Mood Board

I created this mood board for my magazine so that I can sum up the general style and vibe of my magazine through pictures. It is a useful thing to make as it allows me to see what sort of route I want to go down when designing my magazine eg colour schemes, pictures and the overall style of my magazine. 

Cover Lines

I made this to show all of the cover-lines that I have included on the front cover of the magazine I have created. I explain why they work and why I made/chose them as the cover-lines I include and why they are appropriate to the magazine. 

Masthead Names and Designs Ideas

I came up with ideas of what my masthead for my magazine would be, and the effectiveness of each of those mastheads, my favourites and why some would and would not work. Additionally, once I had chosen the masthead name, I designed lots of different ways it could look and then chose my favourite out of all of them.

Promotional Methods

Promotional Methods

Promotional Methods are very important when creating a magazine as it will help me to see how I would go about promoting it so it can become successful and to get people to notice it if it were to be made into one. It allows me to see what ways I promote my magazine and makes the magazine feel more realistic. 

New Media

Social media is very popular with all ages, and is only becoming more popular as time goes on. When creating my magazine I will consider that as it is aimed at young adults they will be on board will all of the latest social media and will understand how to use it and what sites and gadgets work well. I plan to have an app of my magazine so that once they subscribe to the magazine they can have a digital access to the magazine wherever they go. Moreover, there would be an online website so they can subscribe online and also get a digital copy of the magazine that way, but also to find out more about the magazine and other stuff like what is going on in the punk rock industry. This will allow me to continue the social media aspect to the magazine. Additionally, QR codes are another social media that can give the audience access to additional information by scanning a code and allowing them access to other things eg, the latest in the punk rock industry.

My survey results showed that the most used social media sites are Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Tumblr. As these are the most popular sites for my target audience, it is important to create a page of some way for the audience to interact with the magazine through these.

I would create a Twitter account as readers have access to this and it is so widely used. The Twitter account would be all about the magazine and will post tweets very regularly about the magazine and give sneak peeks to what will be featured in each weekly issue. By folling the account, it will mean that people will not miss out on anything going on with the magazine. Furthermore, it will have weekly competitions that readers can take part in using twitter to win tickets to upcoming festivals are signed copies of albums of the artists featured in that week’s magazine. It is important to let the audience feel connected to the magazine. They could win the competition just by retweeting something then someone could be selected at random.

In addition, I would use Instagram by having an account that would be posted regularly on of some of the artists that will feature in the magazine with some of the photographers or editors etc. As well as maybe outfit of the days from the featured artists so that people could recreate and/or get the outfit that they are wearing. There could also be competitions that could take part on Instagram, eg if they simply like a photo they could be in a chance of winning things like signed posters or albums etc.

Also I will have a YouTube channel for my magazine that may contain interviews from some of the artists featured, and maybe behind the scenes videos of the musicians on set in their photo shoots or just generally in the CRASH magazine place. Lastly, a Tumblr account would be created that posts pictures of magazine related things, or general pictures of artists and punk rock related images.

As well as general social media, an online version of my magazine would be accessible to those who download the app and subscribe to the magazine via the internet. Subscriptions would cost, however, it gives them an online access to reach wherever they are as print based magazine are not as popular as they used to be it is important to provide them the ability to get a copy of the magazine online or on the app as well as a print version. All of these social media sites will makes the readers and audience feel more engaged with the magazine and interact with it. 


This post is all about the social media that we use on a day to day basis and how important it is for the audience to feel connected to the magazine through social media. Moreover, what each social media sites that are most popular for my audience and how each one would be used. 

Image Ideas

I created this PowerPoint to show all of the images and general ideas I used when creating the images for my magazine. These images have inspired me for my magazine and I will refer back to them when creating the images. 

Feature Article

‘Well it’s over now, so it’s time to start fresh.’

‘This album is exactly what I have always wanted to create.’

‘Well it’s over now, so it’s time to start fresh’ Izzy Spyrou says as she talks of the break-up of her band ‘Exorcism of the Inventive Today’. Spyrou mentions that she is fortunate for how far they came as a band, but eight years down the line the band unanimously agreed to go their separate ways.

