Evaluation: The 7 Questions

To evaluate my process of my work during my music magazine, I have responded creatively to the following questions:

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
- I have chosen to answer this in a podcast as voice over.

2) How does your media product represent particular social groups?
- I have chosen to answer this in a video transcript of an essay style response.

3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

- I have chosen to answer this in an Xtranormal animation.

If you are struggling to understand her voice or the sound isn't working on what you are listening on here is my

Movie Dialog:

When choosing my media institution; I initially struggled to think of who could distribute my magazine, due to it's quirky approach to regular conventions. I thought about IPC Media, however it's 'traditional' brands and long running titles swayed me to Bauer Media, because they have more brands in music than IPC Media do. Although my magazine isn't the same genre as the ones it already distributes, there are similarities between them such as colour choice, layout spacing and clarity of images that shows some relevancy. The brands Bauer Media does distribute are all successful amongst my target demographic, a key note to making my magazine successful. This would make them a good choice, unlike IPC Media, who show little experience in distributing popular music brands to my type of audience.
I think by choosing Bauer Media, not only would it benefit my magazine because of how well the company does, but also because it would add to the conglomerate's integration, by showing it can expand out and reach a broader audience. At the same time it would also give my magazine it's own gap in the market.Bauer distributes brands such as mojo, kiss, Q, and Box Television. These would synergise well with artists that may be interviewed in my magazine; or my magazine might appear in one of these brands as an advertisement. It's website states thatBauer Media is a multi-platform UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions – Magazines and Radio - widely recognised and rewarded as being industry innovators. This is something that would tie in well for both of us. And with over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations I am confident in my decision. The fact that it is British based is important, as my magazine will be very culture based.
And the artists featuring in my magazine are likely to be from the UK. I want my magazine to keep to its roots and stay patriotic to where it started from, even if it expands across the globe. I know Bauer Media would be professional enough to distribute my magazine, because it has a wide range of successful brands that still remain current today. And that is why I choose Bauer Media. "We choose popular." 

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?
-I have chosen to answer this as an edited film/animation.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?
-I have chosen to answer this as a deconstruction. (The images might be small as the text can be hard to read  so please make this full screen and if the music is annoying then feel free to mute it)

6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

-I have chosen to answer this as a SWOT analysis using a template I edited.

7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
-I have chosen to answer this as a piece to camera video.

All seven question are to evaluate and deconstruct my final piece and the lead up. All the questions are answered in my own words and are presented as differently as possible. I have analysed my product and criticized and complimented all points possible.

I have evaluated and answered all questions with full honesty.

Research & Planning/Design Work: Checklist

I created a prezi with my reasoning's behind my decisions when completing the checklist of requirement's:

Design Work: The Final Designs

Here are my final three pieces, my cover, contents page and double page spread. I have tried to show my creativity through how I have combined music with photography, fashion, vintage and artistic edge to create a unique style of magazine. I wanted to use classic conventions in a modern way and create something that was dramatic, understated and brand new. I think my pieces show my view quire well and display how I wanted to convey current indie artists for today's culture and put my own stamp of magazine genre conventions.

Here is my final cover design I composed on Adobe Photoshop CS6. This was my step by step process: 

1) I started with adapting my first idea using the masthead and then picked my picture and got it to fit, I did this by weaving the magazine title behind his hat and over his body to make it look my styled and artistic. I was really pleased with how it came out as I think it looks more interesting than if it was just one or the other. I don't think I've ever seen this done before so I think it makes mine more original than magazine's around at the moment.

2) I airbrushed the picture of any blemishes that could be distracting (my friend Kiera had bruises all over her legs and dark circles under her eyes), this didn't take long as I used a professional high quality studio camera and lighting equipment to take my photographs. This also meant I didn't have to edit the photo in any other way, this is just naturally how it looks.

3) I added my main cover line in the center and edited the font, size and centering etc. This was easy to do as I only had to use the text tool.

4) I then used my previous cover as inspiration for my cover lines. I used the type tool to create individual text layers for each cover line. And then using the rectangle tool create the black labels for them to go on to create my vintage record look. This took the most time as it was all about aligning them correctly, getting the spacing exact and fitting the text within the frames. I also had to re-position the layers so the text could be seen over the top.

5) I then added final details that you would find on a real magazine such as the bar code which I made in a bar code generator then saved as an image and placed it onto the magazine cover. I added the dateline with the issue number underneath to fulfill the conventions of a real magazine.

