Photos

These are the photos from my photo shoot with my friend George. I chose to shoot George as he is a typical indie kid. He actually fits my target audience criteria perfectly and looks indie as well so it just fit. I took one colour photo and after decided i wanted a black a white cover to compliment my vision of my cover and its limited colour scheme. I also think it related better to my target audience as black and white photos often look more indie. George also wore clothes that were more indie and that had potential for different things like hood up or down, jacket on or off or open or closed.

I experimented with different shots like up close and far away and also where he was and wasn't looking at the camera. I got him to stand and sit and lean to try and get all different levels. I also used a guitar in some of the shops to incorporate the music into the shot. Also the ones with the guitar could be used on the double page spread as a band photo. All these things were to try and make them as stylised and indie as possible.

For the backgrounds i chose bleak often urban back drops like bricks or walls but also tried to make it look light and exciting by choosing well lit areas as my target audience want to see the fun side as well. I tried to get George to have neutral faces in each picture as i think it makes it look more professional like in the Q front cover i analysed.

Fonts

These were some possibilities for fonts i wanted to use for my magazine. i chose these three because i think they appeal to my target audience by being quite simple and clean. I wanted my font for my title to represent individuality. As i fall in to my target audience some of the reasons behind choosing these fonts is that they appeal to me and therefore will hopefully appeal to other people of age and background.

I chose this combination of two fonts for my mast head but the top bit that says "elicit" will be elongated so it meets the music underneath. (Leading it) Also the 'music' will have a slightly larger space in between each letter. (Kerning it) I didn't use the other font, Oceania because i think its slightly too simple and too like an average font like times new roman.

For the main body of my text like articles and the different points on my contents page i will use a standard font of new times roman as its easiest to read and is proven to be clear and effective. For my sup headings i will use ones like that of the NME magazine i analysed in an earlier blog, with a block colour as the background then a font like Ariel over the top in a contrasting colour to make it stand out from the rest of the words on the page and appeal to my target audience.

I'm going to use this one for my main headings as it looks drawn by someone which you don't often get in printed magazines. I'm using this one as it looks indie as if its been hand made. This will appeal to my target audience of younger people interested in the indie lifestyle.

Flat plans

This is my flat plan for my front cover. I followed quite a conventional front cover layout, in particular NME with the logo in the top left corner and the two bands of text at the top and bottom of the page. I did this because my magazine has a similar target audience to that of NME and i wanted it to look professional so i used it as almost a template to base my ideas on.
It also has a conventional layout for the headline and sub headings, with the headline centred and related to the main photo while the sub headings show a taste of whats inside on either side of the main photo without covering too much of the photo up. I also did this because it relates to my target audience as its a younger audience photos are used to grab most of the attention. I will be using bright colours to do this as well. All the stories i used on the front are that of Indie artists to relate and give my target audience what would interest them. I chose the title of my magazine as i wanted something that could be related to the Indie music scene and be catchy and recognisable to my target audience. Elicit means calling forth emotion which i think most if not all indie music does, so elicit music is just another word for Indie music, also keeping the first letter of elicit in lower case was intentional as it shows braking away from convention and doing things more individually which is what indie music represents.


This is my flat plan for my contents page and i used this layout as i think it gives the pages for the stories clearly and in small segments for my target audience to digest more easily. Again i used photos to coincide with the related articles to grab attention and make the reader read more into the magazine making it more likely for them to buy it. I put a free music download and a competition for readers to participate in to engage the reader more. This appeals to my target audience and it includes them in the magazine and makes them feel more included. The stories i chose to put in are about artists my target audience could be interested in as they all belong to the Indie scene. I also chose to put in a gig guide as going to gigs is a huge part of indie music and without it, indie music might not exist. Also writing the catchphrase as the top includes the target audience and makes the brand more recognisable.

I chose the layout of this as it is much like that of the NME cover i analysed earlier. The large picture entices the reader and the article keeps them wanting more. A magazine is meant to be looked at so pictures are used a lot throughout my magazine. The title of the article makes my target audience want to read more as it asks a rhetorical question. The main body of the text is broken up so its easier to read by the reader and keeps the article light in line with the rest of the magazine. The quote in the middle is intended to catch the eye of the reader and give them a taste of what the article is about and also how its written. The smaller photo is the same as on the contents page to show continuity and also to show a variety of pictures of the band. This all relates to my target audience as its light and easy to read with fun pictures to relate to the article.

Analysis of existing magazines

I chose to analyse NME and Q magazine front pages as they have both similarities and differences which i want to use and change in my magazine. They also both have similar target audiences to that of my magazine as well as articles that i want mine to be like.