I ask her, what happened that brought about this sudden split? She simply explained that at Wembley Arena, on April 7^th 2013 (the last night of their ‘Raging Patience’ tour) there was a very strange emotion felt throughout all of the band members. They glanced at each other and at the crowd and knew that this was going to be the last time they would perform together. ‘It was quite strange; there was just this sense of relief and peace? I don’t know why we felt peaceful, but we did.’ It has been a whirlwind of emotions and confusion since the band split 19 months ago, although Spyrou knows that going solo was the next step in her music career.

As we sit in one of the interview rooms in CRASH magazine, she really started to open up about her time in the band. They are like brothers and sisters, they argued about small things, but were always there for each other when things really mattered. Even though the band had only been together for 4 years so far and already they were best known for their songs ‘Lift Me Up’ and ‘Dead Mayhem’ both on their number one album ‘Dead Mayhem’ by 2008, they were astounded by what they had accomplished. What they had achieved was more than they and anyone else could have ever imagined, and it was only going up from there.

The band did not break up due to conflict, but simply because they started to head in different directions. Spyrou speaks on behalf of the band ‘It won’t be long until we are 30, and some of us want to settle down and start a family and others want to peruse different careers.’ She then knew that she still had music that she wanted to create, and as hard as it may have been to separate and start creating an album by herself for the first time, the change was necessary and ready. She could create the album that has always been her vision of creating as she didn’t have to equate everyone’s ideas into one sound.

‘I wish I could tell you I am sad about EOTIT [Exorcism of the Inventive Today] breaking up, but I’m actually relieved. It has allowed me to create this album, my very own album.’ It is clear that the upcoming release of her album has made Spyrou excited for what the future has to hold.

I ask her how she went about creating a punk rock sound if she has gone solo, as one person could surely not create much of a punk rock sound. The 27 year old laughed to herself and said ‘I didn’t just play guitar and sing, I got some of my best friends and most talented people I know to help me with the music’. She is singing and playing the guitar much like she did in EOTIT, however, she has written the music and lyrics and with a little help, has produced the whole album. ‘I’m so proud of this album, it have taken so long to create.’ Spyrou also shares that she was actually starting to write some of the songs that are on the album 2 years before the band split. She was not foreshadowing anything, but she always wrote music in her spare time.

I am curious about the title of the album ‘Simple Confusion’ as she looks like she is starting to take control on things, so why does she seem confused. Once again she laughs out loud at the question ‘Are you crazy? I will never have my life under control! I’m more confused now than ever before. Hence the name ‘Simple Confusion’.’ Despite this, Spyrou is very certain on the music she is creating as for the first time she can trust her own instinct and create an album that she is completely in control of.

She seems pleased and excited about finally being able to release the album on December 15^th 2014. It has been a long and hard process getting this album ready to be released, especially with all of the press and other things to do with the band splitting. However, she was determined to release an album as soon as she could. Spyrou wanted ‘to create an album as soon as possible, mainly so that the public still remembered me, I didn’t want to be that lead singer of that band who everyone forgot.’

From the sample of the songs on the album I was privileged to hear, they are very punk rock and seem emotional and some rather aggressive. Ditching the heavy rock sound for a more punk rock creation, she explains the reasons for this being that ‘it was easier to create a heavier sound when you are a complete band’, moreover, she didn’t want the sound to be as similar. This very emotional sound must have a reason or story behind it, or some sort of inspiration? ‘Many of the songs speak of the break-up of the band, so they are quite emotional to me. Others are the relationships I had. But most are to do with the fucking annoying people in this world.’ She sputters out whilst laughing. I was curious as to what she meant by ‘annoying people’. She means the people who treat others badly, be it abusive relationships or violence towards others even animals. However, she was clearly very passionate when Spyrou screams ‘THE PRESS MAN. THE PRESS!’, being some of the most annoying people.

