Magazine Covers

 A magazines cover is perhaps the most important part of the
magazine. This is because it is what the customer first sees
when in the shop. Magazine companies strive to make their
covers different and stand out in comparison to the competition.
Covers are carefully designed to suit the genre they represent.





This issue of NME has chosen a red and yellow colour scheme.
This is good for two reasons. Red and yellow are attractive
colours for the reader to see. Also red and yellow connote
danger which suits their all round rock genre.
NME have chosen a simplistic yet chaotic approach. There is text everywhere yet the picture is very clear and basic.






This is an average magazine cover






Q go with a very simplistic red white and black colour scheme. Red and white is traditional to the Q logo. Black and white are used to connote how clean and tidy the magazine is.
Whereas the black clothes wore by the artist signifies how dark he is as a character.




This is a Good magazine cover

Mojo usually go with a simple black and white look which makes it clean. Mojo are usually simplistic in their covers, however this one shows more sophistication by the addition of lots of text. This issue goes with a colour scheme of black, white, orange and pink for Paul Weller.
Mojo also usually have a free CD with most of their magazines.
This issue is no exception.




This is a good magazine cover

Double Page Spread Kerrang

Headline:
'Paramore share their pain on album two'
The masthead is situated directly above the text but is overshadowed by a pulled quotation. This gives it an unprofessional feel, but also youthful which is what the article would be aimed at. This is a traditional thing with Kerrang. The masthead is white text with a red background.

This is a good choice as it links with the artists red hair and the articles white text. The title is good as well because the reader wll look at the pulled quotation first as it stands out more. The quotation will appeal to the reader more as it is personal to the artist. Then the title is directly below that which will give them an insight to what the article is about.
Colour Theme:
The colour theme is mainly red, black and white. Red is a very attractive colour which will immediatle gain the readers attention. The red also links to the artists hair. The vibrant colour scheme will have a youthful sense to it.
Image:
The image takes up most of the page. This is good as it will catch the attention of the artists fans immediately. Also they won't feel overwhelmed by text.
Text:
The text is set out in colums and is to the right side. It is directly below the title which is good as the reader can easily transition between things. Although the image takes up most of the page, there is still a lot of text for the reader to be interested in.
Target Audience:
The target audience would typically be youth. These would be from the mid teens to the early twenties. They would be mostly female as they could relate tp the female singer of the band but could also be male.

Research Evaluation

Did my questionnaire change my direction?
My questionnaire which can be found here did give me a different outlook to how i should approach my magazine production.
I learnt that most of my audience would be Male.
I originally was going to go with a pop magazine but my questionnaire respondents were mainly in to the rock genre so i decided to change my approach.
I also learned that a lot of people would be a music magazine to learn about new bands. This has given me an idea on what approach i should take for my double page spread and therefore my cover.
What has looking at existing products taught me?

To begin with i was taking inspiration from NME magazine. The video on their history taught me a lot about how they gained success.
NME Video Part 1
NME Video Part 2
NME Video Part 3
NME Video Part 4
NME used an approach that was more critcal of the artists. They also took an informal approach. I was going to use this approach in my magazine as they had found this successful.
However I eventually decided to take inspiration from the style of Mojo. This is because they found success in taking a cleaner approach, which was more sophisticated.
What should I think about for my own work?
For my own work i should take into consideration the results of my questionnaire and aim my magazine content toward a male crowd. Also to make my magazine about rock. Looking at Mojo has made me think to use a serious and formal approach which is quite clean.
What have i learned from photoshop?
Using photoshop will be of great help to me. This is because there are endless ways I can edit images to my liking. So i can have them the way i want them. Photoshop offers a wide range of tools that can help me get the best effect i can from my images. Using photoshop i have learned how to make images black and white, dull the background of an image, change the background of an image and much more.
What are my priorities after my initial research?
Now that I have done a lot of research I can focus on making my final product of the magazine cover, contents page and double page spread. I can look at my research while creating these products to make sure i get the best out of it. This would include making my magazine look professional by doing things such as keeping a consistent house styke in my work.

Double Page Spread Analysis Q

This double page spread is from the magazine, Q. A large red 'L' covers the copy. This links to the magazine title Q as it is only one letter and red. It could act as a reminder of the magazine you are reading. The main image takes up half of the double page. The main image is of the artist, Lady Gaga. It is a large image which shows how important she is. The picture is in black and white giving it a classy feel. The picture is very provocative, which will attract the male audience. The text is set to one side. Drop capitals usually appear at the beginning of an
article but here there are two in the middle of the text.
There is no apparent title just the artists name, the first part in
lower case fancy writing. This stands out as it is untypical.
I think this is a good double page spread as it is unconventional.
 It also has a retro feel. The reader will get enough information without feeling overwhelmed.

