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.

This is my design for the double page spread. The article is the one mentioned on the cover - it is the main flash and background which accompanied it.

I shall interview Adam, who is actually in a band called Monocure. The heading of the page will be 'Adam from Monocure' in large lettering which will be clear to read and stand out straight away, the first thing you read. It has a tag line underneath - 'tells us all!', this tag line makes it sound exciting and we want to read the article as he is telling us all!

There will be a large picture on each page of him or his band. The photographs may be posed or live.

Above you can see the questions and room for answers underneath. There will be a couple of quotes from the interview in larger lettering to attract the audience into reading the whole article as the quotes will sound interesting and you'll want to know what they are about, the full story.

There will also be information on when their album will be released, this will be separate from the interview answers. I shall use colours and fonts which will appeal to both males and females of all ages which are my target audience. The layout will be neat and tidy to appeal to older people as well as young ones. It will be clear and easy to read with a reasonable sized and style font, unlike magazines I analysed earlier.


This is the contents page design. The font for the heading will be like the font for the masthead on the cover. 'Contents' is the biggest word, as it is important but it shall have 'Shock', the magazine's name, just before the word 'contents'.

I want it to be clear what page everything is so it will be labelled with the page number neatly centralized at the bottom.

I want to include some pictures to make my contents page interesting and not just boring, something to look at is ideal. It also gives a sense of what's in the articles mentioned and may attract readers to those pages.

There will be quotes on the page with page numbers by them, these will make the readers curious and interested therefore attracting them to the pages stated by the quote.

The layout will be reasonably neat and tidy and not too cluttered. It will be clear to read with colours to brighten it up. The colours will not be particularly masculine or feminine so will appeal to both genders. I will choose a font that is easy to read but attractive at the same time, preferably the page numbers will be in a different colour to what is on that page so you can distinguish between the two easily.

Rejected flat plans- main task.

These are cover designs which I have decided not to use. I have used the same main flash and main sells for all of them because they are things I definitely want.

I do like the angle and typography for the masthead of this design however I decided not to choose it because it looks less like a rock magazine and more like a pop one.

I also like the image on the cover of all the band members however the pictures may be too small and as it is only one of them I'm interviewing, I feel it should be that band member on the cover. The angle of the main flash and subhead may appeal more to a younger audience, I want people with a bit of class to read it too so I'd prefer it to be neater and clearer by being straight.

The design I've chosen has strap lines - this doesn't but instead has a rectangle box at the bottom which says what the strap line on my chosen design says. I prefer the strap lines - it uses less room than the box.

This is another design I have not chosen. It is like the one I have chosen but without the strap lines and some of the main sells and bar code are in different places. I do like the strap lines so that is one main reason I chose the other design.

The masthead is in serif typography and it is also quite thin. I like the bold and chunky look of the san-serif font on my chosen design because it stands out more than this one.

The image on this design is straight, I like it but I like the edgy look of it being slightly slanted.

Flat plans- main task.

This is my flat plan of my chosen front page. The masthead goes along the top of the cover in big, uppercase san-serif lettering. I like the lettering because it stands out and it is easy to see it is an important element of the magazine. The tag-line is underneath the masthead to the right side. It is 'monthly music mayhem' which I chose as it uses alliteration. It also makes sense as it is all about music, and the magazine will be monthly. I chose my magazine to be called 'The rock & indie shock' as it is memorable due to the fact that it rhymes. The magazine is about rock & indie music and 'shock' gives a sense of amazement and curiosity which will appeal to the target audience. The main word is 'shock' so that can be used as an abbreviation of the entire magazine name as it will be too long, especially to fit on the cover in large writing!

There are strap lines at both the top and bottom of the cover, both give a sense of getting more for your money, this is common on magazines so conforms to the general style of magazines along with the masthead and tag-line. The top tag-line mentions free posters which would draw in interest to the magazine and persuade people to purchase it. It then mentions some bands which would also make readers interested. The bottom strap line as a big 'PLUS:' in capital letters which makes the reader think 'wow, even more things included in the magazine!'. When it mentions what else is in the magazine, it all rhymes which I think is a clever and appealing technique to attract readers.

The image on it is a photo I shall take, a head and shoulders shot of a band member, he will not be pulling any faces which will make readers not want to purchase the magazine. The photo will be similar to other current magazines- large and clear. The photo is accompanied by the main flash, it has the two most important words in larger text- 'Adam' and the band he is in 'Monocure'. The subhead is underneath, explaining briefly what the article is about, this also rhymes.

