Mind Map

I have created a mind-map in order to display each of my inital ideas, and decide from here about the content that I will put into my final magazine. I have included aspects such as the planning of my photographs, the content of my magazine, ideas on colour, and options for my magazine title.

Target Audience

The target audience for my music magazine is both males and females from a wide age-group of around fifteen year olds to twenty-five year olds. However, in order for me to attract this target audience, there are various different things that I need to take into consideration.

A target audience is a specific group of people set by an institution, consisting of people they aim to attract into buying their product. Some institutions aim to target a wide audience, whereas others target a niche group. Ultimately, any media text must include a range of different aspects that relate to this target audience, and must therefore take into consideration areas such as sex, gender, ethnicity and social groups.

My magazine must include content relevant to all of these ages. For example, if my magazine were to include content in relation to bands from the 1980's, the main target audience for my magazine would be those interested in this particular era of music, and possibly readers aged twenty to forty. Therefore, to attract an age group of fifteen to twenty-five, the bands within my magazine must be largely bands from the late 80's and onwards. As my magazine will be targeting both males and females, it needs to include content that interests both genders. This can be displayed through simple aspects such as the colour scheme, or aspects of content. For example, if the main colour scheme was pink, this would suggest that my magazine was designed for a female audience, and similarly if all content related to football, it would suggest that my magazine was designed for males.

Therefore, my magazine must include a unisex colour scheme and a wide range of articles relevant to both males and females. It is possible that my magazine will be slightly more female-orientated than male, however it will still include male-based aspects. Additionally, as my magazine genre is pop/rock, my magazine will attract those interested in this particular type of music, and all artists and content must also relate to this genre; possibly including stereotypes and ideology to create familiarity within the readers.

Analysis of a Music Magazine Contents Page #3

This is a contents page taken from an issue of Kerrang magazine. The layout is very conventional in terms of music magazine content page’s. For example, the title of the page is displayed at the very top, making it the first thing recognised about the page. Though all text and images upon the page are displayed against a plain white background, the title is written against a black background. This is possibly because the title is written in yellow, and is therefore clearer and easier to read against black, but also because the colour theme of the Kerrang magazine is black, yellow and white, and therefore having the colours set out in this way continues the themes from the cover throughout the magazine. All items of content and their page numbers are then displayed in a list down the right-hand side of the page. Here, the list is split into several different sections, each with a headline. These headlines are set out in a similar way to the main title of the page, with a black background and yellow writing, however they are much smaller than the page title. Unlike NME and Q magazine, the items of content listed do not have descriptions; only their titles are displayed. Their corresponding page numbers are emboldened to ensure they stand out further.

Additionally, within the top, left-hand corner of the page is an image of the magazine editor. There is then a short paragraph in which she summarises this particular issue of Kerrang and its contents. Towards the right of this paragraph, but beneath the main title, is a short quote taken from a member of the band Anti-flag. As in NME, the bottom right-hand corner is taken up by a promotional offer, attracting readers into subscribing to the Kerrang magazine. This uses the colour red, which isn’t used anywhere else upon the page, making it stand out amongst all of the other aspects.

Furthermore, the rest of the page is taken up by a collage of images, each relating to an aspect of content within the magazine. They each have their corresponding page numbers written either below or across the image, however this time they also have a short description. There are also graphics used, such as the ‘explosion’ at the bottom of the page that contains text. This makes it stand out more than it would if it were simply written upon the page. Conventionally, the date of publishing and the institution website is displayed in small font beneath the page title.

Analysis of a Music Magazine Contents Page #2

Here is a contents page taken from NME magazine. This particular contents page is quite similar to that of 'Q' magazine previously analysed. The most dominant item of text upon this page is the title; this includes the magazine logo and in large, emboldened block text the word 'CONTENTS'. The date of publishing is also written here, however in smaller text. This title is written in a 'banner' format, with the background of the text being black. This style is similarly used for the headlines that are listed on the right-hand side of the page. Beneath each of these headlines are the page numbers which contain texts that correspond to the headlines. Each of these items are written in black text against a white background, ensuring they stand out and are easy to read. The page numbers are then written in red, so that, again, these stand out. The page titles are emboldened and written in capitals, situated above the short, intriguing descriptions of each of the pages. In contrast, a red banner is used at the bottom of the list, with red writing that states 'The UK'S no1 gig guide starts p67'; this catches the readers eye and then attracts them into locating the page and reading the article to receive more information.

In addition, towards the bottom of the content list, a promotional offer which attracts people into subscribing to the NME magazine is displayed. Not only does this feature the white, red and black colours of the magazines general colour scheme, it also contains yellow, which isn't used elsewhere upon the page. This makes the promotion stand out more than any other aspect, and therefore may attract more readers into subscribing to the magazine. The colour yellow is also seen as a bright, happy colour, and therefore creates a positive attitude towards the promotion.
Taking up a large proportion of the page, possibly half, is a section which contains a summary of the issue and an image that relates towards the theme. This particular issue is the 'touring special', and therefore, within the image, popular singer 'Little Boots' is seen posing in front of her tour bus. The paragraph then explains to the reader the importance of winter gigs and tours to the British, and reveals a list of articles, all featuring well-known artists, that relate to touring, also with reference to their page numbers.