The media would not leave her and fellow band mates alone during the split as they are ‘nosey and rude’ it was a hard time for the members and some privacy would have been appreciated.  Many would follow her wherever she went with a camera and questions even though she was very adamant that she did not want to talk. It made the whole transition from band-hood to becoming solo a big challenge. Her life was being invaded by intrusive people who are incapable of ‘minding their own business’.

I mention some other bands that split and had, press completely invading their lives: My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy (although this was actually a hiatus) and others like Rage Against the Machine, and Guns N’ Roses.

‘Oh, I can’t begin to image what those more well-known bands had to deal with. But the fact is that the press are inconsiderate and fucking rude people who need to learn to leave people alone.’

Deciding to change the topic slightly, as it was clear that the press are not her favourite people to talk about, we look at a more positive side of the new album and going solo. I ask her what has been the best or most rewarding part of this whole experience. ‘Firstly, this has been more than just an ‘experience’… but it has been pretty great because I’ve never been happier with a complete album like this one.’ Spyrou is evidently thrilled by the album as she has taken the reigns and got one of her closest photographer friends Gale Reckingson to shoot the photos for the album cover. It meant a lot to her that she could have such a close friend help her on creating the cover.

For Spyrou, by far the best thing about creating a solo album is that no one told her want she could or could not do. ‘This album is exactly what I have always wanted to create.’ said Spyrou enthusiastically. She has always liked the idea of being classed as a singer songwriter, and therefore jumped when given the ability to produce ‘Simple Confusion’ by herself. ‘I know it sounds odd, but one of my favourite things was being able to name the songs whatever the hell I wanted.’

This brought me to backtrack slightly and ask about the curious name of one of the tracks as I was very intrigued as to the meaning behind the song ‘Z’ as the name gives very little away. ‘Oh yes, that is one of my favourite I love how ominous it is just having the letter ‘Z’. Spyrou then elaborates by explaining that ‘it is the last letter of the alphabet, symbolising that everything ends and this one was to do with the end of the band… how fucking deep I know.’ She said whilst laughing at the end.

Just as she starts to fiddle with her black and silver crystal necklace, I see her face flooded with quite a content and relaxed tone. Naturally I asked her what she was thinking about and she replies ‘with all the shit that has happened in the previous year’ Spyrou continues with ‘I’m just so elated and filled with content that I have actually created this album… this is the first time I have ever sat back and really realised that this is real, and I’m so bloody proud of it all.’


This is my feature article for my magazine that will be the main sum of text in the magazine. The article is about an artist who recently split up from a band and has launched a solo album. It is very important to the magazine that it fits the style of my magazine and is appropriate to my audience.

Contents Page - Production Log 14

In my media lesson I made progress on my contents page, I started to include the actual information that will be on the page, I adjusted lots of small things like making all the headings in red boxes in the centre of the box and add my own picture of a fall out boy concert that I went to. Moreover, I started to design the text and I changed think about the smaller details.  

Starting to Create My Contents Page - Production Log 13

In my media lesson continued to start designing my contents page. I have added more detail and whilst it is still just the framework of my design it is a lot more detailed than it was, and I have started to add the smaller details to shaped the overall look. I need to add text and pictures and general information, but it is starting to take shape. I found this lesson more productive as I have more of an idea of what I want the contents page to look like. 

Survey Results - Analysing Data

What I have concluded for these results is that my magazine should be around £3-£4 so people can afford it. The front cover should have some sort of chart eg top 10 punk rock artists to attrcat their attention to the magazine. I will most likey include all of the artists as they scored reletively similar. I was already planing on baseing my magazine around Kerrang! but the results show that it is quite a popular magazine which makes me more inclined to use it for inspiration. The colour scheme results were a big help as i was not sure what to do, but now I know what colours to use throughout the magazine. 

Here are the results from the survey that I made on survey monkeys. The results are very helpful as it tells me what the public would like to see in/on my music magazine, so I will use these results when making my magazine. I shared the survey with my friends and on social media and got 31 responses. 

