Main Task- Final cover.

I have applied the changes according to my feedback yet still kept my cover similar to the idea I had in mind. By applying red to the background on the text at the top it makes it stand out more and helps the theme flow through easier. Also by rounding the edge's of the boxes and making some darker it gives more depth and a more easy going edge to my magazine which was one of  my original aims.

Main Task- Cover Draft 1.

This is my final front cover. I found it quite difficult to get it all together and look professional but I overcame this by having quite a organised formal layout. I decided to use quite a relaxed font and change it for each section so it was clear which part was the masthead and it seperated it from everything else. By having quite a large section without text in the middle it makes the image a lot easier to focus on and this is what my research for my Preliminary task said was necessary. The only thing I would consider changing is dressing my model in red clothing so the colour scheme is more fluent throughout but due to the weather this was not possible.

Feedback:

'The red stands out too much against the background'

'I feel that the name should be spread across the top of the magazine rather than in a box to the left. The sell lines should be scattered around the front page and not clumped together in one box. The photo is a really good however though it may of suited the double page spread more and I love the name, tag line, the font style, the background behind the writing looks cool and makes the writing stand out a lot more.'

This feedback is very helpful because it shows me what people think of my front cover. I did try the masthead across the top but I personally did not like this as it looked quite messy and whilst making my cover I was looking at current magazine's and I liked the idea of layers. If the sell lines were not in the box on the bottom they would of looked messy in my eyes and the red needed to be that bright to show against the background. I also decided to use quite a complex idea for my front cover because the normal close up's are quite often used on the front and this is my USP. I also looked at the Slash interview in the Observer and really liked the idea of having a studio shot for my double page spread.

'Nice use of the title and the font, it mixes well with the whole theme for the front cover of the magazine. I like the way the whole front is a big picture, captures your eyes and with the several positions of the person creates depth and a nice twist. Good use of the small notes about what you can see in the magazine, precise and you know what you are going to read about. Yet the colours you use for the top banner with the artists needs to be another colour, or the banner another colour as reading it is fairly hard. And the red font for the 'Inside' part doesnt follow the theme for the rest of the front cover, looks just placed there with little thought. Also maybe have the white boxes slightly darker. Apart from that, i like the way it is set out and you get a good feel for what you may read; few minor changes and thats it'

This feedback has been the most useful for me as I can now see clearly exactly what needs to be changed. I will play around with the colours and layout of boxes slightly and try to improve the bits that need to be done. I may also have a rounded edge to the boxes so it doesn't look as harsh though I am not sure yet. I will also have to consider getting rid of the red text and changing it to black because the red looking out of place has been mentioned more than once and even though this was in my research, it may need to be changed. Additionally, I need to add a price to the cover as I have not yet done this.

Main Task- Front Cover Design.

Here is my front cover design. I had initially designed it on paper and then transferred the design on to Publisher. I have decided to use quite a organised layout with a simple colour scheme. The only problem I may have is the text showing up on the dark background therefor when I have added the image I will need to find a way around this. I may use a normal white box and make it slightly transparent as I saw this is a magazine recently and thought it was really effective.

Main Task- Final image.

I decided to not use all of the images. I did a practise before hand and found that it looked quite messy and they didn't all fit together so I chose these 4. There were some problems whilst editing such as white lines appearing around the model once I had pasted her into the orginial image but I managed to luckily hide them quite well. Because I have done quite a complicated cover, I will most likely use a close up image for the double page spread. I will be taking the images for my contents page and double page spread soon.

Main Task- Photography before editing.

I decided to use a train station underground tunnel for my images. I will crop them all into the first one in the order they are now in so it gives a layered feel and makes it seem as though there are several of her in one location. I have only included the guitar in 3 images because I thought too many might ruin the image and it would of also been harder to get a range of images and positions into one.

Main Task- Double page spread research and analysis.

The Observer – Slash interview.

For this double page spread The Observer have decided to have the image and a pull quote on one side and the interview on the other, though the interview isn’t questions but more facts or statements and comments from Slash. This is quite effective because there is more image than text yet it still looks even, this not only means there is less to read but it will attract people more because image’s are what a person prefers when reading a magazine. They have kept the sophisticated layout with a simple straight line separating the text and image which makes it look quite professional yet the image gives it a more light hearted edge. Though the artist is wearing sunglasses, the angle of the camera is straight forward and you feel from his quite intense facial expression that he is looking at you which is effective because it feels like he is connecting with you. They have shown his relation with music by having him holding a guitar. This double page spread has helped me with my research because it has given me an idea of how to layout the magazine and use less text and have it more image related. The interview shows many sides to Slade, he talks about things that aren’t music related such as where he grew up, phobia’s and interests such as cooking shows which will interest greatly the fans that are reading the interview. He says his greatest achievement is staying alive in the music industry for this long which shows he has a real passion about music.

