Elektro Mag Front Cover

Elektro Mag Contents Page

Elektro Mag Double Page Spread

How did you attract/address your audience?

Original images used for 'Elektro' front cover

Initial Plans For My Music Magazine - 'Elektro'

I have decided to price my magazine at £2.50 to hopefully entice my target audience. in comparison £2.50 is a cheaper price than a typical magazine, for example 'Mixmag' which is priced at £4.20. Initially I thought I could price my magazine at £4.00 but after looking at the results of a questionaire that I prepared one of the most popular prices that the target audience chose was £2.50. This influenced my choice of what price I would charge for the magazine. My magazine has a lower price than 'Mixmag' because the target audience is more likely to buy the magazine and hopefully enjoy reading it and purchase another issue. I have come to the conclusion to publish the magazine monthly because of the results of a questionaire had shown that the target audience had preferred a monthly publication. I have looked at similar magazines at retailers and most of them have between 100 to 150 pages so I have decided to have a similar size issue for my 'Elektro' magazine. I have chosen to devote 30% of the pages in an issue for advertising, and 70% I will use for feature articles and regular content, for example, the contents page, an editors letter, interviews, question pages and a place for readers to comment and for journalists/editors of the magazine to reply. I have chosen to base my magazine on various feature articles about Elecronica/Dance music. I have looked at what the target audience would like from this type of magazine and in a questionire I devised, I have chosen to include articles about what I expect they could possibly want from this type of magazine.

Production of 'Elektro' Magazine - Part 1

Production of 'Elektro' Magazine - Part 2

Potential coverlines for Elektro magazine

-the UK's No. 1 electronic music magazine
-Best music magazine on the planet
-Music magazine to blow your mind
-the best music magazine around

Mise-en-scene of my front cover

On my font cover is an image of a teenager posing as a DJ. I chose this because I think it is a good representation of what my magazine is about. One way in which my front cover does this is that the colour scheme I decided to use is that of bright and vibrant colours in the front cover because it is similar to the flashing lights of the nightclubs and music festivals where this genre of music would usually be played at which reflects the style of my magazine and the Electronica/Dance musical genre that is relevant to the colour scheme I used.. I have a bold and big heading that stands out and attracts the readers attention to the cover and lets the readers know what genre of music the magazine is about. I settled on the name of 'Elektro' quite quickly as it is a stylisation of the name given to the genre of music that my magazine will cover. I feel this is a good title as readers can immediately know what to expect from the magazine and what they could find there.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

The audience for my media product is young adults aged between 16-19 years, this is because in the current climate there is a lot of emphasis on music festivals for teenagers which provides them with an opportunity to taste and explore different types of genres. This product would be most suited and aimed at those teenagers who are starting to show an interest in Dance, Drum & Bass and Dubstep which in my questionaire was the most popular genre but perhaps need a point of reference for future music events and the readers who might need information on upcoming music, festivals, new artists or any other articles relevant to the Elecronica/Dance, Drum & bass and Dubstep genres.

What kind of media insitution might distribute your media product and why?

I have researched into various magazine distributors and I have found that companies such as Development Hell Ltd. would be the most suitable for distributing my magazine. I felt that these are the most suitable as they currently distribute magazines such as Mixmag which is also a dance/electronica music magazine which is of a similar style to my magazine ‘Elektro’ and I feel that they would aim them both at the same target audience. I decided that Development Hell Ltd. would have the best business experience and understanding of where this product would sell the best.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

This magazine represents young adults aged between 16-19 particularly males and some females. It does this by the selection of material included which would be of interest to the target audience. The magazine represents teenagers who have a particular interest in clubbing. This is why my layout attempts to be modern, exciting and not presented in a stereotypical feminine pop magazine. On my front cover there is a male DJ aged 17 which matches the age of my target audience. The aim was to create an idol for the potential DJ or clubbers to look up to.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Having conducted my research and obtained the results from my questionnaire it is evident that the most popular choice of genre was dance and drum & bass / dubstep. Having a lot of knowledge on the DJ industry and having a passion for dance music, I used my research skills to look at electronica and dance music magazines such as Mixmag. Mixmag was used as the foundation to base my ideas for my magazine on. In my opinion this magazine works because it is bright and informative, provides details on the success of different artists and usually always features a main DJ displayed on the front cover who is modern.

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of construction of this product?

How did you attract / address your audience?

Initial (original) ideas for my contents page

Initial (original) ideas for my front cover

Would incentives persuade you to buy the magazine?

What register of writing would you prefer?

What kind of layout would you prefer?

How often do you purchase a music magazine?

What price would you be willing to spend on a music magazine?

What is your gender?

