The Basics for the Magazine

The Basics

Name of the Magazine

I am going to come up with different names for the magazine each relating to the music genre of Rock.

Rock World-This one is easy to remember, it is basically representing what the magazine is publishing which is the latest news and gossip in the world of Rock. However, I am unsure whether I should use this particular name as in my opinion it is not as catchy.

NRM (New Rock Music)-This represents what is going on in the rock world. Each day new rock music is being developed. Also it is easy for my target audience which is people aged 15-25 to remember. I feel the name is catchy and will be on the lips of everyone. The name is abbreviated and I was inspired by the music magazine NME , NME is a music magazine which is easy to remember and everyone knows. So I want my music magazine to be simple and easy to remember.

Rock Anthems- This represents what sort of rock music is around, what bands are releasing what. It is also easy to remember as it is a simple name.

Loud Pitch-This is associated with all music so it can be said that this does not just represent one music genre like I want it to. However, the Loud we can associate with Rock Music as rock music is loud.

Loud-This is also the pitch of rock music. The rock music around today is very loud to the ear. So I tried to think of a word which could be associated with Rock Music.

I have decided on NRM (New Rock Music). This is easy to remember as it is only 3 letters long, however, each letter stands for a word. The word “New” represents that new bands and new songs are always being released every day. Rock is the work which represents the music genre which is rock music. The word music basically describes what the magazine is about which is the music world. However, the whole name together is basically saying what the magazine is about which latest events are being held in the world of rock, and the bands and the songs they are releasing.

Prices

As my magazine is aimed at people aged 15-25 I want it to be reasonably priced. Although I do have to consider the cost of printing and the quality of paper I use. I have come to the rough price of £2.40 as this will cover the quality of the paper and the printing. The readers will get a lot for the price.

Release

My magazine will be released weekly, as it will give the weekly gossip and news from the Rock World. The main aim is to keep the audience of my magazine updated with everything that is going on in the rock world, but also to entertain them and not bore them.

Foundation Portfolio Task- The Main Task

Analysis of the Double Page Spread in NME.

The double page spread which is in NME is set out with the actual interview on the left page and the picture on the right. The picture on the right page takes up the whole of the right page. And the article/interview takes up the whole of the left page. Compared to the double page spread in Kerrang! this layout looks more natural and not put on and not cheap.

Again I am also going to use the double page spread as inspiration for my music magazine.

The colors on the double page spread in NME blend together well. The main colors used on the double page spread are Black and White. On the Double Page Spread the pictures of dark trees and birds are used. On the picture is one of the band members from The Cure called Robert Smith. He also has silhouettes of trees behind him and down the right hand side of the page a thick Black tree trunk. Compared to the double page spread in Kerrang! more thought has been put into how it represents the band. The double page spread in NME is more planned out and blends well together and to me and I presume the audience’s eye it jumps out.

The font on the page differs throughout. I am going to start with the headline “BACK IN BLACK” the headline is in Black Capital Letters and is the largest font on the page. This is so it jumps out to the audience’s eye. Out the top of each of the letters there are trees, this also causes the letters to stand out. The background is a plain white so the black lettering will stand out from the White background and makes it more readable. Underneath the headline is a sub-headline, this is in a smaller black font and is not bold, however, a few of the names are in Black Bold lettering: “The Cure”, “Mark Beaumont” and "Robert Smith”. These are important names which need to be known so they stand out from the sub headline. The rest of the writing in the sub-headline is not in bold.

The interview is in the smallest font and is not in bold and is unfortunately hard to read.. The main letter which is in Bold Black is the letter “T”. There is also a quote “Do I ever feel Godlike? Rarely. I used to occasionally” Robert Smith. The quote is in a larger font from the interview so the quote can be noticed and is in speech marks and a question mark is used. Again the name Robert Smith is in bold black font. The subheading The legacy is in bold black lettering so it stands out from the rest of the interview and can be told as a sub heading.

The main photograph of Robert Smith looks natural. However, he does look like he has been told to pose. He stands out from the dark background of the silhouettes of the trees. He is dressed in mainly Black, his hair is Black and he is wearing black make up and has a pale white face. This makes him stand out and we can see all his emotions. The colors of his eyes stand out and creeps the reader out as if he is staring up at the reader. His hands cover his lips and part of his nose. He is peeping through his hand. It is a very dark picture with a very dark song artist on. This represents the band well.

