The colour scheme I have chosen is quite dark and deep. I think these chosen colours will suit my magazine and the genre I am focusing on as I want my magazine to look quite vintage and mature, so using fluorescent colours would be unsuitable. I think I will use the navy and the maroon as the dominant colours on my front cover and add aspects of the other colours for smaller stories or articles featured on the cover.
Friday, 17 December 2010
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Planning and Idea Development - Naming My Magazine
Having decided my genre and audience I decided to think of names for my magazine. I wanted something that is memorable and simple. To get some names ideas I went through my iPod to gain inspiration from song titles or artists that are already known and that I am familiar with. I also used online dictionaries and thesaurus to develop and perhaps expand on names that I particularly liked.
- Aftershow
- Flux
- Matchbox
Planning and Idea Development - My Chosen Genre
The genre I have chosen for my magazine is indie/rock/alternative. I want my magazine to be the same style as the NME as I believe that the indie genre of music is becoming much more popular in today's generation and society. I want my magazine to be portrayed as quite vintage and natural as that style is also becoming much more common with today's youth. The indie/rock genre also has a wide audience and particularly fits in with the target audience I have chosen of students. On top of this, I wanted to choose a genre that I am familar with so I know what things to focus on and what will appeal to my audience.
Planning and Idea Development - Price
As my target audience will be a students aged 16+ I have chosen to price my magazine at around £2.50 per week. After taking into account other weekly magazine prices such as the NME which is priced at £2.20 and Kerrang which is also priced at £2.20. I think £2.5o is a reasonable and realistic price as it is still afforadable for students who maybe don't have a well paid job. As well as this, as it is also a little big higher priced than other weekly magazines it suggets that the extra 30p is worth it. I could choose to price my magazine under the rivals at around £2, but this may suggest that it is not as good quality as the others. I have decided to publish my magazine weekly because it means there will always be something new for my target audience to catch up on and if it is weekly, it would mean having to price the magazine higher at around £5 and having a lot of content to fit into one issue.
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Reader Profiles of Music Magazines
NME Reader Profile
The NME reader research suggests that readers rely on the magazine to keep them up to date with the new music. This makes the NME the authority in music for their peer group. Stats show that the average age of a NME reader is 23 and 74% of these are males. On top of this, 42% of the readers are students. The NME readers enjoy to watch films and buy the latest DVD's each month.
Mixmag Reader Profile
Mixmag's reader profile are said to be always listening to the newest songs first and wearing the latest fashion. They know the latest DJ's and tend to have the latest mobiles for communicating and socialising. The average age of a Mixmag reader is 26, and again the audience is mostly male at 72%. The readers tend to be single. The readers have a lot of disposable income and spend their money mostly on nights out, clothes and music.
My magazine audience will be students of the age 16+, who enjoy music and like to know the newest stuff out there. My magazine will appeal to both genders, but may be more relevant to males, as I can see they generally read the type of magazine I would like to produce the most. They will like to keep up with fashion and shop in shops that are well known. They will enjoy music and listen to it as much as they can. Students generally enjoy keeping with the trends and technology. They will also attend a few gigs/concerts. My audience's main priorities and intrests will be friends, family, going out to concerts/gigs, fashion and music.
The NME reader research suggests that readers rely on the magazine to keep them up to date with the new music. This makes the NME the authority in music for their peer group. Stats show that the average age of a NME reader is 23 and 74% of these are males. On top of this, 42% of the readers are students. The NME readers enjoy to watch films and buy the latest DVD's each month.
Mixmag Reader Profile
Mixmag's reader profile are said to be always listening to the newest songs first and wearing the latest fashion. They know the latest DJ's and tend to have the latest mobiles for communicating and socialising. The average age of a Mixmag reader is 26, and again the audience is mostly male at 72%. The readers tend to be single. The readers have a lot of disposable income and spend their money mostly on nights out, clothes and music.
My magazine audience will be students of the age 16+, who enjoy music and like to know the newest stuff out there. My magazine will appeal to both genders, but may be more relevant to males, as I can see they generally read the type of magazine I would like to produce the most. They will like to keep up with fashion and shop in shops that are well known. They will enjoy music and listen to it as much as they can. Students generally enjoy keeping with the trends and technology. They will also attend a few gigs/concerts. My audience's main priorities and intrests will be friends, family, going out to concerts/gigs, fashion and music.
