The end of my Media Studies Foundation Portfolio

THIS IS THE LAST POST.

I thoroughly enjoyed the coursework, 'media studies foundation portfolio', particularly as it was focusing on music, which, I happen to adore. I would also like to personally thank the amazing Aaron Tiley, for his very professional modelling for the photo shoot. Without his gorgeous looks and amazing charismatic flare, this would not have been possible. 

I hope you enjoyed browsing through my work from October-May

Thank you,

Nicola Bound

Foundation Portfolio Evaluation

Foundation Portfolio Evaluation

Music Magazine Double Page Spread Progress

Progress: Complete

This is my final finished double page spread. I am extremely happy with the final result, and feel it was the 'rocky' and rugged but simple look I was going for.

After carrying out some audience feedback on my double paged spread, the majority felt that I had created a very successful double page spread.

This was the verdict:

Positives:
+ The magic eraser tool works well, makes the subject look like part of the page
+ The lines used make it look more professional
+ Black and white picture
+ Colour scheme
+ 'News' heading makes it look professional and stands out - emphasises "Alt-Wave"'s information
+ The two columns look good and is nice and easy to read

Negatives:

- Left hand page black, right hand page grey, would have been good to possibly blend these.

(My reply to above comment: Possibly, but I also feel that the difference in colour helps to emphasise the article)

- Possibly make the call-out quotes red instead of white

(My reply to above comment: I wanted to draw the reader's attention mainly to the main large image and the main headings, and making the call-outs red too would lessen that attention)

- Might look better if the brands of speakers were not visible

(My reply to above comment: I thought of this too whilst I was manipulating the image, however, I felt that they connoted the music genre, and were representative of music, therefore were fitting to the music magazine)

I feel that the comments I recieved enabled me to view my double page spread from a different perspective, and am greatful of the feedback.

When looking at my three pieces of work, front cover; contents page and double page spread, I do not want it to be seen as my double page being of a lesser standard. Before I created my double page spread, I wanted to follow a very simple format (an idea I assumed after researching, in particular finding a 'My Chemical Romance' double page which I felt was exactly what I was aiming for: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zfVfSvJj8TQ/Swm7PLxi9QI/AAAAAAAAATM/pyqtYK3Az5U/s1600/Kerrang+Double+Page+Spread+1.jpg I loved this double page spread, as it connoted a rock genre immediately by the mise-en-scene of the clothing, the microphone and music recording equipment. This idea struck me, and I feel this gave me a great insight into the mise-en-scene of my double page spread. I, too, used music equipment, the speakers, and again the rocky/casual clothing is representative of the rock music genre, and this style of rock band. I also admired the colour scheme. Mine is different as I used black and white effect, however on the 'My Chemical Romance' example I found, the editing was not quite black and white, but followed a rusted sepia colour. However, I wanted mine black and white as it follows the black colour in my colour scheme and looked very good.

Here, I have enlarged each page of my double page spread so I can individually assess them.

For the first page, I decided to use this as the side for my main image. I chose to do this as from the majority of my research into magazine double page spreads, this is the format they followed, and I was aiming to follow a similar professional style. I also feel that your eyes naturally go from left to right, just like reading a book, so for the main image to be on the left, this is what I wanted the reader to be attracted to first, and not the article. I feel the image is the primary feature of the double page spread, and the article the secondary; the main image should help to entice the reader into reading the article. Therefore, I feel the article benefits from being on the second page. I used a 'magic eraser' tool on PhotoShop to manipulate the image and encorporate the subject and speakers into the page, and I feel this worked particularly well. With the 'News' box, I made this read to attract the reader's attention too. It adds to the professionalism of the page, highlighting this is an important article to read and it also promotes the 'Alt-Wave' website. Finally, I included a 'Gig Review' horizontal column at the bottom of the page, which supports the article as it is two fans' opinions on the gig by the band 'The Killers.' The small minor pictures help to catch the reader's gaze and supports the reviews.