Analysis of a Music Magazine Contents Page #1

This is a contents page taken from Q magazine. The features of the magazine are listed down the left-hand side, beneath the red banner that states 'FEATURES'. Each of the page titles, their page numbers and a short description of each are then listed below; this description may attract the audience into reading each of these articles, and is therefore snappy and intriguing. The page titles are written in capitals, and in a larger font than the description below, making them stand out more. As this particular magazine is an Oasis special, beneath the features of the magazine is a section of page numbers and short descriptions in reference to articles based around the band. Towards the bottom of the page, again beneath a red banner, there are then the features that appear within the magazine monthly. On the right-hand side, taking up around a third of the page is an image of the band, 'The Courteeners'. The page number and description for this image are again displayed, but this time slightly overlapping the picture, rather than listed on the left. Additionally, beneath this photo there is a 'Q review' section, which also features a selling line 'The world's biggest and best music guide'. Here, the different types of reviews featured within the magazine and their pages numbers are listed. There is also another image, though this one is relatively small in comparison with the image of 'The Courteeners', which also has a page number and the name of the male featured within the photo. At the very top of the page, towards the right of the page title is the issue number, date of publishing and the Q website. Overall, the layout of this particular contents page is fairly simple.

Furthermore, the colour scheme of this contents page is kept similar to the colour scheme found upon the cover of a Q magazine, using reds, blacks and whites. These colours, particularly the reds and blacks, represent the 'rock' theme of the magazine, being fairly edgy colours, often represented with danger. The main items of text are written in black against a white background, creating a contrast which ensures they are clear and easy to read. The page numbers are then written in red, so that they stand out against the black writing of the description and page title.
The 'Q' logo is featured twice upon the contents page. This particular logo is recognisable, and is used simply to refer back to the institution of the magazine.

Analysis of a Music Magazine Double Page Spread #3

This particular double page spread displays an article about Beyonce's sister, Solange Knowles. Both text and images are distributed across both of the pages, yet the spread still remains relatively simple.

There are numerous images upon the spread, each of them photo's of the artist Solange, however only one these photos is in colour. This particular image is also the largest picture out of the eight. In each of the gray scale photos along the top of the spread, Solange appears to be dancing, enjoying herself, and therefore expressing her care-free personality. The main image is a full-length shot of the artist, shot from a low angle which makes her looks larger and therefore more powerful. She also has her hands on her hips, and his staring directly into the camera, therefore engaging with the audience whilst presenting herself as confident and self assured.

Moreover, her choice of outfit also expresses her playful personality. She is wearing a variety of colours, including purple shoes, a red dress with plenty of ruffles and a blue jacket, and it is therefore eye catching and unique. This is possibly due to the fact that Solange wishes to stand out above her sister, who currently takes most of the limelight within the media as one of the most famous female singers. This is further explained within the article description, where it states 'Forget about her sister'. Also within this article description, is states that Solange is 'outspoken', and her name is highlighted as it is written in a different colour to the rest of the text, again making her stand out.

Additionally, the article is displayed in a simple black font, presented in columns across both pages. Towards the right of the main image, a relatively large pull line is written in slightly larger, emboldened font, where a statement by Solange has been pulled from the article. This intrigues the audience and attracts them into reading the entire article to expand on the statement. All text and images are clear, as they stand out against the plain white background.

Analysis of a Music Magazine Double Page Spread #2

This particular double page spread features rapper Dizzee Rascal.
The whole first page is taken up by a large image of Dizzee, and a large proportion of the second page is taken up by the title of the article, 'FROM TAGS TO RICHES'. Both Tags and Riches are the key words within this title, as they are written in a slightly larger front, and therefore stand out. This title refers to the article, in which the story of how Dizzee Rascal become rich and famous is told. This particular phrase is usually recognisable to many people as 'From Rags to Riches', and is therefore familiar to the audience. The title also refers back to the image upon the left page of the spread.

This particular image presents Dizzee Rascal spraying graffiti upon a wall. As it is illegal to graffiti on any object of public property, he appears to be looking over his shoulder in order to ensure that nobody is watching him or, more importantly, that the police are not approaching him. Spraying an item of text upon any public object is often referred to as a 'Tag', which is one of the key words included within the title. Tagging is usually done by youths who often hang around the streets. As it is illegal, this image portrays Dizzee Rascal as a 'bad boy', presenting to the reader his rebellious and carefree attitude. The empty beer bottles and plastic cups upon the right-hand page of the spread also represent this, suggesting, along with the stereo, that he likes to party and therefore have a good time.
Furthermore, also within the image, Dizzee appears to be wearing a red jacket. The colour red is instantly associated with danger, further expanding on the point that his actions within the image are unlawful.

Stereotypically, an artist within the Rap/Hip-hop music genre are often associated with lots of expensive jewellery, baggy or over sized jeans, and often large coats. It seems that within this image, Dizzee fits this stereotype. We can see that his jeans are slightly over sized, he seems to be wearing rings upon his fingers, and he is also wearing what looks like an expensive leather jacket. As his outfit appears to be expensive, this links back to the 'Riches' part of the title.

