Planning for my front cover picture

For a my music magazine I am going to have to organise a photoshoot so I can get a variety of images I could use for the cover of my music magazine. All magazines have an image on the front of the cover that fits the genre of the magazine.The front cover is used in a visual syntax of a magazine. The majority of music magazines have just one person on the front as sometimes having multiple of people can make the front cover look unplanned and cluttered if it is not done in the right way.

 First I am going to take a variety of shots of myself and my two friends Jamie King and Sydney Canning. I am going to take both pictures of single people and also take coupled pictures so I have a variety of different styles.I can also test both of these different styles on my mock ups to see which works best. I am going to take a lot of eye line shots, close ups and midshots. I'm going to make some of these shots very fun and others very serious. In some shots I am going to have them looking straight at the camera and others looking away, others are going to be sat on the side a little and looking at an angle. These are the sort of images that are normally used on a front cover. I am going to make sure through out the pictures I take that I try a variety of emotions. The shots I end up taking will allow the audience to see the true emotion on the models faces. The models I am going to be using are teenage females. The reason I'll be using females is because I can do a lot more hair and makeup wise. I am going to have some shots where my hair is going to be down and curly, Sydney's hair is going to be up in a bun and Jamie's hair is going to be down and her fringe is going to be in a small quiff.
My images are going to be taken inside so I do not have to worry about what the weather is like or the lightening effecting what my pictures turn out like. I will be taking my images inside against a plain white wall. This will give my images the more professional look. I am also going to be using a table lamp so I can control  whether the lighting on my images are lighter or darker.I am also going to be using a good quality camera (Canon EOS 600D) so my images turnout really clear and aren't pixelated. The majority of the shots I take are going to be midshots and close ups.

Me and Sydney are going to be taking so more fun shots, we are going to take some shots where we mirror each other, some where we are laughing and hugging just simply to look as though we are having a good time.This will then make my magazine look as though it is interesting a lot of fun and as though a lot of things are going on inside of the magazine. I am also going to take some single shots of myself and Jamie. I am going to try a lot of effects out on the images of myself whereas with the images of Jamie I am going to do 2 different makeup styles. The first one I am going to have her wearing a leopard print top, I am then going to use a lot of bronzer on her face and use liquid eyeliner to draw a leopard print pattern. The next idea I have is for us both to wear a dark coloured top. We will then have silver glitter on our lips, silver stars on opposite sides of our faces and a little wash of eyeshadow. I will be wearing eyeliner and false eyelashes and Jamie will be wearing just eyeliner on the top of her eyes.

My mastheads.

I have decided to call my magazine loud.

Here I have created several masthead ideas that I may consider using on my music magazine cover. I have used a lot of different tools to create these. First of all I either used the text tool on fireworks or I used a website called 'Dafont.' To create these ideas I either used the fill tool and selected and colour and filled in the text, others I added a stroke around them and filled them with a certain colour. The first masthead I simply typed out the word 'loud' and deleted the 'o' so I was left with 'LUD' I then added a few spaces between the 'L' and the 'U' and when on the internet and found a paw print. I then added the paw print into the space. Using the fill tool I then changed the colour of the paw print. I also created mastheads that have a background. To create these I went onto the internet and found a background I liked. In this case it was the leopard print and the flowers. I then copied and pasted these into fireworks and made them into a rectangular shape. Next I used the text tool to type out the word 'LOUD.' This was then added on top of the background and then got flattened together so then it became one.For the ones with the black background instead of finding an image on the internet I used the shape tool to draw myself a black rectangle. Some of the text also had a small black stroke around it. I also created some mastheads where the text had an image within it. I created these by simply inserting an image that I liked. Next I used the text tool to type out some text, 'LOUD.' Next I selected both the text and the image, went to modify and selected mask options, then I selected group as mask effect where you can see the image is filled inside the text. Then I selected the pointer tool and dragged the best part of the image into the text. Next I went to modify and selected flatten selection. 

Name ideas for my magazine.

• Loud
• Music
• Gossip
• Glitz
• Bliss
• Chatterbox
  

Brand identity and brand values

Brand identity-
Brand identity is a visual element that can help you identify something. For example, to help you identify a magazine you will take note of things such as the logo, font, house style, layout, name, symobols, colours and the design. This is what helps an audience identify a music magazine.


Brand values-
The brand value is the extra bit of money that a company is able to make due to there product just because of the brand name they have.

Layouts for my front cover

Here I designed 8 different layouts that I could consider using when it comes to creating my music magazine. Every magazine has its own layout which helps add to its own brand identity. I would like my layout to be none cluttered and for everything to be placed away neatly. Id like it all to be in line so the main focus is the imagine on the front.