There are two large numbers on the cover, this is a common feature on magazine covers- they attract the reader. One is about Stereophonics' favourite songs and the other is the best music venues in the UK. This will appeal to the target audience as they are interested in music venues and like attending concerts, and a large amount of them will also like Stereophonics and want to know what their favourite songs are, so they can compare their music tastes to the band and may be pleased to find out that they are not that different from the famous artists. Also if there are songs mentioned that they have not heard of before- they can look them up and possibly become a fan!

There are more main sells which use a few words, they both mention famous artists- Paramore, & Amy Lee. This will attract readers into purchasing the magazine to read what they are about. All the bands mentioned on the cover appeal to the target audience and there are bound to be artists there that the readers like and want to know more about. They are interested in finding out more.

The bar code is near the bottom of the cover on the left, accompanied by the date, issue number and price - all essential information. They are placed in an area which is similar to other magazines that I have studied and analysed. Although they are important information- they are not main sells or anything which attracts the customer so they do not need to be large, just large enough to read clearly and do not need to be central, instead off to one side.

Analysis of existing magazines- Main coursework.

This is a double page spread in 'Q' magazine. It lists 50 tracks that Q recommends to download this month. Each track has a brief description of what it is. The layout is neat and uses columns. There are rectangular photographs at the top of both pages with a caption for each in the corner of the photo.

Other than the photographs, the colour scheme consists of red, white and black. Red is the magazine's main colour as it is the background for the magazine logo/title. Having white as the main background colour for this article helps the text to be easy to read and clear. Having most of the text in black is ideal as it is plain and dark. Having the plain dark text over a plain light background is the best option to make something easy to read.

The fonts used are all serif apart from the captions on the photos and the bottom part of every track description which are san-serif. Some text is bold but the majority of the text isn't. The title is script and so is a box at the bottom of the right page which gives you information about how to download the tracks.

I think it is designed well to meet the needs of the target audience. It is reasonably classy and not over the top. It is simple which is effective and not too childish. Neither is it designed towards one gender rather than the other, it appeals to both.





This is the contents page in 'Kerrang!' magazine. To begin, the heading has an effect of being worn off. It looks damaged and worn, this reflects the Kerrang readers and their music interests- their appearances are often worn and scruffy and music taste is heavy and when at a gig- things get destroyed and damaged! Also the bar at the top of the page underneath the heading is decorated with some red lines. This is also the case in the 'this week' sub-heading further down the page.

The other fonts on the page are all san-serif and everything is in capitals other than the top paragraph which tells us briefly what is included in this magazine. The background colour is white with the font colour being red or black. They stand out well on the page and the colours make it easy to read and are clear. Red signifies blood and danger, unhappy things that the artists in the magazine sing about and what the readers may tend to feel much of the time.

The pictures which are on the page consist of a large one which takes up most of the page of a band member of HIM, a famous rock band, three smaller rectangular pictures at the top of more band members and an album cover, a smaller picture of a magazine editor and at the bottom are three pictures of different Kerrang magazines and a small advertisement about subscribing to Kerrang.

I think this page appeals to the target audience with the decoration on the heading fonts and decoration on the band along the top and behind the sub-heading. I think that the colours
appeal to the reader as well as they are ideal for either gender and are pretty Rock & Roll!




This is a cover to 'Q' magazine. At the top is a black band which shows that its a special issue. 'the' is in script and white, which shows up well on the black background. Then it says 'AWARDS ISSUE' in capital serif lettering. The text is in gold which is ideal for awards as trophies and awards are usually gold. Gold signifies royalty and richness, its generally quite a posh and extravagant colour.

The magazine used to be called 'Cue' because you would cue a record. But they didn't want it to be mistaken for a snooker magazine so they changed it to the letter Q. I think they still liked the name of it so if they just changed the spelling it wouldn't be like changing the magazine too much, almost turning it into another one. People wouldn't know it was the same magazine and sales would fall.

The logo/heading is in the top left hand corner and is quite large, as it needs to be as it is a vital element of a magazine cover. Unlike most magazines it is over one side of the magazine and not stretched across the top but clearly this is because the magazine is called 'Q', simply just one letter! The logo is white and red which are non gender oriented colours.

