Electric Magazine Cover Conclusion

Whilst analysing many music magazine covers, I have been made aware of the most common trends when selecting the strongest most effective image, this has given me a larger insight into what it is I need to include in my cover when I am choosing my image. During this process I have noticed that common features that the magazine covers share are the fact that the central image dominates the entire cover, with a tidy background and the model is always situated on top of the magazine title, this emphasises that your magazine is well recognised. I think the concept of placing your plugs in the correct place is really important when wanting to gain customers and get people looking at your magazine, I have noticed from analysing other popular magazines that their pages are not overcrowded with plugs but all located around the central image so that the cover looks professional and readable. This has proven to be the most efficient and effective way to get your target audiences attention.

Music Magazine Front Page

Contents Page Conclusion

Something that I didn't believe would be difficult turned out to be extremely hard. There is a lot that needs to go into the contents page as it is one aspect of the magazine that everybody will look at, before and after purchasing it, therefore the images need to be extremely eye catching and each needs to have a different mode and mode of address on them, the content that you also are supplying for the consumer needs to stand out and look interesting so that the purchaser will become loyal to the magazine. However everything was highlighted and made clearer when I analysed three different contents pages. The chosen contents pages highlighted the most important attributes to the page and the most commonly used templates and designs the most popular music magazines use. Many music magazines include a quote from one of their stories from within the magazine to try and intrigue the customer and interest them. Another attribute to a double page spread is the central image, in some cases there will be more than one image however the most important part of it is the content supplied. 

Music Magazine Contents Page

Music Magazine Double Page Spread

Double Page Spread Conclusion

A double page spread is a feature or article in a magazine that covers two pages of the article. In every magazine there will be a double page spread, these are vital for a magazine to have as this is where all of the information and facts about the artists is shown. The usual template a regular magazine would use as a double page spread is by having an image the same size as the front cover image on one of the pages, usually on the left page, the other page will have writing and the interview. However in some circumstances the text will cover both pages. The image on the double page spread has to be just as eccentric and eye catching as the one on your front cover. This is because you want our consumers to gain an interest in whats been written in your magazine, his promotes it if you can write a good article. The image needs to create an image and stand out to the viewers seven if they don’t want to read the text, they will still be interested in the taken images.

Photo Shoot Plan for Music Magazine

Model -         Poppy Cecilia Green

Genre -         Rock 

Location -     Glebe House Studio,

                     Church Lane,

                     Martlesham,

                     Woodbridge,

                     Suffolk

Make-up -    Grungy, smokey and rocky eyes. A pale sultry lip.

Hair -           One look will be down, messy and be achy as if she has just cmd from a run or rolled                  out of bed. The other look, I am going to have her in a french plait.

Outfit -        For my photo-shoot I am going to choose from a multiple of outfits. For the first shot I        will put her in a tartan mini shift dress with a black distressed leather jacket and for her        feet I think I’m going to have her feet bare, as this gives the idea that she doesn't care        and that she's laid back. For my second image, Poppy will be wearing a silver prom        dress from Topshop with a faux fur waistline coat on which is also from Topshop, to        finish off this outfit I will put her in biker boots to rock up the image and create an        interesting contrast. Finally my last images outfit is a scraped stripe round necked top        with a stripe mini skirt and the biker boots from the previous image. In some of the        images I have included the fur jacket that I used for the other shot to glam up some of        the images and make them more interesting.

Setting -     Plain white background and floor setting.

Front Cover Mock Up

Mock Up One

Mock Up Two

Mock Up Three

Front Cover Mock Up Conclusion

What I have made on my mock-up is my main idea of how I want the overall outcome of my music magazine front cover to look like. To make my mock-up I could not use the actually preferred image  I want to use for the real thing therefore where I placed some of the required elements of a front cover are how I assume it would like if I had the image there. The actual finished piece may not look identical to this mock-up as when I am making it I may decide that some thing looks better elsewhere or not at all, for example I may decide that I would prefer to have the main cover line across the central image. I hope hat my layout is successful when it comes to making my own as I have tried to be influenced by the front cover that I analysed. Due to my format research I have a clear idea of what I want to include in the cover lines on the front cover. 