Questionnaire results and Pie charts

1.       What is your favourite thing to read about in music magazines?

        Boy bands= 12

         Girl groups= 4

         Gossip= 2

    Female singers= 3

        Male singers= 4

2.       How much are you willing to pay for a music magazine?

       £1 - £1.99= 12

        £2 – £2.99= 13

        £3 - £3.99= 0

        £4+ = 0

3.       In an interview with a celebrity do you prefer?

                                                       Continuous text = 8

       Questions and answers= 17

4.       What colour scheme do you prefer?

         Black and white= 8

         Girly colours= 11

       Pastel= 0

        Warm= 0

         Cold= 0

         Primary colours= 0

       Bright, bold colours= 6

5.       What is it that makes you buy music magazines?

         The image that’s on the front cover= 16

         The name of the magazine = 0

       You normally buy this magazine= 6

         The headlines= 0

         The singers that are featured in it= 3

       Other= 0

If you have selected other please state what here:

6.       What do you like to read in a music magazine?

    Different reviews= 0

    Interviews= 12

   Fashion= 6

  Quizzes= 1

 Concerts= 6

Other= 0

If you have selected other please state what here:

  

7.       What artists would you like to see feature in the music magazine?

   Olly Murs= 2

   Ed Sheeran= 3

    Jessie J= 1

    Robin Thicke= 1

    Little Mix= 4

   Katy Perry=1

   Union J= 2

   One Direction= 6

   The Vamps= 3

   Ellie Goulding= 1

   Lady gaga= 1

8.       Why do you like music magazines?

   Quizzes= 6

   Concerts= 4

   Interviews= 5

   Gossip= 7

   They’re interesting= 2

   Looking at the clothes= 1

9.       How often do you buy music magazines?

   Once a month= 7

   Twice a week= 6

   Twice a month= 1

   Once a week= 10

   Three times a month= 1

This pie chart shows that the audience of my music magazine prefers to read more about boy bands.

This pie chart shows that most my audience would pay for a music magazine is £2-£2.99.

This means I need t make my magazine worth the price.

This pie chart shows that most my audience prefer to read questions and answers than continuous text, this means I need to include as many question and answers as possible.

This pie chart shows that girly colours are the most popular with my audience. This means that I am going to have use colours such as pinks and purples etc to attract my audience.

This pie chart shows that most my audience buy a music magazine due to what image is on the front of the magazine. This means I am going to have to have an interesting, good quality, unique image on the front.

This pie chart shows that most my audience like to read different interviews in magazines. This means that I will have to advertise different interviews on the front cover of my magazine to attract my audience to the magazine.

This pie chart shows that most my audience like music magazines due to the gossip that is inside. this means that I will have to advertise on the front cover the most interesting pieces of gossip that is inside as it will attract my audience to my music magazine and it will make them want to buy it.

This pie chart shows that most my audience buy music magazines regularly, the majority of my audience buy them once a week so I will have to keep up to date and advertise the next issue. this means I will also need to think of fresh ideas for the next issue of my music magazine. 

This pie chart shows that most of my audience like to see one direction featured in music magazines. this means that I will have to do some advertisement on one direction so my audience is attracted more to my music magazine.

Denotation & Connotation

Connotation-Connotation is the associations that are connected to a particular words or if  there is emotional suggestions that are related to the word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. For example you could say the connotations for a devil are Evil, Mean, Cruel, Trouble. You could say that the connotation is a suggested meaning and an association to a denotation.

Denotation- Denotation is when you describe what you can see in a lot of  detail. It can also be explain as  a literal reading of the image itself.

Questionnaire

1.       What is your favourite thing to read about in music magazines?

·         Boy bands [   ]

·         Girl groups [   ]

·         Gossip [   ]

·         Female singers [   ]

·         Male singers [   ]

2.       How much are you willing to pay for a music magazine?

·         £1 - £1.99 [   ]

·         £2 – £2.99 [   ]

·         £3 - £3.99 [   ]

·         £4+ [   ]

3.       In an interview with a celebrity do you prefer?

·         Continuous text [   ]

·         Questions and answers [   ]

4.       What colour scheme do you prefer?

·         Black and white [   ]

·         Girly colours [   ]

·         Pastel [   ]

·         Warm [   ]

·         Cold [   ]

·         Primary colours [   ]

·         Bright, bold colours [   ]

5.       What is it that makes you buy music magazines?

·         The image that’s on the front cover [   ]

·         The name of the magazine [   ]

·         You normally buy this magazine [   ]

·         The headlines [   ]

·         The singers that are featured in it [   ]

·         Other [   ]

If you have selected other please state what here:

6.       What do you like to read in a music magazine?

·         Different reviews [   ]

·         Interviews [   ]

·         Fashion [   ]

·         Quizzes [   ]

·         Concerts [   ]

·         Other [   ]

If you have selected other please state what here:

7.       What artists would you like to see feature in the music magazine?

8.       Why do you like music magazines?

9.       How often do you buy music magazines?

      I have created a questionnaire because I would like to see what my target audience like and what they're favorite parts of a music magazine are, what they're likes and dislikes are, favorite colours, house styles etc. This will then help me create a perfect music magazine for my target audience. All these answers will then hopefully help me form a magazine that also meets its genre.