Production Log 12

In my media lesson I went through all of my blog so far and made sure everything was there and of decent quality. I tried to log onto survey monkey so I could create a questionnaire that I could ask a few people to fill out once they had read through my proposal draft and give feedback on it. I was unable to log on so I started to draft some questions on word as it would mean I already knew what I would do for my survey. I also looked at my other survey for my music magazine and realised I need a few more responses/people to fill out the survey, so I asked a couple people to fill it out. I have found it hard to get responses on the survey so I decided to post it on social media to get some more responses. 

Existing Magazine Name and Mastheads

It is important to understand other mastheads and music magazine names so when I create mine I have a good understanding of what works. In the powerpoint I analysed the colours, connotations of the colours/style and the name as a whole.

Proposal

Outline

My Music Magazine that I am going to create will be a punk rock style magazine. As the genre I have chosen is punk rock (as it is my favourite genre of music and overall style) I plan to include some of the genre stereotypes for example, black clothing and red tartan, along with dark make-up. The magazine will be aimed to people my age and above so teenagers to possibly late twenties. Therefore I will use certain colours, layouts and artists that will appeal to a teenager demographic. For example the main artist will be someone who is roughly the same age/style of the target audience. I would like my music magazine to resemble other magazines like Kerrang, as it is geared towards a slightly more youthful generation due to the artists/bands used. Moreover, the style of the magazine is very punk rock and it is a good magazine to inspire mine. I will include artists along the lines of Fall Out Boy, The Pretty Reckless and Green Day in my magazine or use them as a guideline as to who my music magazine will feature. The magazine will feature a main artist that will be on all of the pages, however on things like my contents page I plan to include images and brief information about other artists to make the magazine more realistic and interesting. The clothing that I will include will be quite dark and rebellious and resemble the punk rock style. The clothing of punk rock is very distinctive and is very important to the genre as a lot of the music and lyrics is reflected in the clothing, so it is vital to portray the image that the artist fits the particular punk rock genre. The clothing style and colours will be my inspiration for my overall design, as it will be quite rough and use the colours like red, black and white. This is so people are full aware of what type of magazine genre it will be.

Purpose

The purpose of my production will be to both entertain and inform the reader. This sense of inform will be apparent in my article as I plan to write an article that includes more detailed and relevant information about the particular artist. I plan on making my magazine educational, but in a way that does not seem like you are being told a lot of information. I intend to make it interesting but at the same time informative. As it will be aimed at teenagers it is important to not make everything really wordy and long as they will not want to read and/or pay attention. Consequently I hope to provide a magazine that is interesting but not taken over by mass amount of writing, therefore I will include pictures. However, I do want to include a decent amount of information because it needs to be educational of the set genre and artists and what is currently happening to them.

The front cover will include relevant sell-lines that are short and snappy and make the reader curious. The magazine Kerrang is quite fond of using puns on their front covers which is a very good way of engaging the reader more, whilst still being informative. The magazine will have an element of playfulness due to the stage at which the artists are going through I their lives, as the featured artist will be in the same age group as the audience. Furthermore, their lives are at an exciting and more active stage so it is necessary to include this. On the other hand, I do want an element of genuine writing. Whilst it is important to keep it playful and upbeat, it is equally critical to be taken seriously and write in a way that shows the magazine is a decent magazine and knows what it is talking about.

The magazine will propose a more rebellious nature in comparison to magazines like billboard, this is due to the genre and stereotype that is accompanied with the genre of punk rock. I intend to make it clear that the magazine is pun k rock, and that it will probably have opposing views that you will find in the more mainstream/pop magazines. Therefore, the magazine will be quite honest in its views. For example if I include a rating of current albums I would be sincere and give it the rating I believe it deserves. This is because in most punk rock magazine they are quite honest and seem to be rather critical especially of other genres. However I am purely sticking to only the punk rock genre as a whole. It is important to be honest in reviews because people would like to trust a magazines opinion and it does not seem right to give an incorrect opinion. However, I would have to be careful that the magazine did not upset anyone who may like an album that the magazine gave a bad review on because if the rating is too blunt and harsh, people may stop liking the magazine.