For the second page, I chose for the article to be displayed here, for the reasons I stated above. I chose to write an article on Alt-Wave's exclusive interview with Brandon Flowers. It informs the reader of his highs and lows, being a rockstar and how he got to where he and his band is. I felt this was a particularly strong article to write, as fans of the band would be intrigued as to how their favourite band got to being big. I used lines particularly on this side of the double page spread, as I felt it helped to divide the page up and add structure, whilst also highlighting the call-outs from the article. I used a red 'T' to begin the article, typical of newpapers and magazines today. It also shows the reader where the article begins and follows the colour scheme of my magazine. I chose to angle the headings at the top of the page to make them catch the reader's gaze and introduce the article. The angling is also representative of the rebellious rock genre.

Music Magazine Double Page Spread Progress

Progress: Incomplete

This is my double page spread article that I have created so far. I produced this on a program called 'Ind. Design', which meant I was able to accurately and effectively make the double paged spread compared to the previous program 'PhotoShop' I used. I have continued to follow my black, red and white/gold colour scheme, and feel that it is particularly effective for this area of my magazine. The article is an interview with Brandon Flowers, the subject of my cover, and talks of his life and career and what it is to be a rock star. I felt having two columns was effective as it follows the simplistic theme I have used throughout my magazine. I like the simplistic theme as I feel that rock music speaks for itself and has so much power and intensity that it does not need to be emphasised by a complex format. For the background, I created it on PhotoShop and stretched it to fit the double page. I used a spotlight effect on photoshop as well as 'render' and 'distort' effects. These effects together created a rustic and battered style, which is effective and appropriate for the rocky and rebellious genre of music, also the lighting represents gigs. I used angling on my titles at the top, as this enabled them to stand out and catch the reader's gaze as these are the titles I wanted to draw the reader's attention to as they encourage the reader to read the article. For the text, I used 'bold' to make specific words stand out more and catch the reader's gaze even more. I included the minor images I took, and here I am contemplating formatting these down the left hand side vertically. However, I think I may change this layout and display them at the bottom of the left hand page. The red box down the side is where the two minor images would go, however, if I change my mind, the box will go; I feel the red is quite over powering for the page, as I want the reader's attention to be drawn mainly to the main image and callouts.

This is the photo I took for my double page spread. It was a photo shoot I carried out with my friend Kerhys, and we both agreed I should use this image as it was exactly the look I was going for. I also asked other class mates who felt this was a great image for a double page spread. This audience feedback was valuable for me, as an age group of 16-17 years is in my target group and are an age I aim to target. I also then confirmed this with my teacher who is also in the age range (late 20's) and she too agreed the image was perfect.

Minor Images for Double page spread

Progress: Incomplete: Photo shoot

These are just photos that I have taken in preparation for my double page spread. It is not a definate decision over the photos, as I feel they should possibly go for a upbeat rocky idea instead. These images would be very small, down the right-hand side of my second page, and would be used for the gig reviews/album review (undecided). The photo of the reviewee would have a small statement beneath with their verdict.

Double-Page Spread Research: Kerrang Magazine

After carrying out some research into double-page spreads, this is a definite favourite that I found. I feel the composition is really well displayed, and the main image on the left page highlights the band, if 'MCR' wasn't a big enough indication. The colour scheme works really well, as the red text stands out against the black and white images. This technique would be really effective for my double-page spread, as it follows the same format that I have chosen for my magazine. 

My Final design: Music Magazine Contents Page

Progress: Complete

I have since included an arrow, instructing the reader to turn to a particular page. I feel this is an effective and useful item to use as it is helpful for the reader, suggests that there are interesting features to read and it also adds more colour and interest for the page. I also included the date that the magazine will be distributed as this is useful for the reader and was included on most popular music magazines: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xWIN2w4uXgY/SRQxk8ttb8I/AAAAAAAAACY/Blpmgeyd3DQ/s400/q+contents.jpg
Overall, I am very pleased with my contents page. I am particularly happy with my simplisitic format and the clear divisions for my composition. It is clear where to look, and I feel this is particularly useful for a contents page, as these are used so you know where to find features etc in the magazine, therefore a simple format is needed for ease. I included lines in my contents page, as this helped to divide the page up and add to the simplistic format. Lines are also seen on popular magazines, which is good connotations for my magazine.

