Target Audience Opinions

Nathan, 17- "I really like the title font and I think the layout is good, nothing is too crammed in. I like the website address on the contents page and how it is set out. The only thing I'd say to improve are the hyphens on the interview which make it harder to read the separated word."

Jenny, 16- "I like how the white hoodie and the white area of the background fit together, I like the font you used for the title of the cover and the contents page and I like the colour scheme because it's quite neutral, especially on the double page spread, it's not too 'in your face'."

Paul, 55- "I like earthquake effect of the heading which suits the name 'Shock'. I think that something to tell us more information about the bands mentioned on the cover would be good e.g. 'Paramore, indie band, tell us more!' It is very clear from the cover what you are buying and what is included. I think that the colour scheme is distinct and it is clear what the image is.

I think that there should be something before the signature on the contents page telling us who's signiture it is e.g. Editor. The contents list is made more interesting and breaks up the page by the use of the photos so it doesn't look like one big list. Some of the contents listing descriptions could be improved on or made a bit clearer but I do like how the more simple comments are inviting and make you want to read the article. I like the general colour scheme and the font for the heading, its modern and in keeping with today's age group.

I like the pastel colours being used on the double page spread, it's calming and easy on the eye as you read. The pictures are interesting and I like how it features the guitar as it is his trait. I love the little, short blasts of written information which get you interested in reading the article. The photos also are inviting and make you want to know more. I like how the questions are in one colour and the answers are in another which makes it easy to follow. It allows you to pick and choose the questions and answers that you read.

Very good, very impressed!"

Lydia, 17- " I love the name and how it rhymes and I also love the font you have chosen to write it in. I do not usually go for a rock magazine but the cover is very appealing and there is a lot of information about what the content of this publication has to offer which makes it exciting and appealing. I have to say that I'm not too sure about the tree on the right hand side of the cover because it looks like it stops randomly.

The contents page is like the cover, a lot of information but the layout stops it from looking like there is too much to read. I love the picture of Jenny! The double page spread is laid out really clearly and has a friendly, easy to read vibe which is also helped by the blue which makes it calming. The use of a different colour and boldness of the questions compared to the answers in a different colour and not bold is a good way of separating them but still keeping them together on the page."

Stella, 52- "I do not like the font of the words on the contents page because it isn't too easy to read. I like the box on the page as it is clear and easy to read. I like the way there is a red outline around the picture in the circle as well as the red box behind the other photo. I like the font that has been used for the page numbers but I think that you could have matched the fonts for the page numbers to the page numbers on the double page spread.

I do not like the white background above Adam's head on the front cover because it blends into his hoodie. I think he should have worn a different colour hoodie! It is also hard to tell that it is a tree that he is leaning up against.

I like the colours used for the double page spread, they are not harsh or offensive. They do not look too busy. I also like how the photographs are all in black and white on the double page spread.

Evaluation

I am pleased with my magazine. I used the flat plans as a guide line for it. I started with my front cover and began to take photos of Adam who is in a band called Monocure. I wanted his face on the cover as my double page spread article is about him and his band. I made sure I got a mid shot of him to show his face clearly without being too large and 'in your face', I also needed room around the edges for the main sells and the main flash to sit. I also made sure he wasn't smiling as so to conform to the general image of a rock band member. I stuck to my flat plan by keeping the strap lines at the top and bottom, I chose red for these as red is a colour which can signify many different things including pain and hate, which relates to rock music and quite commonly, what rock bands sing about. Red is also neither too feminine nor masculine and appeals to both genders.


I downloaded an appropriate font which is similar to the 'Kerrang!' logo, it appeals shattered and rough, which is like rock music and the lifestyle associated with it- rough, the music is loud and people 'rock out' to it, a lot of bands actually smash up their stage or their instruments, that is why the main font I have chosen for my typography, mainly the headings, appears smashed. The title is also in upper case to show how important and 'loud' it is. I also included the tag line 'monthly music mayhem' as I wrote about in an earlier blogs of my flat plans. My title (The indie & rock SHOCK) rhymes which I think is definitely a good quality as it is catchy and memorable. I used other fonts which are easy to read and clear but some are also unique and eye catching which is why I chose them. I put some words in upper case on my cover just to accentuate them and show that they are important or for the reader to put emphasis on the particular word when pronouncing it. Some of my main sells also rhyme which I intended for because they make the magazine a little less serious. I used some large numbers on the cover to catch attention and make it seem like there is a lot of whatever the article is about, inside.

