Masthead, Slogan, Theme, Prices

For this task I had to ask my target audience for their feedback on their favourite slogan for my front cover. Person 1 chose "Music 4 u"and "Snap, Crackle, POP!" because they are both catchy, Person 2 and 3 also both chose "Snap, Crackle, POP!". Therefore I decided to use this slogan when first designing my front cover, however as I started to develop my front cover I did not feel like the slogan suited the magazine cover so I decided to change it to "Open for all your music desires" as this linked to my masthead which is called "Insider" and also sounds more suitable for my target audience

I also had to get feedback from my target audience on which masthead they liked the best for my front cover. I asked 3 people what their favourite masthead was and received a different answer from each of them. Person 1 chose Exclusive pop because it is catchy, whereas Person 2 chose Insider because it lets the audience know what is going to be included in the magazine. Lastly Person 3 chose Just POP! because it clearly tells the genre. As I got different answers for each masthead, I decided to choose my favourite out of those 3 which was Insider. This is because its eye-catching and makes the reader want open the magazine and see what is contained inside.

Next I asked them which price they thought was suitable for my magazine. Person 1 said between £1.50-£2.50 as it is affordable, Person 2 said £2.75 as it is not too much money and Person 3 said £2.50 or £2.75 as they are both reasonable prices. Therefore I decided to make my magazine £2.50 as it was what most of my target market thought was best and is reasonable for everyone who wants to read the magazine. 

Lastly I asked my audience for feedback on tone and theme. Person 1, 2 and 3 chose "Gossip for celebs"as they said it is most suitable for my target audience and most interesting to read. Person 2 said the tone should be informal, however I decided to make it both formal and informal so that it will attract to a wider range of ages and I will have a larger target audience. 

Potential Article Ideas

Potential article ideas:

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One of my potential article ideas is a one on one interview with a celebrity who is possibly a role model and inspires others, this will include the celebrities new released music, their personal life, what they do in their spare time, their music career and even their favourite fashion tips. I will make the interview relatable to its target audience therefore I will ask suitable questions so the consumer stays interested when reading it.  The person interviewed will most likely be a female figure who is a well known celebrity, this will therefore attract my target audience as the celebrity will have a large fan base. More people will buy the magazine as they will be intrigued to read the article and get a further insight into the celebrities life.

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Another one of my potential article ideas is recent chart hits - the top selling singles for iTunes. This is a significant article idea as my primary audience as well as secondary and tertiary are most likely to be interested in the most recent and popular chart hits. Therefore more people will buy the magazine as POP is associated with charts, which have different types of artists and music, which creates a wider range of target audiences. 

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My last potential article idea is celebrities favourite tips on fashion. this article will enable me to create a pop magazines which still incorporates fashion into it, this will attract my target audience as most girls aged between 16-21 are interested in fashion. This article will include the different clothing that celebrities wear and their favourite design makes, this will therefore attract my female readers as they will be interested in reading about the different celebrities fashion tips as many admire to be look and be like their favourite celebrity. 

Overall I decided to do my article on a one on one interview with a well known celebrity as the majority of people I asked chose that option. Most people chose this article because it is the most engaging and my target audience are most interested in knowing about a well known celeb. 

Colour Scheme

For this task, I asked my target audience what colour scheme they thought would look best for my magazine.

I asked my target audience what colour scheme they thought I should use. The first person said I should use the bright pink and purple colour schemes because I am creating a pop magazine and it should be bright and stand out to my reader. Pink is a vibrant and feminine colour, which is why my target audience favoured it. The second person old told me to use the peachy pink colour scheme because it suits my target audience as they are not too young for such a bright pink. When first designing my magazine, I started by using the bright pink for my front cover, however I discovered this didn't fit with my age group and I needed to use a more subtle pink to appeal to them so I used a lighter one which still fit with the pop genre of my magazine.

Layout of magazine pages

For this task I have drawn out rough drafts for my front cover, contents page and double page spread, so that when it comes to making the doing the final task I will have a brief idea of what I want my magazine to look like.

Evaluation

Evaluation

For my preliminary task, I had to create my own front cover and contents page for a school magazine. In order to do this I used Photoshop, which I have not used therefore I found the task more difficult than others. By using Photoshop I have been able to improve my skills on the computer as well as widening my understanding on how to design my front cover and contents page. Therefore when making my magazine, I will find it easier as I am more familiar with the how to design it and what needs to be included.

Looking back at my front cover, I can see that parts of it could of been improved. Although I am happy with how it looks , the font makes it look unprofessional due to the boldness and outline colour of each cover line. This makes the front cover look childish, which is a disadvantage because the magazines target audience is teenagers not young children. I am also not pleased with the layout as some of the text is not in the right place and therefore clashes with the background colours. As I was not familiar with photoshop, I feel as my lack of skills was the reason as to why my front cover wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. However, I am satisfied with my image as it represents what my magazine is displaying, which is secondary school teenagers working at school.  I am also glad with the title name I chose which is "Break Time", this is because it will attract more readers as it shows that they shouldn't spend there whole time working, as they deserve a break as well. My front cover does appeal to the correct target audience as the colour scheme is bold and bright which will engage the reader, as well as this the text on the front cover will encourage them to carry on reading, as they will want to find out more information.

