Final photo's after editing

I chose this image for my front cover so i started to edit the photo by using the red eye tool to remove vickys red eyes and change them back to normal colour and brightened the photo slightly aswell. However after starting to contruct my front cover with this photo i realised i didnt really like it so decided to try it with another photo.

Photo's for front cover - before editing

I really like this photo as the pose works really well for a popstars image, leaning against the wall and the microphone hanging of her shoulder the only thing i dislike about the photo is that the microphone wire is loose and looks a bit messy.

I like the pose of this photo with the hands on the hips and the stare into the camera however it doesnt look like a photo for a music magazine and want the mircophone included.

The pose works really well leaning forward looking into the camera and looks like she is singing.

This is my favourite photo i like the way the mircophone is wrapped round her.

These are a few of the many photo's i took for my front cover. These are my favourite and will choose one of these to be my main image, i will edit them as the lighting is not very good and then choose my final photo.

Front cover sketches

Design 1.

For my first design the colour scheme will be white, pink and black. I placed the masthead at the top of the page in the centre and the website underneath on the right hand side of the page in line with the masthead. As the image of the artist/celebrity plays a big part in selling the magazine the image is a close up to the right of the page up taking up most of the page. The main coverline starting down the left hand side of the page and then the rest overlapping the image at the bottom centre of the page. In the space between the main coverline and the image will be the a few coverlines and a pug towards the top of the page.


Design 2.

For my second design the colour scheme will be the same: white, pink and black. I still placed the masthead in the centre top of the page this time underneath in the right putting the date of the magazine and the website on the left of the page. The image will be a girl that will be dressed and posed to attract my target audince. It will be a long shot so you can see everything she is wearing i also want the model to be holding a microphone as it is a music magazine and this will reinforce this to the audience. The main coverline will be overlapping the main image however at the bottom of the page so it will not be covering alot of it this is something i have noticed in magazines. The main coverline will also be diagonal. I like the idea of using left to right column alignment for my front cover as that is a convention. So, to the left and eight side of the main image will be coverlines and a few smaller pictures that will match the smaller coverlines. I have also placed a barcode on the right side of the page and just above the main coverline i have included a pug. A good front cover layout is important as it needs to attract your audience to pick up your magazine and buy it. I really like the layout of this design and this it would attract people to buy my magazine.

Design 3.

Continuing with the same colour scheme i made a few changes compared to the other two designs. Instead of having the masthead in the centre of the page i placed it in the left hand third of the page with a box around it just like Q magazine does. This is a good idea as when all the magazines are in a shop overlapping each other you will see the title more as it is on the left side of the page. The image will be a long shot on the right hand side of the page so its slots in beside the masthead. The model will still be wearing the same clothes from the other designs and also will have a microphone. So my audience will be able to associate my music magazine specifically as a music magazine. I placed the main coverline to the left of the main image and the barcode at the bottom of the page. Smaller coverline and a couple of images i placed under the masthead inline with it. This layout the page is kind of split in 2 with all the writing down the left side and the main image of the right side no text overlapping so the image is the main focus.

Contents page sketches

Design 1.


For this contents page the title of the magazine will be at the top centre of the page underlined with the date underneath. Then their will be 2 medium sized images in the centre of the page. And taking up the remaining space of the page will be the stories. The subheadings On the cover and features will be written vertically with a line sepeating the subheadings from the stories like the line underneath the title.



Design 2.

This is my favourite layout/design for the contents page. I looked through a number of magazines music and girl magazines such as mizz and sugar and took some ideas and different elements to help me come up with this design. The title of the magazine i placed in the left corner diagonally then instead of using the actual word 'contents' i used This week in capitals and placed it beside the masthead but straight i also want a bold line underneath separating it from the rest of the page. I got this idea from Nme contents page. On the right of the page in line with this week i placed an image then underneath that image slightly smaller and overlapping i placed another image. On both of them will be the page number. At the bottom right of the page underneath the images i placed a box for either a letter from the editor as that makes the magazine seem freindly and and connects with the reader on a more personal level, or a subscription. On the left side of the page is the text which i have split up into 3 sub-headings that have a box around them that will be filled with a colour to match my colour scheme: white, pink and black. The 3 sub-headings are: On the cover, Features and reveiws.