OK!- Mcfly interview.

The Mcfly interview has a very interesting layout, because there are 4 of them they have decided to use more image than text and tried to incorporate all the members of the band into the spread, they have done this well and still managed to make it look professional and sophisticated. The colour scheme of black, white and red is really effective because it makes it stand out and gives a feeling of power which goes with the interview about their new album release and one of the members saying ‘Until we achieve world domination, we won’t be happy’. The interview itself is laid out very well and the clear structure on each page works well, they have also used a slightly transparent background behind the text so the image still shows which I think looks very good. Their interview does have quite a few music related questions but a lot of them are about the band’s personality traits and things they have done which will interest the readers because Mcfly’s target audience are teens-young adults and this is their type of interest. The pull quote is positioned well because it breaks up the page and fills a space, once again it is not related to music but it makes you want to read the article which is good. The article makes Mcfly seem quite relaxed and easy going which is a good promotion for them because it attracts people to them more. The interview is very clear question and answer which I think gives the article a good structure.

Main Task- Questionnaire results.

1)      Would you be interested in purchasing a specific Indie/Acoustic music magazine?

Yes         11
No          3


2)      What name would draw you to the magazine?
Some answers: 
Acoustic Music Magazine.
Simple and abbreviated.
Unplugged.
Music Mania.
Vindie.
Acoustic.

3)      What colour scheme would you like to see used through out?

 Blue and Green          1
Red and Orange         1
Black, Red, White      7
Black and White         1
Any bright colours       4

Other Suggestions: Pastel green & Grey.

 4)      How much would you be willing to pay?

Under £1.50          5
£1.50                    2
£1.99                    3
£2.50                    1
Above £2.50         3


5)      How often would you want the magazine to be published?

Once a week                 1
Once every 2 weeks      4
Once a month                9
Every 2 months              0

6)      What type of articles would you rather read?
 All chose:
Purely music and film with a informal, light hearted ‘jokey’ edge

7)      In which setting would you rather see the model?

Beach                   2
‘Busking’              5
Close up               2
Random setting     4

Other: In a woods.
          On a stage
          Train station.
          Medium shot.

8)      Would you be interested in competitions and offers being featured?

Yes       12
No        2

9)      What type of articles grab your attention?
 Some answers:
Band interviews.
Upcoming artists.
Tour/Festival reviews.
Focus on unsigned acts.
Problem pages/letters.
Whitty with lots of images.
Music download list.


10)   What would you expect to see in the magazine?
(tick as many as applicable)

The majority of people chose the following: 
Gig/Tour dates.
Reviews.
Interviews.
Articles written by journalists on their views.
Articles written by readers on their views.


11) Which artist's would you like to see feature's on?
 Frank Turner.
Arctic Monkeys.
Kooks.
Mumford and Sons.
Katy B.
Belle & Sebastian.
Jenny Lewis.
The Midnight Beast.
The wombats.
Blur.

12)   Would you like the magazine to be glossy or non glossy?

Glossy:            9
Non glossy:     5

13) How many pages would you like the magazine to have?

Up to 40       1
Up to 60       5
Up to 80       7
Up to 100     0
100+             1

14)   Could you give 2/3 key words you’d expect to see featured on a music magazine:
New, Indie, Exciting, Original, New release, Tour dates, Gigs, Must-see, Charts.


From my results I have found many useful things and I will use a number of them. I have decided to put the words Acoustic and Unplugged and put these together, this was an idea I orginially had but having it in my results has confirmed it. I will use a black, white and red colour scheme. My magazine will cost exactly £150 and be sold once a month. This is good because it is 80 pages long so there will be a lot of content. My top image results were 'Busking' and in a random setting so I will most likely use a train station and have one positioned in a 'busking' way. On the cover I will have around 4 artist's mentioned and it will have an Inside section so readers know what is included. I will do a larger feature on 2 of the artists on my contents page. I will be using the words 'New', 'Orginial' and 'Charts' on my front cover aswell.

Main Task- Image idea's and research.

I orginally had the idea of having my model in the woods or at a train station and positioning the camera in one place. I would then take several images of her in different positions in the camera view and then crop it all into one. I still am considering this idea though whilst looking at a friends photography work I came across quite an interesting idea with the same concept. He had put himself on to a three seat sofa and done the same idea as the woods one. Whilst this is not related to music I thought it looked really effective so I have decided to take a lot of test shots with my model in several different locations to see which one looks most effective. My main issue with these types of photo's is that they appear to look better when they are landscape so this is an issue I will have to try resolve.

Here is a copy of my friend's photography:

This is the type of thing I want to do but in a different location and incorporate a guitar in it so it looks more music related:

Credits to Adam Jackson for allowing me to use his amazing photography.