The first front cover I'm analysing is NME. The NME front cover is really eye catching because of the colours used, all the colour combinations complement each other. The logo is red, white and black which contrast and stand out. The headline for this cover is in yellow which is vibrant and fun which complements the image used, the white "The" makes the rest of the headline pop out of the page and also matches the writing under the subheadings. The subheadings are white with a blue background which make them stand out and grab the audiences attention. The whole page only uses a small selection of colours, all of which complement and contrast with each other to make it more eye catching. The primary colours and white and black are the only colours used, they are all block colours and are bright and bold. This fits with their target audience as it aims at a younger market with the fun, vibrant colours and font styles

The font styles on this cover are kooky and a bit different while being professional looking at the same time. This makes the magazine look more unique and fun. The fonts also fit with the headline, subheadings and image. There are simple and straight forward fonts used which makes it look more stylised and have more appeal to the target audience of younger people in the ABC group. I'm going to use similar combination of simple 'kooky' writing and a fairly ordinary font to make it look as indie as possible while keeping it nice a professional.

The use of language is small bursts of information to get the main stories and ideas of the issue across quickly and to entice the reader. They show the types of artists featured inside as to appeal to a wide range of people that might want to read about a particular artist. The headline and Short description match to the overall theme of this issues front cover. The use of "silly" goes with the image of a wacky pose by the band featured. It also goes with the colour scheme of vibrant colours and slightly angled, kooky writing.

There are three images used on this front cover, the main largest photo of the featured band, the wombats. This image matches the headline as its the band named and also they are acting silly like it says. The other image is a smaller image of another band named in one of the subheadings, it also matches the subheading as they are all together for the first time. This give continuity and theme to the magazine. The last image is the smallest one used to add a reference to the comment of 'RIP BLUR'. The two band photos are very stylised to suit that of the target audience of NME. It allows the reader to relate to the pictures and engage with the magazine making them want to buy it.

The layout is quite simple and similar to other magazines. It has a strip at the top to show a preview of one article that's inside. Then it has the title of the magazine which is big and the most recognisable thing on the front cover. The main image stretches across the entire page with the headline and sub headings overlapping it. The layout as a whole is simple and has the information broken up into small segments. Its quite symmetrical with two subheadings on either side and the headline in the middle which makes it look neat and professional, none of the headings cover any major parts of the photo like the bands faces.

My second front cover I'm going to compare with the one above is a Q front cover. I chose Q as my second magazine front cover as it has its differences and similarities to NME that i like and has a similar target audience. Also Q is a monthly magazine in comparison to NME which is weekly.

The fonts used in this front cover are a lot simpler than the fonts used in NME. They are more tailored more to appeal to older readers than NME's younger target audience. There are very few fonts used that are then manipulated to make them look different, for example using leading and kerning.

There is a very strong colour scheme being used with Q. The Logo is red and white and so the rest of the magazine cover follows suit with the exception of some yellow to stand out from the red. The use of colour on this front cover make it look slightly more sophisticated than NME which uses more colours and contrasting colours to make it look fun and kooky. Q's colours make it look more serious about music and music related news which relates more to their audience. I want my magazine to be more like NME in the way it uses contrasting vibrant colours to evoke the emotion of fun.

Both Q and NME use a similar use of language to appeal to their target audiences. Both using explanation marks to show emotion in the line and make it more exciting for the reader as well as using evoking phrases that make you want to look inside and read the articles such as "Four months of fear, tantrums and nudity".

There are 3 images used in this front cover much like the NME cover but where it differs from NME is the images are straight forward photos with relatively blank expressions to stay fairly neutral. whereas the NME cover was a bit wacky and wasn't as straight cut as this one. Again this appeals more to the slightly more mature target audience and looks more professional.

Q uses a fairly simple layout, their logo takes up a large section to show off the brand and grab the attention of readers that recognise the label. The large, head on, photo of the featured band makes up the most part of the cover which follows conventional methods. The Headings and sub headings are all straight and blocked in to a fairly set blocking system. Its quite simple which makes it look more professional and aimed at the slightly older reader than that of NME.

This is a contents page from NME and the one I'm going to analyse. Every week the contents page keeps to this layout, colour scheme, image layout and use of language to give it a sense of identity and a recognisable brand.

The contents page uses similar fonts to the front cover to show continuity and make it look more professional and appeal more to the target audience. It shows the brand logo again in the same position as to the front cover. This makes it more recognisable.

The contents page also a similar colour scheme to the front cover of NME. The contrasting reds and blacks make the page numbers stand out so that they are easily found and this makes navigation of the magazine much easier. This also gives the magazine continuity and makes it more recognisable which makes it more likely to be purchased by the target audience.

The language in this contents page is a mixture. The different sections of the magazine is straight forward so that the reader knows whats what. Then the descriptions are more fun and lively to get you to read that article and ultimately buy the magazine. They do this by using vivid language and the use of exclamation points also emphasis the point.

The images on this page contrast that of both NME and Qs cover because they aren't staged in a photo shoot, they are of live gigs. The purpose of the contents page is to help navigate but to also help sell the magazine as well. These types of images appeal to their target audience as their target audience are gig goers and lovers.

This page is very blocked as it has four clear columns used to put images and text. This follows a conventional method of laying out a contents page and makes it look professional and makes it easier to read. This appeals to the target audience because they obviously need to be able to read it clearly. The images attract attention to the related articles and the bold vivid titles attract our attention to different set ions of the magazine page.