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Analysis of Mixmag Music Magazine
Front Cover
Mixmag magazine focuses on the genre of dance and house music. Mixmag has very different conventions to the indie/rock magazines like NME and Q. The name of the magazine 'Mixmag' could suggest that it includes a mix of music genres, but it also could relate to DJ's mixing tracks which would be more suitable.
The masthead on this cover is conventionally placed at the top of the magazine and is the first thing the readers will notice. This masthead fits in with the housestyle of this particular cover, however after reasearching Mixmag I have learnt that Mixmag do not keep a particular housestyle or a theme to the magazine. All of the covers are different and some do not even feature a picture on the front cover. However, taking this into consideration, the masthead does stay the same but varies in colour etc.
The main image creates the feel of summer and sun, which all relates back to this edition of Mixmag "Ibiza 08." The model is wearing a bikini which is not usually seen on music magazines as this does not fit into a particular genre of music. For example, leather is related to rock etc. However, with the Ibiza edition it fits in well as it Ibiza is stereotyped as the 'party island'. As the model is not someone famous or iconic it doesn't advertise a particular band so this may create a wider audience as it appeals to the people who generally like dance music, not a certain DJ/band. The colours in the image are all very bright and vibrant which relate back to the main feature and promote it even further as it looks an enjoyable and summery place to visit.
The target audience for this magazine is likely to be the younger generation, around the age of 20, as it is all about clubbing and dance music. This kind of music and lifestyle would usually not appeal to a person that is older. We get this impression because the model is a young woman wearing a bikini and lots of jewellery which is much more appealing to youngsters who enjoy going out. The price of the magazine is £4.20 which is quite expensive, however the magazines comes with a free CD "Herve's Party Bombs!" This further promotes the magazine and the music that they advertise as it is spreading the music around. The banner also suggets a younger audience "Huge Club Guide 1,384 nights out in this issue!"
Contents Page
Mixmag magazine focuses on the genre of dance and house music. Mixmag has very different conventions to the indie/rock magazines like NME and Q. The name of the magazine 'Mixmag' could suggest that it includes a mix of music genres, but it also could relate to DJ's mixing tracks which would be more suitable.
The masthead on this cover is conventionally placed at the top of the magazine and is the first thing the readers will notice. This masthead fits in with the housestyle of this particular cover, however after reasearching Mixmag I have learnt that Mixmag do not keep a particular housestyle or a theme to the magazine. All of the covers are different and some do not even feature a picture on the front cover. However, taking this into consideration, the masthead does stay the same but varies in colour etc.
The main image creates the feel of summer and sun, which all relates back to this edition of Mixmag "Ibiza 08." The model is wearing a bikini which is not usually seen on music magazines as this does not fit into a particular genre of music. For example, leather is related to rock etc. However, with the Ibiza edition it fits in well as it Ibiza is stereotyped as the 'party island'. As the model is not someone famous or iconic it doesn't advertise a particular band so this may create a wider audience as it appeals to the people who generally like dance music, not a certain DJ/band. The colours in the image are all very bright and vibrant which relate back to the main feature and promote it even further as it looks an enjoyable and summery place to visit.
The target audience for this magazine is likely to be the younger generation, around the age of 20, as it is all about clubbing and dance music. This kind of music and lifestyle would usually not appeal to a person that is older. We get this impression because the model is a young woman wearing a bikini and lots of jewellery which is much more appealing to youngsters who enjoy going out. The price of the magazine is £4.20 which is quite expensive, however the magazines comes with a free CD "Herve's Party Bombs!" This further promotes the magazine and the music that they advertise as it is spreading the music around. The banner also suggets a younger audience "Huge Club Guide 1,384 nights out in this issue!"
Contents Page
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Analysis of Q Music Magazine
Front Cover
Q magazine is another magazine that specialises in the indie and rock genre of music. Q is a very popular music magazine and this can be seen through its conventions. The name of the magazine 'Q' is very short and snappy, so it is something to remember. The Q could stand for Quality and say to the reader that the music they feature and advertise is quality music.