Beneath the title, but in a much smaller font, there is a short description about the following article. This description uses attractive statements which cause the audience to read on. The actual article is then displayed in even smaller text. The black text stands out clearly upon the white background, and is therefore easy to read.

Analysis of a Music Magazine Double Page Spread #1

This double page spread is dedicated to the American band ‘All American Rejects’, as stated at the very top of page on the left. As in most typical double page spreads based upon a band or solo artist interview, this particular spread contains a main picture of the band, which takes up a large proportion of the two pages. The largest piece of text upon the two pages is the title, which contains words which are also lyrics from one of the bands songs. ‘Dirty Little Secrets’ suggests to the audience that the band will be revealing just that within their interviews; their deepest secrets. This is possibly why the ‘secrets’ part of the title stands out more than the other two words. It has been emboldened, written in a clearer, block font, and typed in red.

There are three dominant colours upon this particular spread; red, black and a pale lilac. Both of the red and the black are slightly edgy colours, and have possibly been used in relation to the bands rebellious attitudes. As stated within the description of the spread, the band may sound innocent, but as highlighted, ‘don’t be fooled.’ This is intriguing and attractive to an audience, as many fans of the band will be very interested in reading about the bands unknown secrets.

Moreover, it seems that Tyson is the most important member of the band. This is evident from various aspects upon the spread. Instead of stating within the description beneath the page title, ‘The All American Rejects dish the dirt…’, it states ‘Tyson and his crew dish the dirt…’. This suggests that Tyson, being the lead member of the band, almost owns or controls the other members. He is therefore also the most dominant feature of the main image. Within this image, it looks as though he is pushing the other three band members out of the way, towards the background of the image, so that he is in the front, and therefore the most dominant person within the readers eye. The look upon his face is one which suggests he is self assured and confident. He is also looking into the camera, which is shooting from a straight on angle, in medium close-up, and he is therefore engaging with the audience. Additionally, upon the left-hand side of the spread, all members of the band are interviewed. However, on the right-hand side of the spread, there is an extra interview with Tyson alone.

The way in which the members of the band are dressed further expands on their slightly extravagant or rebellious attitudes. They are dressed in a variety of colours, the main member wearing purple jeans with a red hat, and one of the other members wearing a striped pair of dungarees. There are also smaller photos of the band members surrounding the main image, however these are displayed in black and white rather than colour, ensuring that the main image stands out more. Each of the photos show a member of the band looking happy and confident.

Furthermore, near to the main image, there is a quotation from within the interview. This is a line which is possibly attractive to the audience, interesting them to read the interview and further expand on this teaser. Within the actual interview, each of the band members names are highlighted, as are the questions. All text stands out upon the plain black background, making it clear and easy to read. This could also relate to the band standing out with their bright, edgy clothing and their playful personalities.

Analysis of a General Magazine Front Cover

I have also analysed the conventions of a general magazine, so that I can use it in comparison to music magazines.

Cosmopolitan is a very well-known, popular institution. It provides entertainment and advertisement, based upon fashion, beauty and real life, to attract a wide female audience. We can tell that its target audience is female by the many conventional aspects displayed on the cover. For example, the main image is of a female, Mischa Barton, and each of the cover lines relate to women and fashion, ‘Cosmo gets real about women’s bodies’. It is also stated on the front cover that this particular issue of Cosmopolitan is their ‘Naked body confidence issue’, and this seems to be represented within the main image. Mischa Barton appears to be wearing no clothes within the image, an action which is portrayed as something only ‘body confident’ people do, yet she is seemingly comfortable and confident with her appearance. She is looking straight on at the camera, which is using a medium close-up shot and a straight on angle, and therefore she is engaging with the audience. She is also smiling, further enhancing the fact that she is happy with her body. Several of the cover lines also relate to this topic of ‘body confidence’, particularly the main cover line which boldly states ‘Your Body Rocks!’. One cover line reads ‘Mischa Barton on loving your shape’, which will further attract the audience as a large audience of females will be interested on how Mischa gains the confidence which she seems to have so much of within the main image. However, not all cover lines relate to this topic, as there are still aspects of content relating to real-life and fashion, also distributed around the main image.

The Masthead is written in its recognisable, bold and capitalised font type. A range of different colours have been used, including pink, blue, white, black and purple, but all of them work well together. A range of different fonts have also been used upon the cover, which makes the magazine look more creative. Moreover, the banner at the top of the magazine is used as a further selling technique. If this is the only part of the magazine visible within a shop, the promise of two free cinema tickets for every reader may attract the reader into buying the magazine. The date and price of the magazine are visible beneath the masthead, clearly stating the month and year of publication and the clear price of £3.30. This price suggests that Cosmopolitan aims to target an audience of medium-class, as it isn’t overly expensive, nor is it particularly cheap. The barcode and website are displayed within the bottom right-hand corner.

In addition to the target audience of this magazine, though I have also identified it being female orientated, I would say that it targets a specific age group. It seems that much of the content is fairly mature, with aspects on body related issues and sex, both of which are not concerns for younger readers. One of the cover lines also relates to a woman’s marriage, suggesting that cosmopolitan targets an older audience and those who have entered into marriage. Therefore, based on the content of the magazine, I would say that cosmopolitan aims to target a wide age group of sixteen to thirty five year olds.