6) I altered and touched up any bits that I thought needed to be changed, only minor things and then screen grabbed the page to show the tools I used to complete this cover. 

Here is my final contents page design I composed using Adobe Photoshop CS6. This was my step by step process:

1) I started by creating the double page and placing my main image on the right page. I chose this image as I wanted a strong plug to go alongside the image. 

2) I then added the title 'contents' in the same style as my mast head on my front cover. The reason I chose to have it going down the side again in the same font, size and colour is to keep the continuity of my design and show my magazine keeps to a style like a conventional magazine. I then made sure that like my image overlapped and had the same layering effect as the cover, so I then spent some time making sure the hair wasn't covered by the title. 

3) I then worked on the text and what I wanted the contents to say. Using the text tool I formed the paragraphs that would be in every issue. I started with the 'FEATURES' (which are on my cover) to show that I had thought about my contents and that I was linking the cover lines to what's inside. I then moved onto 'REGULARS' which fulfill the conventional articles that would be in an indie magazine to show my understanding of the genre and how I can relate that to my magazine.

4) I then made sure that my fonts matched the cover and showed a link. I edited the sizing and positioning to make sure it looked even and neat to show a sense of professionalism. I also added the black rectangles around the two headings to make them stand out and fit the chosen style I used for my front cover. I aligned them so they would evenly match and then changed the font colour to make it stand out and look more visually appealing. I used the same sky blue as I did on my front colour to show a link with the issues main star and how her article fitted into the magazine. It showed the consistency of my layout and design as well as looking better from an audience perspective. 

5) I then added my smaller images along the top that I took during my planned photo shoot. I added the left image first as it fitted best with my text layout and looked most like the style of my double page contents design. I chose this one because the posing reminded me most of a musician of an indie band, it was like a font man's sort of stance. The picture on the right took a lot more work and effort because of the size it needed to fit and the style it had to match. Because I had so many photographs to choose from I struggled to decide quickly on which one I thought would look best for my contents page. I decided on this one because of the natural look she had and how soft it was facially. I think it really went with the design scheme and although I changed my mind a few times I'm happy with my final choice.

6) I added the social media element in the bottom right hand corner to show target audience and how my magazine would reach it's readers and how I have thought of other media devices to interlink with my media product. I used the same opacity, colour and font type as my masthead and contents title to show cohesion and the then added the page number in the same style to form a sense of unison within my layout.

7) I then added a quote from my main star on her photograph under her picture to act as plug/caption for her feature in the magazine and show I was able to follow professional magazine conventions. I used the sky blue font again against the black boxes so it showed a link to her cover line on the front cover and also linked the colour scheme to her being the main star of the issue. I was really pleased with my cohesion, I think I made it look interesting but keeping the continuos design idea that is shown on my cover, contents page and DPS.

Here is my final design for my double page spread I composed using Adobe Photoshop CS6. This was my step by step process:
1) I started by creating my double page and making sure I the right dimensions of two pages. I then added the size of my text column I wanted for the article introduction before the interview (the interview would be over the page) to make sure it looked in proportion for the text to be placed.
2) I then decided on the first images I wanted to use for my collage inspired idea and placed the first 4 pictures and sized them accordingly. I couldn't decide on what photographs I wanted to use to fill it in a finish it off so I started writing my text so I had an 'angle' for how the stars would be represented so I could match my pictures accordingly.
3) I started with the article/interview title and underneath the heading gave it a sub heading to give some intel into what the rest of the text is about. I also included a by line for the words and photographs (taken by me) and the 'website address' to show a digital link between the reader and the magazine. I then continued with the text and wrote a brief bio/into article to the interview (which would be on the next page) about them and what they have done to make them the subject of my DPS.
4) I then added the rest of my images and edited the colours of some of them to make sure that the page wasn't all grey and didn't come across to boring and plain. I liked the choices I made because I think it went well colour scheme having the light almost pastel colours. It gave the strong photographs a softer and more gentle look.
5) Once all my images were done I could start to tweak there positions, size and ordering. I changed my mind many times but I am pleased with the results of my DPS above.
6) I finished off with the page number and a brief caption that linked to my social media element/interactive slant by putting a plug to the following site addresses for behind the scenes footage of the photo shoot, as I felt this would be something my readers would be interested in as proper fans of the artists. I wanted to keep an element of conventional magazines with this, as using this draw in method has been used in lots of modern music magazines. I wanted to show I could understand and interpret the way in which magazines are designed by creating my own version of this.
7) A few final touches later I had successfully completed my front cover, contents page and DPS.