Now looking at my contents page, I am satisfied with how it ended up. Although I could of improved the layout by only using one or two images as it makes the page look too busy which I didn't want as the contents page is normally one of the simplest pages throughout a magazine. The text should stand out the most so the reader can see whats on each page, but in this instance I feel the images drag the reader from the main point which is what the pages contain. Furthermore, I am pleased with how I used the colour scheme as it matches the front cover which makes the magazine look more professional and sophisticated. 

Overall, I have learnt that even though there is room for improvement on my front cover and contents page, this is an advantage as when it comes to making my real magazine cover I will know exactly what to the change and improve. I will make sure to make my text and images clear as well as ensuring I use the correct colours and fonts which will attract my target audience.

Preliminary Task

For my preliminary task I had to create a front cover and contents page for a school magazine. In order to do this, I used Photoshop which I was not familiar with and have never used before. I was able to work out how to use it with the help of my teachers and the internet, this therefore improved my skills within Photoshop and I was able to design my front cover and contents page how I wanted to.

Conclusion of Research

My research has been very beneficial as I have learnt about Textual Analysis, Genre, Target audiences and Background/Context of music magazines. I have completed 22 research tasks, by doing this I now know enough knowledge which can help in the process of making my magazine.

The background/context part of my research was very important as it enabled me to gain a large insight into the history of different genres. By researching different music genres, this helped me to decide which genre I wanted my magazine to be on. 

The next part of my research was Genre, this was very significant because I had to decide what genre I wanted my magazine to be on. I chose to do Pop, because I found it the most interesting genre and it was an advantage that I was already familiar with it. By completing this I was able to gain a further insight into the Pop genre which is beneficial when designing and making my magazine.

For my textual analysis I researched pop magazines. I looked at two different front covers, contents pages and double page spreads. My textual analysis was helpful because I now have a better understanding of what needs to be included in my magazine. For example on a front cover there is always a large image of a well known famous singer/band. 

My target audience research was beneficial because I am now aware of who my primary, secondary and tertiary audience are. I also know what to include in my magazine to satisfy the right audience, which means when it comes to making my magazine I will be more confident when designing it. 

Target Audience Profile

In this task I used emaze to create a target audience profile, which displayed who my primary, secondary and tertiary audience were. To do this task I used avachara to create an animation character. This task will help me when creating my magazine as I know exactly who my target audience are, therefore I will know what they want my magazine to contain.

Apply Uses and Gratification to Pop Magazine

In this task I have applied the Uses and Gratification Theory to a pop magazine contents page. This task has enabled me to understand the theory, as well as being able to apply it to a contents page when I make my own magazine. 

Uses and Gratification Theory

In this task I have created a Powtoon video which is about The Uses and Gratification Theory, this has enabled me to have a clear understanding about the theory. Therefore I know what needs to be included when it comes to making my magazine as I am familiar with all the aspects of media. This task will help me as I know how to apply the theory and will use it in the production of my magazine.  

Summary of textual analysis

In this task I will summarise what I have learnt from completing tasks 14-19. The textual analysis tasks has been beneficial to me as I have learnt new skills such as how to use different web tools like emaze and powtoon. 

The analysis of my front cover, content page and double page spread was useful to do as I now know every aspect that needs to be included in my magazine. For my title page I know to include a Masthead and a main image which is most likely to be off a pop singer/group. On the contents page I noticed that there is often a few images that surround the text which engages the audience, therefore I could apply this to my magazine. Lastly on the double page spread there is always a large bold image which attracts the audience, and different sections of text surrounding it. By completing these tasks I have a further insight on how to design my magazine and the information that it needs to contain. The analysis of these different areas has given me a better understanding of specific key terms and information that I can include in my magazine when it comes to designing it, I will be more confident when doing it because I will be familiar with the layout. 

The uses and gratification theory helped me to apply my knowledge from the theory work into applying the theory to a pop magazine, this includes Information, Personal, Social Interaction and Entertainment and why each of these are included in a magazine. It also advanced my understanding regarding why people consume media.  Therefore by doing this task I can use the theory i learnt and put it in my magazine when I design it which effective because my magazine will contain the correct information.

Content Page Analysis

In this task I have used two different magazine content pages and analysed them both. One contents page is from Billboard magazine and the other is We heart pop. By analysing both magazines, I am familiar with the contents page layout and what information it has to contain.

Title Page Analysis

In this task I have analysed two different music magazines, one Billboard and the other We heart Pop. I have done this so I know what my title page has to contain when I make my own magazine. This task was beneficial because I will feel more confident when I design my own magazine, as I will know exactly what needs to be included. 