Target Audience

The target audience of my magazine will be from teenagers to late twenties. This is due to the type of music/artists that I will include, as they will be more youthful and therefore appropriate for the target audience as they will resemble them in age and style. This is also due to the importance of the audience being able to mirror the featured artists and recognise the comparison between the two. Moreover, the audience will be the type of people that listen to punk rock and are stereotypically rebellious against society, however this is just based off the norms that society would assume people that read the magazine are like. Additionally, this means my magazine will not be too conserved and formal as it would not be appropriate to the audience and it will also not be too expensive as the target ages would probably not have masses of money.

The audience can use the magazine as a way of informing themselves about the current music industry of the punk rock genre, and what is happening in terms of artists, festivals, albums etc. In addition they would use it for entertainment purposes as it is there to entertain them and not be boring so it could be a fun way to gather information about the latest music. Furthermore, it can be used as a topic of conversation between friends as they can talk about the magazine and the issues raised inside the magazine.

Business Model:

The magazine would be weekly as I am using Kerrang magazine as a big influence and that is a weekly magazine. This means that the magazine would not be terribly long as the target audience will not want to read hundreds of pages. Moreover, as it is smaller and weekly it would reduce the cost of a single magazine as there is less content/pages to print on. Also as it is weekly it means it can be seen as more of a way of entertaining people as it is like waiting for a new episode of a TV show, but instead people are waiting for a new issue of a magazine.

Ensuring a loyal audience is key to the selling success of the magazine, and I would do this by having a running theme throughout the issues eg every week have a list of the best songs out in the punk rock genre and creating some sort of continuity that people would expect to see in the magazine. As well as making it well written and decent in quality so people are not disappointed and stay loyal. In addition, the magazine would not be too harsh in its opinions eg about a new album (but still be opinionated) so people are not offended and dislike it.

To create brand awareness I would utilise social media a lot as it is so popular now a-days and my target audience would be very active on social network. For example, I would include and instagram, youtube, facebook and twitter account (that I would make up) for people to follow that like the magazine and get the latest information, or keep the updated with regards to the magazine. The twitter and instagram accounts would be included in the magazine eg at the bottom of the contents page, so people can see it. Also, I would create an online magazine, along with a website that people could go on and subscribe to. If they subscribe they can get an online version of the magazine, and if they don’t subscribe (like the Kerrang website) there will be a snip-it of each weekly issue, eg the front cover, double page spread and a couple other pages, but not much of the magazine, so they can get a preview of what the magazine is like if they have never heard of it, or just kept up to date on the couple stories. Maybe, also sponsor some music events and familiarise people with the name of the magazine. As long as people are familiar with the name then there is more of a chance they would buy it.

Content of Magazine

The magazine will contain things like a double page spread (featuring the main artists) a front cover and contents page, other pages that tell other stories that are relevant to the present and the genre. Furthermore, it will have eye-catching pictures that will correlate with the style of punk rock. Some of the more intricate features of the magazine will be things like freebies on the front, a weekly update of a best songs out that week featuring punk rock artists, monthly honest reviews of current albums, some of those reviews will be written by the magazine team others will be reviews written from subscribers or music fanatics, moreover they could be tweets that people have written in to a specific hashtag and they would be included in the magazine. Additionally, it will include tour updates from artists and festival updates eg dates of tours/festivals, pictures from the events. As well as brief interviews with upcoming artists/current artists and exclusives from them. Also a fun extra could be if you scan a bar code with your phone you could see a video of the featured artist performing.

Content of Feature Article

The style of the writing would be well written and education/informative, however it would also be entertaining and fun to read. The featured article would be talking about the current life of the featured artist eg a new album, how they have overcome obstacles to get to the stage they are at. It will not be gossipy or in an interview format, instead it will be the artist talking about how they have got to where they are and a brief overview of their past. Along with their current plans and what is happening at the moment, most likely a new album and some sort of upcoming tour. Therefore, I will also include their tour dates and maybe a review of the album and a review of one of the tour shows either from a fan or a magazine worker. The purpose of the article is to inform people about the current life of the artist but keep it related to the musical/carer side of their life. Whilst also keeping it fun and entertaining and avoid being too serious but also not silly so people do not take it seriously.