The masthead of Q is very recognisable and familiar. It is a bold Q with red background. The red is again the housestyle, like the NME, and this connotes anger and passion. However, this certain cover has a twist on it from the usual Q masthead. Although it is still their usual masthead, the main article features Muses' lead singer Matt Bellamy "losing control"so to add a twist and something unique to the masthead, the cover shows him 'smashing it up' with his guitar. This could show the feelings of anger that Matt Bellamy is feeling, but it cleverly remains appealing to the audience because although it is aggressive, it relates to the genre of rock. It also sticks to the music magazines conventions because he is holding his instrument. Overall, this masthead creates something different and very intriguing to the target audience and it is not the type of thing that would be seen on the front cover of "Smash Hits."
The main image on this cover doesn't follow all conventions as the eyeline of Matt Bellamy is not in the centre and is not the main focus. But this fits with the issue of Q as he is "losing control" and this could connote this. In the image he looks angry and impatient which is perfect in relation to his article. The clothes he is wearing fits in with the housestyle of the magazine, and so does his guitar. The image and the whole cover sticks to three main colours, black, white and red. This tells us something about the magazine as usually black and white and simple colours and can be quite classic - like the magazine itself. But with the red coming through it suggests anger and arrogance - in relation to the genre of music they advertise.
Again, the cover has a banner that reads "The UK's Biggest Music Magazine." The use of this gives the magazine a prestige and status within the market. It promotes Q and gives it a good impression to the reader. The readers of this magazine will be similar to other indie/rock magazines such as NME because it simply features the same type of music. But perhaps the audience for Q magazine may be a little bit older. We could get this impression because the magazine is more expensive, priced at £3.90. The magazine covers also have high quality gloss paper which gives a more classy and expensive touch. This relates back to the name 'Q' which could mean Quality.
Contents Page
This contents page is very similar to the NME contents page in its style of layout. It is again very structured and clear to read, which creates ease for the readers to find what they are looking for. The contents page includes a main story featuring The Courteeners. To the left of the main story, the contents includes "Features" and "Every Month" and also what looks like a one off "Oasis Special." Including a special feature such as "Oasis Special!" seems to quite conventional for contents pages as after analysing NME, they also included a Reading and Leeds festival special. Using these promotes their magazine and brings something exciting into the magazine. Also, under the main story is a "Review" section which informs the readers about new albums and live gigs. This is a very useful section as it keeps the readers up to speed with the latest music. The "Every Month" feature reminds the readers that Q is a monthly magazine.
The Q contents page stays within the housestyle of their front cover by using the same colours (white, black, red). Much like the NME, Q uses the vibrant red to indicate page numbers and make them clear for the readers. The Q masthead is again placed at the top left corner, the same as the front cover. You can see that the same colours and fonts have been used through the whole contents page and the cover which maintains the housestyle. However, the Oasis Special is presented in gold writing and with a much more sophisticated font. This impacts the "special" and makes it seem very worthy of reading.
The story featured on the contents page gives it more essence and an insight in to the magazine. It makes the page less routine and structured as, besides the picture in the review section, this is the only photo that can catch the readers eyes and interest them. The choice of band is the Courteeners who are maybe not known as globally as other bands, however, they will appeal to the readers of Q magazine as they are an indie band. Unlike the NME contents article, this story only has a sentence to represent it. Although this means we don't get much information as to what the story will be about, it will make the readers interested and wanting to read more.
Analysis of NME Music Magazine
Front Cover
Here, I am analysing the NME music magazine. The NME magazine is of an alternative, indie genre and follows different conventions than that of a pop music magazine.
The masthead is big and bold and is bright red. This creates a house style as the red is used elsewhere on the cover. Red connotes danger and arrogance, which relates to the genre of the NME magazine as it is aimed at audiences who enjoy rock and indie music. It also reflects the magazines ideology as it aims to be alternative to the mainstream 'popular' music genre.
The red could also connote passion and the love for new music, hence the name of the magazine, the New Musical Express.