Double Page Spread Analysis Mojo

Magazine Cover

Front Cover Link
The cover page of this magazine, 'Mojo' focuses on the band Pink Floyd. The cover contains one main image. It is a medium shot of the band, Pink Floyd. This is connected to the double page spread as the double page spread uses different images of the same band. Also the article focuses completely on them.

Double Page Spread

House Style
The cover and the double page spread are also linked through house style links. This has been done in a couple of ways. The first of which is the simplistic use of black and white text and background. The image used on the cover doesn't contain any bright colours to coincide with the black and white images on the double page spread. The next is the orange and blue background on the cover that is also featured in the double page spread.

 




The double page spread uses simple serif text and the main image is of the artist the text is about. The double page contains a lot of images relating to the band, 'Pink Floyd' but there is one main image. The other images are a lot smaller and are close ups of faces of other artists who are giving their view on the band. Their is a secondary image next to the main image. They are both in black and white which makes for a smooth flow between the images.

The article is a retrospective article and its main focus is to show how Pink Floyd have developed over the years, whereas the article on the right is various reviews by other artists.
The article could also be seen as somewhat of a review.

Some graphics have been used in the double page spread. It is an orange and blue fiery graphic. It doesn't add anything to the article but does create house style from the cover.


The article is traditional to most articles by starting with a drop capital. There is a pulled quotation situated above the copy,
'WE COULD NEVER WRITE LYRICS LIKE SYD. WE NEVER HAD THE IMAGINATION.' Rick Wright.

This could give an insight to what to expect from the article. It could also be a way of quickly deciding if you are going to read the article.

The article contains rhetorical questions
'Where exactly did Pink Floyd think they were going?' This is a way of keeping the reader involved with the text which in turn gets them intrigued and makes them want to carry on reading.
The article does not contain direct address, which could be seen as a bad thing, however it coincides with the article not using any colloquial language. This keeps the magazine more formal and has sophisticated connotations.
The article also contains hyperbole. This is done to exaggerate the story to make it seem more interesting than it is. An example of its use is,
'Building from a languorous introduction before disintegrating into a cacophony of spooked sound effects'

Contents page Q

This contents page is very traditional to Q but is also a very basic contents page. It does not stand out compared to other contents pages.

It contains what all other contents pages may contain which is page titles and numbers. Also a main image. The main image in a contents page usually signifies what the magazines main focus is.

In contents pages the main image usually takes up most of the page, the same can be said for this one by Q, this makes it so there isn't much text. This is so the reader isn't overwhelmed. A magazine that may do their contents pages differently would be Kerrang, Kerrang keeps a traditional unprofessional looking house style.

This Q contents page keeps to the traditional Q red and white colour scheme. This keeps the feel to the magazine neat and tidy. It also makes it professional and keeps the reader engaged in their magazine.

Mock Up of Contents - Music Magazine

College Magazine Cover

Contents Page Mock Up - College Magazine

Double Page Analysis Kerrang

Mise en scene:
The mise en scene is just the members of the band with a blank background. Most of them have long hair to fit in with the punk rock genre. The front man is wearing blue which links with the colour theme
Headline:
There isn't a title in itself. Instead a pulled quotation is used. This is used to quickly engage with who the article is about.
Text:
The text is in columns to the left side and there isn't very much. This says that the double page spread is very basic and minimal. The text is easy to read as it is white on a black background.
Colour theme:
The main colours used are red, blue and black. The pulled quotation is in red to clearly be visible to the reader. The logo on the top left is in blue and the background to the text is black. The colour theme even stays in the mise en scene of the main image. The front man is wearing a blue jacket and has red hair.
Image:
The image is very basic, but is also clever. The image links with the colour theme with what the band members are wearing. As the image is just the band, it will quickly resignate with the fans of the band.
Target Audience:
The target audience of this article would be between mid teens to early twenties. They could be of either sex but mainly male. This is because they would be interested in that genre of music and that band.

Contents Page Analysis Mojo

Here is 2 examples of contents pages from the magazine mojo. Mojo, like NME sticks to a set pattern throughout their contents pages to create house style.

Mojo however does not contain advertising in their contents pages. Whereas NME has one main image, Mojo has lots of smaller images which usually relate to the text and picture on the cover. Mojo has the magazine title in their contents page too, again this will act as a reminder to what the audience is reading. The main cover lines are used to categorise the contents and make for easy navigation. 

I believe Mojo's contents page design is a better design than NME and i have chosen to take inspiration from Mojo for my own magazine. Mojo's is better as the clutter of images gives it a youthful sense, which would be my main audience. It also sticks to a black and white colour scheme which seems sophisticated.

Contents Page Analysis Kerrang

The same as Mojo and NME, Kerrang employs a similar design in all of their contents page to create house style. The idea behind this is to get the reader familiar with the magazine straight away. It also makes it seem more patterned and professional rather than random chaos. I do not like Kerrang's as much as it's smashed effect on the typography and yellow and black connoting danger inside gives it a childish sense. This would not appeal to my target audience of late teens to mid 20s.