This is the double page spread i chose from NME as its a typical one from one of their issues.

The font for the main body of text is an average text used by most magazines for main bodies of text. Its used because its easier for the reader to read longer chunks of text using this font than others. If the reader can't read the article then they wont buy the magazine. They change the font slightly for the photo captions and side boxes to give variety and make it look more exciting. The font stays the same for most parts but the size changes. The title of the article is larger than everything else on the page to attract the most attention.

As NMEs logo is red, red is often used throughout the magazine and this can be seen. Its used to highlight certain words or phrases. Also just by looking at this double page spread you can see its from NME by the use of colour. There is a contrasting of colours from the very colourful photo to the relatively black and white text. This is effective as it attracts your attention more as the reader. This also appeals to the target audience as it is visual pleasing.

The language in this article is quite fun, it matches the whole theme of the magazine by being light hearted and colourful. Its to appeal to the target audience of the younger reader with lively language and younger sayings while also appealing to other readers as its still informative and well written.

On one of the pages an image takes up the entire page. This makes it seem like there is less writing and makes it more attractive to look at. On the other page the article is broken up by images of the band both posing for a shoot and more natural photos. As the target audience is of the younger generation having long chunks of text is off putting so the images make it nicer to look at and also easier to read.

There a 3 column layout in this and its broken slightly with the overlapping of photos and the quote from the text. Other wise it follows conventional methods. it has the big eye catching image and large title to inform the reader and entice them then the text and other smaller photos keep them hooked.

Target audience

The magazine I'm going to study is NME as its the most indie magazine i could find while it also being well known and professional and thus easy to study and get ideas and inspiration from. The audience is ABC group of 15-44 years old and is predominantly the male population nationally. It has a total of 388,000 weekly readers. (Information from NRS.com)

People who read NME are 69% male and 31% female of an average age of 24. Of these people 59% are in employment of some type and 29% are studying something. 65% of them are in the ABC group. (Information from IPCMedia.com)

Another magazine I'm going to look at is Q as it has contrasting points and similarities with NME and between the two magazines i can conclude what i want my magazine to be like. Q has a similar target audience as NME. Its audience is ABC group of 15-44 and the majority are male. It has 666,000 weekly readers (Information from NRS)

People who read Q are 77% male and 23% female. 86% of Q readers are in the 15-44 age group and 66% are in the ABC group. (Information from NRS)

NME and Q are both aimed and bought by a certain type of person. This is because the magazine design and content appeal to this target audience. New, popular and trendy music is in these magazines with other articles that relate to the key demographic.

I want my magazine to to appeal to a similar target audience as these two magazines but closer to NME with more of a specific demographic. I want my magazine to be labeled as an Indie genre of music and will have design and content that is relevant to the Indie lifestyle and culture. Like popular indie music and up and coming indie bands.

I am going to aim my magazine at the 16-40 age group of predominately male but it will have appeal to any gender. My magazine will differ from NME as it will be a monthly magazine as opposed to NME's weekly magazine.

A profile of a typical reader for my magazine would be a 24 year old male who loves music and is a band themselves. They dress in individual clothing and like to express themselves. They are lively and want to keep up to date on the music they love; Indie.

Music Magazine

for our main task we have been asked to create a music magazine in the genre we want. We have to design and create 4 pages in a music magazine. Front cover, Contents page and a double spread. I have chosen my genre as Indie for my music magazine.

Flat plans

This is the flat plan for my contents page of my magazine, i drew it like this because i wanted it to be clear and basic but i think its a bit to simple. I do like it because its varied to an extend. it was a lot harder than i thought to make a contents page, which is quite average, interesting to look at.



This is the flat plan for my front cover of my magazine. I chose to do it like this because it has a simple layout with a clear headline and title of the magazine. I like it because its clear but its a bit simple it was hard to make it look professional and think of the placement of the sub headings

Final cover and contents page

This is my final cover to the magazine i was designing for. It is a lot harder than i anticipated to make it look nice and use font colours to complement the main picture. i chose this layout because i wanted to make it as clear and readable as possible. i like my final piece because its clear and straight forward but it is a bit simple so could be improved.


Again this is my final contents piece which i like becuase of the fonts and placing of the text but don't like because of how simple it is. It is hard to add colour without it looking tacky is what i found when designing it. i chose to do it like this becuase i wanted a simple layout while still looking relitively interesting to look at. i put the text in boxes to brake up the sections and make it easier to read.

Photos

I chose the picture on the right because out of the ones i took this was the most clear and the one that is less blurred. I also liked this one more because it was a more neutral photo and fit the purpose of being on my front cover more.


I decided not to use this photo because the photo is less central and is blurred. Also i wanted a more neutral face instead of a smile. i think it doesn't fit the criteria for my front cover that i wanted.

Introduction

For our main task we have been asked to make a college magazine front page and contents page. We have to include the standard magazine components including images, text and a catchy magazine name that will appeal to our target audience. My target audience is the student body in Lewes sixth form and everything that interests them.