Drafts of intial ideas.

This is a rough draft of how i want my magazine front cover to look like. I gained inspiration from the vibe magazine front cover as i thought that as she is posed naked it shows confidence and for this month my magazine is about confidence. I want minimal images i just want one main one and then cover lines surrounding it. I think this shows sophistication. Instead of cramming my cover page with lots of images like the Billboard magazine did in 2005 and then a year later they improved it and just made it one image which for me makes a magazine look more professional.

I want my double page spread to be consistent with my front cover and contents page,minimising the amount of text used.

My interview is for this page. The ideology of different levels in the images on the first page continues into my interview with the level of the text boxes going from large to small.

Price and how often my magazine will be published.

I think my magazine will be priced at £2.00 I know this way that it will be affordable for both sides of the social demographic scale. This price will suit my target audience perfectly. I aiming at C1-A, however I do want to gain a percentage of C2-E to purchase my magazine as well. It will be published and released in stores weekly. It will be published monthly because £2.50 is definitely affordable for the higher class to purchase, and as they are my main target audience I will please their needs by releasing classic updates on R&B music. To expand on this it gives me time to maintain quality context by releasing my magazine monthly. As the age group is 15-24 it maybe more of the older aged students purchasing my magazine however it will depend on the younger target audiences background, as they will probably be from a wealthy background £2.50 should be no problem for the quality of information and entertainment they're retrieving when purchasing my magazine.

Different coloured barcode gives me an idea of changing the traditional norm of having a plain black and white on my front cover. these could be potential barcodes that i could show my price on.

Target audience.

I'm going to apply to a niche audience in society. I'm targeting people who enjoy the R&B genre, to do this i will be looking a a number of different aspects that will affect the choices I make in designing my magazine and writing my article. I will examine points similar to what Hartley in 1982 studied to understand the news, such as self image, gender, age group, family, social class, nation and ethnicity. I will also make sure I will appreciate sexuality and religion. Because the music genre I have chosen attracts a younger audience the age group I will be targeting is 15-24 for both sexes, and for social demographics I'm going to be targeting C1-A class. I've chose to target that area because of the research I have done.I have realized that many magazines who sell R&B genre in their magazines sell well to that particular class of people and if I was to sell my magazine I want to target an audience who can afford it and and buy it regularly. On the other hand i know that it would be appreciated by an audience with social demographics C2-E if i made it cheaper, this is were i have thought about reconsidering my price and lowering it to be affordable to both groups of classes so my magazine has a good reputation.

•

liiar interpretation of billboards double page spread.

The title 'MUSIC' is in the same font as the titles on the contents page this shows the magazine maintains consistency throughout the magazine and and using the border lines again however in a different colour shows a maintenance in the particular house style they have created. They have used the same colours that are used in the masthead. The layout is very textual, it has eight columns and an extra column on the right hand side highlighted in yellow, another colour which is used in the masthead. The highlighted column has sub-title called the 'latest buzz',this being highlighted yellow is definitely eye catching and grab the readers attention.  

The band in the main image are wearing black to go with the colour scheme, the man at the front is also wearing a red tie which again ties in well with red borderlines. Compared to  'VIBE's double page spread its not focusing on one main artist, it has three different topics which it focuses on. On the first page the main focus is 'INTO THE FIRE' and on the second page there is another main focus called 'Tropical Paradise'. This shows that 'Billboard' magazine may have more to offer, or it shows that 'VIBE' like to pay attention to a certain artist and focus on that in detail to show they have interest in particular artists. On the other hand its shows that Billboard magazine have variation.

liiar interpretation of billboard contents page.

 The contents page has a lot of text, and four images, three across the top seperated and one main image at the right hand side making the text look more interesting. It makes the text look more appealing and seperates it up to give the impression that there isn't that much text. on the left hand side there is a list of the top music in the charts this immediately tells the reader that as soon as they open the first page to the magazine they are bombarded with music information.

The magazine has remained consistant because it has used the colours in the masthead in the charts list and the blue for the border lines and the text for the main features in the magazine. The main colours used are blue white and black, in the main image the women is wearing a black outfit which contrasts well against the white background. Compared to 'VIBES' contents page this page has more images, and it doesnt show any dominance of any paticular sex. Also the images across the top in frames have numbers in the corners this could be to minimlise text. The font for contents and No1 is the same showing consistancy.

liiar interpretation of Billboard magazine.

L- The grey background and dark Grey jacket that Gaga wears lets the light tone colours stand out, the colours in the masthead and Gaga's hair, because the background is dark it immediately draws attention towards her and her image as it known for being so creative and surreal. Again there is similarities with the 'VIBE' magazine front cover because they both expose themselves showing they're confident artists.