Design 3.

For the third design there will be a letter from the editor in the top left corner and in the right corner will be an image. The rest of the page will be split into 4 under different subheadings: Features, Reviews, On the cover and Live. I do not really like this layout and its not very effective.

Double page spread sketches

With my first design the main focus is on the artist as it is a large image that takes up alot of the right side of the page above the main image is a few smaller images of the artist. The headline also takes up alot of the page aswell as the artist is new i want this to stand out to the readers. Under the headline is a quote this is a convention of magazines and the text will be larger then the interview to make it stand out. I then added the column of texts where i wanted them. To finish the design i added the album cover as this is a convention i have noticed in magazines.

For my second design i kept the headline in the same place however i used a smaller image of the artist at the bottom of the page and on the right side, the readers will see this picture when flicking through the magzine. Above the photo will be a quote from the text larger then the interveiw text so it stands out more. I then fitted the main text under the headline and around the main image in the middle of the text i added another quote. In the top right corner is 2 smaller images and in a box: exclusive interview on the right side so the readers see that when they flick through too.

My third design is completely different to my other 2 designs, The main interview text will be on the right side of the page taking up most of it. The artists name will be in the middle of the page with a quote underneath and at the bottom the album cover. On the left side of the page is a long shot of the artist will smaller pictures at the side going diagonally down the page i have also added another quote. This time exclusive interview is on the left page. I do not like this layout/design as the artists name is in the middle of the page going straight through the centre line which will make it difficult to read.

Questionnaire results

I posted a questionnaire on my blog to find out what my target audience wanted out of my music magazine and what appeals to them most. People visited my blog and answered the questions now i am going to analyse and evaluate the results to help me create the right look/appeal for my music magazine.


Are you male or female?

The majority of people that answered my questionnaire were female this helps me as i now know that my target audience is aimed mostly towards females.


Which age category to you fall under?

The vast majority of people that answered this question were 15-18 with 81% so this indicates i should be aiming at females in their teens however not to young.


What is your favourite genre of music?

The most preferred music by the people that answered this question is pop, r'n'b and indie which is good as i dont want my magazine to have just one genre of music i want it to be mostly pop with hints of indie and r'n'b to attract a wider audience.


How often do you buy magazines?

37% of the people that voted buy magazines onece every so often so i could include features what will be happening in the next issue which could encourage readers to buy my magazine every month.


How much would you pay for a magazine?

53% of voters are willing to pay £2-£3, so this gives me a rough idea of what to price my magazine.

What do you look for in a magazine?

The most common thing people look for in a magazibe showed to be stories and interviews so for my double page spread i will use a story of an artist or an interview with one.

What do you dislike in magazines?

The votes show that 53% of people that amswered dislike crowded pages the most so i will try to keep my layouts  simple and tidy so they are easy to read and follow.

How do you listen to music?

The vast majority of people that voted with 93% listen to music on an ipod.  So to attract readers i could include a competition to win an ipod or something related.

What colour scheme would work best for my pop/indie music magazine?

I added this question a little while after i created the questionnaire so it didnt get as many votes as the other questions.  However the most popular are: Black, pink and light green and Black, red and white.  

Font - front cover

1.


2.



3.


4.

I found these fonts on the website: http://www.dafont.com/ and selected a few i think would suit my magazine best these were the 4 fonts it came down to.

1. Is my favourite one as i think it would suit my magazine as it is feminine but not to feminine so it would attract a larger audience it also reminds me of the rap up magazine font.

2. I liked this font as it reminds me of music notes which would indicate music magazine however i dont think this would suit my front cover as the layout is simple so this font might be abit too fancy,

3. I really like this font as it is bubble writing and gives a pop feel to it and the stars represent the stars in the magazine the artists, i just feel that this would be too girly and too pop.

4. Very similar to number 1 i like this font too however a bit to plain and not very feminine.

Initial idea's

Possible Magazine names

After looking at a number of different music magazines i came to realise that they are quite short and easy to remember.