Results Of Questionaire - Bar Chart

The majority of people who completed the questionnaire were aged between 16 and 18.  This means that my results are going to be biased in favour of this teenage bracket.   The following results were obtained:-

What is your favourite music genre?

Conclusion

Drum & Bass / Dubstep, Techno and Dance were the most popular genres and therefore influenced by choice of audience and genre for my magazine. I decided to produce my magazine on the music genres of Electronica / Dance, which also incorporated music from the genres of Techno, Dubstep and Drum & Bass in my magazine.

Questionaire

Video Interviews

Magazine Research

Researching the market place

I based my initial ideas on a dance music magazine called 'Mixmag' the worlds biggest dance music and clubbing magazine. I liked the way this magazine is not only informative of events, but also displays a popular featured artist as the main theme for the the edition. The magazine layout is interesting as the artist is shown in the middle with other coverlines down each side. Each issue changes it's colour scheme to suit the theme of the artist or band displayed on the cover so every issue is different and easily recognised as the latest issue. On researching existing magazines, I found that ‘Mixmag’ would be the most likely competitor to the magazine I aim to base my magazine on as it is of a similar nature.

I also used my own experiences and intrests in the electronica/dance music industry to infulence my decision in the creation of the front cover and my ideas of the artists names that i designed and created.

I also found that this magazine is priced at £4.20 which is significantly more expensive than my plans for my ‘Elektro’ magazine. I decided that my magazine would be a monthly publication similar to Mixmag which is also published monthly. I discovered that the regular content of 'Mixmag' includes a DJ cover star displayed on the front cover, a free mix CD as an incentive  to purchase 'Mixmag', and usually there is guest interviews with various artists. The general content of the magazine is predominantly ‘all things dance’, this would be reflected in my own magazine. The latest issue of 'Mixmag' includes featured articles such as information on particular events for example, ultra music festival in Miami, an opportunity to win a residency in Ibiza, and a 10 page guest article edited by DJ Chuckie.

My 'Elektro' magazine is similar as it includes a DJ cover star and various different articles about Elecronica/Dance music.

http://issuu.com/mixmagfashion/docs/mm_mediapack_2011

http://www.developmenthell.co.uk/

http://www.mixmag.net/words/from-the-archives/april-2012

Analysis of professional Mazagine Front Covers - Mixmag & DJ Mag

The cover of 'Mixmag' is typical of a dance music magazine. The masthead is displayed at the top which is just like other similar music magazines of this nature and of 'Mixmag' itself as the font style is the same every issue and is usually the same colour, which is white. This is 'Mixmag's brand identity which for their target audience is easily recognisable as being official. The font design is quite bold and simplistic. The dot of the letter 'i' in the masthead is stylised as resembling a CD. The name/title 'Mixmag' is a clever and stylistic combination of 'Mix' and the other being 'Mag', which is a common abbreviation/term for a magazine. The 'Mix' element of the title/masthead suggests and refers to DJ's who mix tracks together which is common in the world of dance music and the clubbing scene. This is confirmed/reinforced in the tagline above the masthead which states that the magazine is about dance music as it reads 'The world's biggest dance music and clubbing magazine'.

The main cover star (In this issue of 'Mixmag' the cover star is 'Chuckie') is displayed in a posed picture on the cover. The title of his name is displayed in bold and in red on the cover which is anchorage to a picture of him which lets the readers know who he is and what he looks like. He is very prominent as he takes up nearly the whole cover of the magazine and is dressed in typical trendy clothing (for example, the DJ 'Chuckie' is wearing sunglasses inside, his leather jacket, his hair is cut and groomed and he is wearing a fancy designer wristwatch.) His body language suggests he is in the music industry as it is typical of the genre as his arms are folded and his head is angled displaying a cool attitude.

The coverlines in 'Mixmag' are positioned at the side of the cover at both sides of 'Chuckie'. they are bold and clear and complement the colours of the masthead and stay true to the colour scheme of the cover.

At the bottom right corner of the front cover of 'Mixmag' there is a barcode which all magazines must have on the cover for retail use, the price, the issue date (month and year) and the official 'Mixmag' website.

Another magazine I have studied is 'DJ Mag'. The cover is also typical of a dance music magazine. The masthead is displayed at the top left which is just like other similar music magazines of this nature and of 'DJ Mag' itself as the font style is the same every issue and is usually the same colour, which is red with a black stroke. This is 'DJ Mag's brand identity which for their target audience is easily recognisable as being official. The font design is quite bold and simplistic, but differently the full name 'DJ Mag' is displayed in yellow font inside the post of the letter 'D' in the logo. The logo itself is a abbreviation of 'DJ' which stands for disc jockey, and the other being 'Mag', which is a common abbreviation/term for a magazine. This is confirmed/reinforced in the tagline is this case it is below the masthead which states that the magazine is about dance music as it reads 'Living and breathing dance music!'. This time above the logo, is details of the free CD that is included with the magazine and is attached to the front cover. also the web address, this time is just below the 'DJ Mag' logo.