Audience Feedback:

Positives:
+ I like how the images are on one side and the text on the other
+ Interesting and appropriate photos used
+ Easy to read
+ Really effective use of another issue for the subscription
+ The subscription article in grey highlights it compared to the rest of the page
+ Looks good how the central line goes through 'Alt-Wave', as if representing the divide of different styles of rock
+ The angled small issue image for subscription, very realistic and draws attention to the image

Negatives:
- Arrow looks very slightly pink instead of red
.............
But NO OTHERS?! Wow...

Contents Page Progress

Progress: Incomplete

This is the image I created for my 'subscription' article. I made this as on a subscription article, it is idealised and also useful to include small image of another magazine produced by the magazine company. Therefore, I felt I could not use the front cover I have created so far for my project. I decided to manipulate my front cover further, by changing the copy and sell-lines. I am pleased with this, as it adds to the professional appearance of my magazine, and is similar to that of other magazines of this genre.

Contents Page Progress

Progress: Incomplete This is my magazine contents page so far. It follows the structure of sketch 1 I designed, as this was a simplistic design and follows a similar simple composition of my front cover. I like the simple design, as this is the composition of what other magazines of my genre use. The simple layout for my contents page means I can easily emphasise key, popular articles and features I feel are important and would appeal more to my audience. Also, as a contents page, I feel a simple structure is the most effective, and should be used, as the main use of a contents page is to read to see what the magazi ne contains; therefore, if I were to use a more complicated and graphical contents page, it may not be very clear and easy to read for the reader. I have continued to follow the colour scheme of black, red and white, which adds to the professionalism of the overall appearance of my magazine. The photos I used cover one third of my page, which I feel is a good proportion as, personally- and from my research, I found the most effective contents pages had more text than image. I have used a 'subscribe' article, in order to enhance the sales of my magazine for frequent readers of 'Alt-wave'. I have also included a 'band index' article which was not part of my original plan in the sketch. However, I feel it works well for my contents page, as it is appropriate, adds to the appearance, and would also be a convenient and useful index for the readers. For each subheading, I put them in black boxes, highlighting the different sections and what the magazine entails. Finally, I used red numbering for each article, as this highlights to the reader that the magazine contains many enjoyable articles to read.

Photoshoot:

These are six images I took for my contents page. I varied the mise-en-scene to make the different bands seem more realistic, and the mise-en-scene for the background also represents each of the different bands. For example, the woods represent the 'Decode' music video by the band 'Paramore', and the brick background represents the london background that 'Kay-Ell' have. In the four images of the girls, I used a spotlight to give the shot a professional look, similar to that of other popular magazines. I am very happy with this photo shoot for the minor images of my contents page.

Contents Page Sketches

These are the two sketches I have designed for my music magazine contents page. They both follow the same layout of having a large, main image on the left of the page. I chose to use this idea as from the research I carried out into existing music magazine contents pages, the majority of the most successful pages used this layout. In both sketches, they include additional photos, which I would take of 'bands' from the 80's, 90's and today. However, these would be taken in a photoshoot I am soon to be carrying out. Similar to this, my main image for both of these would use an individual from a rock band, holding a microphone. The expression of my copy I will have to decide during the photoshoot as during my previous photoshoot my subject went through a trial of different expressions, as the original idea did not work. Despite this, I would like my copy to connote the idea of a 'rocky' energy, excitement and slight rebellion, typical of my genre of alternative rock music.

After much deliberation, I have chosen my second sketch. I feel this would suit my magazine better, as it is a simpler than the first, which then makes it similar to my front cover, as this also follows a simple composition. In the first sketch, I tried using a masthead I found whilst researching, that I felt worked well. But after sketching this, I now feel it is not appropriate for my magazine. As my masthead for the front cover follows a simple style, on one line, using this vastly different masthead would not mean it did not match, and mean it did not look as professional. I also like the idea of a 'subscription' advertisement for my magazine, as this helps to promote my magazine further to readers, and adds to the professionalism. For the features column, the numbers will be large, meaning they stand out from the page and means it is also attractive.