Design Work: Using Photoshop (The Process)

When designing my front cover I had the idea of simplicity and clarity. Easy to read fonts, evenly spaced and a well captured front cover image to stand out and sell my magazine.

 Sadly, my chosen font and fun animations and transitions have not been recognised by the software so cannot be shown. My font however was carbonated gothic.

The transcript for each slide can be found on my slideshare profile if you click on the link. 

Design Work: My Chosen Images

These are the final images I chose to be in my magazine. I chose these images because I felt they fitted the classy and stylish consistency of my magazine. The models look like real artists and not people posing for me.
The costumes I chose because of the genre of music being indie I needed to reflect this through my images.

• The first shot I used was a two shot for my front cover, I chose this because I feel it looked artistically composed with harsh lighting to give the deep intelligent meaning to the artists. The mise-en-scene I styled to look like a music video or stage set up with the equipment and wires casually lying about. I shot it in black and white because when I evaluated my student magazine that was something I looked at and compared it to the quirky take 'COMPANY' magazine had on an online digicopy. The use of a bowler hat for my male artist gave him that individuality that is seen within the indie genre, I tried to contrast this with a simple T-Shirt as I didn't want something over crowding and distracting on the front of my magazine to make it look amateur or out of place.
• The main image I used for the contents page was a strong pose. The close up side profile was striking to look at meanwhile the dangling hair looked soft and feminine, something I didn't want to lose. I gave her a white top to wear which fulfilled the conventions of a professional magazine by having different outfits for different appearances in the magazine. This made it look more thought out and planned, and showed my efforts. It also gave her a different look to the bold and dark front cover image we saw. Having her in white added a certain innocence.
• I used my idea of having the set like mise-en-scene in the background for my image on the contents page featuring my male cover star. Without the hat looked more natural and the pose was very relaxed, this showed how I wanted my artist to be seen and presented. I think it meets the expectations of an indie/acoustic fan's personality being quite chilled and happy in their environment.
• I liked the softness of my female artist that was there for my left hand page, so I wanted to reuse that when I placed her image next to my male artist. Using the black from before so they co-ordinated side by side, the close up of her face displayed her soft expression and girlish charm.
• For the DPS I didn't want it to all seem too serious as that wouldn't have captured the spirit of my young target audience and keeping them in mind I used a fun shot to connect to them. The way her hair spun round adds a lot of life to her look and it shows my creativity as a photographer. I think it embody's the youthful appeal I wanted to sustain and keeps to the quirky look of my indie genre.
• I used a second two shot in a medium close up to show their relationship being connected by music. It displays both their faces well and gives a moody/straight attitude that they would have for their writing. I think it projects them as established artists and gives the photograph a sense of professionalism. The co-ordinated black outfits shows the thought behind it and not randomly strung together.
• Again using the set like mise-en-scene I posed my female artist on an upturned box to create a platform, showing she is a high achiever through physical leveling. I really like how bold and in control she looks, the delicate placing of her leg doesn't shy away from her representation on the contents page but doesn't present her as a silly little girl. I think it gives off a head strong impression readers would assume to see from an indie musician.
• I wanted to display her unique outfit more and take the fashion side of it as part of the shot focus. Her individual choice of dungaree styled pinafore dress was something that clearly fulfilled the indie and individual aspect of the genre and representation of artists. Using the box again as a prop really makes her stand out in the shot and shows I am not afraid to use props and set to aid the visual appeal of my photographs. It's the type of idea that would be expected in a real magazine and using this wooden box meant that I could recreate the contents page image to show her link and that it was her in the front of the magazine. It reaffirms her soft sweet edge popular with female musicians.
• I really liked the two shots and in a conventional magazine with lots of imagery you get similar shots that have subtle differences to show it was a full working photo shoot. This gives my DPS collage a more professional edge because it's almost like it's off a proof sheet or photo reel. I really like the way the lighting captures the expressions and creates shadows on their faces. The low key lighting and center framing captures the dark and light effortlessly.
• The close up styled shot of my male artist posing with the bowler hat uses a prop to show his style and keep the British feel I wanted the magazine to have. I think this higher key lighting works well for the closer shots of the face and this one clearly displays how the shadows draw you into his bone structure. Having him look away gives him a shy quality that connotates to 'indie boys' and makes it less daunting or intimidating for the reader.
• For this medium close up I used a horizontal shot rather than a vertical like previously and gives a more spaced out feel. Having my female artist look down the camera lens gives her control, and my male looking at her reaffirms she's the main star of the magazine. It also reinstates his soft representation as shown in the previous image. The lighting picks up their cheekbones and catches their hair in a way that makes the photograph seem as thought it could be in a conventional magazine.
• I finally used a softer shot for my female artist to avoid confusion of her being dominating and in demand. I had her look down and seem thoughtful to show a sense of reflection that she would have in her work (her music) and how she feels as a person. This connects to how the female readers will be feeling as the age they are and shows she is on the same level as them, giving her a likability factor needed to sell magazines and her music. By doing this I have shown I am able to relate to my readers feelings and aspects of their life that they would seek some kind of similarity or resemblance from those they admire or aspire to. This connection makes sure I met the conventions of the genre and shown my artists in a way the media stereotypes them in society as hard working and philosophical of themselves and the aspects that surround their lives. 