I also made sure to include a bar code which was positioned in a suitable place, the date, and the issue number which are small to show that they are not that important or anything which is actually featured inside the magazine.

On the strap lines I mentioned things which are going to be in the magazine, I tried to include quite a few things so it all seemed like rather a lot was jam packed into the issue!

I decided to focus on using white, black, and red as the main colours for my cover and contents page. During research I also noticed NME used red as a main colour too. Black and white are also colours which are suitable for either genders and they both can go with any other colour, in my case, red.


I continued the colour scheme by having a red strap line across the top of the page with the headline/title overlapping the edge of it which I thought looked good and effective.

I also have a black strap going vertical on the right hand side, purely for extra visual effect. I added a box with a message from the editor (me!!) and signed the box using the scribble tool on Microsoft word and copy and pasting it onto InDesign.

I used several different fonts on this page so it is visually appealing and it is clear what is what e.g. one font for the article names.

I chose certain images that I wrote about in my previous blog and chose a circle for one image just to make it more attractive and not so 'box-like' and I chose to add a red box behind the other photo so to almost create a red shadow of the image. I added some red font to add some variety to the page and wrote what the article was about and the page numbers overlapping parts of the photos to save space and also to show that it relates to that image.

I also added a website address in the top right hand corner in white and black but in a small font as it is not too important- but still noticeable.

Please note: The circle is in fact an actual circle shape but it doesn't appear so in this screen shot because I had to do it through paint as the google equipment would not convert my PDF file for an unknown reason. This is also the case for the double page spread below with the pixels!



This is my double page spread. I decided to stick with a plain background and use blue as a main colour. I decided to actually interview Adam instead of making it up myself so all of the contents is completely true. I wrote about the photographs in my previous blog but I did add shadow effects to a couple as it simply looks aesthetically better. The photos are all in greyscale simply to match each other and appear as a set of images and also so the background colours to not distract from Adam himself. I also chose to have them in different shapes because they looked good like that!

The title font I used I chose because it is clear to read but decorative and looks good with the rest of the page. I chose to make the more important words larger than the less important ones. I also decided to make the questions and answers easy to identify by having the answers in black and different shades of blue for the questions. The font is easy to read and clear because it needs to be for readers to bother reading it, or purchase it! I included quotes from the interview in a bigger font so that if people do not want to read the entire article, they may get drawn in by reading the quotes first. I also made sure to include a sentence about what the article is about underneath the heading and page numbers!

My magazine conforms to a normal rock magazine with the layout, masthead design, language, interview technique, colours, fonts, photographs and text. I am happy with this and I do not think my magazine really has anything that is that different to any other rock or indie magazines, I think that people interested in that genre of music would read it.

The language used is suitable for an audience of either gender, any age but in particular 15-30 year olds, any social class, it would not offend anybody and anyone interested in rock or indie music. I think that the magazine reflects the target audience as Adam on the cover and double page spread looks like a rock / indie person himself with his tattoos, hair style. attitude portrayed in the photos and piercings. I think that the colours would also appeal to the target audience as they are general rock colours that rock / indie people would like or dress in.

I think that my magazine would be suitable for any high street shop which sells magazines such as WHSmiths, newsagents as well as specialist shops. It is quire like Kerrang! and NME so I think with some more work it could be up on the shelf with them! I think that people would be attracted to my magazine due to the aesthetics- the layout and colours catch the eye as well as the background image and the font used- especially for the masthead. I also think that the language used in main sells and main flash such as the use of alliteration and rhyming would attract readers into purchasing the magazine.



This is an NME front cover- you can see they have decorative font for the mast head like mine does. It also has a strap line at the top where as mine has one at the bottom too. The background image used is a mid shot of men with straight faces which is also like mine.

They have also included a circle shape with text inside which is like what I did on the contents page and the double page spread but I did mine with photographs instead of text.

They also use quotes 'I was worried the Monkeys would think I'd had an affair' and my magazine also uses quotes but inside on the contents page and double page spread too, which entices readers into find out out more! NME also uses uppercase lettering which is a larger size for the more important areas, as does mine.