Finished Music Magazine Front Cover

This is my final magazine cover that I have edited and manipulated using Photo shop. I used my audience feedback to help perfect my front cover. I put many constructive comments to use, as you can see, such as the Paramore sell-lines and the enlarged word 'The' sell-line. Hopefully now my audience would be more satisfied with my cover as I have encorporated different views other than my own.
Overall, I am very pleased with this as a music magazine front cover, and feel it is very successful. I feel without designing a school magazine front cover, this project so far would not have been as successful, in particular my skills on photoshop. Practising taking photos for the school magazine front cover also enabled me to get a greater understanding for the effectiveness, focusing on the angles, lighting, distance, eye contact etc.The areas I am most pleased with are the shot itself. I like how the copy is centralised in the page, with the copy's arm and guitar dividing the page further. The shadow created from the spotlight works really well, as I feel it adds to the professionalism of the photo, whilst casting a the light across his face which enhances it, meaning it stands out to the reader. I also feel the spotlight works well as it gives perspective to the copy, as the copy's clothing is brigher nearer his face and masthead, which again enables the reader to be drawn to the key areas of the front cover. The images i used were photos I had taken from a previous gig, therefore the quality of these are not fantastic; in particular the image of Josh Franceschi which is slightly yellowed in colour. I tried to use Photo shop to manipulate the image, however, in the end I felt the image in more-or-less its original state works best as it also goes with the black-red-gold theme I have used.

Music Magazine Front Cover - Audience Feedback

Progress: Incomplete (Awaiting feedback)
This is the progress I have made so far for my music magazine front cover. Despite it looking quite complete, I still want to improve the front cover and make it look the best it could get. Therefore, I thought it would be useful to carry out some audience research, and use the opinions of others to help improve my magazine.
This was the feedback I recieved:


Positive comments:
+ The masthead behind the image looks good
+ The way the masthead darkens with the shadow of the copy from the light is effective
+ Shadow used around the tagline works well as it matches with the shadow made by your copy
+ Composition is really good
+ The puff hook works well
+ Small image cut out at bottom left of page makes it look proffessional
+ The way the guitar is not obscured by any sell-lines makes it stand out, and highlights your genre of magazine
+ Positioning of masthead
+ Positioning of sell-lines/text arrangments is clear and works well
+ Colour scheme looks good and is appropriate for your genre


Audience Feedback:

Negative comments:
- Paramore tagline too long, means its less eyecatching and too much for the page
- Writing on the banner needs to be clearer
- Barcode is not black and its too big
- Enlarge the word 'The' in your central sell-line
- Make the Paramore sell-lines clearer and bolder
- Date, issue number and price is too big
- Possibly change red banner to black
- Possibly change angling of text in the puff


Front Cover images:


These are two images I took when I went to see Paramore live in Cardiff in December. I took two photos, specifically in mind of my front cover. One is of the band Paramore, the other is of the band You Me At Six. The photos are not of a very good quality because they were taken live and without a tripod of any useful equipment. However, this also adds to the freeness of the music genre, and represents the live gigs aspect, so I feel it does not matter that this is not professionally captured. In the first image, I aim to use the lasso tool on Photoshop to cut out the band member from You Me At Six. I may decide to manipulate these two images on Photoshop to make the image clearer.

Music Magazine Progress

Progress: Incomplete.

This is my music magazine cover so far. I have been using a photo editing program called 'Photoshop' which I have used to enhance my work and create my ideal magazine front cover.
The image (including lighting and effects etc) masthead, slogan and banner are complete, however the white boxes and red box with sell-lines in black font in and the are where I plan to compose the text on my cover. I am pleased with the arrangements of the sell-lines, although feel the words 'The Killers' in the centre of the page need to be bigger.
I am very pleased with the masthead and slogan, and like how I used the tool 'drop-shadow' on Photoshop on the slogan, creating a shadow which works well with the shadow created from the spotlight by my subject.
Whilst using Photoshop to continue working on my front cover, I may decide certain elements of my front cover do not work, and also may decide to include more sell-lines and puffs. Nevertheless, currently I am very pleased with the front cover and the progress I have made.