Overall I used a total of 12 photos to give a variety and show my ambition with this project. Having a range of shots too choose from gave my more time to experiment and create a collection of beautiful images that meet the requirements for my target audience. I think I successfully managed to obtain a series of images that meet the brief's needs.

Additional Photos: Dom

Although I have taken over 800 photographs for my magazine using a professional camera and studio, I felt I needed some more down to earth a natural shots of a male indie musician. Going off of looks and style I chose my friend Dom to pose for me. I was going for a more urban, real life, street kinda theme, however the mise-en-scene of the photographs location didn't work for me as well as I wanted it too. I was disappointed with the outcomes of my shots as I don't feel I did enough to make them look interesting or current. I think I posed them too 'boring' and although I planned to have them looking quite static and plain, my vision hasn't come through in these shots here. Another issue was due to the poorer quality of camera, touch ups and editing was far more difficult to do and looked very fake and unrealistic to the conventions of a magazine. 

My Photography - The Full Shoot

For my magazine shoot I used my friend Kiera as my model. I chose her because she has the 'look' that I was after for the indie/acoustic genre with her long hair, simple makeup and skinny frame. She's skinny which in the photographs came across as really artist and looked how I wanted it. I chose her outfits, hair styling (I did want to use a heavy plum/dark lipstick to make her ice blue eyes stand out. However Kiera would have had an allergic reaction to the makeup so because of health and safety I decided it wasn't worth it) poses, set, lighting - everything. I did want my male model's T-shirt to be tight fitting however we picked up the wrong T-shirt and it was too late to go back and get the one I wanted. 

These photographs have not been edited or changed, the lighting and effects you see are what was captured on the day. Some parts may be slightly cropped out because of the software I used to upload them with, not because I cannot frame my photographs correctly. Anything that looks obscure like it is missing a section is the programmer not myself as a photographer.

There has been no post production work, the photos are of the highest quality possible to take photographs with, however the edited video (sorry about the length of it) means that the HQ of them might not be as good as if I had individually shown them on my blog.

I used a professional studio and a camera worth £2,780 to take my shots, the set and tripod were all at the studio. 

This was Kiera's first proper shoot so I had to give a lot of direction. The shoot took roughly 3 hours to do and I took around 700 photographs. The only ones I haven't uploaded are those where she blinked in the shot so her eyes are odd. 

Research & Planning: My Music Magazine (Photoshoot Plan)

I created a photoshoot plan for my 'artists' to give them and myself a clear target to work towards. I think this makes it easier to stick to a schedual and any improvisation is seen as a bonus.

People I am Photographing	Where I want to Photograph Them	How I want them to pose/ Look in the Photo	What I want them to wear	When I want to Photograph them
Will	In an outside/graffiti looking urban location.	Very mysterious, charming, not looking at the camera, hand under chin. Stood up but casual.	Shirt, skinny jeans, an oversized jacket, modern/hipster footwear	In a bright outdoor light
Kiera	Either in a studio against a blank white background or outside in a woodland/country location.	Very pretty and Vintage looking to her side or directly down the camera lens. Lots of flowers and soft pastel feel.	Something girlie and vintage that looks cute but original	In a sunny but slightly dawn/dusk feel.
Eloise	In a city looking location (such as Brighton) or an open park.	With her guitar looking daydreaming with concentration. Not looking anyway, profile or from the back or a high angle. Something special in the eyes.	Something hipster mixed with indie vintage. Really personality reflective mixing dark & light colours. Knitted jumper, denim jacket, leggings & casual footwear and lots of accessories	In a daylight but slightly shadowed light.

