Question 1
My front cover follows the conventions of existing music magazines through the layout, fonts and images used. The layout of the magazine is similar to that of Kerrang!, with a main image, few sell lines, a strap line, and a banner across the bottom of the page. The sell lines placed on the banner are band names, which attracts different fan bases and reveals the variety of content which the magazine offers.
Most text on the front cover is in distressed display font with capital letters. This is conventional on rock magazine front covers as the font will reflect the loudness of the music. Other fonts will be sans serif to maintain the edgy and casual look of the front cover.
The crowded and disorganised layout of the
front cover and the lack of blank space reflects the intensity of rock music. I
have used puffs to make certain sell lines stand out.
Smaller article photographs are shown in a strip on the left side on the cover. This is a feature occasionally used in Kerrang!. The barcode is in the bottom right corner, as is conventional for most music magazines. Underneath the barcode is the date and price of the magazine.
Smaller article photographs are shown in a strip on the left side on the cover. This is a feature occasionally used in Kerrang!. The barcode is in the bottom right corner, as is conventional for most music magazines. Underneath the barcode is the date and price of the magazine.
The
contents page has symbolic links to the front cover through the use of similar
fonts.
The colours used are black, white, red and yellow which will appeal to the dominantly male audience. Furthermore, rock music often has a violent mood, and this can be reflected through the dark connotations of the colours red and black.
The colours used are black, white, red and yellow which will appeal to the dominantly male audience. Furthermore, rock music often has a violent mood, and this can be reflected through the dark connotations of the colours red and black.
Although
males are conventionally featured in music magazines of the rock genre, I chose
to invert this convention by featuring a female artist throughout the three
pieces. However, she has iconic features in her costume (e.g. dark makeup and
piercings) which made her seem defeminised and masculine. This ensures that she
could be identified as a rock artist and the magazine would still be easily
recognised as a rock magazine. Rock Sound is an example of a rock music magazine which uses female artists most often than Kerrang!, possibly as an attempt to appeal to both genders.
Question 2
My three pieces presents a young female as a rebellious representation of young people. The front cover and contents page have a brightly coloured vandalised wall, emphasising the artist's youth, energy and rebellious attitude. Her dark look will make her stand out from the crowd, and she is not afraid to be different. The front cover has a pull quote which uses a censored expletive, highlighting how she is outspoken. This is comparable to many artists featured in Kerrang!, who casually use expletives in interviews without thinking twice, showing their carefree attitude.
Although she is a female, she embodies the personality and attitudes of male artists from the same genre. She possesses some physical and personality traits which may be considered masculine. For example, she is aggressive in her speech (as shown by the pull quote on the front cover) and wears casual, darkly coloured clothes (jeans, hooded top) rather than feminine clothes such as dresses or skirts. Her hair is also not styled and messy, unlike a typical female who would have tidy and styled hair that is taken care of. This is comparable to Hayley Williams, who is often featured in Kerrang! and Rock Sound wearing hooded tops and has made offensive sign with her hand on the front cover.
Being from a working class background, the artist featured in the three pieces may be frowned upon by people of higher classes and judged for the way in which she dresses. Her unwillingness to follow fashion trends may suggest that she disobey the rules in society and is therefore an unpleasant and unlawful person.
Question 3
The Edge will be owned and distributed by Bauer Media. Bauer is a successful multinational media company which owns several successful magazines with niche audiences such as Kerrang!, Mojo and Q. Kerrang! has an audience which is similar to that of The Edge, and therefore Bauer will already have a good understanding of the audience's personality and interests, and therefore make informed decisions on the contents and brand identity of a The Edge. As Bauer owns several music television channels, they have experience in using cross media synergy to expand their audience through television, radio and the internet. Bauer has very high revenue and knowledge on advertising, and can therefore has the money and experience to successfully advertise the magazine.