The JICNAR scale

The JICNAR scale-

Joint Industry Committee for National Readership Surveys.

Media producers use this scale in order to help identify and target a specific demographic. These are the six elements to the scale:

Group A- (Professionals) Upper middle class.

eg. Barristers.

Group B- (Managerial) Middle class.

eg. Bank manager.

Group C1- (Non Manual) Lowe middle class.

eg. White collar workers like an office worker.

Group C2- (Manual) Skilled working class.

eg. Blue collar workers such as a car mechanic.

Group D- (Partly Skilled) Semi or unskilled manual workers .

eg. An assembly line worker.

Group E- (Unskilled) Casual worker or dependent on benefits.

Brand identity

Top of the pops & We heart pop 

I have shown these two very similar products to my target audience and they selected the things that they liked the most about these magazines. First of all, the bright colours and different fonts were the thing that was picked up on most as they were what grabbed there attention most. They also like the images of different celebrities on the front as it makes them want to look inside to see whats being said about them. For my magazine I would like to use a variety of fonts, bright colours and a range of different images as this is what is going to make my magazine stand out. We can see that both of these magazines cater for both 13-18 year old girls that are interested in pop music that is in the charts. You would not find people such as 'My Chemical Romance or Arctic Monkeys' in this type of magazine as they have more of an edgy look to them, they are more of a rock band and are associated with dark colours such as black, brown, dark green etc, Where as these magazines both have a variety of bright, eye catching colours that stand out and make the page more attractive and appealing to lovers of pop music. The text that they use is a non sans serif styled font that is very bold. 'Top of the pops' vary with what colour they have there title it can vary from either pink or white where as 'We heart pop' is a black text with a coloured heart.On the front of these music magazine covers there is always a large central image with is in place to draw your attention to what the main article is going to be about inside. The main image is then often surrounded by smaller images or a variety of different text which draws your attention even more to the magazine as it allows you to see what other content is inside this magazine. The institutional values is of the magazines is that it sticks to one type of music and aims to provide the audience with new information, celebrity gossip, interviews, music reviews etc.

Detailed analysis of the music magazine 'Rock Sound'

http://prezi.com/cb68jyw3b3uv/analysis-of-a-music-magazine/

Things we'd find on a contents page.

Things you would find on a contents page.

• Extra circular 
• Achievements
• Awards
• Info about teachers 
• Pictures
• PB Radio
• Menu
• Exam info
• Interview
• Logo
• Charity events
• Statistics
• Adverts
• Highlights of the week
• Ofsted
• Upcoming events

My contents page and what I have learnt through out this project.

Here is my completed contents page. On my contents page I knew I had to keep the same theme throughout my magazine. My house style was Red,White and Black. First of all I added a picture in the background and faded it out. This is so that the audience isn't focusing more on the background rather than the actually contents page but its also in place so the contents page isn't plain and boring. Next I decided to add a title, I used the same style,font,colours and design as my masthead on the front page. I decided if I was carrying this on throughout then I would add the same banner that was created for my front cover. Next I simply added the issue number of the magazine and the date. These are located under the banner on either side. These were created by using the text tool. I changed the font colour to black.Next I selected a layout I had created from my rough drafts. To create this layout I simply created a rectangle with the shape tool and used the line tool t section this rectangle off. The top rectangle then got filled in red so I could add a title, I added the word 'Features' It had been bolded in black and a white stroke was added all the way around it to make it stand out more and so it stuck to the same style through out.Next in each section I used the text tool to add a large number which stood for the page number and then began to add text to say what featured on each page. Once this had been done I created another large rectangle with the shape tool and sectioned the top half off again, filed it in red and added text in the same style but this time the text said 'Interviews.' Then I added the page number and text inside the rectangle again using the text tool. Finally I decided to fill the right hand corner with two images instead of just having text as this would make the contents page more interesting and it wouldn't look as plain. First of all I copied and paste my 2 images in and cropped them so I got rid of any of the image I didn't want to keep. I then put them into place and added a black stroke around them both so it acted as a border. I then decided I wanted to add some text onto the image but when ever I added it, the colours classed with the background. I then decided to use the text tool to add the page number and the title in a bigger size in a white font with a black stroke around it so the text didn't clash with the background. Then the smaller text I wanted to add wasn't easy enough to read with a black stroke around it so I decided to try something different. As normal I used the text tool to add my white text but this time so it didn't clash with the background I used the shape tool to create a lack rectangle. I then 'sent it to the back' of my text and began to fade it out very slowly so the the rectangle became all most transparent. This rectangle then helped to make the text readable.