As the masthead is the first thing the readers notice, the magazine has included a conventional banner surrounding the masthead. The banner reads "The Top 50 Albums of 2008". This will draw more readers to the magazine as it is something that will intrigue them to find out more.
The main image is very conventional and the eyes are the main focus. The image is in black and white which contrasts with the rest of the house style. This could relate to the main article "BLUR REUNITED!" by making a statement against the rest of the housestyle and the colour scheme. The black and white image also gives a classic touch, and this impacts that Blur are coming back from time ago. The clothes in the picture also relect the genre as we can see leather and dark clothing. This connotes rock/indie genres and relates to the NME magazine.
We can see that the magazine has a specific audience because of the genre and theme, but this cover also suggests that it is for a younger generation. On the banner at the top it reads "Wot No AXL?", the use of the slang "wot" creates appeal to a younger audience as they are most likely to recognise this use of language. The cost of the magazine may also suggest a younger audience as it is priced quite cheap at £2.30. This is much more affordable than Q music magazine.
Contents Page
The contents page is divided into two sections. The bigger section on the left side features the main story "Noel Quits Oasis" and the right side is separated into several headings for example, radar, reviews and live! This sets a clear structure to the readers so it is easy to find what the are looking for. Above the headings, it also has a special feature for Reading and Leeds festival. This is located at the top half of the contents page and is one of the most noticeable things on the page. This is because people interested in NME magazine are generally people who attend festivals of the indie/rock genre.
Although the contents page is very structural and doesn't have the same style of the front cover, it still fits in with the housestyle of the magazine. The NME logo is placed at the top left corner, which is the same as the front cover. The contents page generally sticks to black, red and yellow which is common on the NME magazine. The contents continues to be clear and structural by using the colours to indicate different stories. The colour red stands out to the black and white, and they have used this colour to indicate page numbers.
The main story takes away the strict order/structure of the contents page and makes it less boring. Oasis are one of the most well known and prestigious bands in Britain so this story will most likely appeal to most of the readers of NME. It gives a preview of what the magazine is like and the stories that it includes. The story also relates to their special feature of Reading and Leeds festival so it ties the whole thing together. The main story also promotes the whole Oasis article as you can see in the short article it ends with a question "Is this just the latest in a long line of Gallagher spats, or really the end?" This makes the readers want to read the full article to find out more.
Also included on the contents page is their subscription offer. The heading, "SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE" is big and bold and in yellow which is one of the brightest colours on the whole page. This immediatlely grabs the readers attention and promotes their magazine.
Double Page Spread
Here, I am analysing the NME music magazine. The NME magazine is of an alternative, indie genre and follows different conventions than that of a pop music magazine.
The masthead is big and bold and is bright red. This creates a house style as the red is used elsewhere on the cover. Red connotes danger and arrogance, which relates to the genre of the NME magazine as it is aimed at audiences who enjoy rock and indie music. It also reflects the magazines ideology as it aims to be alternative to the mainstream 'popular' music genre.
The red could also connote passion and the love for new music, hence the name of the magazine, the New Musical Express.
As the masthead is the first thing the readers notice, the magazine has included a conventional banner surrounding the masthead. The banner reads "The Top 50 Albums of 2008". This will draw more readers to the magazine as it is something that will intrigue them to find out more.
The main image is very conventional and the eyes are the main focus. The image is in black and white which contrasts with the rest of the house style. This could relate to the main article "BLUR REUNITED!" by making a statement against the rest of the housestyle and the colour scheme. The black and white image also gives a classic touch, and this impacts that Blur are coming back from time ago. The clothes in the picture also relect the genre as we can see leather and dark clothing. This connotes rock/indie genres and relates to the NME magazine.
We can see that the magazine has a specific audience because of the genre and theme, but this cover also suggests that it is for a younger generation. On the banner at the top it reads "Wot No AXL?", the use of the slang "wot" creates appeal to a younger audience as they are most likely to recognise this use of language. The cost of the magazine may also suggest a younger audience as it is priced quite cheap at £2.30. This is much more affordable than Q music magazine.