The purpose of making this draft proposal is so that when I start making my magazine I can refer to all of the ideas in my proposal and reference them. I can also see if I have followed or changed any of my initial ideas for my magazine.

Audience

I made this powerpoint to analyses the uses and gratifications of an audience. I have mentioned information, personal identity, integration and social interaction and entertainment, and explained the importances of each of them when it comes to selling a magazine. This is allow me to see what I need to include in my magazine to make the reader interested and enjoy the magazine. 

Music Magazine Survey

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

This is the survey that I created for my music magazine. I tried to include as much relevant information in my survey as possible, as I need it to be as useful for my magazine. I believe I did well in creating a survey that will help me to shape the magazine I will make based on audience feedback. This way I can create a magazine that the target audience want.

Draft Proposal - Production Log 11

In my media lesson I started to write my draft proposal for my magazine. I had to include things like the outline of my magazine, the purpose of it, the business model etc. I got quite a lot written in the lesson as I did not find the task too hard. The purpose of it is to write down everything I will include in my final magazine and why, and use it as a reference when I start to mgazine the magazine. The draft will be adapted as it is just a draft, but on the whole I found this quite a simple task and I got the work done quite quikly, despite this, I did not finish it in class, but I did get most of it done.

Survey - Production Log 10

In my media lesson I started to create a survey that would be used for my music magazine to help me to see what I need to include on the magazine. The survey is very important as it tells me what the public (who would be reading my magazine) would want to see on a magazine, as I am making a magazine for the public I can now see what things they would like eg price of a magazine, featured artists, colour scheme etc.

As I had never used website before, or even created a survey I found this quite challenging as I was not sure what questions should ask that would be the most helpful to me when it comes to create my magazine. I looked at other peoples blogs anbd the surveys they have created and took some ideas for what sort of questions I should ask, how easy it is to fill out and to make sure i include things other than simple multiple choice. It took me a while to figure out how to approach the survey but I think that i included relevant questions that will be of great use to me.

Representations of Punk Rock - Production Log 9

In my media lesson I started to work on my representations for punk rock as that is my chosen music genre I am going to do for my music magazine. I chose punk rock because it is my favourite type of music and I would be more confident doing a music magazine with a genre I am familiar with. I started to make the prezi in lesson and finished it for homework. In lesson I got most of it done, and all the photos I edited so they had no background as I preferred how it looked. I took inspiration from other peoples representations and I was very unsure how to approach the task in the beginning.

I struggled to make this prezi a lot as the website is still new to me and I could not figure out how to use it. I got very confused in the process of putting the prezi together and it took me a lot longer than I thought it would. Whilst I was unsure of what to write at first after a while I understood what I was meant to do. However, I continuously encountered many problems when using prezi that I struggled to overcome. 

Codes and Conventions

I made this prezi to explain the general features you would find on a music magazine front cover, contents page and double-page spread. I tried to include, in detail, everything I could think of/see that are commonly found on these three sections of a music magazine.

Punk Rock

                   This is a prezi that I made to briefly show the genre of punk rock as this is the genre I have chosen to base my magazine on. I chose this genre as it is the genre I am most interested in and listen to the most and this prezi sums up some punk rock artists, their clothing and a quick paragraph of what it actually is.

Codes and Conventions - Production Log 8

In my media lesson I started to work on the codes and conventions of music magazines front covers, contents pages and double page spread analysis. I had to look at the general features that you find in the magazines eg main images, page numbers etc. and had to say what you will expect to find in these certain parts of a magazine. I only got the front cover codes and conventions done as it was only a 50 minute lesson. I did not really struggle with these as it is very basic and I used other people’s blog to help me understand what to write. I wrote everything out on a word document so that I would not lose any of my work. My plan was to then paste all of the work into another format as I only used work to write everything down on.