The main cover star (In this issue of 'DJ Mag' the cover star is 'Rusko') is displayed in a posed picture on the cover. The title of his name is displayed in bold and in red on the cover with a thin white stroke on the outside and also is larger than the title of 'Chuckie' in 'Mixmag' and the letters in 'DJ Mag' are transparent. This title is anchorage to a picture of 'Rusko' which lets the readers know who he is and what he looks like. He is very prominent as he takes up nearly the whole cover of the magazine and is dressed in typical trendy and casual clothing (for example, he is wearing a hooded top with a cartoon style logo. His hair cut is ruffled and sort of messy and he has a short beard.) His body language and facial expression suggests he is quite silly and mischievous as he is scrunching his face and clenching his hands.

The coverlines in 'DJ Mag' are again positioned at the side of the cover at both sides of 'Rusko'. they are bold and clear and complement the colours of the masthead and are different to the 'DJ Mag' logo colours as they are white.

At the bottom right corner of the front cover of 'DJ Mag' there is a barcode which all magazines must have on the cover for retail use, the price, the issue date (month and year) and also the issue number (508). This is different to 'Mixmag' as there is no issue number.

Both magazines have free CD's which are incentives that persuade readers to buy the magazine. The CD in 'Mixmag' is of the cover star 'Chuckie' and the CD attached to 'DJ Mag' is of 'Micky Slim' who is a different artist to 'Rusko' who is the 'DJ Mag' cover star/featured artist.

'Mixmag's cover is more glossy and seems more professional than 'DJ Mag' which looks more informal. The price of 'Mixmag' is £4.20 and the price of 'DJ Mag' is £3.95. The logos, the taglines, cover stars, coverlines and the free CD's all contribute to giving the target audience an idea/impresson of what the magazine would be about (dance music) and is typical of the codes and conventions of a music magazine.

Mixmag - Analysis of double page spread

Mixmag - double page spread on Prezi

DJ Mag - Analysis of double page spread

DJ Mag - double page spread on Prezi

Mixmag - Analysis of contents page

Media - Mixmag - Analysis of Contents Page on Prezi

DJ Mag - Analysis of contents page

Media - DJ Mag - Analysis of Contents Page on Prezi

Preliminary Task

List of potential titles

-Priestley Times
-Priestley Post
-College Times
-Edu-Post
-Student Times
-Pupil Post

List of features

-How to plan coursework study time
-Bus services
-Article on the sports on offer
-Cafes and Canteens / food
-Enrichment
-Free map of the college
-A study area special
-List of study tips
-Study Guide
-Chance to meet a student councellor

Sketches of front cover and contents page

College Magazine - 'Priestley Post'

Magazine - Raw [unedited] images for priestley post

Evaluation of magazine front cover & contents page

My Analysis of My Own Magazine Front Cover and Contents Page of my College Magazine
 'Prestley Post'

In this essay I will analyse the front cover of the college magazine that I created myself which I decided to title 'Priestley Post'. My vision is to aim the magazine to staff and students of Priestley College. I came up with the name because it is a familiar and recognisable name which is associated with the college, and to the staff and students so it is suitable. I thought it sounded interesting, factual, informative and formal all at the same time. The blue banner at the top, I felt was a perfect choice to use because it was eye catching and I also like the colour. Typically magazines like this have a banner at the top. I feel this is quite typical of existing magazines similar to the one i have created and produced. I took photos with a camera to include in the magazine with the college camera and I uploaded the photos and saved them to my college computer.  I chose to take a picture of another student of the college for my magazine because you can tell it is a magazine for other students and the person I took a photo of is at the appropriate age of a typical college student. I opened them in Photoshop (the programme I was using to produce my magazine cover) and I included the photos in the cover. The bold headings stand out, plus the word free is coloured in a different colour to the others to draw attention to it and the text is bolder to emphasise on the free incentive / item being offered free with purchase of the magazine. This is also technically a USP (Unique selling point) because probably no where else would a free map of Priestley College be offered to you. USP's and free incentives usually are quite typical when it comes to magazines as they are used to entice the readers to purchase the magazines. In my magazine I decided to include a section /article on free study areas on offer at the college and information on where you can go to study or revise and this article can help the readers. The caption 'beat the Priestley track and field record' is encouraging for people to participate in the games and events. It also creates a sense of competition to be involved with and may be quite exciting for some readers, especially the people interested in sport.

