Feedback

I set up a Facebook group to gather the opinions of my target audience. One person had expressed an opinion about the contents page 'The only negative I can find from the whole thing, not even a negative is maybe the font choice. But i may be wrong, but a more flowing font'.

One person stated that they loved the picture I had on one of the double page spreads. There were a range of different opinions.

Zoe aged sixteen stated
'The picture is good, yeah i like it in black and white too, however only two are making eye contact! But then again, it's not really your fault as the band were so hard to work with..... :D
It's interesting that you havn't put the text down the side as per usual, but maybe thats a plus in making it more individual and controversial. I also agree it looks a bit empty, but on the whole very good :)'

Evaluation of the finished magazine

These are my uploaded magazine pages. http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B9O40iIhi6HKNTlmYjk5MTQtNjVmMy00ZjM0LTkwYzYtNDRhYWQwZDQzMzJh&hl=en http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B9O40iIhi6HKNzFmOGQ3Y2UtNzJlOS00NzY2LTg2NzUtODdlN2FmNjFhZjMx&hl=en http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B9O40iIhi6HKMWY3YjZhYzUtZGNhZi00MzY0LWFmMzUtZTQyNzlkMjEwNjEy&hl=en

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9O40iIhi6HKYjY3OWIzY2MtZmVkYi00NDg5LTg3MGQtM2IxZDVjNmI2YjNl&hl=en

Below is a link to my first attempt at the contents page, however I later changed it and made it more stuctured.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9O40iIhi6HKYjY3OWIzY2MtZmVkYi00NDg5LTg3MGQtM2IxZDVjNmI2YjNl&hl=en I wrote this out, however there is a link to the powerpoint of this information at the bottom.

My magazine is similar to existing publications, such as Kerrang magazine, due to the fact that I use an image of a band in a striking position. The band members are staring directly at the camera a technique used by many magazines to attract the reader and draw them in. The magazine differs from other magazines as the image used for the background of the front cover is in black and white. I did this because I felt that the magazine would stand on the shelves as the elements of colour will attract the reader.

As my magazine is a Rock magazine, the magazine presents Rock fans as being 'rebellious' and carefree. In the Faux Rouge article the images are relaxed and I have styled the artist in a casual way with wild hair. This reflects the teenage Rock image. I used a teenage band on my front cover as I knew this would attract the teenage target audience for my magazine. I noticed that in Rock magazines such as Kerrang there is a element of humour and the language used is usually quite informal. In my magazine I used the double page spread for a relaxed informal interview. I noticed that in most Rock magazines there were barely any articles about girl Rock artists, so I decided to use a female artist to add something new and make my magazine different from other magazines. I wanted to prove that girls can be great Rock artists too and move away from the male image of Rock music.

A whole range of different shops could stock this Rock magazine. I looked on the WHSmiths website and they sold Kerrang magazine which is a Rock magazine like mine. However I also feel that individual specialist record shops that sell new Rock music would sell the magazine. It is an original magazine aimed at people who are interested in Rock music and people will be attracted to it when visiting record shops. When looking at different websites such as ipcmedia.com and natmag.co.uk, I looked at the NME publisher on the ipcmedia.com-to look at which publisher would be suitable to publish a magazine of the same genre as Raw magazine, the publisher of NME magazine is Faith Hill.

The research I did in blog 2 suggests that more upper/middle class people read Kerrang magazine than lower class people. The artists who are featured in the magazine are the types of artists who perform at Glastonbury and similar festivals which attract a middle class audience. So therefore my magazine would be likely to attract more people from an upper/middle class background. I set out to appeal to a target audience of both boys and girls who are either teenagers or young adults. The magazine would obviously have to attract people that enjoy listening to this genre of music. The music is new and this would be likely to deter older readers.

The images will attract my target audience as the bands are young and new. I used informal language in my article as this is attractive to teenagers who are interested in Rock music.

Indesign enabled me to create the layout for my magazine and the background of my choice. The Indesign software was easy to use and I found it straightforward to set up the pages. I was able to create the right name for my magazine so that the logo fitted in well with the target audience and genre of the magazine. Photoshop allowed me to add text to my picture. When using Photoshop the range of lighting was not approriate for the Rock style I wished to create. I decided to use my original image as I had already manipulated the lighting on the camera to my requirments.

I did not know how to use Indesign when I first started to tackle the preliminary task. However with practice I began to find it simple to use and understand how to organise the layout of the magazine to meet my needs. Through looking at other magazine that represent the same genre of music I understood the language style. This enabled me to develop my writing style to fit the genre. I was able to think more clearly in the main task about the image I wished to promote and planned ahead to achieve this. I put in extra hours after lessons to make sure the end product worked.

Below is a link to Powerpoint of final evaluation https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B9O40iIhi6HKNzcwYTg3ODktZjExMy00NDgzLWFiMmItZjNkMTA4ZWQxNjZm&hl=en


Here is a video of my response to my music magazine.

Planning and evaluation of the article

In the article above the magazine is looking at Live performances. This article is an unusual way of giving a review of the bands. The language used is informal and at times humourous. The magazine marks the bands out of five and the tone of the article is slightly brutal, however in a humourous way. The sentences do not drag on too long, so that the reader will stay interested.


In the article below, about the band Biffy Clyro, the
language at times is quite abrupt. The article is obviously aimed at an older target audience. The article provides the reader with information about the band and quotes which they have expressed about different aspects of band life. The article is a good source of information about Biffy Clyro and while at times the language is quite direct it is also very informative.


