Analysis Music Magazines Double Page Spread - Production Log 7

In my media lesson I started work on my double page spread analysis. It was similar to what I had already analysed, however there were a few differences which I found hard to analyse. I only got one of the double page spread analysed because it was proving difficult and therefore, I finished the rest of the analysis at home. The background of my first double page spread was very hard to analyse as I did not know what to write and I found that I had this problem throughout the task in class. However when I got home I found it much easier to analyse the other double page spreads. Once again I used other people's blogs for help and inspiration on what to write, as I find them really helpful.

Analysis Music Magazines Contents Pages - Production Log 6

In my media lesson, I continued on my contents page analysis as the previous lesson I did not Get that much done the previous lesson as it was a short lesson and I was sorting out my blog. I got a lot done in the lesson and as I had already analysed my front covers I found it a lot easier to start analysing my contents pages as I knew what I was doing. However, as they are different to front covers I went onto slide share and saw what some other students have done and it helped me to figure out what to write.

When I started to analyse my contents pages I was quite confused on what to do despite the fact that I had a rough idea, however, then I realised that it was very similar to analysing my front covers, apart from a few differences. It did not take long to realise this, as looking at what other people have done to analyse contents pages made me realise it was very similar. This meant I got a fair amount done in the lesson and means I was not falling behind. 

This is what I got done in the lesson 

Double Page Spread

This is a powerpoint analysing a music magazines double page spread. I tried to analyse a variation of double page spreads as they each have different things to analyse. I included detailed information about the main image, the background, the sell-lines, the text and any other features. 

Contents Pages

Similar to my analysis of the front covers, in this powerpoint I analysed the main features of a music magazines contents page for three different magazines. I included detailed analysis of features such as masthead, text, image, quote and any extras. 

Front Covers

This is a powerpoint I created that analyses the main parts of three different music magazine front covers. I tried to chose a variation of different magazines and talk about them in as much detail as I could. I included information on things like masthead, colour scheme, sell-lines, main image and any extras.

Analysis Music Magazines Contents Pages - Production Log 5

In my media lesson, we were given a new task to carry on from the previous task which was to analyse three front covers of music magazines. the task was to analyse three contents pages of music magazines. however before this I sorted and tidied my blog as my labels were messy and incorrect and my blog was not in order. 

I started to analyse the contents pages in the lesson, although as the lesson was only 50 minutes and I had to sort out my blog/be given my task I did not have much time to do the contents pages. So they became homework, however I have never analysed a contents page before so I did struggle. To over come this I spoke to my teacher and he suggested to look at previous media students blog and take ideas and inspiration from what they had done. I looked at their blogs and found it rather helpful and will use this technique more throughout the course when I get stuck.

Analysis Music Magazine Front Covers - Production Log 4

In my Media lesson I finished uploading my videos of my front cover and contents page for my magazine, as I had trouble uploading them and had to sort out the videos. once they were sorted I re-recorded my contents page video and uploaded it to my evaluation. I then checked through my blog posts on my preliminary tasks to make sure they were all okay. 

Next, I started to analyse the front cover of a music magazine. As I had never done this before my teacher gathered the students who were unsure of what to do around the table and went through as example with us. I then went back to my computer and started to analyse 3 front covers of music magazines. I did not get a large amount done in the lesson so I had to finish off the analysis of the front covers for homework. 

This is what I got done in the lesson 

Finished Magazine Front Cover and Contents Page

 

This is the final front cover and contents page of my magazine. I am fairly pleased with how it turned out, especially considering I have never done anything like that before. I also think it is successful because it has stuck to the conventional norms of a front cover and contents page.  