For my music magazine I have planned to use four different 'stars' to photograph based on their fashion sense and how that relates to my chosen genre of magazine. I will display my photographs in a similar style to COMPANY magazine hopefully creating something with a similar look about it. I have gathered examples of page design layouts I like and thought about how I could intrept this into my own magazine.
The following two pages I really like how they use font type and boxes to create a scrapb booking effect to the page. The first one I think would be best for my contents as it could be changed into a fresh idea for the main features (the people I photograph). The bottom one I think would be a great way to present my chosen artist for the double page spread (my interview) as it shows a simple design idea I could employ myself and create on my own.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9FT6gbzLzA www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyrjq2q9ZpI

Research & Planning: Conventions of Target Audience

Here is my prezi on the representations of indie fans:

I created a mindmap of connotations and words associated with the indie genre:

Research & Planning: Representations in my Chosen Genre

Here is my prezi on the representations of Indie/Acoustic artists:

The other influence on indie music is the words behind the songs - lyrics. They are a story telling/narrative device or pointing out situations in a more literature or poetic way as a stimulus than other genres such as pop music. This is what gives a deeper connection and stronger following of fans in comparison to other genres as it gives a more emotive and larger understanding between the artist and the audience. I think this is something I want to represent in my design work, that the music is the core of the artist.

I found this funny internet picture that works as a diagram for band names. When thinking of names to give my artists on my design work, this formation is something I could use as a tool:

Research & Planning: Indie/Acoustic Genre

The indie and acoustic genre is often defined as Indie folk. This type of music came about in the 1990's after stemming from singer/songwriters from the indie rock music who were inspired by the folk music that was about between the 1950's to the early 1970's. It blended country music with indie rock to create a fusion that is popular in today's music scene, such as English folk rock band Mumford & Sons-who after recording an EP 'Love Your Ground' and performed in small to moderate venues in the UK and US built their audience exposure before recording a well supported album. The have gone on to festivals, sell out concerts, two Grammy Award nominations (one for 'Best New Artist' and another for 'Best Rock Song' - "Little Lion Man"). In 2010 they  won the ARIA Music Award for 'Most Popular International Artist' and a year later snagged a Brit Award for 'Best British Album' and the same year recieved a European Border Award for their international success.

Since from the early millenium the genre has expanded and stemmed into more and more bands and artists that build today's music community. Some artists include: Stornoway, Bright Eyes, Beirut, Bon Iver, The Avett Brothers, Arthur & Yu, Fleet Foxes The Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Okkervil River, Manel, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros,Noah and the Whale, The Mountain Goats, Cloud Control, Boy & Bear and more.

The artists go for a 'lo-fi' aesthetic (i.e., an often deliberate lack of polish and a more "authentic" roughness and imperfection) has often been associated with indie, particularly when slick, polished recordings were the preserve of the commercial music industry; this line has since become blurred, in a world where high-quality recordings can be made increasingly easily with inexpensive computer-based recording systems and where commercial production teams often deliberately utilize a "lo-fi" sound.
The fashion and look of indie artists shows the concern for self-expression more than commercial considerations. Because of this the 'do-it-yourself' sensibilty that was originally seen with the 1970's punk era gives more often than not  internationalist outlook, which stems from a sense of solidarity with other fans, bands and labels in other countries who share one's particular sensibilities.
Small indie labels will often distribute records for similar labels from abroad, and indie bands will often go on self-funded tours of other cities and countries, where those in the local indie scenes will invariably help organize gigs and often provide accommodation and other support.  This strong sense of camaraderie that emerges from a selflessness among indie bands and often results in collaborations and joint tours.

Acoustic music is often just known from BCC Radio 1's 'Live Lounge' where performs out their own stamp on another artist's song by covering it to suit them. This has made the acoustic genre more popular than ever as it comprises music that soley or primarly uses instruments that produce sounds through entirely acoustic means.

This means there is no electric/electronic means to create a sound.
To give the volume needed for mass audience hearing acoustic performers often use electronic amplifiers that are kept seperate from the microphone (which is connected by a wire to an amp) in front of the instrument to amplify it (so the natural sound is still reproduced accurately). This increases the volume of their output singing.
Music reviewer Craig Conley suggests, "When music is labeled acoustic, unplugged, or unwired, the assumption seems to be that other types of music are cluttered by technology and overproduction and therefore aren't as pure."
Using this style is something that really connects to my personal taste of music and how I like the style. My prezi online presentation analyses the look of the artists and how I can use this in reference to my own artists.