Contents Page
The contents page is divided into two sections. The bigger section on the left side features the main story "Noel Quits Oasis" and the right side is separated into several headings for example, radar, reviews and live! This sets a clear structure to the readers so it is easy to find what the are looking for. Above the headings, it also has a special feature for Reading and Leeds festival. This is located at the top half of the contents page and is one of the most noticeable things on the page. This is because people interested in NME magazine are generally people who attend festivals of the indie/rock genre.
Although the contents page is very structural and doesn't have the same style of the front cover, it still fits in with the housestyle of the magazine. The NME logo is placed at the top left corner, which is the same as the front cover. The contents page generally sticks to black, red and yellow which is common on the NME magazine. The contents continues to be clear and structural by using the colours to indicate different stories. The colour red stands out to the black and white, and they have used this colour to indicate page numbers.
The main story takes away the strict order/structure of the contents page and makes it less boring. Oasis are one of the most well known and prestigious bands in Britain so this story will most likely appeal to most of the readers of NME. It gives a preview of what the magazine is like and the stories that it includes. The story also relates to their special feature of Reading and Leeds festival so it ties the whole thing together. The main story also promotes the whole Oasis article as you can see in the short article it ends with a question "Is this just the latest in a long line of Gallagher spats, or really the end?" This makes the readers want to read the full article to find out more.
Also included on the contents page is their subscription offer. The heading, "SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE" is big and bold and in yellow which is one of the brightest colours on the whole page. This immediatlely grabs the readers attention and promotes their magazine.
Double Page Spread
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Conventions of a Music Magazine
Front cover:
Main image - this is usually centered on the eyes of the person in the image.
Masthead- the title, genre and ideology.
Banner headline
Cover lines/Selling lines.
Tag line
Puffs- for example "free holiday" (usually found in corners of front cover).
Kicker- explanatory line to the banner.
Contents page:
Features- the articles that are special to that month.
Regulars- the articles that are there every month. For example, editorial and mastheads.
Double page spread:
Two pages of the same article.
Main image usually dominates.
Main image - this is usually centered on the eyes of the person in the image.
Masthead- the title, genre and ideology.
Banner headline
Cover lines/Selling lines.
Tag line
Puffs- for example "free holiday" (usually found in corners of front cover).
Kicker- explanatory line to the banner.
Contents page:
Features- the articles that are special to that month.
Regulars- the articles that are there every month. For example, editorial and mastheads.
Double page spread:
Two pages of the same article.
Main image usually dominates.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
LIIAR Interpretation of the main task brief.
Language - This will include camera angles, colour codes, layout or "splash" and a house style. These are the conventions of magazines, so after analysing different music magazines I will choose how I will use these conventions on my own magazine.
Institution - Institutions are the publishing companies of magazines. For example, Q is published by Bauer and NME is published by IPC. The publishing companies have a market and target audience for each magazine that they publish as they are in competition to make profits.
Ideology - Each different magazine has a set of morals, values and messages. You can analyise the ideology of NME magazine as it has different connotations. NME stands for New Music Express which suggests that the magazine is fast to deliver the newest music. It also sounds like 'enemy' and this can imply that the magazine is the enemy of mainstream music.
Audience - All magazines have target audiences. These are usually defined by age, gender, type and social classes (A, B, C1, C2, D and E). Q magazine may have a different target audience to NME magazine as it is more expensive, suggesting that NME appeals to C2, D and E social classes.
Representation - The front cover of music magazines usually represent the target audience. This is because the readers like to see what they perhaps aspire to be like and it increases sales.
Institution - Institutions are the publishing companies of magazines. For example, Q is published by Bauer and NME is published by IPC. The publishing companies have a market and target audience for each magazine that they publish as they are in competition to make profits.
Ideology - Each different magazine has a set of morals, values and messages. You can analyise the ideology of NME magazine as it has different connotations. NME stands for New Music Express which suggests that the magazine is fast to deliver the newest music. It also sounds like 'enemy' and this can imply that the magazine is the enemy of mainstream music.
Audience - All magazines have target audiences. These are usually defined by age, gender, type and social classes (A, B, C1, C2, D and E). Q magazine may have a different target audience to NME magazine as it is more expensive, suggesting that NME appeals to C2, D and E social classes.