Analysis of a Music Magazine Front Cover #3

Q magazine is a very well-known music magazine. Its selling line, situated beneath its recognisable masthead, is ‘The ultimate rock’n’roll magazine’. As ‘Q’ is a popular magazine, the masthead can be covered by the main image, with readers still recognising the institution. The banner across the very top of the magazine is also used as a selling technique, and therefore includes something catchy and intriguing, in this case ‘inside the rolling stones’. This short but snappy statement will attract many fans of the popular band, both young and old.

The main image is of female artist Beyonce. Though Beyonce is not particularly rock’n’roll, as her music falls under the genre of R&B, the way in which she is portrayed within the image suggests that she is. A typical stereotype of a female rock’n’roll artist is thick black eye makeup and plenty of leather. It seems that Beyonce has heavy eye makeup, and is wearing a white leather coat, lined with fur. The main cover line beneath the main image states ‘Sex, Power, Booty!’ all of which also relate to what is being presented within the image. Beyonce appears larger, and therefore more powerful, due to the angle of the camera. The camera is titled upwards, suggesting Beyonce is far more dominant than she would appear if the camera were focused straight-on, or more importantly, from above, where she would look smaller. Not only does this camera angle allow us to see the expression upon her face, it also allows us to see her figure and the way in which she is stood. Her visible facial expression suggests Beyonce holds a certain ‘sex appeal’ about her, again stated within the main cover line; she looks confident and self assured, her head tilted to one side, her lips parted, and her eyes focused on and engaging with the audience. One of Beyonce’s most popular and well-known singles is ‘Bootylicious’, a song written to represent the ideology that Beyonce has a very curvaceous figure. Therefore, not only does the last part of the main cover line, ‘Booty!’, refer to this, but it may also refer to what we can see within the image. The tight dress that Beyonce is wearing makes her curves clearly visible. Beyonce seems comfortable with this appearance, creating a positive attitude towards real beauty with the readers.

Other conventional aspects of this magazine are the cover lines distributed around the main image. Each of them refer to content within the magazine, that will interest the reader and encourage them to buy the magazine and read on. Each of the bands within the cover lines relate to rock’n’roll genre. The magazine is priced at around £3.30, stated next to the barcode in the bottom-hand corner, where the dateline is also situtated. The conventional colours for this magazine are black, white and red, which are again found upon this particular issue.

Furthermore, the target audience of this magazine are fans of rock’n’roll music, but also, for this particular issue, fans of Beyonce. As there is a wide range of bands listed within the cover lines, both new and old, I would say the targeted age group is anywhere from fifteen to twenty eight year olds, male and female, though it is perhaps slightly more swayed towards targeting a male audience due to its more masculine appearance. The price of £3.30 is slightly higher than average, and may be more affordable for those of medium-class.

Analysis of a Music Magazine Front Cover #2

This music magazine varies slightly from the ‘NME’ magazine, which I analysed previously, however it still displays most of the usual conventions. The artist within this magazines main image is Chris Brown, who is a well-known hip-hop/R&B artist. Again, the image of Chris Brown covers the magazines Masthead, which is ‘VIBE’, possibly because it is a popular, already recognisable institution. It is also a commercial institution, like NME. Additionally, the masthead is printed in a large, bold font, of white colouring, which ensures that it stands out upon the splash.

The way in which Chris Brown is displayed represents him in a particular way to the audience; he looks self assured and confident, displayed by the look on his face and the way in which his cap is perched upon the side of his head. He also carries a certain ‘swagger’ about him, also represented by his body language, and the way one hand is in his pocket, the other making a signal to the audience to present this. A typical stereotype for an artist of this genre is a confident, tattooed person sporting plenty of expensive jewellery or ‘bling’. Therefore, Chris Brown’s presentation fits this idea. For a male, Chris’s hat and baggy jeans also fit this stereotype. The image has been shot from a tilted angle, looking upwards and therefore making the artist appear bigger and more dominant. It is also a long shot, ensuring that we can see both Chris Brown’s facial expression and read his body language. Similarly to the NME magazine, the main cover line (the largest and most recognisable cover line upon the cover) is in relation to this main image, and therefore to Chris Brown. It also contains an item of speech which intrigues the audience and catches their attention: ‘I’m still a virgin’, this may shock fans of Chris Brown, before it then states ‘…in your eyes’. We are then intrigued to read on in order to understand the meaning of this statement. Each of the other cover lines are situated in a list towards the right-hand side of the magazine, all of which relate to popular artists and their music.

Though the main text colour of this particular magazine is white, all key words are displayed in a different colour; generally green but on few occasions either red or yellow. The banner is again displayed at the top of the magazine, and is therefore the first thing visible when the magazine is displayed within a shop. The banner states an area of content that will interest the readers and attract them into buying the magazine; in this case, the downfall of the famous Debarge Family from the 1980s. The barcode is situated within the bottom left-hand corner, along with the dateline and magazine website. As all content within this magazine relates to hip-hop/R&B/rap music, the target audience will ultimately be anyone interested within this particular genre of music. Also, as many of the artists stated upon the front cover are fairly modern, such as Will.I.Am, Chris Brown and Usher, I would say this magazine targets an age group of around fifteen to twenty five year olds. Though the main image is of a male, I would also say that Vibe’s target audience is both male and female orientated, due to content stated within the cover lines. For example, ‘The 30 hottest spots for hip hop and R&B on the web’ would be of interest to both genders, with cover line such as ‘Usher’s exes’ being particularly of interest to females.