In the contents page, the main focusing colour is light blue which is the house style. There is an element of symmetry in the design as where a picture is present on the right had side, text is also present on the left, to create balance. The tri-colours blue, green and red will be used throughout my magazine. The blue is the main focus colour. this is similar to exsisting magazines as most magazines use main focus colours for readers to recognise and assosiate with the magazines print and style. The page numbers relate to the headings which act as anchorage to the pictures wich is also another common feature in popular magazines. The logo that I created for ‘Priestley Post’ is re used and re enforces the style and it is recognisable. The colours will be used in the magazine to keep it all to the same house style and to keep it all simple and easy to read. The coloured border I created may be eye-catching and visually interesting for some readers.  The font is simple and quite easy to read so lots of different people are able to read the magazine if they want. The headings are the same font as I used for the front cover to create an identity for the magazine. The ‘Contents’ masthead title is presented in a different font from the other one because I thought it would stand out and be unique.

I feel that my magazine failed at using new media technologies but i could only use material that was available in the college. I did use Adobe Photoshop, Quark Xpress, Microsoft Word, a scanner and a camera to produce my magazine. Possibly the headings may be too big so if i had the chance to produce another magazine I would think about the layout and how large the coverlines should be on the page and also i could get a student to smile for the picture to make the magazine seem more appealing and positive. I feel my magazine is excellent at attracting my target audience of students because the large bold title 'Priestley Post' is perfect because it sounds informative and would tell you exactly what the content will be about as the college the magazine is based on is called Priestley College, Also the bright colours are eye catching and gives the magazine an exciting style to it and also it is aimed at students and the magazine features real students in some pictures and articles so the target audience can immediately relate to them. I feel the design of my magazine front cover is strong and my contents page is constructed perfectly, I think it is quite attractive to the target audience because of the bright colours which stand out and the contents covers what the magazine was intended to discuss and talk about.

Photoshop tools

Main Task

Planning Document

Target Audience Document

When planning my magazine, my aim was to target it at mainly teenagers and young adults. I also wanted to capture the attention of some older adults too. This is because generallly young adults and teenagers are fans of electronic music and ones involved in the clubbing scene. My selection of colours, fonts and also the positioning of images were carefully chosen to contibute to the overall theme of electronic and futuristic music.

Magazine front cover evaluation Doctor Who

Evaluation on front cover of magazine

Doctor Who Magazine issue #420

I have decided to evaluate the cover of doctor who magazine because doctor who is a popular TV show science fiction drama.  The front cover of the magazine is aiming to introduce matt smith as the new doctor to the role. The magazine uses key media technology to crate the look, for example the doctor who logo has been used as the title. The key feature of the logo is the DW letters that represent the tardis and the light effect at the top has been crated afterwards using a computer programme. The silver and blue colour scheme in the letters/logo is iconic of Doctor Who. DW is an abbreviation of Doctor Who. The tagline/catchphrase of the Doctor Who magazine is all of time and space every four weeks, this is perfect because Doctor Who is a science fiction programme about travelling in time and space. The purple and blue vortex background is an abstract image that has been crated using various filters. A posed photo of Matt Smith is imposed in front of the background as the main feature. Headline states that the new doctor the anchorage to the picture. A barcode is seen at the bottom right with the price of the magazine this is to let the readers know how much the magazine costs. The headline/masthead says the new doctor which entices the reader to find out more about this, as he talks exclusively about what it takes to be a time lord. This is also a USP of the magazine. The fact that there is 2 different collectable covers is an interesting idea. Competitions are always good in a magazine and to have the chance to win a 32-inch HD TV is perfect. The TV is displayed with a poster/wallpaper of Doctor Who as anchorage to the picture. Another exclusive, the exclusive is in a bold eye-catching red so it easily stands out, there is an interview with Karen Gillan who plays the doctors companion Amy Pond in a Doctor Who Magazine exclusive. A heading of an article on the new series is included on the cover, saying that all-new previews and photos of the series are inside. The blue colour scheme in the magazine front cover is used a lot as it is the colour of the tardis.

Connotation/denotation

The masthead the new doctor is quite minimal probably because lots of different people of all ages could read the magazine. A quote from matt smith is shown as he is the cover star and the quote that he says is displayed next to him on the right as anchorage to the picture so you can see that it was him who said that. The text at the bottom explains that an interview with Matt Smith talking about what it takes to be a time lord as he is the new doctor. The words ‘doctor’ and ‘tardis’ are iconic elements of the doctor who TV show, so the readers can immediately identify with the text and the magazine.