Representation - The front cover of music magazines usually represent the target audience. This is because the readers like to see what they perhaps aspire to be like and it increases sales.
Main Task Brief
To produce the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, produced by you - minimum of four images.
Friday, 22 October 2010
Front Cover and Evaluation
This is my final outcome of my magazine cover. I think that my magazine cover relates to the brief really well and I have met the targets of the brief. After studying and analysing different college magazines I understood how to use the conventions in my own college magzine. I included a barcode, a dateline and an issue number to add to the authenticity of my magazine. I think that my masthead also sticks to the conventions of typical magazine as it is the first things you notice on the front cover. I also used relevant cover lines to reflect the college magazine.
I think the image that I chose to use was the best of my final four because it is very colourful and has quite a scenic background, which I think is a nice touch. The model relates to the college magazine as she is holding a folder which relate to the work side of college. However, she is very happy and smiling which portrays to the reader that college is a happy place to be involved. I decided against the other photos as I didn't think they had the potential that my chosen photo did for a front cover.
By testing my chosen photo as a front cover, I decided on my colour scheme for the magazine. As the picture is very colourful I decided to use black and white font for the cover lines, but I wanted a colorful masthead. I picked up a colour off the scarf to use for my masthead which links the whole thing together. The colour is also close to that of the Wyke logo so again relates to the college.
I think that by looking at my magazine you can clearly see that the target audience is students at college. As I chose to name my magazine 'Achieve!' this creates a wider audience and appeals to all students, not just the ones at Wyke. However, my cover lines only relate to Wyke, which maybe work against the name of my magazine. This creates room for improvement in my magazine and if i were to re-do the task I would take this into consideration.
I think the image that I chose to use was the best of my final four because it is very colourful and has quite a scenic background, which I think is a nice touch. The model relates to the college magazine as she is holding a folder which relate to the work side of college. However, she is very happy and smiling which portrays to the reader that college is a happy place to be involved. I decided against the other photos as I didn't think they had the potential that my chosen photo did for a front cover.
By testing my chosen photo as a front cover, I decided on my colour scheme for the magazine. As the picture is very colourful I decided to use black and white font for the cover lines, but I wanted a colorful masthead. I picked up a colour off the scarf to use for my masthead which links the whole thing together. The colour is also close to that of the Wyke logo so again relates to the college.
I think that by looking at my magazine you can clearly see that the target audience is students at college. As I chose to name my magazine 'Achieve!' this creates a wider audience and appeals to all students, not just the ones at Wyke. However, my cover lines only relate to Wyke, which maybe work against the name of my magazine. This creates room for improvement in my magazine and if i were to re-do the task I would take this into consideration.
Drafts of Front Cover
This is a rough idea of how I would like my front cover to look. I will use a purple, black and white colour scheme so it relates to the college and their logo.
Drafts of Contents Page
This is a rough idea of how I want my contents page to look. I have not used colours in this draft, however I plan to use the same colour scheme as my front cover.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Idea Development and Planning - Photographs
I took several different photos to test out for the cover of my magazine. These were my four favourite photographs and I tested each one as the cover of my magazine. I liked them all but in the end I chose the last photograph.
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Idea Development and Planning - Fonts
These are some examples of fonts I could use for my masthead. My favourite of the fonts is the third one which is quite classic and 'old school' and could maybe stereotype an American college. I think this font would work well with my college magazine and be appropriate for the brief. I like the other fonts too, but maybe think that they wouldn't work as well as the classic college font.
Conventions of a College Magazine
Whilst analysing the Secondary Teachers magazines, I noticed many conventions within college magazines. I noticed that both the covers stick to traditional conventions and the most conventional main image shot is medium close-up, which I will be using on my magazine. I could also use the other conventions on my own college magazine cover. For example, each college magazine, along with any other magazine, has a big, bold masthead to promote the magazine, my masthead will be something simple like 'Wyke News.' They also have a few cover lines to encourage the reader to read all the other articles the magazine has to offer. On my front cover I will be using college related cover lines such as: 'EMA details' or 'Wyke Halloween Party.' The magazines also have a main cover line promoting the main story, mine will be something to promote Wyke College, like '99% Pass Rate.' As well as these conventions, I have noted that all magazines include a dateline, bar code, and an issue number, which I will be using on my front cover.
