DOUBLE PAGE

Here is my newest double page spread. It is strongly influenced by one of my style models from NME magazine, I tried to follow similar conventions that the magazine used.

The large image is eye-catching. I edited the picture so there was just a focus around his face, so that the image isn't so vivid around the text, this makes it easier to read. Examples of elements I have taken from the existing article include the main title with the sub - text smaller underneath. Where the NME article has no indication of who the person is, they are expected to know, my artist is new and is all about his first interview, therefore his name at the top of the image is included. It is not to invasive of the image and almost balances out the overall look of the left side of the double page spread. 

Other conventions included are the colour scheme, subdued creamy oranges are a reoccurring theme throughout my whole magazine and is almost a trademark of my magazine. It is quite simplistic yet not dull and boring which I like. The main 'pull quote' and large capital letter are in this orange, contrasting against the background, so it stands out and is attracting to the audience. 

I included a drop down shape saying 'chord interview' and is there to imply a fluid magazine that would have this throughout the whole magazine and would adapt depending on what the article includes. 

Over all, I find this double page spread looks conventional and has included key elements from the existing article, which would be my competitor in the real market world. Therefore following their style would hopefully mean being as successful as they are. 

Another Cover Draft

After market testing my magazine on my piers who would be my target audience, both positive and negative feedback has influenced me to tweak at the magazine again.
Upon asking "What do you first notice about the cover?"  ideally, the answer would be the title of the magazine and then the main sell line. Whilst some people said this, some felt the 'WIN' and '12' were just as eye catching upon first glance, and while this is good to entice the reader, this shouldn't really be the most obvious text at first sight. Further to this, my style model magazines follow the size order of title, main sell line and then the rest of the text, in this decreasing style. So I will also follow this.
Positive feedback included the colour scheme and the overall look of the magazine. The only issue is the text sizing. So this is what I will be working on, still keeping it conventional with my existing style models as I make changes.

Front Cover

Looking at my final front cover, and comparing it to existing magazines that have influenced my work and are successful indie magazines, there are a few changes that need to be made to mine in order to make it fit with the conventions of my style model. 

So far, my magazine is similar to Q, with the logo in the top left hand corner, the feature of the magazine being displayed in the largest font towards to bottom. The colour scheme is also mainly three colours and the sell lines on the Noel Galligher issue have the black rectangles behind them to be easily readable. 

The black and white image doesn't particularly overt magazine conventions as Q sometimes issues these, such as the example above, and I like this as it looks quite timeless. 

Some changes that need to be made include;

The sell lines need to be more in line with each other. 

It needs to look less cluttered.

March Photos

More Pictures.

I plan on taking photos with a different model next wednesday. They will be taken in my garden and the land surrounding it,  as I think it has the suitable backgrounds I want for my photo.
I will need a camera, the model and a guitar as a prop to play around with in the photos. From my test shots, I have created a very good idea of what I want my pictures to look like and they have helped me a great deal.


There are some health and safety precautions I will need to consider when taking these photos, and I have worked out how to successfully resolve them to prevent this.

RISK

Any dangerous elements surrounding the area that could be made contact with such as sharp objects, unsteady brick work etc. 

SOLUTION

Thoroughly assess the area before continuing to move around taking the photos. This is also important so nobody trips and falls over anything. A clear working space is important.

RISK

The breaking of equipment.

SOLUTION

A spare guitar and camera should be on hand just incase anything gets badly damaged to the original equipment. I must ensure to put the camera strap around my neck to prevent dropping it and the guitars to be handled with care. 

Due to the fact I am taking the photos in my own garden, I think my familiarity with the area eliminates risks and providing the weather is not too temperamental, the photo shoot will be successful!

The 4 F's of magazine design.

Formula
The articles and features that go into the magazine should remain the same each month. This would be an important factor as readers find their favourite part of a magazine and keep buying it expecting to see it there monthly, such as gig reviews always being at the back. It adds familiarity and also the magazine can then produce articles that follow on from each other when they keep it consistent , like my indie magazine could  'Top 20 Festivals' and in a January issue there would be festivals 20-15 mentioned, and 15-10 would be in the next issue, this would result in people re-buying the magazine. Indie people probably listen to their music a lot more digitally compared to actually attending gigs. So the more engaging, download information for example, would probably be at the front and would have to remain there throughout for the best 'formula'.  My magazine would include monthly festival information, gig information and new music as the genre is all about being current.

Format
What the magazine 'looks' like. It will need to appeal to the indie genre, and look like a good magazine with the typical magazine elements as well. This would be the use of fonts, colours and general layout. The fonts I have selected look particularly scruffy and aren't very formal, reflecting the indie genre. I made sure they looked quite handwritten, yet readable. I really like including the type writer font as I think it looks really cool and is understandable at the same time. I chose to use neutral black and white colours with injections of the colour orange, as this way it isn't too in your face and the orange colour doesn't appear to be aimed at one particular gender. 


Frame
The margins and gutters. Linking in with formula is the need to keep the margins and gutters throughout the magazine the same, preferably clear, as this makes it quite professional looking.