Contents Page Mock Up

Mock Up One

Mock Up Two

Mock Up Three

Contents Page Mock Up Conclusion

What I have produced here is my main idea that I have put together of the contents page I want to use in my music magazine that has been inspired from analysing a wide variety of contents pages. The template i have used is clear and simple as I do not want my contents page to look like I have loads of stuff on it so thats its overwhelming for my readers, therefore I have gone for a simplistic modern layout. For the overall piece I took designs and templates from some of the most popular professional magazines in order to make my one look interesting and organised.  

Double Page Spread Mock-Ups

Mock Up One

Mock Up Two

Mock Up Three

Music Magazine Quetionaire

Rock Magazine Moodboard

Rock Magazine Cover Conclusion

Having researched many music genres, I have come to the conclusion that I would like my magazine to be a rock cover. 

I have been analysing three different magazine covers of my genre, this has given me in incite into wheat styles are most commonly used amongst this style and how the page is spread out and finished. I noticed that almost all of the covers I looked at and analysed followed the same template. They always had a very strong photograph, that screamed success and comfort. The central image always dominated the entire cover and was cut placed onto a plain background, littered by a few props or none at all. I noticed a variety of placements with the masthead, some in front of the model at the top of the page and some behind the model, also as the top of the page. The mastheads were always bold and vibrant so that they would always be recognisable and eye catching. This meant that you would remember the name of the magazine and its style and make you as the consumer want to buy it, which promotes the magazine. I also noticed that the plugs are commonly located at the very top right hand corner of the page or thinly stretched along the bottom next to the barcode. The cover lines are placed around the bodies of the models following the three colour principle which makes the magazine look professional and this makes the magazine seem more readable and eye catching.

Magazine Cover Analysis

Magazine Front Cover Analysis Comparison

Most of the magazine front covers that I analysed almost completely cloned each other, using roughly the same style of template and features, this is because a front cover needs to have a Masthead, Central image, Coverlines, Barcode, Date and Price to look completed and professional. The first magazine front cover I analysed was for ‘NME’. The model the magazine used is a deceased super star who won having been nominated for ’60 years of NME’. Just like an ordinary magazine the models mode of address is direct and intimate between themselves and the reader. This cover looks successful as the yellow on the black and white background contrasts really well together capturing the style they were trying to achieve. The second music magazine font cover I analysed was for ‘Wonderland’. Their model like before has her mode of address at the centre of the camera which makes it feel as the reader that she is looking at you. ‘Wonderland’ have been extremely clever when designing tis front cover and all the colours compliment each other professionally and sophistically. For the final front cover I analysed the model isn't actually a singer however she has done a lot of work making collaborations and in film has been renowned for her voice. The model is once again looking directly at the audience through the camera, this follows the typical guidelines of a every magazine. I will take some inspiration from these magazines and how they layout the covers to make them look professional, interesting and intriguing. 

Contents Page Analysis Comparison

Every contents page that I analysed were all linked in many aspects but the majority of the template was completely different, all was designed around the genre of that chosen model. The first contents page I analysed was for ‘Spin’ magazine, the contents are situated along the left hand side of the page so as not to clash or take away the interest from the central image this is very effective as the strongest point of the page is the image. The second contents page I analysed was a music magazine I do not know the name of. This contents page was much busier then the first music magazine I analysed as the colour principle they have used was much more vibrant and electric and young, this could be because their target market is much younger then the majority of music magazines. For this magazines page the contents are along the right hand side of the page and are completely separate from the image with extras along the bottom. For the final music magazine I analysed the contents page was completely different from every single one I’d done so far. Instead of covering only one page of the magazine it covered two pages so that they include more images and a wider amount of magazine content, for example ‘Q’ magazine included a column called ‘Regulars’ which featured parts of a magazine that you will also find no matter what, like horoscopes or ‘Q quiz’. The content covers both far sides of the pages, the first being on the left and the second being on the far right. For my magazine contents page I think I will stick to the one page as if I try and add loads of different photos it means I will probably have to take more photographs to include as an additional and try and think of more stories ext. this I think would make my magazine look unprofessional and crammed.  

Contents Page Analysis

Double Page Spread Analysis Comparison

The most common difference I noticed when analysing the three different double page spreads is the template they use. The first music magazine double page spread I analysed looked a little bit empty in some places, there was also an entire corner that had a completely blank white space which looks unprofessional and unfinished. I like the second double page spread I analysed as everything looked neat, tidy and organised. Everything was placed in the correct spaces and tied in well together. The third music magazine double page spread I analysed I also liked as the writing around the model looked interesting and professional completed making the spread look more interesting to look at. Having analysed these three spreads I have realised that the style I want to be influenced by is the third double page spread as it is enjoyable for the reader catches your attention.