Analysis of a Music Magazine Front Cover #1

This particular music magazine cover displays many conventional aspects. Firstly, its main image. The image presents ‘The Gossip’, a well-known ‘punk’ band. Not only is the image as a whole the first thing to catch the readers eye, and therefore the most prominent aspect of the cover, but the lead singer of the band is also the most visible of the three members; this is due to the camera angle at which the image was shot. She appears to be closer to the camera, the two males behind her being merely part of her background. This suggests she is of higher importance within the band than the other members. The angle of the camera is tilted slightly upwards, suggesting that the band are bigger, and therefore more powerful, than they actually are. The way in which the female is stood also suggests that she holds power and importance, as well as portraying that she is self aware; she is looking down upon the reader, over the top of her sunglasses. The members of the band represent the typical stereotype that all members of a rock/punk band are tattooed, with the males sporting long fringes and the females wearing slightly heavy makeup, particularly around the eyes. This is evident in the image of this magazine, as two of the three band members appear to have tattoos upon their arms, and both of the males are sporting this type of hair style. The female has bright red lips, and from what we can see beneath her sunglasses, appears to be wearing thick black eyeliner. The main coverline is also in relation to this main image, and therefore to the band being displayed; it states the name of the band and an insight into the content of the spread, based upon ‘The Gossip’, inside of the magazine, using the selling line ‘How Three Punks Smashed the Mainstream’.

The institution of this particular magazine is ‘NME’, which is clearly a very well-known and popular institution, as the logo is partially hidden behind the main image, yet is still recognisable; it is also a commercial institution, providing entertainment. The banner at the top of the cover is used as a selling technique, for when a variety of magazines are all stacked upon a shelf within a shop, and only this banner is visible. This particular magazine states content about a possible band reunion, which will be attractive to all previous fans of ‘Blur’, and it also states that upon page 10 of the magazine, the full line-up of V festival is revealed. As V festival is a very popular event, with tickets in high demand, this is likely to appeal to a very wide range of people and therefore help to sell the magazine.

Furthermore, the cover lines of this magazine are situated around the main image, again somewhat covered by the image, which is of more importance. Each of these cover lines contain short, snappy sentences on different, well-known bands that relate to the content of the magazine, often containing short quotations from something that a band member has previously stated. Within the bottom, right-hand corner there is a bar code with the price of the magazine and the dateline. The NME website is also displayed here. The price of this certain magazine is £3.99, and therefore fairly expensive. Its target audience must ultimately be those of medium to high class. Additionally, as each of the bands presented upon the cover fit into the rock/indie genre, the magazine must also aim to target fans of this type of music. As the magazine contains contents about both new and slightly older bands, I would say that the age group in which the magazine is possibly targeting is of a wide range, from around fifteen year olds to thirty year olds.

LIIAR

Language - This is the specific terminology used to describe a media text. For example, within a music magazine, the terminology would be each of the various conventions we expect them to use, as each of these conventions communicate to the audience the meaning of the text.

Institution - An institution is anything that creates a media text. For example, the institution of Q music magazine is ‘Q’. Not only do they create music magazines, but they also have a website.

Ideology - Ideology is a system of beliefs or a dominant set of ideas that belong to a group of people, or to individuals, and are acceptable to the creators of a media text. Some of the more dominant ideologies are an accepted part of society, as they include ideas that are accepted by the majority of the society.

Audience - These are the consumers of a media text. Many institutions set a target audience for their media texts, which is a specific group of people the institution aims to attract into buying their product. Some institutions aim to target a wide audience, whereas others target a niche group. Ultimately, any media text must include a range of different aspects that relate to this target audience, and must therefore take into consideration areas such as sex, gender and social groups.

Representation - Media texts represent our society and its values back to us as the audience, often by the use of stereotypes and codes.

Conventional Aspects of Magazines

Conventions of magazines

Magazines have various different conventions that we, as readers of these magazines, have come to recognise. For example, each cover of a magazine is expected to have the following aspects: a masthead, general cover lines, a main cover line, a selling line, a main image, bar code, date line, price and often a banner across the top. Magazines usually represent our society back to us, largely through the main image, to portray specific stereotypes that different groups of people believe. These representations usually relate to everyday lifestyle.

Masthead - This is the name or title of a magazine. It is usually situated at the top of a magazine, and is written in a unique and recognisable font.

Cover Lines - These are short, snappy statements or phrases which inform the reader on the content of the magazine. They are often distributed randomly around the main image.

Main Cover Line - The main cover line of a magazine is written in a larger font than the other cover lines upon the Splash, and usually takes up about a quarter of the cover. It is often used to represent the purpose of the magazine, and educate readers on the major article within the content.

Selling Line - This is a short and memorable statement which may be a description of the magazine title, or may be used simply to attract the audience into buying the magazine. It is often situated just beneath the Masthead.