In my opinion I do prefer this double page spread in NME. The double page spread in Kerrang! is very plain, however, the double page spread in NME has more character to it and uses more then one color and uses a natural background with the trees and the plain white background. The picture of Robert Smith is more polished and looks more professional. The layout is more arranged and jumps out to the reader. Although there is a lot to take in the reader is more attracted to this double page spread. On the other hand, it is a dark article and I guess it may not suit the whole audience and everyone may not like it. But I am very impressed with this double page spread in NME.

Analysis of Double Page spread from Kerrang!

Analysis of the Double Page Spread in Kerrang!

As part of the main task I have to produce a double page spread that could be part of my contemporary music magazine. To get inspiration I decided to analyze a double page spread from Kerrang! As my magazine is going to have a similar article to Kerrang! I am going to use the double page spread from Kerrang! as a template.

The double page spread has the picture on the left however, the shoulder stretches on to the right hand page. The main text is on the right hand page. The photograph dominates the page and text. The image is the first thing the reader’s eye notices.

The page is bare with only one plain color used which is Brown. The picture reminds me of mud and is very unattractive I really did not like the color used. It depends what the audience think to the design different people will have different thoughts.

The main font colors used is White and Grey. As the background color is a dark brown, light colors needed to be used. The White and Grey font stand out to the eye and makes it easier to read. The words “The Perfect Stranger” are in a light Grey and is the biggest text on the whole article. This is the headline of the article. The strapline “Dir En Grey” frontman Kyo is not like other rock stars" is in a White and Grey font. The first line “Dir En Grey” is in White Bold Capital letters and can be told from the other text. The rest of the text on the left hand page is in a mixture of Grey and White. The main article, the interview is on the right hand page and takes up the whole of the page. The writing in the article is tiny and is very hard to read. The only words which stand out is the quote which is Grey and White “When I was growing up I hated music KYO”. All the other text is tiny and does not catch the eye. The only thing which catches the eye is the headline and the picture.

Kerrang! have decided to use Kyo from “Dir En Grey” in the main photograph because he is a lead singer of a famous rock band. Kyo has been represented as a rock god who looks tough with his tattoo, however, it is as if he is sniggering at the reader as his fingers are covering his lips. It is clear to the eye the picture has been edited so it looks completely perfect. A lot of the photographs in Kerrang! are posed and not natural you can tell this from the background they are standing in front of, and the way they are positioned on the page. On the double page spread especially it is not natural you can tell that Kyo has been told to pose and he has just been put in front of a Brown Background. The image looks plain compared to the other images in Kerrang! The only reason we know this is the main article, is because it is on a double page spread.

In my l opinion I found the double page spread very disappointing for Kerrang! I have seen double page spreads in Kerrang! And the presentation has been better in the past I found this one very plain and boring and not much is happening. I was impressed with the actual article itself but the photograph was very disappointing because it looked put on. Although it does look professional I like pictures to look more natural.

Analysis of Contents Page of NME

Analysis of the "NME Contents Page"

Unlike the Kerrang! Contents page, on the NME Contents page only 2 main pictures are used. But there is a lot of writing on the Contents Page compared to the Contents page in Kerrang! It seems that there is writing used about the articles instead of pictures. The main 2 pictures are central and we can presume that these 2 pictures symbolize 2 of the main articles. The 2 pictures dominate the page, making the text seem insignificant.

The title NME is in Bold Red Capital letters then the words “THIS WEEK” ia in Plain White Bold Capital Letters. These words are all on a Black background. The words stand out to the eye and the reader notices it immediately. The actual contents is split into News, Radar, Reviews, Live, Features, and Plus. The sub-headings are in Bold White Text on a Black Background allowing the reader to tell which is the sub-heading and which is the text. The titles of the articles are in Black Bold Font on a White Background this allows it to stand out. There is some writing underneath in a smaller font so it is not noticed immediately. Each page number is in bold Red Font allowing it to be noticed making it easier for the reader to navigate to the page they want.

Down the very left hand corner in a separate column is a “Band Index”. The sub-heading Band Index is in Bold Black Capital Letters to allow it to be known as the title and not part of the text. The band names underneath are in a smaller red font but they stand out from the white background. The page numbers are in Black so again the numbers jump out to the eye and making flicking through the magazine easier.

The 2 main images are in color and are the most eye catching. Underneath the 2 images is text. The first line “The moment that…” is in Red and is not in Black text. The actual headline “Everyone got on board Africa Exprez” is in Bold Black Capital Lettering which allows it to stand out from the rest of the text. Underneath is the actual article this is in a smaller Black Font.