Research & Planning: My Music Magazine - Research of Genre

For my magazine I have looked at different areas of research that relate to the indie/acoustic genre; I have chosen my cover stars from what they look like and how I can use this look to the best of my advantage.
I have looked at some youtube videos if popular bands/artists that aren't really mainstream but have the reputation within the genre of my magazine that I can use as inspiration for the look of my magazine from how there videos look and there style. There are ways I could incorporate this into my contents page through font, colour schemes and choices of layout.
I have read articles/interviews with artists from these types of musicians and related that to how I would want to present my artist in my double page spread. The type of questions that would be found in a professional magazine interview. Here are some examples of music and interviews that has helped my understanding of genre conventions (copy the link into your internet search bar):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4NRlxs9CgI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-uykGgG7wE

http://www.leedsmusicscene.net/article/6302/

I have also looked at album and single covers and looked at how they have used imagery and font to depict how they are as a group or solo performer. I common trait I found was that the artists are often not on the covers, unlike pop music where the 'artist' is revealing themselves, indie artists instead shy away and find interesting, interpretive and inspiring artistic covers that are very visual. If they are on the covers it's usually in black and white. I have tried to find as many clear artist examples here:

I will feature singer/songwriters or cover artists who make the song 'their own' by changing the tempo, key and overall tone of the song, as my chosen people to feature. Examples of these types of songs/music are similar too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGZfe2xFveQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBKcNNC3eCk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj6hSDhIB94

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UMzh9BkFS4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X4pwCs28a0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qrgk60YRtxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHnKtSNRn_0

I'm really inspired by people's talents and their modety about it, I am using my friend Eloise as one of my models because her music is what I want my magazine to be about. Here is her soundcloud link:

https://soundcloud.com/eloisekeating

I deconstucted a double page spread like this example I found online here:

I made a VoxPop asking some music fans about what they would want out of a magazine of my genre. I filmed and edited the whole thing using a basic software on my laptop. 

Research & Planning: Web-based Report into Target Audience

I looked first at the target audience of Kerrang and NME music magazines, I used these in order to help me decide what age, gender, class, etc. to aim my own magazine at. Using two of the UK's most popular magazine's gives me indications of what works well for my own magazine and which factors I want to use in order to attract my target audience.

•  This issue of Kerrang uses a popular female artists to appeal to the 16-24 age demographic of mainly males (Laura Mulvey's male gaze) and some females. Her cheeky facial expression is highlighted to indicate her role as an entertainer in this magazine's music genre. As the front of the band, Hayley Williams is the face of Paramore, where over her medium shot we see a ripped paper effect tearing over her body. The string of images indicate it's for a working class audience from the focus on mostly imagery and hardly any text.
• The text shown is all to entice the audience and attract them with block capitals and catchy slogan style. There's only one subheading to act as description which is under the small Marilyn Manson puff above the barcode; another indication of a working class audience from the lack of focus on text.
• The colour scheme is built around contrasting colours, black and white and red and yellow. All of which are apart on a colour spectrum which means when put together they all clash and form this aggressive looking front cover. 
• The fonts all co-ordinate in a dirty grunge look. They all have an effect which makes them stand out against standard font choices. This indicates the genre and gives it rock feel. The choice of musicians are all rock bands which signify this is for mostly males from the choice of genre. The genre dominates the gender, the thing that blurs the genders slightly is featuring Hayley Williams as the cover star. This is because she can be seen as an idol or role model to females because of her gutsy attitude to life and singing voice. Choosing someone who's seen as an object of desire or attraction expands the target audience out to those who may not read Kerrang usually but may be persuaded to buy it because they like Paramore/Hayley Williams. By doing this they can try and attract those who might like other rock bands that aren't on the cover but are shown inside the issue and try to gather a larger readership.
• The yellow and black give a connotation to police tape which links to crime. This ideology of youth rebellion and the influence of 'heavy' music and rock songs gives the impression of working class youths who may be subject to causing trouble with the law. The link to crime and youths is something the rock genre is stereotyped by.
• The puffs and plugs try to appear like a lot of issue content, which would fool those who are of a younger age. Older audiences might go for the weight/thickness of the magazine to be able to see that it contains a large amount of content because they are supposedly more free for time to stroll and browse in shops. In comparison to youths who are stereotyped as on-the-go, busy and need something to grab them in order to make them focus their attention to buy it. 