Main Image - The main image of a magazine cover is the most important, and the largest, aspect upon the splash. It is often a medium-close up shot of somebody famous and recognisable. The main image usually presents a positive message to the audience.

Bar Code - This is merely a standard tool used by retailers. Often, if the magazine institution also has a website, the website is displayed next to the bar code.

Dateline - This is the month and year of publication. Some magazines are published weekly, whereas others are published less frequently and therefore monthly. However, if a magazine is published monthly, the month stated upon the cover is often one ahead of the actual date.

Price - This is the cost of a magazine. The magazine price often determines the type of audience who purchase the media text. This is often situated next to the dateline, or with the bar code.

Banner - Though not all magazine covers display a banner, many have one running along the very top of the splash, just above the masthead. This is used to further sell the magazine, and often features free products or promotions.

Conventions of music magazines

Music magazines use many of the above conventions. They each have a masthead, which is usually recognisable and written in a unique font face. If the magazine is popular, it is possible that the main image of the music magazine slightly overlaps this masthead. The main image is often of a well-known music artist or band, often artist's who’s music fits in with the genre of the magazine. Music magazines have cover lines, also relating to relevant bands and artists, a main cover line, which often relates to the main image and is therefore situated just beneath it, a bar code, date line, and a price. The price usually determines the target audience of a magazine, as a higher price will equal a higher class audience. Often, they also have a banner situated across the top of the cover. The artists within the main image of music magazines are often made to look powerful and self assured, as well as representing what is stereotypically correct for an artist within their genre of music. Some music magazines also display other images around the main image, in relation to the cover lines, however these are much smaller and therefore of less importance.

The Brief

Main Task: 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.

Evaluation:

For the preliminary task within the foundation portfolio, I was required to create the front page of a new school or college magazine. I have therefore produced the front cover of a College magazine, including the mock-up of a Contents Page.
Firstly, my finished product uses various conventions that are used in real print products. For example, published magazines each contain a masthead, cover lines, a main cover line, dateline, and a main image. My own magazine also contains each of these conventions. Although most magazines include a price and a barcode upon the cover, it was unnecessary for me to do so because my magazine is produced by a college, and therefore freely available to college students. If it were to have a price, the price would need to be minimal, in order for students to be able to afford it. The Masthead upon my magazine is the simple title of ‘STUDENT’. I chose this title due to my target audience being college students, feeling that it captures exactly what the magazine is all about. As stated upon the dateline on my cover, my magazine would have been published in September 2009. Therefore, I have chosen to make my magazine a ‘Fresher’s’ issue, with the main cover lines relating to new students of the college, beginning their A-levels in that September month. However, my magazine would still also contain content for all other students, as stated in the rest of my cover lines. The main image upon my magazine is of both a male and a female. I feel that this particular image creates a positive attitude towards education and the college lifestyle, as both students within the image seem to be enjoying themselves whilst reading a textbook. Both students also have their bags upon their shoulders, creating the idea that they are prepared for their lessons and suggesting they are ready to learn. Therefore, overall, my chosen image represents positive ideas about the student lifestyle back to us as the reader, far from the typical stereotype of teenage students, in which all sixteen to nineteen year olds are only interested in drugs, sex and violence, and far from interested in education.

Furthermore, I am confident that my finished product meets its target audience of college students. Within my target audience, I did not specify a gender that my magazine would appeal to the most, and simply hoped to make my front cover, in a sense, “unisex”. Therefore, to achieve this, I have included both a male and a female student within the main image. If I were to have merely included a female, it may have suggested that my magazine was aimed slightly more towards that gender. Though my magazine is widely targeted towards new students of the college, or ‘Fresher’s’, I have also included various ideas within my cover lines for content that would appeal to all students and all age groups of the college. For example, ‘STUDENT rules for achieving that career’ is an area of content that all students can relate to. I have also used colours that are not associated to a specific gender group. If all text upon my front page was pink, this would change the entire outlook of the magazine, placing it in the stereotype that it must be a female magazine because “only girls like pink”. Instead, I have used both purple and green, neither of which is associated with a specific group of people.

Moreover, in order to create my final print product of a front cover, I had to use various ICT programmes. For each of my layout drafts, for both the front cover and the contents page, I used Microsoft Publisher, in order to demonstrate my ability to grasp and effectively use the programme. I also used this same programme to add all items of text onto my final product. In addition to my use of DTP, I also used Photoshop, in order to edit and manipulate my chosen main image. I found that Photoshop has a wide range of tools that ultimately helped me to create my final picture, so that it stands out upon my front cover. Firstly, I selected and removed the background of the image so that it remained plain white. I then adjusted several settings, including hue, saturation, lightness and contrast of the image, to make it stand out even more against the plain background. After resizing and cropping the image, I transferred it across to Publisher, on which I continued to add text and colour.