At the bottom of the page is a Black Box which gives information on how to subscribe to NME. The main colored fonts used are Yellow and White. The Yellow and White Font stands out. There is a small picture of the NME Magazine which shows the reader what they could get. This attracts the readers and makes them one to subscribe, again bringing money into the magazine.

Analysis of Kerrang! Contents Page

Analysis of Kerrang! Contents Page

As I mentioned in the previous post, for the Main task I have to create a Contents page for my own music magazine. I decided to analyze the contents page from the music magazine Kerrang! to see what features could be put into the Contents page of my music magazine.

I immediately noticed when looking at the contents page from Kerrang! there is a lot of pictures. For many of the feature articles there is a picture representing the band which is being interviewed. The biggest picture is “Dir En Grey Kyo laid bare!” This is the main article to be read. The rest are of smaller other bands which we can presume will be smaller articles. A lot of colors are used in the pictures. The colors of the pictures jump out of the page at you. The masthead of the page “Contents” is in Yellow font and is put onto a Black Background so the title stands out. The Editors piece is in very small font which is very hard to be seen. There is a quote under the word “Contents” “I’m trying to do something different…” this is in normal Black writing and is bigger then the font used by the editor. Down the right hand side is more featured articles. Each have sub-heads such as News, each of the sub-heads are in Yellow and are put onto a Black background and is big in capitals. The rest of the writing is in Black bold font so it stands out. The Page numbers are in bigger font then the ordinary text because it makes it easier for the reader to find the page they want.

The main picture is right under the editors piece of writing. The eye scans down to see the biggest picture which dominates over all the other text which is on Kerrang! Contents Page. This is so the reader’s eye is drawn to the article which goes with the picture. This is a good technique used as the target audience of Kerrang! will notice the band and immediately buy the magazine to read the article. “Dir En Grey” one of the band members in the picture is represented as a mysterious cheeky character. He is bare chested which shows his tattoo’s off making him look cool and also a rock star. He represents what we associate with rock stars. His eyes are looking sideways as if looking at the reader to see who they are. The fans of Dir En Grey which would be attracted to him and also the people who are into the music genre of rock.

Underneath the main picture are smaller images of different rock bands such as Linkin Park, each of the images represents the other articles which are in the magazine. Anyone who likes any of the pictures of the bands would want to know more so would have to buy the magazine. The pictures are put into 3 columns. Although the main picture takes up half of 2 columns. Underneath each of the pictures is the Bold title of the band name for example Linkin Park with the page number next to it in Yellow Font with a black background. The Yellow number stands out from the Black Background. The Bold title jumps out to the eye allowing the reader to know what the article is going to be about. Underneath the Bold Black title is the smallest font which is in Bold and can just be seen although it is hard to read.

At the bottom right hand corner in the 4^th column is a Red Box which has 3 issues of Kerrang! squeezed in. The pictures are small and can just be seen, however, the text underneath the pictures of the Kerrang! issues give more information. The text is in White and is in Bold. The information is bold in white; however, the telephone number is in smaller White font. So the white lettering stands out from the red box. This little box of information on how to subscribe gives people the chance to look and subscribe bringing money into the magazine.

Foundation Portfolio Task- Analysis of NME Front Page

The main task is to produce the front cover, a contents page and a double page spread of a new music magazine. I must use the minimum of 4 original images.
To expand on my ideas I have applied the LIIAR model to the genre of the magazine I am going to produce. I have decided to use the music magazines Kerrang! and NME as models to use as a template for my music magazine and to get inspiration and ideas for my own music magazine. I have also researched how LIIAR applies to these magazines.

NME

Language-The main feature which is the most eye catching on the front cover of NME has to be the amazing photographs. NME uses very few images compared to Kerrang! which is very busy. NME has one main image which catches the eye. There are no other images on the front so the front cover only gives an incite into the main article. The picture of the band on the front of the magazine will influence the target audience. The font is in block capitals. The masthead “NME” is in Red Block capitals and is in large lettering. The other stories on the front cover are in block white capitals in large lettering so they are noticed. Unlike Kerrang! Not many colours were used to make the writing stand out there was only limited coloring. There is limited writing as the picture is meant to put the message across that this is going to be one of many bands which will be interviewed.

Institution- The music magazine NME is published by the UK’s leading publishing company IPC. According to the figures they have almost two in every three UK women and over 45% of UK men read an IPC magazine.