Here are some possible names for my magazine:
-Pop Beatz
-New Edge
-M! (for music)
-New Beat
-Live!
-Just music
-STEREO

Colour schemes

Black, red and white
Black, pink and green
Pink, grey and white

Artist names for front cover
-Lexie
-Marie Lott
-Ellie Lott-Emily Lott **

The artist featured on the front cover will be Pixie Lott's younger sister, becoming an artist.

Front cover stories

- New girl on the block...
- Emily Lott unleashed (pun: new upcoming album called unleashed) **


Double page spread

- Story of Emily coming into her own and how she feels being compared to her sister and her rise to fame and about how her childhood was with her sister.

Idea for front cover

For the idea of my front cover i want quite a simple layout not too busy or overcrowded. Simple and sophisticated. The title NEW BEAT will be at the top of the page.  The artist featured on the front cover will be Emily Lott as 'Pixie Lott's ' younger sister. My model is blonde and of skinny build similar to pixie lott so this will reenforce that she is her sister. I will use a long shot of her and want her to be in the same style as the picture of Pixie Lott below with the curly messy hair, sequin shorts. I will use a mid shot and also like the picture below i want to use a microphone and wrap the wire around her  and with both hands like she is pulling it and being unleashed connotating the name of her new upcoming album: 'unleashed' the title being 'Emily Lott unleashed' also connotating the album name.

The colour scheme i have chosen for my front cover is white, pink and black.  I want to create a simple layout not too busy or overcrowded, using left to right column allignment like the popular music magazine blender does and also vibe.  This issue of blender is how i want my front cover to turn out with the mid shot of 'Emily Lott' in the middle with the microphone trying to be unleashed and breaking free. With a background of white fading to light grey towards the bottom of the page.  Black title with pink outline. And black and pink text either side of the main image.  This issue of vibe is also the same look i am going for with the white, pink and black and the background also fades from white to grey.

Front cover idea's

Cheryl Cole has a rock look to her with the messy hair dark eyes which is common when going for the rock look.  I like the way she is standing and also the props used, the lighting in the background enhancing the rock feel and the old fashioned stereo player and the way she is holding it like she doesn't care.  I am defiant now that i was a rock edge feel to my image and like the idea of using a prop like a stereo or microphone.

I like this photo of Pixie Lott as it really suits my magazine and the clothes she is wearing is casual yet glamourous with a rock indie edge to it with the smokey eyes and the microphone wrapped around her. I like the pose and the idea of including the microphone as mine is a music magazine so this idea i could use.

This picture of Britney spears gives of a 'rock' edgy feel to it that i like. I like the clothes she is wearing and the way her hair is being blown back. This is the kind of photo i would like on my front cover and the feel of it.

I came across this picture of Pixie Lott and i really like the style of it. The way her hair is all messy and being blown around and the dark smokey eyes and pale pink lips. The positioning of her hands on her head i also really like and think this would look good as a front cover of my music magazine.

Target Audience

This is Lily she is a typical candidate for my target audience for my music magazine She is 19 years old and lives in North London. She attends London college of fashion studying fashion, textiles and design and has a saturday job in HMV. Some of her hobbies are singing, song writing and shopping and making items of clothing for herself and friends. At the weekends and in her spare time she enjoys going out socialising with her friends by going to the cinemas, going to bars or clubs or staying at home chilling and watching movies. Some of her favourite films include: Twilight, The Hangover, Step Up and Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging. When Lilly has free time to watch T.v she likes to watch skins, shameless, friends, hollyoaks desperate housewives and family guy and being human, these programs feature on e4, channel 4 and bbc3. Her favourite places to shop are Topshop, New look, River island, Miss selfridges and smaller fashion boutiques. Sometimes Lily would also like to shop around Camden market and online such as Asos. She dresses like an average girly teenager as she is studying fashion she has a good dress sense and also dresses uniquely as she likes to be different to everyone else. Her role model is Lady Gaga and draws designs of clothes suitable for her role model hoping one day she will be famous for her unique designs. As well as shopping in high street shops Lily also likes designer brands but unfortunately is unable to purchase anything as it is too expensive for her. Lily listens to a wide range of music however mainly indie, pop and r'n'b. Lily does not listen to rock or classical music. Her favourite artists are Pixie Lott, Emily Dares you, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Jason Derulo.