I- Their personal selling line is 'The Publishers Quaterly'. The Billboard has being part of the media entertaining an audience since 1984. There site gives information on where abouts their magazine is sold http://www.billboard.com/#/footer/about-us. 

 From 2005 to 2009 this shows how the magazine has changed and since 2006 they have shown consistency in having minimal pictures on the front cover.

15th January 2005            

11th March 2006

29th November 2008

28th November 2009



I&A- We can tell this magazine is a world wide magazine because one of its cover lines is 'ITUNES INVADES MEXICO' we notice that this magazine applies to world wide audience of young students who enjoy music. The image gives off that typical confidence of an artist, and because Lady Gaga is known for her high levels of confidence and wacky costumes the magazine is just not applying to an audience that just likes R&B they balance pop music and more. Again I think because of the quality of the layout and the images it focus on a target audience C1-A.

R- The image shows sophiostication as she is wearing a blazer and the star has limited her usual wild image to show the magazine cover has taken control over her becuase its powerful, big and needs to please an audience as some people may not like her image.

liiar interpretation of 'VIBE' double page spread.

In the top left hand corner it says 'VOLUME' and it is seperated into three lines like the title 'CONTENTS' on the contents page, this shows consistency, and this maintains a continuous house style throughout in font. The colours red and blue contrast with the black and white. The black and white images at the top look like a film strip which looks quite vintage and it shows a number of ways how shes expresses her personality from the way she is standing and presenting herself. Then the image on the second page as she is in red and a blue jacket stands out on top of the grey wash of text. The red symbolises her been hot and that readers should stop and read this article. The blue symbolises her personality being cool, laid back and conversational.

On the first page there is three columns seperating it up neatly, on the second page there is only one column as there is an establishing shot of the artist. The same font is used throughout apart from a key aspect of the article is extracted from the interview and is written in block black caps to give the reader a brief idea of what the article is going to be about. It also shows how conversational she is and how she is interested in the music and thats what music readers want to read. 

By her stance and the way she is posed on the small individual photos across the top of the double page spread it shows her very positively and someone that can idolised by readers.  

liiar interpretation of vibe contents page.

 The contents has page numbers and a description, it separates the features and fashion so it applies to a wide audience. The logo is shown 'V' and the shape of the women's legs in the image are shaped like a 'v' as well to emphasise on the continuity of ideas on the logo. Also the way her body is shaped as she lying down with her legs horizontally
 creates a 'v' shape and her heals do, between the heal and the platform. Its obvious the magazine what to maintain consistancy in the colours and the image. They achieve this by using the colours grey black and white. The background and the artists skin tone match and all the colours together maintain a continuous house style on the page. The black text stands out on top of the gray background, and the block white title 'contents' which is broken up contrasts well with the black background. By looking at this I automatically assume that this issue is female dominated, most women are interested in fashion, a higher percentage of women are interested than men, and basically because it is a woman posing the audience can assume it is for women. On the other hand because of her pose being promiscuous it will definitely seduce men to buy and read this issue as well. We can tell that this magazine provides for both sexes and social demographics groups C1-A because of the font chosen, it is very sophisticated and the image is of very high quality from a professional photographer and stylist which is mentioned in the leader under the sub heading feature.

liiar interpretation of VIBES front cover.

L-The front cover of this magazine has a consistent colour scheme of red white and blue. It maintains a consistent house-style and then the main image stands out as the red, blue and white contrasts with her sun kissed glowing skin.

I-'VIBE' is a R&B music magazine which also has its own website http://www.vibe.com/ .

It fills a gap in the market as it mentions rap artists as well as R&B artists. It shows that it has a lot to offer because of the amount of cover lines shown on the front surrounding the main image.

The ideology of this magazine is to sell to their target audience, and to show that they have a lot to offer to their audience by the amount of cover lines on different topics in the music industry. Such as mentioning Mark Ronson on the front cover it immediately opens up to a wider audience because us as an audience know that Mark Ronson is not really involved with the R&B music industry.

I-This magazine will apply to a target auidence who enjoys this genre of music. It conveys a message of R&B being stereotypically confident as the image is of a women naked.

A- 'VIBE' is a very popular magazine, it launched in 1993 and has being very successful. Its target audience is between 16-24, however I reckon a small percentage of people aged over this category will be definitely purchasing this magazine. The social demographics that it applies to is C1 to A.