I believe this shows how my magazine conforms to the general expectation of a magazine aimed at quite young rock / indie music lovers.

Before I started this project I hadn't used Adobe InDesign before, at first it appeared difficult to use and I was quite frustrated that I had to use it rather than simple Microsoft Powerpoint which I had previously used for my GCSE magazine project which I was really happy with. I gradually learnt how to briefly use InDesign and now know the basics. I know that there is plenty more to learn about it but it was not all necessary for this project. I ended up downloading a free trial of InDesign so I could continue with my magazine at home which I did, however when I tried to open my magazine again at college, I could not do so as the version I had downloaded was a later version. I finished my magazine at home within the 30 day free trial but I was disappointed that I could not edit it at college as there are a few things I could still tweak and a couple of typos which I now cannot change. I wish I knew before hand that I wouldn't be able to edit it at college so I would have had more time to put even more effort into it. I am now actually planning on using InDesign to produce a poster for an art project I have approaching, this is something I wouldn't have considered, or even known it existed if I hadn't of made my magazine.

I did use Adobe Photoshop to edit a couple of photographs, especially for my cover to improve Adam's appearance. I only had some brief knowledge of Photoshop as I had previously done a couple of lessons in art and photography on it.

I have overall learnt a lot during this project about how to use InDesign and what it does, and i am happy I have learnt it as I am now using it for other things and possibly even more in the future!

Looking back at my preliminary task, I am happy I got to produce a college magazine to learn the basics of the software. I planned so much more for my full product including everything mentioned in my earlier blogs such as flat plans, analysing existing magazines, more research into target audience! I do not think that my language use had improved very much as I think it was fairly good to begin with! I always like to use alliteration, rhyming and other language techniques which from personal experience, make people smile, they are light hearted and catchy. I think my design skills have improved in general by adding more detail and aspects which are typical to magazines in shops. My contents page style has improved a lot but I think a lot of that is due to not having enough time for the college magazine to perfect or improve it.

Overall, I am really happy with my outcome although I think I could improve in some areas. I think I could include more text on the double page spread because when it is printed out, it is bigger and you do not realise that at the time of creating it, in fact I had to not include some of the questions and answers from the interview because I thought it wouldn't all fit in. I would also improve my contents page a little, maybe adding more to it again. I would also get rid of the couple of typing errors which I couldn't get rid of due to my problem I mentioned earlier which has really annoyed me!

I am happy with my magazine and am happy with what I have learnt about magazines and the software along the way, I do not think my magazine is too bad for the first time using InDesign properly!


P.S Lisa- I can give you my magazine in person if you wish!

Rejected photographs for my double page spread.

This was a photograph I liked but I decided not to use it because he is looking slightly away from the camera and you can just see a little bit at the top of the stairs which he is sitting on! This could distract attention from him, who is the main focus point. And also it looks a little un-professional so I chose the other photograph for the larger image.

This was another possibility, and another photo I liked. I decided to choose the other photograph over this one because he is not looking at the camera here so it would engage with the readers so much and be less personal.

This is another photograph that I really liked. In the end I decided not to use it in my magazine because his head it perhaps too small compared to the rest of the photograph and the background is not the best. However I do not think it is that bad and it was a possibility!

Photographs I have used for my Double Page Spread

This is the largest photo I have used on my double page spread. I wanted my article to have a lot of writing so I didn't want the image to be too large but at the same time it would be boring with only very small images!

I shot this photograph with him looking directly at the camera to engage with the readers and it makes it more personal.

Again I had him with a straight face, but not necessarily looking angry or aggressive. Just a harmless straight face to suit the 'rock/indie' style and attitude and so it is not cheesy!

I had him sitting with him leaning forward towards the camera as I thought it was a good angle and got a lot of his body in without losing detail in his face. I chose for it to be black and white because it looks best and goes best with the layout and colours of my double page spread.

This is a smaller image on m double page spread.

I really like how it shows the head of a guitar which he is holding. It shows that he plays bass guitar and how important it is to him as the guitar is a large part of the photograph. It is also clear and in focus with him behind it slightly out of focus but still visible.

Again he does not have a smile to suit the genre of music featured in my magazine.

This photo is also in black and white to match the other photos on the double page spread so they

are almost a set.

This is the third photograph on my double page spread.

It is in black and white to match the others and form a set. Black and white keeps my page simple without too many colours.