Possible photos for music magazine cover

These are some earlier photos I took, exploring different ways of taking and arranging my photo. I used the same subject as I have for my photo shoot. In these photos however, I used a fish-eye lens, which I concluded after these pictures was not particularly successful. Nonetheless, here are the first photos I took with the fish-eye lens, on a very dreary day.

The Photo Shoot

When arranging my photoshoot, I asked my subject to dress in red and black, as the colour scheme for my magazine is red, black and gold. I also asked him to bring an electric guitar, connoting the genre of alternative rock music that my music magazine is. I also chose a white canvas background, as I felt this would enable my copy to stand out, and catch the eye of the reader. It would also be useful when moving onto the second stage of adding text.

Factors involved in this photo shoot:

- As shown in previous photos, fish-eye lens was not successful or appropriate, therefore I did not chose to use in this photoshoot

- Spotlight was used in some photos

- Weather outside was terrible and raining, therefore could try out my second sketch which would have been scattering instruments and paper on the grass. I do not feel this mattered entirely though, as I didn't feel it would have been my final idea of the two sketches.

- Public opinion was used to help me determine which photo was the most successful.

This is one of the first photos I took for my music magazine cover. Whilst performing the photo shoot, I asked my subject to hold the guitar in many different ways, so I was able to see which ways were the most successful in displaying the instrument. This was one way I tried, which I feel is quite successful. I like the way the neck of the guitar cuts through the centre of the page, however with the majority of the not in shot, I feel it detracts from the overall appeal of the guitar. The gaze in this photo also works well, as it catches the gaze of the reader, and enables the magazine to feel more personal to the reader. On the other hand, I am not entirely satisfied with the expression on my copy's face, as it is quite a bored expression, which is not reflective of the genre of music I have chosen for my magazine, Alternative Rock. When considering the next step in my project, of adding the fundamental text such as the masthead and sell-lines, I feel the composition of my copy is well displayed on the page, and the text could work effectively, appropriately and attractively on the cover.

Overall, I am very pleased with this photo, and feel it was one of the best I took in the photo shoot. Personally, I feel the guitar plays a large part in it's success, as the neck of the guitar creates a perfect thirds rule, by covering two-thirds of the page, and leaving the space available for text such as sell-lines, puffs and also the images. I like the fact all of the guitar is shown, as the guitar represents the genre of music, and is a clear visual code for an audience looking for this style and genre of music magazine. I feel the tilt of the copy's head works, as it adds attitude to the rock magazine, and this is also supported by the expression on his face, which also has attitude which is appropriate for the genre.

This is the image I have chosen to use for my front cover. In this, I used a spotlight, as I wanted it to create a professional look, which I feel is successfully achieved. I directed the spotlight so it cast light down the right hand side of this photo, from high on a stand. I feel the shadow creates works really well, adding a nice touch, and giving the image more perspective and character. I like the medium close-up I used, despite it not being part of my original idea, and I feel the text I am later to add will work well with the layout of the copy on the cover. I also like the amount of guitar shown, as it does not dominate the page, however is just a clear connotation to the genre of music for my magazine. Despite my copy not looking directly at the camera, resulting in no gaze, I still feel the expression and direction of the eyes works really well. Admittedly, in a lot of the research I did into front covers for music magazines, it did involve a gaze from the copy. Although, I feel the direction of the eyes adds to the attitude shown, and represents the 'alternative' aspect of my alternative rock genre. When considering how this photo would work with the text I added to it, I deliberated over it. It could work extremely well, however, be slightly less room than the other photos for the text. But after looking through my research again, and looking at the 'NME' magazine cover which is of a similar genre to my magazine, the sell-lines in particular cover a majority of the image. This helped the 'NME' cover connote a busy and energetic feeling, which is what I would also like to connote in my front cover; therefore, I have concluded that this would hopefully enhance the appearance of my magazine cover.