R- The main image is represented positively, it shows confidence of the star as she is exposed. The music genre is represented through the text, the slang abbreviation 'celeb' indicates that stereotypical language used by a rapper or R&B artist.

One on One With Bruno Mars

This interview with Bruno Mars has give me an idea of what an interview should be like. It is informal and relaxed and i want my interview in my magazine to be similar but obviously word prossesed. This gave me inspiration and motivation for my interview to be just as good because i think its of a high quality standard and for my target auideince i want it to be of higfht quality.

Identifying and explaining my music genre choice.

R&B!
Brief history of R&B- It originated in the 1980's.
R&B- Rhythm and Blues.
Contemporary R&B is more modern and entertains an audience in todays society.

I have chosen this genre of music because i feel that i am familiar with their attitudes towards the music industry. Their attitudes and image adds to their swagger and makes them stand out because they're individual. Stereotypically they can come across quite 'chavvy' however they keep their audience wide and their music different as well.

Liiar interpretation of Brief

L- My magazine front cover will have a masthead, bar code (price), web address, captions, anchorage, strapline, a main image and others to go with captions. I will have a logo on my front page, date and issue number. I will have the same colour scheme throughout my front page, contents page and my double page spread to keep continuity to ensure i create a house-style, because i have chosen to do an R&B genre magazine CAMERA ANGLES?!
I- If i was to be producing an actual magazine for the recent market i would be competing against the R&B magazine 'VIBE'.i have realized that they offer a lot, however if i was to fill in a gap in their magazine in mine i would add the latest clothes and accessories suitable for people who enjoy reading this genre magazine. To make my magazine different to an existing R&B magazine i would not just settle for the typical R&B artists, i will mention artists in the past and what to expect from artists in the future.
I- I think R&B is all about confidence and swagger, and i want to show this through my pictures and article. I want my target audience to be really interested in the music artists and their music and the facts, and how much R&B music has evolved.
A- I want to target a young fresh audience, update them with huge past hits in R&B and fresh tunes in todays society.The age group i want to target is between 16-24.
R- I want my target audience, artists and music to be represented positvely, people can be very stereotypical about R&B artists, i want my magazine to be very conventional, and stick to a housestyle of colours that are related to R&B.

Main task brief.

The main task is to create a front page of a music magazine, a contents and double page spread. All my images and text must be original and produced by me, i must have a minimum of four images.

Draft of my front cover.

This a rough idea of what i would like my magazine cover to look like. My ideas went to plan and I feel that my front page has turned out to be more successful then i had hoped.

Analysis of my front cover.

•  My masthead is Wyke.
• My sell line, 'BE LOUD, BE PROUD' shows that Wyke are very enthusiastic about students learning, also it encourages students to be proud of what they achieve while being at college, this how the magazine cover firstly interacts with my target audience.
• The photograph shows a 'perfect' portrait of students enjoying college life. By the smiles on their faces it shows enjoyment and interest in their studies, as the photo shows them revising and working as a group.
• My magazine front cover conveys a students life at college that the college and the teachers are very supportive of. The smiles on their faces also show that they're friendly and the college is very welcoming.
• My cover lines are short, snappy and captivating. They inform my target audience exactly whats going to be inside my magazine and with a cover line like 'New York' that will really interest majority of students.
• It represents the students positively, and the college. The bright colours infer a cheerful environment and  because it looks as if the sun is shinning in through the window it creates a glow surrounding the masthead Wyke making it look vibrant and full of life.
• The colour scheme I have used is fresh and lively. The purple masthead ties in well with the dark colours the male student is wearing, also it contrasts well against the white glow. The green plant in the background ties in well with the white and the green jumper the female student is wearing. The bright pink font covers the bottom of the picture making it stand out which catches the audiences attention. Keeping my colour scheme simple but vibrant, i have achieved a realistic college front cover.

Draft of my contents page.

My contents page has the same font as my front page which makes it all tie in well together. I want the pictures to be on a slight angle because I think it is different and the colour scheme will be the same, fun, vibrant and welcoming.  I only included a few of the main sell lines just to demonstrate how it would be laid out.

My final front cover.

Preliminary breif.

We was set a preliminary task to design and create a college front cover and a draft of a contents page. It has to include a medium close-up original photograph, masthead, it has to appeal to the target audience and the conventions of a magazine have to be shown. This is a practise magazine to prepare for our actual coursework, a music magazine.

LIIAR interpretation.

 L-  Language. When analysing a media product we have to consider the language used.
 I- Institution. The producer controls what is going to the production of a magazine.
 I- Ideology. When analysing a media product we have to consider the values and beliefs.
A- Audience. A media product has too apply to a target audience.
R- Representation. When analysing a media product we have to consider how it is represented. (positively or negatively) also how stereotypes are represented.