From looking at this magazine I have discovered that in order to appeal to a middle class demographic I should try not to focus on puffs and plugs and include more of a textual base to my front cover. I will try to stay away from clashing colours on the most part (I will use black and white) to give my cover a classy appeal. I think a female cover artist will appeal to both male and females and making sure they are young brings in the age group that I want to target.

• This issue of NME features less imagery than Kerrang more text, however like Kerrang the text is not descriptive it is mostly names of bands and artists. This gives the impression it's aimed slightly more at a working-middle class or of a marginally higher age group (17-27). This age demographic is aided by the choice of bands which feature middle-aged men. Something that would attract a slightly older or more mature minded audience.
• The genre is slightly more blurred as it features the names of indie, rock and alternative (or mixes of these genre) artists. This broadens the attraction to readers as it features more choice and variety.
• The colour scheme is more co-ordinated then Kerrang's (what seems random) layout colour pattern. The text is predominately in yellow and some white, including the title.
• The image is bright against the grey background and bright sans serif font which makes the Foo Fighters stand out. The Foo Fighters have more of a male following, however their music can appeal to a female audience. This gives it more of a male target demographic, backed up by other choices of male membered bands.
• The layout still seems busy even though there is just as much going on as Kerrangs, which gives the impression it isn't aimed at an older middle class, it's more in-between. The barcode is smaller which suggests it's higher in price, another indication it's more for working-middle class. Overall the layout looks more professional and selective in how it was composed which backs up the hint of which class it's aimed at.
• There's less focus on puffs and plugs, but the one's that appear show to be more planned in where to be placed. This hints the genre isn't as strong as Kerrang's puffs which looked slapped down and connotate to violence.
• The use of yellow and dark colour gives the impression of crime again but with a different meaning. Because the bands are older and have been around longer it connotates that their crimes are in the past (grey connotates past tense) and it's something to learn and reflect from. It's more mature style gives the impression we should learn from their mistakes and not involve ourselves with mindless crimes and focus more on music and bands.
• The facial expressions on the Foo Fighters looks thoughtful and deep as though they are figures of admiration. It's not lead by sexual connotations which sell to a young audience, unlike Kerrang's which is feeding the mindset of adolescent teenage boys.

From looking at this it has shown me less is more and sticking to three colours for cover lines sends more messages and signifiers to an audience. I will use this technique when constructing my own design work. I like the pattern of colours used for the cover lines interchanging between two, I think this would work well for my cover design. This size of barcode I think is more appropriate for an indie magazine as it doesn't make it appear as tacky and working class.

 

Kerrang has a casual sound and when said it appears like words being slurred together. It gives the idea of being drunk and enforces the idea of rockstars out of control and drinking or fans drinking at gigs. The title of the magazine sounds like an electric guitar strum, an instrument used in rock music (bands specifically). This twang connotation matches the style of font used for the logo. The crack across the font gives a rebellious feel against the contrasting black and white. This reinforces the violence and youthful rage that is suggested throughout the magazine covers using genre conventions of rock music. It appears very masculine and from the block capital font and exclamation mark looks like a male shouting. This shouting enhances the attitude of not caring and being a rebel. 

New Music Express has a more formal sound to it. The acronym seems like a smarter approach to a title which hints to it's history starting out as a music journalism publication in 1952, where it was in newspaper format. The name has kept it's newspaper sound which shows it's established in the media industry. At the time of the 50's Theodore Smythson created a title that would appear professional. His name himself doesn't sound common, it generates the feeling of importance and success. The plain sans serif font leaves little connotation, this is something I hope to contrast when producing my title.

Research & Planning: Music Magazines

I created a mini Power Point which I uploaded to slideshare to show some short research I did into brand history and their titles and connotations:

I have created some powerpoints and uploaded them to slide share detailing the conventions of music magazines and annotated example of a music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread:

• I have done an analysis of the conventions of a music magazine cover, contents and DPS. I have annotated the elements and done Task 1 and the start of Task 2 of the AS Media Coursework Preparation: Double Page Spread 1.

This powerpoint I have enlarged as the last slide has lots of text that may be hard to read, if it is still to small click full screen. I have completed the rest of the sheet as a continuation from the previous powerpoint.