N.b: Despite not including many ideas I planned in my sketches, I am very pleased with my final decision for my front cover image.

Sketches for Music magazine front cover

These are the two sketches I have drawn up for my music magazine front cover. I went for a simple idea, by which I would have a male playing guitar (stereotypical of rock music) and looking at the camera. In the first image, I chose a medium close-up for my subject, and to create a thirds rule, taking up two-thirds of my page. This is created by the "coloured lines" and the angle of the guitar. The "coloured lines" is what I hope to produce from using a slow shutter on the camera, and I feel this will give the front cover energy and connote the powerful and hectic feel of rock music. Another effect I will be using is fish-eye, which will give the front cover more perspective, and make it appear more dynamic. As well as this, I feel that the perspective, emphasising the head and subsequently the eyes, will create more of a gaze for the reader, and will give the magazine more attitude, again, reflective of the genre. In the second front cover sketch, I would like to include the same effect of using a fish-eye. However, the background of this will be very different. Weather permitting, I hope to have my copy on grass on a bright day with the sun in the background, and rock instruments such as a guitar and drum sticks and torn lyrics on the floor. The copy would again be in the same position, although I would like this to be a medium long shot opposed to a medium close-up, as I feel this will be better when capturing the ground in the shot. (Excuse the poor drawing, I did not show the difference in distance too well.)

When considering the results I recieved from my questionnaire, I would like my subject to be dressed in dark and vibrant colours as this is what was proven most popular from my results. I would like to follow a colour scheme of general colour scheme of black, red and gold, therefore I will ask my copy to dress in red and black specifically, so he is fitting and representative of my magazine. My masthead, reading 'Alt-wave' will be positioned top left of my page, as from my research, I found this was typically the area used most. It would also be in the perfect position with my image. The tagline will be located bottom-right of my masthead, as it is the second most important piece of text to the masthead, when defining and distinguishing the magazine from others.

Research into Magazine contents pages

I have done some further research, now looking into magazine contents pages in preparation for creating my music magazine. Below, I have analysed two different music magazine contents pages.


The colour scheme of black, white and red result in the contents page looking very striking. The red in particular stands out, emphasising the word 'contents' and the date '01/07'. The colour scheme is also well used, as in the images the colours black and red are shown, which is appropriate for the colour palette. I feel the page division works well, with the 'features' column separate from the images. I feel this makes the page easier to read, which is useful as this is where the reader goes to find out more about the magazine's contents. The focal image of the page, being a member of a band playing drums, works well as it summarises what this particular magazine is about - drums. On my music magazine I will consider using this idea, and use a large image of a band member playing a rock music instrument, such as a guitar or drums, which connotes the genre of magazine.

This is another music magazine contents page, however this is an r'n'b cover, therefore not focusing on my genre; but I can still study this cover and learn and encorporate their ideas into my magazine. The reason this stood out for me whilst researching, was the very striking layout. The copy is lying down, with her legs in the air, which is the focal point of the magazine. This creates a third rule, which is visually attractive, interesting and eye-catching. There is also a slight gaze from the subject, which catches the gaze of the reader. I also really like the tilt used on the writing, as for this magazine, it creates a sense of style, and makes it look fancy which is fitting to the female aspect of r'n'b, whereas if I were to incorporate this into my magazine, it could be used to create a haphazard and wreckless effect, which is appropriate for the rock genre. The masthead 'contents' also works well, drawing the readers attention by splitting the word into 3 lines.

From this research into magazine contents pages, I have decided to reconsider my ideas. I am very sure that I would like to use the format used for the wording of 'contents', as I feel this is effective and appropriate with my genre of magazine. I will also use the idea of incorporating the colour scheme in the images I use, which is shown through 'Drummer' magazine. From both pages, I feel the large image works well, and I will most likely use this when designing the contents page.

Research into Music Magazine Covers

I have researched into different genres of music magazine front covers. My aim was to see how each genre of music was displayed differently through the use of colour scheme, layout, image, sell-lines, and overall look of the magazine. I chose three very different genres, these were: Rock, Classical, Indian Culture and R'n'B.