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Double Page Spread Analysis

In this task I have analysed two double page spreads from pop magazines. One from Billboard magazine and the other We heart pop. This task has been useful as i now know what my double page spreads need and what information it should contain when it comes to me creating my own magazine. For example I know that my double page spread will have a striking image of a famous/well known person, with information about them or their career. 

Subgenre/angles

In this task I have looked into the sub genres of Pop, the genre that I chose was Britpop, my powtoon provides in depth information on the genre. This task will benefit me as when it comes to making my final magazine, I will be familiar with the genre therefore I will find it easier to apply the information I need to my magazine.

Double page spread hard copy analysis

For this task I have annotated a hard copy of a magazine from Billboard that I have purchased. This task has enabled me to understand what I should include in my double page spread, as well as how I wanted to lay it out. I have been able to look it at from a readers perspective before creating my own.

Competitor Research - Word It Out

By making this word cloud, it has helped me remember the names of specific pop magazines such as Top of the Pops. This task will help me create my magazine because I am more familiar with the pop genre and the different pop magazines, therefore I will find it easier to complete the other tasks.

Moodboard

In this task I have created a mood board which consists of current pop songs and different music videos. By completing this task I am up to date with new music and familiar with different music artists, which I could then include in my magazine as my genre is pop, therefore i need to know the most common pop songs.

Genre Research

In this task I have researched the genre that my magazine will be on, which is the pop genre. The task was very beneficial as I have learnt a lot on the pop genre, so when it comes to making my magazine I will be familiar with the information that it needs to contain which will therefore make it a lot easier to do.

The information that I have research whilst carrying out this task will be very useful for me when creating my magazine because I have received good information regarding the pop genre which I will need to include when I create my magazine. 
I now have a further insight into the background of pop music, which will enable me to apply the information when I make my own magazine. 

Mass VS Niche Publications

In this task I have looked at Mass vs Niche publications and analysed different magazines. By completing this task I have been able to see the main different between both publications. I have learnt that mass publication attracts a wider audience whereas niche publication is aimed at smaller target audience. This task will help me when making my magazine, as I will know the difference between both publications and apply this knowledge to my final task.

Summary

Summary of what I have learnt so far - 


By completing my first few tasks I have been able to learn in further depth about the different types of magazines genres there are e.g pop, classical,jazz and rock as well as learning more information about the music industry. I have also learnt how to use new blog tools within my work, as well as using different websites such as wordle and prezzi to improve my my skills on the computer. By completing the different tasks I now have a further insight into the music industry, therefore I have learnt many new things such as the two most well known music magazine publishers, Anthem and Bauer. Furthermore I have also learnt about the main key concepts that are applied to a music magazine, e.g audience,genre,representation and institution. I am most interested in the pop industry within music magazines, so I will therefore base my other tasks around this genre and further my knowledge on the pop genre. By doing my other tasks I will be able to gain even more knowledge about the music magazine industry and the importance of it, which i can then apply to the rest of my work.

Comparing and Contrasting Two Magazine Publishers

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By doing this task I now have a better understand about Anthem and Bauer, this information will help me when making my magazine cover and content as I have a better idea on how to style it and what to put in it. 

Music Iconography

Similarities and Differences of Music Magazines

This is my piktochart of my similarities and differences of 6 Music Magazines.

Wordle

In order for me to get a better understanding with music magazines and the different genres, I made a word collage using Wordle. To do this I used words related to the music genre and music magazines, this helped me understand in more depth about different music magazines and their genres as well as which ones are most popular and why. Therefore, when it comes to making my own magazine I have a further insight into different genres and what needs to be included. This words teach the reader more about the music industry and what different magazines contain.  

Key Concepts of Music Magazines

I have learnt about the key concepts of a music magazine, which has enabled me to analyse different music magazine covers and taught me about the different music genres. This is beneficial as when I make my own magazine, I will include the correct information as I am now familiar with what needs to be included in a magazine. When it comes to designing it, I will be more confident due to all the previous research I have done.

Key concepts from india108

Introduction

Introduction 

Introduction to me

Hello! My name is India and I am 17 years old. I go to JCoSS and I have chosen to do AS level and A level media because it will enable me to further my knowledge and skills in the media industry. I also chose this subject because it looks interesting and will allow me to do new things such as write my own short article as well as create my own music video. It's an extremely hands-on subject; therefore I can interact with modern technology in lots of ways, using all the customary IT programmes such as final cut pro.

AS Coursework

I am doing media A level however the first year is AS. My AS coursework counts as 50%of my final AS media grade. The task we have got given is to research into media magazines and what is popular in the magazine industry. We will also be making our own magazine which has a front page, contents page and a double page spread. I will focus on a target audience which i will be targeting and working towards for my magazine.