Question 4
The target audience for my music magazine is primarily males between the ages of 16 and 25. Those under 18 will be in full time education in sixth form or college, and older members of the target audience will either be in higher education with a part time job or in full time employment. They are either single or in a relationship, but not married. They are adventurous individuals who are unafraid to be different. Their hobbies may include playing guitar and skateboarding or BMX biking. They are massive fans of the rock genre, and regularly attend gigs. Their favourite TV shows include teen dramas such as Skins. They are unafraid to take risks and love having new adventurous experiences that will keep them on their toes.
The Edge will be packed with exciting content that will not be boring the readership. The colours are appropriate for the male audience and reflects different aspects of the genre of rock, making it recognisable as a rock music magazine. The main image features an artist who the target audience may be familiar with and be able to relate to. The artist in the main image will have similar physical and psychographic characteristics as the target audience, making the target audience able to identify with her.
Question 5
I attracted the audience through the use of colours, images and text in the three pieces. The colours used in the three pieces would appeal to the primarily male target audience. The mode of address is suitable as it uses language which the audience would be familiar with. The magazine talks to the target audience with a casual tone, as if they're good friends. This makes the target audience feel comfortable and relaxed whilst reading the magazine, and strengthens the relationship between the magazine and the reader.
Question 6
I have developed knowledge of how to use certain websites. For example, I used wufoo.com as an electronic way of creating and distributing my questionnaire. Using this website made the questionnaire easier to complete as I had different options (e.g. setting question types, required questions and instructions). The screenshot below shows how I edited the questionnaire.
The above screenshot shows the final layout of the questionnaire, reading for electronic distribution. I could also use social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to distribute the questionnaire by posting the questionnaire URL. The collection of completed questionnaires was also a lot simpler as they were electronically sent to my 'entries' box on the website:
I also used authorstream.com to present my powerpoint presentations. After making the presentations, I uploaded them to the website and inserted the embed code into the HTML section when editing posts.
Another website I used is prezi.com. This gave a more interesting way of presenting ideas on my blog. The screenshot below shows how I edited the prezi.
This project has been my first experience using a blog. I have learnt how to create posts, edit posts, change post dates and save drafts. I can also change the layout and features available on my blog. In addition to this, I have learnt how to add HTML coding so that my questionnaire and presentations from external websites could be embedded in posts. This was useful as it gives the option to view my questionnaire and presentations without leaving my blog.
I have briefly used Adobe Photoshop CS6 before this task, but I have developed new skills in the program when creating the three pieces. I have learnt how to adjust brightness and contrast, colour and the size of images in order to enhance images and make them have a greater impact.
I have learnt how to use different elements of Photoshop (e.g. fonts, shapes, smudge) to create professional looking pieces of work.
Question 7
Since the preliminary task, I have developed my photoshop skills and knowledge of magazine conventions. In the preliminary task, the model on the front cover had her head underneath the masthead. In my music magazine, the model's head was over the masthead. This makes the magazine appear well known and established, so the masthead is recognisable without it being fully revealed.
I widened the variety of fonts and colours on the front cover in my music magazine so that the cover looked more attractive and different pieces of information could stand out (e.g. different sell lines and puffs).
Question 2
My three pieces presents a young female as a rebellious representation of young people. The front cover and contents page have a brightly coloured vandalised wall, emphasising the artist's youth, energy and rebellious attitude. Her dark look will make her stand out from the crowd, and she is not afraid to be different. The front cover has a pull quote which uses a censored expletive, highlighting how she is outspoken. This is comparable to many artists featured in Kerrang!, who casually use expletives in interviews without thinking twice, showing their carefree attitude.
Although she is a female, she embodies the personality and attitudes of male artists from the same genre. She possesses some physical and personality traits which may be considered masculine. For example, she is aggressive in her speech (as shown by the pull quote on the front cover) and wears casual, darkly coloured clothes (jeans, hooded top) rather than feminine clothes such as dresses or skirts. Her hair is also not styled and messy, unlike a typical female who would have tidy and styled hair that is taken care of. This is comparable to Hayley Williams, who is often featured in Kerrang! and Rock Sound wearing hooded tops and has made offensive sign with her hand on the front cover.