Evaluation

Front cover:
This was the first page that I designed of my magazine, I am pleased with how it turned out despite that fact I would change some things. I did start to change my original sketch a little, as I realised that what I wanted to do wouldn’t fully work, however I did stay very close to the original design, I just added some more detail. I chose the title of my magazine ‘the Haydon voice’ because I wanted it to seem like it was a magazine for the whole school and that it spoke on behalf of Haydon and its community. The picture of a male student in sixth form was always planned to sit in the left hand corner of the cover so I had space around the edge for writing. When I took this picture I took it against a wall that was slightly off-white so I removed the background on photoshop so it would blend in with the rest of my cover and not clash with white and off-white. Originally the writing around the edge was in black and white boxes and it looked very boring, so I used the colours of the five Haydon values and made each of the boxes a different values colour. This was also because I included the Haydon values on the front. In addition I was not happy with how little colour the front cover had on it as it did not look inviting or colourful so I added these to give it more colour. However, I would still add more of a background colour as it is quite simple and boring I was just very stuck on what to add in the background so I kept it white. Moreover, in the top right hand corner I included a slightly transparent image of the school logo to represent the school. When looking through past students magazines one of them made a school twitter account, so I took inspiration and did the same as it is a very good way for the students to connect with the school/magazine as social media is so widely used.

If I could improve the front cover I would defiantly add a background image of some sort to make it more interesting. I would also take the photo of my students portrait instead of landscape as when I took the photo I took his picture landscape and it was not until I was adding the image that I realised I was meant to take a portrait picture, this resulted in my messing around with the picture slightly to change the shape of it.

Contents page:

I worked on this after the front cover and ended up changing it slightly as I came across the same problem that it was not colourful enough. The actual contents of the magazine is numbered depending on what page the information is on to make it easier for the students to find the information. I based my magazine off the new year/new students at Haydon so I included information for new students on what it is like and a general introduction to Haydon and its history. Moreover, I included information about the new sports hall and comments that the students have made about school facilities etc. The reason I included comments from the students was to make the people of Haydon feel more involved in the magazine and also to intrigue them so they are more likely to get the magazine to see what people had to say. The pictures on the bottom of the page were ones I took of the school. The photos I took were of the outside of the sixthform block, one of the building in the courtyard and the construction work of the new sports hall as I mention it on both contents page and front cover. Realising that my contents page was not colourful enough, I included a faded picture of the Haydon values in the background of the image to brighten it up.

If I were to improve my contents page I would have taken more pictures to include, especially a portrait picture that I would have in the background. When using the software I struggled to really make use of the interesting tools both indesign and photoshop offer, so I would play around with the tools and add more technique and make it more interesting rather than some text and images. However, at the time I was new to the software so I did not take full advantage of the tools because I didn’t know how to use it.

Past Students Blog

I looked through and noted down some features from another students blog that I thought were successful. This will help me when creating my blog as I will recognise what I should do on my blog to make it as good as it can be. 

Production Log 3

In my third media lesson once I had my pictures sorted and taken for my front cover and contents page I was ready to start designing my magazine. I looked through previous students magazines to get an idea of hoe mine should look (even though I had already designed mine) and I started to create my front cover.

I had never used Photoshop and Indesign before so I did struggle with figuring out how to use some of the software. I did not finish designing my front cover or contents page in the lesson so I still have to do that next lesson. 

On Photoshop I cut out the mid-close up of the student that I took and deleted the background as the colour of the wall I took the picture against was off-white and did not look right. In addition, I sorted out the main structure of my front cover so that I had the basics done and could sort out the details next lesson. 

Production Log 2

In my second media lesson I used one of the school cameras to take pictures of a student for the front cover of my magazine. I took a mid-close up of a sixth form student and also I took some photos of the school buildings. As the school is very big there were many pictures I could take of the buildings that would go on my contents page of my magazine.

I am happy with the pictures I have taken as they are the pictures I had envisioned when I sketched out my drawing. Here are just two of the photos that I took of around the school that I am planning to put on my contents page.

Beginning Preliminary Task - Production Log 1

                                       

In my first media lesson we were briefed on the course we were taking and what will happen over the next year. Then we started our preliminary task which was to create a front cover for a school magazine of which I titled ‘The Haydon Voice’, along with a contents page. The front cover had to have a mid-close up of a student at Haydon which I will take on the camera next lesson. In addition, the sketch of my front cover had a very small amount of writing organised on the page. Next we sketched the contents page along with pictures that I will take of the school. After we had finished our designs we went to the computers and started setting up my blog site of which I finished setting up at home.