Double Page Spread Analysis

School Magazine

Evaluation For Miz en Scene

Evaluation

Having learnt and began to put everything I’ve learnt to the test, I was able to include the majority of the techniques when making my magazine cover to make it is interesting and successful as I could make it. 

The main feature of my front cover was the masthead. I felt it was very important because it is one of the main aspects of the cover that will grasp the attraction of the consumers  and it is extremely important that your viewers are aware of what magazine their reading without confusing it with its other competitors. Having decided I was going to base my magazine around the media area of the school I named it using key terminology from the subject. “Mise on Scene” means every element that is placed inside the scene to be captured by the camera : lighting, costumes, props, set, performance. However the magazine does not spell the first word correctly, this is because ‘The Misbourne School’ can also by recognised as its nickname ‘Miz’ or ‘The Mizzy’ It doesn't take a genius to realise that both mise and miz sound the same , therefore I introduced my schools slang name to the media terminology to create the magazines name. I didn't want to dress the magazine up by overcrowding it with a heavy font or lots of cover lines so I chose the elegant version, using a similar font to ‘Harpers Bazaar’ and a strong image that your viewers would want to look at. Thinking that all of this was easy and refusing to clutter my cover page I wanted to approach a clean, vibrant looking cover page with no witting other than to state the date and the the masthead. I therefore needed to work around doing something different with my cover lines. Having looked at other magazines for examples and ideas I decided I was going to introduce to my readers what was inside the magazine through the use of images. These few images would by at the bottom of the page spaced evenly to create the slick finish. For example if one of my stories was about who was prom royalty, I could choose a photo of the prom King and Queen with there crowns on to enhance the story.

I was successfully proven to be to inexperienced to do the manipulating of the image at that moment and could not find a way to change the square shapes into circles which was extremely frustrating. nHaving tried everyday I could think of to change its shape I was defeated and just had to use the square images at the bottom of the page which did not look as good as I had hoped it to look.

I wanted my strongest feature to be my central image, having noticed on previous school magazines that their chosen models didn't know hot to act around the camera which made them look uncomfortable making the overall image seem unprofessional and ineffective. This is why I have chosen too models who are confident and are styled for the genre and content of my magazine, which is in this case a ‘Prom Special’, I have had my models mode of address directly at the centre of the camera so that it seems intimate and that they are inviting you as the reader to experience the special night with them. My magazine is targeting mainly the years ten and eleven, as I am trying to exclude everybody who would not be interested in the excitement for prom at that moment.

Because the magazine is a special edition, I did not think it would suit the style I was going for if I put cover lines and plugs all around there faces, therefore to make it look original and different I wanted to place the cover lines at the bottom of the page and convert the content to circular photos. The photos represent everything to do with prom for example theres a photo of a girl and a boy together both in their prom suit and dress, this is to portray what to wear to prom. Also supplied for my readers is special interview with prom royalty, this is to attract the younger years, in this interview the prom King and Queen will tell us how they got that title, what brands they were wearing and what they were doing to prepare themselves for the evening can intrigue even below my targeted audience as who isn’t interested in knowing what their school idols get up to?

Whilst making this front cover I have learnt many new skills  and been taught how to apply them to professional soft wear, like Photoshop and InDesign, which is how I made the cover. I had to manipulate my images and cover line images to create a stylish sneak and effortless cover. Due to Media being partially English based, my vocabulary has increased and matured, this is because I am being taught how to describe the content of what I'm analysing fully and and with a certain extent of knowledge. I have been able to use an mention key terms such as plugs, masthead, central image, direct mode of address and cover lines. 

There were many aspects of my magazine that did not come out as well as I had imagined them t look, however the overall finish was not unsuccessful, I was pleased with what my central image portrayed and what the effect is that you can explore from their expressions and what their wearing even though because I did not use a professional, quality camera the image was quite pixelated and blurry, I am also proud that I came up with alternative ideas to try and excel my magazine cover and finally I put a lot of though to my masthead to make it witty and fun, I thought the masthead was very effective due to the media terminology ‘mise on scene’ however because the school is called The Misbourne, I converted miss to miz so that it was individual and personal to the school itself. Because of my time limit after spending so much time trying to choose from multiple images for the front cover, I therefore needed to rush the rest of the cover so that I would meet the deadline. 