Ideology-The ideology behind the music magazine NME is to inform the target audience which is people who are into indie/rock music about events which are happening in the indie world of music, to promote the genre of indie/rock music and to entertain the readers. The idea behind my music magazine is to do similar things to NME which is to give an incite into the contemporary world of music.

Audience- NME like Kerrang! has a similar age group they are aiming the magazine at. Again my music magazine is going to be aimed at a similar age group. Although these sorts of magazines can be enjoyed by anybody who is into the genre of music of rock/indie. According to the IPC media pack for the music magazine NME 70% of the people who buy this magazine are male, and the average reader age is 25 years old. The magazine also attracts people of higher economic stature, as 72% of buyers and within the ABC1 model. Furthermore, 65% of people who view the magazines website, "NME.com" are male, and 50% are aged between 16 and 24. These statistics reflect the people who would be most likely to buy my magazine of the same genre.

Representation- NME magazine has a more polished un-busy look compared to Kerrang. However, the images look more natural, and there are no pictures of gigs just one band. A large part of NME's identity is the natural photographs they do. However, on certain issues of NME it is busy with different bands on. On this particular front cover all the artists on the front are stood looking at the reader to draw the reader in to buy the magazine.

Foundation Portfolio- Analysis of Front Covers

Foundation Portfolio-The Main Task

For the main Foundation Portfolio task I must produce a front cover, a contents page and a double page spread of a new contemporary music magazine, and take my own photographs i have to use a minimum of 4. To expand on my ideas I have applied the LIIAR model to the genre of the magazine I am going to produce. I have decided to use the music magazines Kerrang! and NME as models to use as a template for my music magazine and to get inspiration and ideas for my own music magazine. I have also researched how LIIAR applies to these magazines.

Kerrang!

Language-The way that I decide to present my music magazine will have to influence how the magazine will appeal to my target audience. Part of the main task is to produce at least 4 of my own images, the images will feature modern music bands which will influence my target audience. If the bands I use on the cover of my music magazine, are bands which my target audience like it is more likely that my music magazine will sell. The writing which this magazine uses on the front cover is bold. For the masthead Kerrang! to stand out they have used white font on a Black background. The writing is in capitals and is shattered. As Kerrang! is a rock music magazine the title “Kerrang!” in White is meant to be shattered as if the masthead is made out of rock because this symbolizes Kerrang! Is a rock magazine. The writing “ 50 Albums you Need to Hear in 2009” is in beige and White writing and is also on a Black background. It is in large lettering so the audience will notice the writing and then will flick to the particular page to read it and be interested in the articles inside the magazine. The more minor stories are in smaller white font so they are noticed but don’t stand out as much. The Front cover is very very busy with band images, although this does give an insight into what the magazine has in store for the reader.

Institution- Kerrang! Magazine is published by one of the leading publishing companies Emap. According to the website. The core target audience for Kerrang! is 15-24 year old with a 60:40 male/female split.

Ideology-The website says Kerrang! Emap's weekly magazine that covers music with attitude, decided to use mobiles to build a deeper relationship with its readers. The ideology behind the magazine Kerrang! Is to inform the target audience which is people who are into rock about the latest gigs which are being held, interviews with the newest bands and rock legends and CD’s which should be bought. But the main aim is to advertise the genre of music and to entertain the audience. My own music magazine will have a similar ideology behind it because I want my music magazine to have the same genre which is rock music.

Audience- My music magazine is going to be aimed at a similar target audience to Kerrang! My music magazine is going to be aimed at an audience aged 15-25, on the other hand, it could be enjoyed by anybody who is into the genre of music of rock. This age group is most likely the age group which would purchase a rock music magazine. According to Emap Kerrang! has a weekly circulation of 70,000, and a readership of approximately 542,000. The main target audience is 15-24 years old with 60:40 male/female split. Kerrang! Readers are sharp individualistic and fanatical about their music. The readers are loyal to Kerrang! In essence the band helps provide a group of outsiders with a sense of community. These sorts of target audiences are going to be similar to my target audience for my magazine.

Representation- The way in which social groups in society are represented in a media magazine such as music magazines have a huge influence on the types of people who will buy the media product. One of the ways to represent different social groups of people in a music magazine or any magazine is through still photography. In Kerrang! The pictures are of well known rock bands or of up and coming rock bands. Most of the images in Kerrang! Are meant to be posed and in some cases very natural and often feature artists on stage and off. Although the pictures on the front of the Kerrang! Magazine I have analyzed are more polished and more posed then the images within the magazine. The pictures on the front cover are put together and the magazine looks busy.