What I've learnt throughout this project?
Throughout this project I have learnt  variety of things. First of all I have learnt new skills of how to both create and use a blog. This has been a good thing to do as it is a different way of me presenting my work. I can also go back and edit things and make improvements in my work if they need to be done. I've also learnt how to use fireworks. My knowledge on how to use fireworks originally was very limited as I never really knew howto create anything and I only knew how to use certain tools. I have know learnt how to do things such as, create a stroke around text and images, fade things in and out, create things such as banner and pugs, how to use the shape tools etc. Learning all these things has meant that I am now able to use both blogs and fireworks both outside of school and inside of school. Now I have completed this preliminary activity I would say I am now more advance in what I can do on both my blog and on fireworks. Therefore this hopefully means that I am now more able to create more things and do more within more work due to the things I have learnt. Overall I personally think that the blog is very helpful to me as I think it is a quick and easy way of presenting my work and I can add to it as I go along, Im also able to go back and improve things. Also when creating my blog I have learnt a lot of new media terms and have been able to use them through out my blog when annotating pieces of work.

Contents Page Layouts.

Here I have made 2 simple layouts for my contents page.I have used the shape tool to draw out boxes and then used the text tool to type into the boxes what I would like to put where.

conventions for a contents page.

I am going to make a contents page for the next part of my magazine. To be able to create a contents page I’m going to need to know the key conventions. The key conventions for a contents page are:

·         Catergories/sections

I will use catergories/sections on my contents page so everything is laid out neatly and is easier to read.

·         Font size variation

I will use a variation of font sizes on my contents page to make the more important pieces of information stand out to the less important pieces.

·         Blurb

I will use a blurb on my contents page as it will contain information about the magazine for the audience.

·         Pictures

I will use pictures on my contents page to make it more interesting to look at and to draw the audience in more. This will also give the audience a sneak preview of what’s in the magazine

·         Columns

I will use columns on my contents page as it will keep everything in order, it will not make the page look untidy and it will look a lot more professional.

·         Captions

I will use captions on my contents page as some people may not know what is in them image that I have on my contents page and it will explain a bit about it.

·         Structured  layout

I will use a structured layout on my contents page so that it is all clear and neat and it will help it look a lot more professional.

·         Pull quotes

I will use pull quotes on my contents page as it will draw the audience in more, this will make them want to read the magazine more.

·         Title(contents)

I will use a title on my contents page so that the audience will know what page they are looking at.

·         Banners

I will use banners on my contents page so that the reader will know what is inside of the magazine.

·         Headlines

I will use headlines on my contents page so it easy for the audience to identify the most important piece of information on there.

·         Numbers(emphasis, do not use pg or page)

I will use numbers on my contents page so the audience know where  to find certain pages and bits of information.

·         Colour scheme

I will use a colour scheme on my contents page so that it will look a lot more professional instead of using lots of different colours. If I do not use a colour scheme it will be very unappealing

·         House style (relates to the reset of the magazine)

I will use a house style on my contents page so it will keep everything in order and will not confuse the audience.

·         Issue number dates.

I will use issue number dates on my contents so the audience know when the next issue of the magazine is out.

Final Magazine Cover

Here is my completed magazine cover. When creating this I had to take a few things into consideration as I knew somethings would have to be changed. First of all I copied and pasted an image onto my magazine for the background picture and sent it to the back so its not covering any text. Due to the background being rather dark you wasn't able to the black text of the headlines so I had to change it to white for it to be more visable which then lead to me changing the colour scheme/ house style to Red,Black and White. Next I decided that I needed to move the masthead due to it covering a face in the background. This then led to me thinking that it looked like it was really bare, So I decided to add another headline under the masthead. I created this by using the text tool and change the text to white. Next I decided I needed to add a pug to my magazine cover so to create this I used the shape tool and made a circle, I then used the fill tool to fill it in red. Next I used my text tool and selected a font I wanted to use and a colour and simply typed the words '100% pass rate.' Then I used the align tool to change the way the text goes.

Photo's for my magazine.

Ideas for pictures on the front of my magazine:

·         Exam results

·         The front of reception

·         Students working in class/library/outside

·         Teachers working

·         Happy students

·         Students outside of the main entrance

·         Students in the common room
 ·         Miss Campbell in her office
·          Students jumping in the air
·       Students on the stairs

I decided to make the images I took more natural so that the people I was taking the pictures of looked really into what they were doing. Some images I had taken I had people smiling so it was like a nice friendly, warm welcome to the school. I had taken a range of different shots, they had ranged from close ups, long shots and mid shots. I had taken pictures of both students in there uniforms and sixth form students. The students in there uniforms had there pictures taken while in there lesson where as the sixth form students had them taken during there study time or had been asked to pose for the camera with either big smiles and thumbs up.

Here are some of the photos I took in the end.