I looked at the first drafts of my double page spread and compared them to my final draft. The double page spread looks completely different now, as I disliked the format and changed the article. I changed my background colour to black and the pictures used are completely different to the ones I used in my final upload of my double page spread.
I don't feel that the earlier drafts would have attracted the reader. I recognised that the article needed more elements of colour. I completely changed the layout of the double page spread to a more simple layout, so that it would be easier to read.
















This is a more recent draft of my double page spread. I added text to the large image. I used a quote which Anna, lead singer of Faux Rouge, had said as this would attract the reader and make them want to read more about the band. However I kept the same colour (red) as I felt it worked well on the double page spread and was bold and attractive.

Photo Editing

I used Photoshop to blur out the background setting of the picture. I did this to make the artist stand out. When I put the picture into my double page spread I decided against this technique as it didn't look the way I wished. I used the original picture and felt that it worked much better and that the background added to the picture.

Flat plans

Front cover (flat plan)

For the logo on the front cover of my magazine, I will have the name 'Raw' written as though it has been 'scribbled' on, to fit in with the Rock image and to attract my target audience. I decided that there would be a cover link to the band Sweet Addiction reading 'we've known each other forever' I feel this will attract the reader to the magazine, so that they wish to learn more about how the band formed and more about the bands personal experiences. Simarly to the magazine NME, the front reads 'we can't worry about what other people think'. At the bottom of the front cover, there will be a strap line, stating the information inside the magazine, such as best gigs and best albums highlighting the music genre inside the magazine to attract the reader. On the front cover of NME there is a strapline of information showing the bands included in the magazine. I used the word 'hottest' in the strapline, this will allow the reader to know that the magazine has an informal vibe. Although I have made sure that the magazine looks as though it will be informative to the reader. I will add a barcode and price to the magazine, they will be placed at the top of the magazine so as not to distract the reader from the design of the magazine. The front cover will be an image of the band Sweet Addiction looking very relaxed and care free, to appeal to the target audience, in NME magazine which targets the same target audience the band 'The Artic Monkeys' are placed in a laid back manner. The band will be dressed in clothing which fits the 'Rock' image, on the front page of Kerrang, the band 'Biffy Clyro are in mainly dark colours fitting in with the Rock image. 'Sweet Addiction' will be written in bold colour, which will contrast with the rest of the magazine which will be in black and white, to make it stand out to the reader.

Context

The text will be simple and short, just so as to inform the reader of the information in the magazine. The contents page will be clear to the reader, Kerrang magazine's contents page is well structured so that the reader is able to read the articles of their choice, my magazine will use a similar layout. There will be a bit of colour in the writing like in the magazine NME, so that the information inside the magazine attracts the reader, but there is not too much colour in line with the rock theme. There will be four images, these pictures will be of the main bands that Raw is focusing on, Sweet Addiction and Faux Rouge. There will be two images of Sweet Addiction and two of Faux Rouge. These images will be in black and white to create a Rock vibe and make the colour in the page stand out.

Double page spread

The text used will be bold so the name of the band stands out to the reader. The background colour will be red and there will be a few images used to interest the reader. The text will be informal, to relate to the teenage target audience. The use of images of the band will be laid back and relaxed to relate to the target audience, simlarly to the magazine NME which has used relaxed images used on their double page spread. The information on the the double page spread will be laid back and add humour, to attract a teenage audience.

Photos

For the picture I took of Anna, the lead singerof Faux Rouge, I placed her in a area which looked casual. I felt the concrete stairs were a good setting for these photos. I set my camera to black and white so as to add to the Rock theme. I felt this added to the idea of the lead singer being mysterious yet with an 'attitude'.

I decided that the lead singer should wear casual clothes and have her hair down to add to the effortless look. I wanted the pictures to show her natural beauty and wild hair, which fit in with the Rock theme. For the pictures I decided I didn't want them to be too girlie so I had her wear trainers, yet I made sure she wore a skirt so that she looked feminine. For some of the pictures I asked her to laugh, so that she would be liked by the reader. However as the magazine is a Rock magazine, I asked her to pose in some photos, looking straight at the camera and to look edgy. I felt by doing this the target audience would understand that the music produced by the artist was Rock.

When taking the pictures of Sweet Addiction, I took many of them outside when it was dark. I felt this added to the effect of the band, as many of their songs are about emotions. In some of the pictures the setting was just a white wall behind them, this focused the target audience on the band. In some of the pictures of Sweet Addiction I asked them to pose with Sweets, I did this as a play on their name and it added humour and a lightness to the photographs. I took the photos in black and white, this added to the dark Rock theme, which fits with their image.

In some of the photographs I asked them to stand strong and look confident so as to appeal to the target audience as Rock music is strong loud music. I asked the four members of the band to wear their own clothes which they felt fitted their personality, which mainly included skinny jeans and casual tops and jackets. The band are quite fashionable and as there are three boys this may appeal to the girls without alienating the boys.

Fonts

I looked through the different magazines and studied their chosen fonts. This enabled me to decide on my font for the front cover of my magazine. I shall develop the font so that it is bold and stands out to the reader. Although my magazine shall be a mixture of the styles from both NME and Kerrang magazine, its style will be closer to that of Kerrang. The font will have to be appropriate to the magazine'Raw'.

I thought about this title 'Raw' and this font, I feel this will work well for the magazine and appeal to the target audience, as there is aggression shown in the style of the font.


I was planning on using these fonts for my double page spread. I asked a few people who were my target audience and they stated that the white worked well on the red, as it made the double page spread bolder.

Here I looked at the double page spread of NME and compared it to my magazine, as both magazines target a teenage audience. The use of Font in NME is very laid back and has an informal style of writing which is similar to my magazine 'Raw'. However, I feel my magazines font stands out more than the NME magazine as the white and red work well together and the use of a bold font makes the article stand out to the reader.