Genre: Rock
On this 'NME' music magazine cover, the layout is very busy and cluttered and energetic, which could be reflective of this genre of music. Rock music in general contains quick, heavy beats, with several instruments. Therefore, the use of many sell-lines and and images is representative of this genre. The first word of the main sell-line, reading 'The Wombats', is askew, adding to the hectic feel of the magazine cover. The colour scheme contains many clashing colours, such as the red of 'NME' and and yellow of 'Wombats'. However, the colour of the clothing which covers the majority of the page is dark, connoting the sometimes dark and angry nature of rock music. I feel the contrast between the dark colours and the vibrant colours such as the yellow and red work works well, meaning the magazine stands out and represents the raw nature of rock music. The image shows the band members at different levels, to make the cover more visually interesting. The sell-lines are positioned so the image looks as if it is displayed diagonally across the page. Light blue text boxes are used around some sell-lines, which means they stand out and are more likely to catch the reader's eye.

Genre: Indian Culture
The general composition of this music magazine front cover is simple, with the white background and standard black font. The gaze of the magazine is directed towards the Indian woman named 'Priyanka', who helps the magazine more appealing to the male gaze and for fashion conscious women. The layout is simple, with the image centre-right of the page, with sell-lines boldly around this. With the image obscuring the title, it gives the impression that this is a famous and popular magazine and well known enough to not lose out from not showing the full brand. The masthead is vert strong, with the black font colour standing out against the white. I feel the strike line through the masthead is effective, as it gives it brand identity. The colour used in the image for the woman's material is typical of the Indian culture, with the variety of colours used, and this also contrasts well against the white background. Critically, it is not immediately obvious of the genre of the magazine without reading the sell-lines, and I would hope to make my genre of magazine more apparent.

Genre: Classical
For this 'Music' music magazine, it follows a very simple layout. The image is displayed centrally on the page, infront of the masthead; this enables the image to stand out from the page. From the front cover, it is clear to the reader that the magazine is focuses on classical music. The masthead alone informs the reader this, but using a famous violinist holding the instrument emphasises this, and means the magazine is immediately recognisable as being for classical music. I feel the way the words 'Sarah Chang' are written in the same colour red as the masthead is effective, as it links the two together, showing that Sarah Chang is strongly linked to classical music, and emphasising her, as she may help in the sales of the magazine. The sell-lines are displayed simply on the page, in 'times new roman' black font. The page includes a puff to increase the magazines status by saying, 'The world's best classical music magazine'. I feel the simplistic appearance of the front cover reflects the genre of music. For example, the layout is very structured, similar to that of classical music. It is also a sophisticated genre of music, which is similar to the appearance of this magazine.



Genre: R'n'B
The layout of this 'Vibe' magazine is slightly different to the others I researched. The image is is a medium long shot, directly central of the magazine, emphasising the main subject that is, Chris Brown. However, the sell-lines are positioned neatly down the right of the page, almost in a block of writing. I would not use this technique when creating the front cover of my music magazine, as I feel it does not enable any particular sell-lines to stand out, and catch the readers attention. The one sell-line on the left of the page though is effective, through the use of colours and font styles. The different colours attract the gaze of the audience, as well as italisizing the word 'that', to create a bigger impact on the reader. Direct mode of address is used effectively, by the magazine asking 'Is that Chris Brown?', and this means the reader can feel more connected with the magazine. Again, displaying the image infront of the masthead gives the impression that this is a well known magazine, which gives the magazine extra credibility. The colour of the subject's t-shirt against the background is good, as it gives the magazine more of a colour scheme, adding to it's professional look. The jewellery and accessories helps to connote the R'n'B genre, as many R'n'B artists and bands are seen to be wearing similar. Also, the use of the green and white fonts adds to the appearance of the magazine. I feel the title of the magazine, 'Vibe' is relevant, as it relates to this genre of music and the feeling it gives.

Questionnaire and Findings

Questionnaire and Findings