Contents Page Analysis NME

This is another contents page by NME, they tend to use the same template which could get repetitive for frequent readers but overall is a good design. It is very clear and simple and offers a brief insight to the rest of the magazine                                                                                   

College Magazine Cover Mock Up

College Magazine Photos

I will not be using this photo as even though the quality is acceptable the shot is very bare and boring. There isn't many things associated with education. these would be books or paper.

I am not going to use this photo as there are people in the background and the shot itself is too casual and sociable rather than hardworking.

I will be using this photo as connotes college life of doing your work on your own. It looks smart and formal. This photo is a medium shot which is perfectly suited for a magazine cover. It is also a high angle shot.

This is not going to be used as it is blurry and too informal.

I am not using this last shot as although it has the connotations of education I feel as if a photo with writing on paper would be better suited

College Magazine Cover Analysis

This college magazine is simply called college guide. The title of the magazine is, 'College Preparation: Navigating The Maze' This is noticeable due to it being the first text below the masthead. It is also in the same colours as the masthead. This suggests you should pay attention to this first. The main image is of a student working on a bench with students in the background reading. This is clearly relevant to the contents of the magazine as it is a college magazine. It is a guide so this suggests it will be helping you with work. The target audience is of students of the college. These would be 16-20 year olds both male and female. The magazine is aimed at these as the magazine is to help its students get through successfully as the title suggests.

Codes And Conventions
The magazine uses the MASTHEAD, 'College Guide'
The magazine also uses SELL LINES for example, 'Special Insert Section' 'Special' could also be seen as a BUZZWORD. The magazine has used a MAIN HEADLINE of, 'College Preparation: Navigating The Maze' The magazine uses HOUSE STYLE in its masthead and sell line. This is because it uses the same colours which is traditional to the magazine. The magazine does not use many of the codes and conventions of a typical magazine such as:
SLOGAN
ANCHORAGE TEXT
BANNER
STRAP LINE
Images and Camera Shots/Angles
There is a medium shot of a girl working at a bench. A focus pull is used to blur the background of otherstudents working. This relates to the audience as it is what they should be doing at college.

Mise-en-scene
There is a girl with pen and paper on a bench working. The girl is smiling. This relates to the readers and the magazine content. The readers will go to the college and the magazine is about easily doing your work and should be happy while doing it.

Cover - Audience Engagement
The magazine cover engages the audience using a variety of text and its main image. The girl in the image is looking directly at the camera as if she is looking at you. She is also doing school work which speaks to what the target audience will be familiar with within the college. 
An example of the text used is, 'Local Students Share Test Taking Tips' this is also familiar with the target audience. This is because they will all be going through similar struggles and makes the magazine more personal.
Target Audience
The target audience would be students of the college. These people will be both male and female of the age 16-20. You know this is the target audience as the magazine is a guide to the college. These people will be going to the college. the cover also features a girl of this age. This also makes the magazine more personal, as you can relate to this as they could easily be your friends.
Ideology
The ideology of the magazine would be to get through to its students to promote good work and dedication. The main goal of the magazine would be to be extra help to the students so that they can get through college with the best grades. The contents of the magazine will most likely promote extra curricular activities such as revision to help with exams. This is suggested with the 'Online Resources For College Planning' text on the cover.
Helping With My Final Production
This will help me with the production of my own magazine as i can take some of the ideas from this magazine and use it on my own. Examples of this would be that I will create house style and use a personal image that would connect with the audience. This magazine does not contain many of the codes and conventions of a typical magazine. 
This could be seen as a drawback as it will not have done the most it can to make people want to have it, this maybe makes it less professional. However it could be that it has adopted a more simplistic approach as it is a college magazine, it would not want to overload the student audience. From this i'll take for my final product to make sure i use the typical codes and conventions, but also try to make it simplistic.

Using Photoshop

To begin using Photoshop I first of all made sure that the preset was 'International Paper'

 Next I made sure to use the colour mode 'RGB Color'

 I then started with the image of the artist, 'Jay Z'

 I manipulated the image by using the 'Magic Wand Tool' after selecting 'Rasterize Layer' so i was able to work on the image. I used the magic wand tool to delete the background of the image by selecting colours.

 I then used an image of a dark alley to place behind the artist. Originally the artist was covered by the background but i dragged the layer the artist was on to the top so it was in front.

 I then used a different background to create contrast.

 For the next one I used the 'Healing brush tool' to remove the spots of the models forehead to make her look better. The last one is an image of Scarlett Johansson I adjusted the layer to black and white. Be fore that I had selected her mouth and made it a different layer. Again I used the magic wand tool to remove the background skin. After these processes I placed the red lip layer in front of the black and white image.