In conclusion, I feel that my magazine cover successfully meets the aims of the preliminary task. I have created a new College magazine, using an image of two students in medium close-up, with appropriately laid out text. I also feel that I have met my target audience, used conventions effectively, and proved my ability to use various ICT programmes. Overall, I am pleased with my magazine cover, as it meets the conventions of already published magazines, such as the ones I analysed within my research, but includes unique aspects of my own. I feel that my photo's portray a positive vibe towards education and college, and am pleased with the edited image, as I feel it stands out upon my front cover. However, I feel that the layout of my front cover could have been better structured, and therefore within the main task of the foundation portfolio, I shall take this into account and perhaps do several layout plans, rather than just the one. Additionally, I am also pleased with my choice of font, Arial Black, as I feel it is bold and therefore stands out upon my magazine cover, without drawing too much attention away from the main image. Finally, I feel that I struggled slightly with the time management of this particular task, but will use this effectively in the production of my music magazine, making sure I make good use of the time available.

Finished College Magazine

Here is my final product: STUDENT magazines cover page and it's various conventions:

The above image is my chosen image for my front cover, both in it's original state and, underneath, its edited state. I felt that this photo portrayed both a positive attitude to education, using the textbook as a prop to acheive this, and to college, as both students seem to be enjoying themselves, hence the smiles upon their faces. I used Photoshop to edit the photo, increasing the contrast and removing the background so that both of the students stood out against the plain white colouring.

Here are a selection of my original photo's, taken of both a male and a female on the college grounds, both of whom appear to be enjoying themselves whilst seemingly reading the textbook before them, therefore creating a positive attitude towards education and the college lifestyle.

This is the mock-up of my contents page, which I created using Desktop Publisher. If I were to create the contents page for my College magazine, as I shall with my front cover, this is the simple layout that I would use. I would place the title of the page at the very top, as this would be the first aspect that would be seen by the viewer. This would also be the largest item of text upon the page. Towards the left-hand side of the page, a list of content, including their dedicated page numbers, would be situated. This makes it simple and easy for the reader to find articles that interest them, and quickly locate their pages. Towards the side of the content listings, I would place two images, both relating to areas of content within the magazine; particularly the content stated within the main coverline upon the front of the magazine. Overall, the content page would be simple, but effective, with all relative information and clear text to ultimately aid the reader within their reading experience.

The following image is a sketch draft of my magazine front cover. It includes the images, layout and coverlines that I hope to include within my final product. My finished front cover may vary slightly from my sketch draft, though most of the aspects will be similar, if not the same.

I have created a draft, using Desktop Publisher, to set out the layout of my magazine front cover. As in conventional, published magazines, the masthead is situated towards the top of the front cover, making it visibly one of the first aspects to be seen upon the cover. Also at the top of the magazine, I have placed the College Logo. This will be recognisable to all students of that college, making this magazine a clear artifact of Wyke collge. Beneath the Masthead, I shall place the selling line, and beneath the selling line, the date line shall be situated. The date line will include both the month and the year of publication. The main image of my cover shall be centered, taking up a large proportion of the front page, making it stand out. The main image will ultimately be the most important aspect of the cover. Situated near to the main image, I shall place the main cover line, again making it clear and visible due to it being next to or beneath the important main image. Towards the bottom of the magazine, I shall place all other coverlines, with the addition of the Wyke college website in small font within the bottom, right-hand corner.

I have created a Moodboard to express each of my ideas. Once all of my individual ideas about areas such as colour, images and different types of font were down upon my moodboard, and I could visualise them, I found it much easier to decide what I am going to put into the actual creation of my front cover. For example, with each of these colours together upon my moodboard, I could see which of them contrasted well with each other, and which did not. It also allowed me to see which of the font face's used were suitable for my magazine, taking into account which font stood out well and which were clear to read. The use of various originial photos helped to inspire me as to which image to use for my main image.

Choice of programmes:
To create my front cover and contents page, I need to use a selection of computer programmes, showing my ability to use them effectively in my work. For each of my I.T drafts, I will use Desktop Publisher, as this is a useful program to use for setting out the layout of each of my drafts. To edit my chosen photo's, I also needed to select an image manipulation program, from which I shall use Photoshop.
Both Photoshop and DTP will work well together in the overall creation of my college magazine front cover. After editing my photos to make them look more professional, using the range of different tools Photoshop has to offer, I can then easily transer the image onto DTP and continue the creation of my magazine cover by adding text.

Target Audience:
As I am designing my magazine for Wyke College, it is aimed towards students of the college. Therefore, it's target audience is anyone from the age of sixteen to around nineteen. To appeal to this target audience, my magazine must include content relevent to a wide range of teenagers. I have not specified a targetted gender for my magazine, and therefore it must also be relevent to both males and females. In order to meet this criteria, I am aiming to include simple aspects such as unisex colours, and content that relates to studies or areas of life outside of college that appeal to both males and females, such as work related topics, sport and hobbies.

In order to prepare myself for the actual creation of my college magazine's front cover and contents page, I created the following spiderdiagram in order to express my initial thoughts and ideas on the task.

When designing a magazine cover, there are certain key, conventional aspects that must be considered:

The Masthead - this is the title of the magazine, often displayed somewhere towards the top of a magazine cover. The Masthead is also usually displayed in a unique font face, recognisable to that particular magazine.

The Dateline - this is the month and year in which the magazine has been published. In most monthly magazines, they are found upon the news-stands a month earlier than the month stated on the cover date. The price of the magazine is usually displayed here.

The Main Image - the main image is often the most important aspect of the cover, and is used to sell the magazine as a whole. A well-known celebrity model is usually used within the image. If a model is used, their face is often large enough to fill a wide proportion of the magazines cover.