Being from a working class background, the artist featured in the three pieces may be frowned upon by people of higher classes and judged for the way in which she dresses. Her unwillingness to follow fashion trends may suggest that she disobey the rules in society and is therefore an unpleasant and unlawful person.
Question 3
The Edge will be owned and distributed by Bauer Media. Bauer is a successful multinational media company which owns several successful magazines with niche audiences such as Kerrang!, Mojo and Q. Kerrang! has an audience which is similar to that of The Edge, and therefore Bauer will already have a good understanding of the audience's personality and interests, and therefore make informed decisions on the contents and brand identity of a The Edge. As Bauer owns several music television channels, they have experience in using cross media synergy to expand their audience through television, radio and the internet. Bauer has very high revenue and knowledge on advertising, and can therefore has the money and experience to successfully advertise the magazine.
Question 4
The target audience for my music magazine is primarily males between the ages of 16 and 25. Those under 18 will be in full time education in sixth form or college, and older members of the target audience will either be in higher education with a part time job or in full time employment. They are either single or in a relationship, but not married. They are adventurous individuals who are unafraid to be different. Their hobbies may include playing guitar and skateboarding or BMX biking. They are massive fans of the rock genre, and regularly attend gigs. Their favourite TV shows include teen dramas such as Skins. They are unafraid to take risks and love having new adventurous experiences that will keep them on their toes.
The Edge will be packed with exciting content that will not be boring the readership. The colours are appropriate for the male audience and reflects different aspects of the genre of rock, making it recognisable as a rock music magazine. The main image features an artist who the target audience may be familiar with and be able to relate to. The artist in the main image will have similar physical and psychographic characteristics as the target audience, making the target audience able to identify with her.
Question 5
I attracted the audience through the use of colours, images and text in the three pieces. The colours used in the three pieces would appeal to the primarily male target audience. The mode of address is suitable as it uses language which the audience would be familiar with. The magazine talks to the target audience with a casual tone, as if they're good friends. This makes the target audience feel comfortable and relaxed whilst reading the magazine, and strengthens the relationship between the magazine and the reader.
Question 6
I have developed knowledge of how to use certain websites. For example, I used wufoo.com as an electronic way of creating and distributing my questionnaire. Using this website made the questionnaire easier to complete as I had different options (e.g. setting question types, required questions and instructions). The screenshot below shows how I edited the questionnaire.
The above screenshot shows the final layout of the questionnaire, reading for electronic distribution. I could also use social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to distribute the questionnaire by posting the questionnaire URL. The collection of completed questionnaires was also a lot simpler as they were electronically sent to my 'entries' box on the website:
I also used authorstream.com to present my powerpoint presentations. After making the presentations, I uploaded them to the website and inserted the embed code into the HTML section when editing posts.
This project has been my first experience using a blog. I have learnt how to create posts, edit posts, change post dates and save drafts. I can also change the layout and features available on my blog. In addition to this, I have learnt how to add HTML coding so that my questionnaire and presentations from external websites could be embedded in posts. This was useful as it gives the option to view my questionnaire and presentations without leaving my blog.
I have briefly used Adobe Photoshop CS6 before this task, but I have developed new skills in the program when creating the three pieces. I have learnt how to adjust brightness and contrast, colour and the size of images in order to enhance images and make them have a greater impact.
I have learnt how to use different elements of Photoshop (e.g. fonts, shapes, smudge) to create professional looking pieces of work.
Question 7
Since the preliminary task, I have developed my photoshop skills and knowledge of magazine conventions. In the preliminary task, the model on the front cover had her head underneath the masthead. In my music magazine, the model's head was over the masthead. This makes the magazine appear well known and established, so the masthead is recognisable without it being fully revealed.
I widened the variety of fonts and colours on the front cover in my music magazine so that the cover looked more attractive and different pieces of information could stand out (e.g. different sell lines and puffs).