I cropped the photograph into a circle on my double page spread and didn't include the body of the guitar. It is mainly his head and shoulders with some of the wall he is leaning on and the guitar neck. Again, having the bass guitar, or part of it in the photograph shows him with his tool, the thing which he needs to be who he is and to be part of the band he is in.

He looks quite casual and laid back which shows how laid back he was when I interviewed him. It reflects his personality.

Again he has a straight face to match the genre of the magazine and the attitude associated with it.

I really like the use of shadow in this photograph and the effect it gives.

Contents page photographs.

This is a photograph I shot for my contents page. It relates to an article named 'Jenny: hot new chick on the scene'.

I got her to pose like this so she looks a bit like she doesn't really care and she's fluffing up her hair! Rock chicks generally are known not to care and just be a little wild so I got my friend to step out of the comfort zone and pose like this!



I got her to wear colours which were not all girly and extremely feminine because her image is not supposed to be aimed at young 12 year old girls!



I like how her scarf looks like a tie, especially in the magazine because I cropped it slightly to fit into a circle shape. Girls in ties are often rock musicians e.g. Avril Lavigne.
I made sure there wasn't much in the background to detract
attention from her.



Below is the other photograph I have chosen to use for my contents page. Because the image is quite small I cropped him from the original photograph which shows most of his body and a lot of scenery too. Below you see how I decided to edit it so it fades into black and white and then crop it to include some colour and some black and white. I shot this photograph because I really liked the setting and horizon line behind him. Although it's a pretty setting, it doesn't detract attention from him which I think is very important. Again he does not have a large smile or silly pose because it is a rock magazine and I want it to look like it has an element of class to it.

Chosen Cover Photograph

I took some photos in the forest as I thought it was a unique setting for the photographs. This is a photograph I have not chosen to use because it's a long shot of all of his body. This would only really be suitable to fill a page that is not the front cover because his face would be very small and hard to see.

This is the original version of the front cover image. It is a head and shoulders mid shot. It is good quality and has detail. It is clear and not blurred or too pixelated. i got him to wear a hoodie and t-shirt as they are casual clothes and he looks like a typical reader of my magazine, the target audience. I also made him look casual by resting his head against a tree with another just behind him. I did this because I wanted most of the background to be dark instead of being light like the colour of his hoodie.

I made sure he had a straight face and wasn't smiling. I didn't want it to look like a cheesy pop magazine or like it was trying to appeal to girls alone. I want it to appeal largely to males so I do not want them to be turned off my the cover image as it is a very important area.

This is what the image looked like after I edited it on Photoshop. I made the colours brighter and lighter. I also removed the blemishes to conform to the typical magazine cover. All of the editing makes the "celebrity" look better than they do in real life. You're more likely to purchase a magazine with a celebrity looking good on it than if they were looking rough and not very good! they wouldn't seem so 'amazing' and they wouldn't be idolised as much if they appeared to look like any old person!

This image is not exactly how my magazine will look, my final cover will have strap lines and different fonts to the ones here.

These are other photos I took but did not decide to use. I did not use the first one because although it has his head and shoulders, he is not looking at the camera and most magazine covers feature artists looking into the camera so it seems like they are looking at the audience/reader which makes it personal and more appealing. I did not use the second photograph because of his expression! This photo would be ideal for a pop magazine for a younger audience but I do not think it is really appropriate for

my magazine's target audience!

Fonts

This is a possible font for my magazine. I like how it has lines through it which makes it look rougher. I like the white splatter effect as this adds to the rough and ragged look. The font is non connecting and in capitals which sort of shouts at you. It stands out and capital letters shows that it is important.

I like this font and how the edges of the squares are angled and wonky. It's fun and unique but I am not going to use it because it is not rough enough for a rock magazine. It is also in lower case apart from the 's' and non connecting.

This font is simular to the first font. I want to use this font becuase it really looks rough and worn. This will appeal to my target audience and suit my magazine. It is easy and clear to read and all in capital letters. The corners are harsh and sharp so nothing soft about it! I really like how the 'H' and 'S' are split and look broken.

This font is simular to the 'Kerrang!' font. That is also rough, in upper case, bold, and looks like it's been shattered. 'Kerrang!' has a simular target audience to my magazine and it's very popular so I think that this font is a good one to choose.