Photos From School

School Moodboard

What I Have Done So Far In Media

Having recently started Media Studies I have never had any experience in what I was learning. In my lessons so far I think I have been covering a lot of ground and making successful progress. 

I have learnt key terms used for Media, such as Mastehead, Coverlines, Plugs ect. having leanrt all of these key terms I have also learnt and retained for to apply them to my work effectively, and learning the best ways to notice them when analysing covers, contents pages and double paged spreads. So far I have applied them to two pieces of work which is when I had to analyse a fashion magazine, ‘Harpers Bazaar’ and two school/college magazines, ‘Focus’ and ‘College’. Having used them in my work i know how to best annotate them and use them to target my chosen audience for my blog.

Another thing I have recently learnt is how to do a mood board, which is what we are covering in order for us to be able to make one for our own school magazines. To make my mood board more interesting to my readers I went around school and took photos of what I believed would fit in well with my magazine cover so I could get an idea of how to develop it further.

Front Cover Comparison Of 'Focus' And 'College'

The two school magazines I analysed was ‘Focus’ and ‘College’. Although both magazines cover the same genre there context is completely different as each one is specific to the individual school.

On both covers the masthead is spread across the whole of the top half of the page, this is a very effective way of catching your readers attention as when it is stacked behind other magazines and books you are able to see its name at the top of the page. The masthead is very effective for the schools magazine ‘Focus’, this is because it is not often that a masthead could cover the that space without looking squashed or disproportionate. Unlike ‘College’ magazine which has managed to fit the forward in the whole space however the lettering does looked squashed and different sizes, this is because the word is longer and the font the school have used it larger and bold however the function is still effective.

Both ‘Focus’ and ‘College’ use teenage female models to sell heir magazines however in ‘Focus’ the models mode of address is straight at the camera and its audience unlike’Colleges’ model who is looking down at the camera. Both photos are effective in different ways. ’Focus’ magazine have used a medium shot of there model, the girl is smiling and has a fresh faced hair scraped back look of a student who is enthusiastic about their work and the school. She is clutching onto her stripy folder and in the background we can see the lit up school corridor, this all emphasises her interest to learn and succeed. On the other hand the ‘College’ magazine have used a girl who comes across as an older girl. Because of the way the image has been shot it seems like she is coming out of the page. Unlike the other magazine ‘College’ is set in what is perceived as a bar as she is playing pool. However we know that this model has been cut out of her original background and replaced with a pale blue colour which matches the material of the pool table she is playing, this could be because that is the colour of the colleges uniform or logo. The model on colleges mode of address is facing down at the table as she is looking down her pool stick, this creates a more interesting photo and makes you as the reader feel like you are playing pool with her taking your shot. Both magazine central images involve the consumer as you are made to think they are directing there line of view onto you which makes it more personal and intimate.

On the other hand although both magazines have a lot of similarities they also have many differences. With the masthead in the same place on both covers, on ‘Focus’ the title is in front of their model whereas in ‘College’ the masthead is behind the model. You often see this effect on big branded magazine companies like ‘Vogue’ ‘ELLE’ and ‘Harpers Bazaar’.

On both magazines there are cover lines. Both use the correct amount of information and a good title to try and entice the reader into opening it up. Focuses most effective cover line is “Meet our new head girl” this is because as a human we are all naturally nosey therefore what would know one not like then to know more details and the inside story of their head girl? Colleges most effective cover line is “Freshers party : Don’t miss out out on the college freshers party” this is once again down to the readers interest in looking at photos and probably funny photos of the comers. The small amount of detail that we are given is just the right amount to keep us intrigued but not giving away too much detail to keep us interested and wanting more. If either magazine said too much in their cover lines we would feel like we didn't need to purchase the magazine as we already knew all about it from the front cover. Although both magazines follow the ‘Three colour Principle’ the colours chosen are very simplistic and dull and mainstream. ‘Focus’ used light blue, dark blue and white which are not colours yoyo would associate with vibrance and fun and ‘College’ use only two colours, black and blue which is extremely boring and does not suit the audience they are targeting, this is definitely something that lets down both magazines.

Barcodes and prices are located at the bottom of both magazines, this makes the magazine seem more official and purposeful. However ‘College’ costs £2.99 when ‘Focus’ only costs £1.50. For magazines that are of the same quality, have roughly the same amount of content (with different information) and are for the same genre the price difference is unnecessary. If the targeted group of people are for people who will probably not be working £2.99 is a lot to pay for your school magazine whereas pricing your magazine at £1.50 is far more realistic and shows an understanding of your market. 