Thursday, 7 October 2010
LIIAR analysis of a college magazine
This is another analysis of the college magazine "Secondary teachers." Again, the target audience is teachers and students. This front cover also aims to be simple, yet attractive to the target audience. The first things you notice about this front over are the masthead and the image. The masthead is in bold writing and automatically draws attention to the reader. The word 'Secondary' generalises that the magazine is for secondary school, so it appeals to students and teachers. However, it also has the word 'teachers' in smaller writing underneath, which suggests that the main target audience is teachers. The masthead has a twist on it from the usual masthead as it is the magazines 10th birthday. Above the main word of the mast head "secondary" it reads "happy 10th birthday, teachers magazine!" This further promotes the magazine as it tells the audience the magazine has been going on sale for 10 years, which suggests to the audience is worth reading and is very helpful.
The other main thing that the readers will notice is the picture which is right in the middle of the cover. The colours are very bright and attractive and automatically grabs the readers attention. The primary colours used in the image may suggest a younger audience eg. the students, however the colours dont dominate the whole cover so it is suitable for the teachers and professionals too. The image used also reflects the article shown as it is all about 'schools of the future.' The image of space and the rocket impacts the article well as when we think of space we think of the future, or something maybe out of this world. The rocket image is cleverly made as a pencil, which relates back to the magazine being for teachers and students.
The language used on the image / front cover also reflects what the article is about. Words such as 'endeavour', 'enterprise' and 'frontiers' all suggest a theme of space or the future, which is exactly what the article is about.
LIIAR analysis of a college magazine
Here I am analyzing the front cover of the magazine 'Secondary teachers.' This type of magazine is for professional use of teachers and sometimes students. The magazine aims to be represented in a simple way but at the same time one that will appeal to its target audience to be inspiring and useful.
The first thing that you notice from this magzine is the fact that the front cover continues onto the back cover. This effect is very intriguing and different for the readers. I think that this effect works very well with the concept of this magazine, which is "Do boys and girls learn differently?" The effect of having a boy on the front on one page and a girl on the other reflects the article very well.
The masthead is in a big and bold text which stands out straight away to the readers, however "teachers" is in smaller writing and this is also the target audience. The colours could be suggested to be quite boy like but the rest of the cover suggests that boys and girls are equal.
The models on the front/back page are one of the first things you notice and they are both shown quite differently. The pose of the girl is quite reserved which contrasts to the boy as he looks quite lively and this maybe portrays him as an outspoken and enthusiastic person. However, the girl looks reserved and looks like she could be a little less comfortable than the boy being outspoken and enthusiastic.
The article headings also relfect the purpose of the article. The colours are very generic, pink for the girl and blue for the boy, which could maybe suggest differences or a divide between the genders. But, they both use the same simple font and read "Do boys and girls learn differently?" Underneath this it reads "and can your teaching redress the balance?" These are both rhetorical questions with the answer to them both being yes. However, it is wanting to provoke thought by still using question marks.
LIIAR interpretation of the brief.
Language - Media terminology. For example, medium close-up and masthead. We will be using medium close-up shots on our magazine.
Institutions - Producer of a media text.
Ideology - System of ideas and beliefs. The choices that are made to create a media text.
Audience - The target audience that the magaine will appeal to and who it will affect. My magazine's target audience will be students.
Representation - How things are portrayed to the target audience.
Institutions - Producer of a media text.
Ideology - System of ideas and beliefs. The choices that are made to create a media text.
Audience - The target audience that the magaine will appeal to and who it will affect. My magazine's target audience will be students.
Representation - How things are portrayed to the target audience.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
AS Media Studies - The Brief.
Preliminary exercise:
Using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally you must produce a mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of DTP.
Main task:
Produce the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, produced by you - minimum of four images.
Using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up plus some appropriately laid-out text and a masthead. Additionally you must produce a mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of DTP.
Main task:
Produce the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, produced by you - minimum of four images.
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