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?The type of institution that would distribute my magazine would be an independent company, as it is an individual magazine for one school. It may also be distributed throughout the school that it is about. Furthermore, the magazine could also possible be distributed throughout local companies to the school, as this would commercialise the school and allow more people to know about it. By distributing a school magazine to a large amount of people it would also make the school look more successful as they are able to produce a high quality magazine.
Who are the audience of your media product?When researching my media product I looked at the different audiences that a school magazine would attract. This largely related to the audience that my media magazine would attract as the type of audience would be; students of the school, parents that send their children to that particular school, teachers of the school, and possible students that may join in the future.
How did it attract/address your audience?My school magazine attracted my audience with a vibrant and colour front page, as this was eye-catching and drew attention. The sub headings on the page also engrossed the audience as it revealed relevant features that would appeal to the target audience, and included things that they would want to read and know.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?The things I have learnt about technologies from constructing my product are: the function of a camera and how to use it to the highest quality. I learnt that flash is not always effective and the different ways in which manual and automatic change the distortion of a photo, and which would be more relevant for my magazine. I also learnt how to edit and change pictures, on programmes such as photoshop and InDesign. I learnt to make my picture more appealing by editing, for example making the complexion of my model clearer, and changing the background to put the focus on the model and what they are doing.

Development of Contents Page

The contents page also follows the same colour theme and layout as the front page. It has the light purple, dark purple, and maroon colours which have followed on from the front page. It also has the same font as the front page, which help continuity throughout the magazine. For the page features I have used a title to show what is on the page and then underneath on some of the pages I have written a small description of what the page is about, and the information that is given on that page. This helps the reader to know what is on what page.

The final design shows more picture features of what can be found on the following pages, as there are the first set of shots I did in the middle of the page, but made smaller. On the top right there is also a smaller shot of the front page. This was used in many professional magazines and I felt it was effective in making the contents page look more professional. A disadvantage of my contents page is that the background is white. This means there are a few blank spaces with nothing in it, and it makes it look slightly unprofessional as parts of it can be a bit boring. Overall however I think that my front page and contents page work well as their is continuity and it follows the theme of a school magazine well.