More gold is on the cover as a band across the magazine which lists the artists who won Q awards, this is the main sell. The text is in serif in black capital lettering with slashes in white and red to separate each winner instead of commas. Arctic Monkeys are mentioned in large san-serif, white, capital lettering and what the article is about just below it in smaller white, capital, san-serif text with a black background on top of the existing gold background.

Above the gold band reads 'and the winners are...' in bright red serif script lettering which shows up well against the dark clothing of the band which is the main background picture. It is in black and white which helps the text in the foreground stand out. The band members' heads overlap the Q logo which is usual with magazine covers. This is the only picture on the cover and shows one of the band members holding a gold Q award which stands out amongst the black and white of the rest of the picture. The photograph is a posed shot and they are popular at the moment so they were chosen for the cover. I think this shot was chosen because each band member are at different distances from the camera although all facing the same direction. They are all looking at the camera which makes it more personal to the reader.

In the space at the top right of the page is a large number '50' in a large red font which catches your attention, this is common on magazines. Then next to it in bold, black, capital letters reads 'best albums of 2009'. Just below that in small, black, script reads '*Warning: Likely to Provoke Arguments' for a laugh, although it is true that it probably will have some people disagree with certain elements of the article!

At the very bottom of the cover mentions some articles inside in both red and gold, capital lettering, serif fonts with a small outline around them in white and black. These colours go well over the image on the cover.

There are no puns, rhyming or alliteration used on the cover other than the slight joke mentioned earlier.

On the left hand side of the magazine near the bottom on its side is the bar code with the month, year, price and website.

I think that the audience for this magazine are mainly people in the socio-economic classification of C1 or there abouts. I believe it is largely mainstreamers who buy the magazine. I think it's mainly men in their 20's who purchase the magazine and have a keen interest in indie/rock music.

I think this cover appeals to the target audience due to the band on the the front, and the other bands mentioned which are popular bands in the indie/rock scene at the moment. I think that the colours are not over powering and appeal to both genders, making men feel fine about buying it. The fonts used aren't too childish or messy, they are neat and readable which is mature and adult and so appeals to older people. I also think that it is a £3.99 magazine because adults are buying the magazine who have reasonably well paid jobs and can afford to pay out for something they will enjoy reading.



This is a 'Kerrang!' magazine cover. The name of the magazine is an onomatopoeia, it sounds like a guitar being strummed as the magazine is full of bands and guitarists. The title is then being emphasized by the exclamation mark to make you imagine the guitar strum being loud and rocking!

The logo suits and matches the magazine's audience. The colours used are basic black and white and do not sway towards any gender stereotype. The font used for the main logo is bold and in capital letters. The white lines passing through the black lettering makes it look like the text has been smashed or shattered into sharp pieces. The font is also shabby and rough like the lifestyle of rock & roll and appearances of many rock artists!

The title spreads across the page front left to right at the top, it is large and a vital element to the magazine. At a slant in a smaller, bold, capital, bright yellow, san-serif font is the slogan for the magazine 'life is loud' which is alike the music in the magazine- loud! The slogan also uses alliteration. Both the title and the slogan are on top of a white strip which makes it all stand out well.

The main image on the cover is of a popular bassist to a famous rock band. His head overlaps the title which is common on magazine covers. The shot is a posed shot of him pulling a face. He has been cut out of whatever the background was behind him and used as a stand alone image. There is no relevance known to the water gun he is holding but it shows he is fun and having a laugh along with the face that he is pulling- it does not appear to be seriously aggressive. It is clear that he is topless which would appeal to teen girls who read Kerrang but you cannot see a great amount of his body so it probably does not affect the males buying it.

The other images on the cover are three at the bottom at angles with blue borders around them. Above them it tells us in capital, bold lettering that these are what the free posters are of. The word 'free' is in bright blue to stand out from 'huge posters' below it in white. 'Free' and 'huge' indicates that the reader is getting a lot for their money as well as the magazine itself.

There are many other images of bands and artists which makes up the background. This is unusual and makes the cover look jam packed with things but it also may look a little over the top and cluttered although it does catch the eye and gather attention when on a shelf among others with more plain and simple backgrounds.

There are strips of red going along the top and bottom of the cover. They both mention things included in the magazine. The text is all in bold, san-serif, capital lettering. The text at the top has shadowing and a yellow star in between different articles inside and has white and yellow text. The text at the bottom is also shadowed but outlined in black as well. The largest word is 'PLUS' so the audience thinks there is even more things jam packed into this magazine! Instead of using commas to separate bands, orange plus signs are used.