Function
What the magazine is for. I think this is important and is something that should be clear. My magazine would be for indie music and it's listeners, quite instrumental music with frequent use of guitars for example, compared to synthetic beats and noises that would be found in pop. Also being very current is an important factor. The fact that it doesn't mention any old music, reinforces the young age it is also aimed at selling to.  

My Design Philosophy

My personal likes and dislikes of magazine design will be reflected in the magazine I produce, alot of these preferred 'philosophies' have been altered slightly so they would fit with my magazine's genre, and the design will be effected by indie's ideologies;

Minimal vs cluttered
Although I personally prefer a minimal look on the cover and throughout magazines and the whole idea of 'quality, not quantity' - I think in a magazine, in order to be conventional and successfully sell a magazine, it needs to be pretty full of information in order to attract the reader. For example, 'Ray Gun' magazine by David Carson was iconically minimalist and as a result unsuccessful! I believe my magazine should have plenty of information throughout, but not so 'clutterd' it would be frustrating and hard to read. Although indie genres like the ideology of being original, in terms of Original vs Conventional, I believe that the magazine would definitely have to fit in with typical magazine conventions.

Retro vs Modern
In terms of my indie magazine, I would say that it is a combination of both. The people are young and don't tend to hold on to previous, older artists and they are all about being fresh and different, and they are apart of the modern generation with laptops, mobiles and general social media.  However having said this, they dress very 'vintage' and their instruments would be more acoustic and simple compared to these auto-tuned new musics that are modern at the moment. Similar to this, in terms of Timeless vs Now  I would say this magazine and the general 'indie' movement is something that is very now and is a phase like people used to be a 'mod'. It will probably be looked back on and seem old, and probably won't look as normal as it does now, but who can really know!

Balance & Consistency vs Inconsistency 
This is an important aspect of the magazine, keeping a regular, similar pattern of design throughout the magazine adds familiarity for the reader and keeps interest. It would need to fit 'indie' conventions and you couldn't suddenly switch to something extremely pink and girly for example. Therefore keeping it consistent is a must, as again, 'Ray Gun' failed to fit this convention and the end result was not great as readers didn't know what to look for on the self as it changed monthly. Also in terms of the front cover, the sell lines would need balance and be equally distributed around the main image of the magazine. The use of colour would need to be fairly consistent throughout, however it would need to alter slightly to avoid being boring! Just not too much of a drastic colour scheme change.

Contents

This is my first attempt at a music contents page. Based on typical contents page conventions, and my contents for my prelim.

Ray Gun.

'Ray Gun' was an American music magazine created by David Carson. They are particularly iconic for their very minimalistic and random cover designs. Although they appear quite 'cool' and will appeal to some, it is very hard to distinguish what is in each issue, and no clear logo also means it would be difficult to find on a shelf of magazines. As a result of this, Ray Gun went out of business. This reinforces the idea that it is vital to keep to magazine conventions.

Front Cover Draft 2

This is another attempt at a front cover. I prefer the colour scheme on this one compared to the last one. I like the sell lines better this time but I think I need to make the title more dominant, as it could be mistaken for a banner and isn't much different from the slogan in terms of size and this would need to be changed. I find the most eye catching thing is the 'R.O.B' whereas it should really be the title of the magazine, and then the main sell line. I shall keep this in mind when I do my third draft! Overall I am happy with the progress I have made between the first draft and this one.

Fonts

FONTS

These are some quirky fonts I have been experimenting with. I like all of these as they are quite different yet they are readable. 

The second one down on the left is my favourite and I might use this, it looks quite handwritten and relaxed, which is fitting with the relaxed, scruffy ideology of 'indie' people. I do however, want the magazine to look professional at the same time, and might combine the first one on the left with the second one.
I would probably choose to stick to one or two fonts that don't contrast too much from one another to be in-keeping with magazine conventions, and the font style to almost become a theme to the magazine that readers would recognise and link with the magazine.

Double Page Spread

First Draft

Here is my first attempt at a draft of an Indie music magazine using my test shots. 

I used Picnik, the photo editing website to add the text and edit the main photo. 

THINGS I LIKE.

- The Logo and main title at the side. I think it looks professional and the upside own triangle is a simple logo that fits with the slogan and the idea of indie music to be quite alternate, fresh and different from the usual. 

-The sell lines are easily readable and contrast nicely with the image in the background.

-The image isn't too busy and is mainly in the middle, there is not much going on behind the sell lines which is what I wanted to achieve as other music magazines i have looked at do this too. 

-The fonts are the same throughout the whole page and are again, easy to read. This is important as at a first glance, the reader wants to know what is going to be included in the magazine in order to entice them  into buying it. 

THINGS TO CHANGE.

- Possibly fill the sides of the magazine with more information

- Include a barcode, date and price!

- Not have the image as a square, more rectangular. This was an editing fault and wasn't really intentional! 

Uses and Gratifications

After researching into McQuail's classified theory study on common reasons for media use, it becomes clear some of the reasons strongly link to the reasons for why people read a music magazine.

information -

• finding out about relevant events and conditions in immediate surroundings
• satisfying curiosity and general interest
• learning, self education
• gaining a sense of security through knowledge

personal identity -

• finding reinforcement for personal values
• identifying with valued others

finish this!!!

Edits