School Magazine Analysis

Fashion Magazine Analysis

HARPERS BAZAAR

About the front cover : - 

Title - Harpers Bazaar                                                         Price - £4.20

Frequency of the magazine - Weekly/Monthly

Typography used - Harpers Bazaar are using the font H&FJ Didot. The type is large, bold and elegant.

Freebies - Nothing  

Target audience - 30 - 40 year old women of a big class who are smart and well established with a fashion conscious mind.

How does the cover appeal to its target audience - By using Jennifer Lawrence, the magazine who insist upon being a bible for elegant sophisticated women show a beautiful woman in Chanel attire posing gracefully in her head shot. Many women aspire to be like this woman therefore women as well as her fans will want to purchase the magazine.

Pictures - There is one main central image which dominates the whole cover.

Front cover design - An elegant headshot of Jennifer Lawrence subjugates the front page. The image has been placed at the back whilst the Masthead, graphic features and cover lines which are all in white have been placed a top the picture.

What are their 'sell lines' - Jennifer Lawrence exclusive

                                        - The art of fashion 

                                        - Carine Roitfield's modern Romeo & Juliet

Connotations of images and words - The image connotes many different feelings and ideas, the 

close-up headshot reveals a sense of intimacy between herself and the reader, giving the viewer a chance to look into her private confidential life, exhibiting her secrets, passions and tales through an interview that you and other Bazaar readers have an exclusive possession over.

The image is very strong, using dark colours to show power and sexuality through her makeup. The seductive rouge purple lip has this beautiful contrast with her bold smokey eyes, which perceive a sexy, sultry look that brings out the cool blues of her eyes, which are fixated and unwavering as she looks down slightly upon you, putting herself in her desired place in the heirachy, allowing you to appreciate her strength, that you recognise in her because as a woman you are strong aswell.

Lawrences posture upon her hand exposes her feminine delicacy of sensitivity and passion, however can also unveil that she can support and protect herself and stand her ground, not changing herself because of someones opinion but following what she thinks is best and being the person she is wen she is happiest.

The cold cool wash of blue in the background has this sense of power but also has a calming affect linking to the human traits of emotion but also to uncover the 'art of fashion' portraying that only Harpers Bazaar viewers have the eyes for art that other people can't see. The cool wash reveals Jennifer Lawrence as a stylish, powerful leading lady.

Inside the front cover : -

Editorial style and tone - The magazine uses a sophisticated and elegant style and tone to accommodate for its upper-middle and upper class members, Bazaar congregates photographers, artists, designers and writers to deliver a cosmopolitan perspective into the world of beauty and fashion, because as a magazine it considers itself to be 'the style resource for women who are the first to buy the best from casual to couture.

Harpers Bazaar aim to be meritocratic in terms of who they will feature in their magazine in order to attract the best customers.

Range of topics covered - Beauty

                                        - Fashion

                                        - Interior

                                        - Travel

                                        - Art

                                        - Film

                                        - Regulars e.g. Horoscopes

Content - Editors letter // Contributors // 10 things we love : fashion hits // Style : Thinking fashion - Between the lines : Stitch perfect : Our moodboard : Bags of talent - Cruz sisters interview : Rise up : My life my style - Polly Morgan interview // Accessories : Beauty to go // Shop Bazaar : Dress code // Inspiration // Directory // Talking points : Basquiat forever : Art&Design : Books : Film - The contender (Daniel Radcliffe) : Architecture : My cultural life - Elizabeth Gilbert interview // Horoscopes // Exclussive subscription offer // Fashion : Romeo&Juliet // The art of fashion : Playing the game - Jennifer Lawrence interview : The golden age : A Russian romance : The new poise : Costume drama : Ralph Lauren (interview) // Beauty Bazaar : The sculpture : The sketchers tools : The eye palette : The painters brush : Something in the air : Dark arts : Waters of life // Bazaar home : A place to dream : Wonderland // Bazaar escape : Picture this :Art in residence : Travel notebook // FLASH : Power dressing : Frames of attraction // Stockist // Advertisement feature // Inspiration.

Adverts within the magazine - Yes

The depth of the articles - In-depth

The level of vocabulary - Very High