A large number '100' is used in the center right of the cover. It is brightly coloured in red with a bold yellow outline. Just above it, much smaller in white reads 'the', after the '100' continues with 'greatest rock videos ever!' at a slant, at the bottom of the '100', in the same font used for 'the' above it. Underneath all of this lists bands in alternating colours, yellow and white. Then, in a smaller white font with a red background reads 'and more...'. This is all the main sell. It is the main article aimed to attract people into purchasing the magazine.

The bar code is on its side on the bottom left hand side of the magazine cover. Along with the bar code is the issue number, date and price.

I think that the target audience are mainly individualists, young people (teenagers) of both genders who like rock and trying to be different and stand out.

I have noticed that this cover is full with pictures and bright colours, mainly primary colours with black and white. All of these colours suit either males or females and all the slanted text, bright colours and effects on the text appeal to a slightly younger, more care free audience.
Kerrang is priced at £2.10, a reasonable price for a magazine, especially because it is mainly students who are buying it- they have a little job but cannot afford to spend much money on top of all they have to buy for college.

Kerrang gives out free posters all the time and occasionally a CD which attracts people to buy the magazine.

Target Audience- Main Task.

I have chosen Indie/Rock genre to study. I have then chosen 'NME' magazine and 'Kerrang!' magazine.

This is information I got about NME magazine from http://www.ipcmedia.com/







The following information I got from http://www.nrs.co.uk/

Profile of a typical reader of NME magazine-

Gender- Male
Age- 24
Interests- Music, socializing, going to gigs and festivals, playing guitar.
Socio Economic classification- A,B,C1

Mainly people aged between 15 and 44 read NME but older people do read it too.
There are over 100,000 more readers of classification A,B,C1 than C2,D,E.
Both men and women read the magazine but a large percentage of them are male.


Profile of a typical reader of Kerrang! magazine-

Gender- Male
Age- 17
Interests- Music, going to gigs, playing guitar, getting drunk!
Lifestyle- Attends college, carries out his interests in his spare time.
Socio Economic classification- A,B,C1

Mainly men read Kerrang! but women do too.
Over 45 year olds read Kerrang! but its mostly younger readers.
Classification A,B,C1 are the main readers but classification C2,D,E read it too.

My Magazine-

The music magazine I'm going to make is going to be a rock/indie magazine. It is going to be aimed at both men and women of all ages but mainly 15-25 year olds. It will be priced fairly so most people can afford it. Readers may be students so will need it not to be too expensive. My target audience will be people who have a keen interest in music, socializing and having a good time. I want the magazine to be good for any socio economic classification.

Introduction- Main task.

My task is to create a front cover, contents page and double page spread of my own magazine. I will take all the photos myself and create it all on Adobe InDesign. I will research and plan before going on to create my magazine. I am going to focus on Indie/Rock genre. I am not yet sure what the target audience will be for my music magazine but with aid from my research I will discover who it will be aimed at and design it accordingly. I have done a preliminary task of making a college magazine cover and contents page which can be found here. - http://hannahedmonds.blogspot.com/2009/10/college-mag.html

Making the college magazine cover and contents page taught me how to use Adobe InDesign and gave me an idea of what I will be doing for my music magazine. I shall continue to improve and develop the skills I have acquired from doing the preliminary task.

Rejected images!

These are images I took for the cover but decided not to use. I didn't choose them because there is too much in the background to distract the reader and there is not enough of her shoulders in the pictures. I didn't use the third photo although it's ideal because I preferred the angle and facial expression of the one I ended up using.

College Mag

This is my final design for my college magazine. The design is slightly different from my flat plan but the articles, name and layout are mainly the same. The photo is ideal as it is the right size and nothing interesting is in the background to distract the audience from the main sells and articles.

The contents page could be more interesting with pictures although I did try to make the colours bright and attractive as I did on the cover.

The contents page layout varies slightly from my flat plan to make it more exciting and eye catching.

Flat Plan

This is my flat plan for my college magazine. It shows the cover with the name, main sells and image. The contents shows different articles within the magazine. This is just a basic design without any colour. My final design may vary but this is the main idea.

Introduction

I am creating a magazine cover and contents page for a college magazine aimed at the students. I will take all the photographs myself and come up with the features inside. I shall design it all on paper first, deciding on the layout. I shall make my magazine as professional as possible and design it to appeal to students.