Analysed photos.

This is the picture i chose for my final front cover. I used this because the light coming in from the window brightens up the picture a lot, and the smiles on the students faces really sell the magazine for me. They look interested and and happy to be at college. Also i find this picture very realistic and could imagine this to be on an actual college magazine cover.  

I was going to use this photo on the front of my magazine with a cover line, i used the eraser tool to make it blend in with my main picture however it didn't work.

I did not use this photograph because i thought the students didn't look necessarily happy, they look interested however they should be enjoying college. I was going to use this photograph as my main background, but i have decided on a different photograph because there is more light shining through, making the magazine more eye catching. Using dark colours would not really catch peoples attention.

This photograph is very similar to the one i have chosen, however i decided to not choose this photo because the other photo i took which i have chosen to use for my magazine background had two students smiling while the other turns the page of the book.  

I didn't use this photo because i think straight away the attention is focused straight on the book, they are both looking down and i think the photo can come across sexist because i have not involved girls as well.

I chose not to use this photo because it is not light enough. I was going to use it at the side with a cover line, however i have taken another photo which i prefer to this one. 

Thought showers of ideas for my magazine.

Anaylsis of another college front cover.

Firstly the front cover of this magazine is more lively, more colourful and it is much busier. It stands out and would catch the audiences attention. The title 'college' is in large black font, which makes it really stands out amongst the rest of the colour scheme. The orange font and the pink sub title 'Sporting News' ties in well with the colours of the students uniform. The contrast between the white and the other vibrant colour choices makes everything seem really eye catching, and the green grass in the bottom right hand corner works well because it prevents the coach like figures top blending in with the white background. This magazine front cover is straight forward, and the ideology of the cover is easy to follow. It also has a pacific theme and informs and also entertains their audience more than the previous magazine I annotated. The signifier (photograph) in this picture can be represented positively because it shows at college there is a lot to offer, also it encourages sport. On the other hand it can be represented negatively because it can be seen as being sexist, in comparison to the other magazine, it may have being bland but it would of applied to both sexes.

There is more text and information making the magazine look entertaining but it doesnt look to over crowded.

The photograph denotes sport in college and links with the sub title. It connotes that he has interest in his sport and its important to encourage other students in the college to start a sport. The young man is symbolising an interest in what hes doing, he shows enthusiasm and determination through his stance and body language, but not with just sport alone, we could presume that he shows this much interest in his studies as well. Also this magazine front cover has used more technical codes, it has used more than one photo and has edited the different photos to blend in with each other.

The ideology of this magazine cover illustrates a sports life at college and getting more students involved with sport at college. In comparison to the other magazine cover this front page conveys the ideology and a message much more clearly.

I think this magazine represents different social groups at college because the more extrovert students will take more advantage of this magazine. On the other hand quieter students may benefit from a magazine on a different theme.

Analysis of a past college magazine front cover.

 Firstly the front cover of the magazine is very bland, it does not use much colour to attract their target audience. The contrast however between the black background and the white font works well. The front cover is not busy and over crowded with information for students, its very plain which ties in well with the plain use of colour.
I think the magazine is pretty straight forward, there is little text and it's not hectic which can be represented positively, with it not having lots of different ideas crammed onto the front cover it makes it easier to follow. On the other hand it can be represented negatively because it doesn't seem to inform the target audience much of what the magazine contains.

It seems that the photograph taken connotes student life, linking to the title of the magazine. Conversely the image doesn't symbolise whats happening, it doesn't really tell a interesting story or show any excitement through the students body language, which must of been important because there is no shot of a face showing that their excited to be there, also the mise-en-scene doesnt really reflect any of the students interest.

 The ideology of this magazine front cover is to illustrate a students life at college. However I personally think that the image doesn't really represent a student, I think that there isn't any enthusiasm, and there seems to be no particular theme to really grab the audiences attention. I think that if a student was to pick up this magazine in college, they wouldn't show much interest as there is no colour to brighten up the stereotypical student life I think that parents/guardians and teachers would like to enforce on a pupil. There is no real exhilaration into the front cover and I think the target audience when consuming a product needs to entertained as well as informed. I don't think there is enough on the front cover to attract a pupils attention, on the other hand other students may disagree and find this magazine simple and easy to follow.

 This magazine i think represents different social groups at college, you may have quiet students who may enjoy the trouble free, uncrowded magazine cover, or you may have loud, extrovert students who may want the magazine cover to offer more.