Coverlines - these are distributed around the main image of a magazine cover. They are used to inform the reader of key aspects of content, and therefore sell the magazine, without distracting too much attention away from the main image.

Main Cover Line - the main cover line is very large in comparison with the other coverlines, and often takes up around a quarter of the cover area. The main cover line is sometimes in relation to the main image, or simply an important area of content that may aid in selling the magazine.

Barcode - this is the standard barcode used by retailers.

Selling line - this is a short, sharp description of the title's main marketing point, or is perhaps used for setting out the magazines editorial philosophy.

This particular college magazine is designed to target students attending the 'Beloit' college. Most conventional magazines display a barcode, price, and the date of release upon the cover, however this magazine simply states the date, 'summer 2009'. As this magazine is specific to the 'Beloit' college, it is probably free to the students. The Masthead is situated at the very top of the magazine, making it recognisable whilst using a conventional way to ensure it stands out. The text in which the title has been written is also clear, and of the largest font size upon the whole of the cover. Though the title stands out above many of this magazines conventions, it is seemingly the main image that is used to represent the magazine as a whole. The image used is clearly of a student, who appears to be graduating; hence her graduation cap and robe. The stereotype that all “intelligent” people wear glasses has possibly been used, maybe to suggest that the smile upon her face is due to the fact that she has successfully passed her exams with good grades, and is leaving college proud of all that she has achieved. This therefore creates a positive attitude on doing well within education for all students reading this particular magazine. The image is in medium close-up view, with all background images blurred, which ensures that the female within the image is the main focus point. Though this magazine is targeted towards students of both genders, which is clear from the use of a student upon the cover and no overall content to suggest that it is gender specific, it is possibly somewhat more aimed at a female audience. This is due to the student being female, and the overall layout of the magazine resembling a female magazine, like that of ‘Heat’.

The main cover line is in obvious relation to the main image. The ‘kicker’, written in bold font similar to the font used in the masthead, though not as large, states ‘Going Out in Style’, which refers to all students graduating from college. Underneath, there is then the explanatory line ‘commencement reminds us why even the hard years are good ones’: this once again creates a positive attitude towards education, inferring that if hard work is put in at the start, the feeling of having achieved your best on the day of graduation will make everything seem worthwhile, which clearly the female in the image has found. Various other cover lines have been distributed towards the left of the image, in a different colour to the masthead and main coverline, each of which state other areas of the content dissimilar to the idea of graduation, but all of which relate to college life.

The above image is of a magazine, which is designed to attract adults whom are parents to children attending school. This particular cover displays several magazine conventions, though each is displayed in a relatively simple manner. Each of the items of text, including the masthead and the various coverlines, are written in the same font face, however each in a different pastel colour; also varying in size and whether or not the text has been enboldened. Both the main image and each item of text upon the front of this magazine stand out well, as they contrast with the plain white background. Though the magazine is aimed to target adults, the main image is of a young girl who clearly attends school. This is because the magazine is designed to attract parents looking for advice on their children. We can tell this by reading the coverlines, such as 'Help your childs transition from summer to school'. Though the exact gender of the target audience is not specified on the cover, it seems that it is targetted slightly more towards a female audience; the main image being of a young girl, and the overall layout resembling a typical female-based magazine, such as 'Cosmopolitan', rather than a magazine designed for males.
Many magazines, however, display both the month in which the magazine has been published, and the price of the magazine, but this particular school magazine displays only the year in which it was released and does not have a barcode; this is possibly due to the fact that the magazine is free and rarely published. The female model is making eye contact with the viewer, therefore engaging with the audience.

In my opinion, the simplicity of the magazine works well. However, I feel that more colours have been used than necessary; there are around six different colours used for the text on the front of the magazine, though I think it would have looked far more effective if only two were used, and so a house style set throughout the magazine. On the other hand, this may have been used to signify a childs use of colour, as on the right-hand side of the cover, one item of text has been "highlighted". Furthermore, the magazine has used representation, using the model within the centre of the cover. It represents a positive attitude to educaton by using props and her overall stance. The girl has perfectly ironed clothes, to the extent that the line upon the arm of her shirt is visible to us as the reader. Props, such as her school bag and books, are used to show that she is prepared for the day, as does the watch upon her arm, which may be used to ensure that she attends her lessons on time. The smile on her face suggests she is looking forward to learning. Therefore, overall, she portrays education in a positive manner.

My coursework will be used to assess my ability to use appropriate technical and creative skills. Therefore, when planning my work, I should consider the following key concepts:

LIIAR

Language - The specific terminology used to describe media studies.

Institution - An organisation or company that produces a media text.

Ideology - A system of beliefs or a dominant set of ideas that hold legal and moral values, represented by social groups or by individuals.

Audience - These are the consumers of media. A target audience is a specific group of people, wide or small, designed by the institution.

Representation - This is based upon how media texts represent society and its values back to us as the audience, including aspects such as stereotypes.

Within this particular piece of media coursework, I am required to produce two print artifacts from the following set brief, which involves work from two seperate tasks that will show my progression over the course.

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 masthead. Additionally you must produce a mock-up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate your 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.