Final Task Brief: To create the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine (All images and text used must be original, produced by the candidate(s), minimum of four images per candidate.)
Introduction
Continuing on from the preliminary exercise, for the main task I had to create a front page, contents page and double-page spread for a new music magazine. After research and mind-mapping I decided to name the magazine “Unplugged”, the title strongly relates to the music genre that the magazine is based on: acoustic and soft rock also known as ‘unplugged’ music.
The main task brief was very broad which allowed me to be creative and as open-minded as I liked. I based the magazine on my own music interests, as I thought this would make the creation stage more interesting. There are many features of my magazine that indicate it is a music magazine, for example music notes, cd covers, the text refers to music as well as the magazine logo itself. The magazine will be aimed at mid-teen to young adult females; therefore my target audience is 15-20 year old girls musically interested in acoustic and soft rock.
I chose to aim the magazine at females because I could relate to the audience and be able to build a strong connection. I decided that the magazine should also be in conjunction with a large charity: The Breast Cancer Foundation, this enables the magazine to have a good cause as 50% of the proceeds will go to the charity. The magazine therefore will have a multi-purpose: it isn’t just for entertainment.
Research
(link to blog posts -
http://jessicastarkins.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/front-cover-research-for-main-task/
http://jessicastarkins.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/contents-page-research-for-main-task/
http://jessicastarkins.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/double-page-spread-research-for-main-task/ )
I began research after I received the assignment brief. I started looking at the font page, contents and double-page spread of a few music magazines including: ‘In Tune,’ ‘Kerrang!’ ‘The Fly,’ ‘Classic Rock,’ ‘Kingsize,’ and ‘NME.’ Most of these magazines are very well known therefore they have a layout, text and contents that their audiences appreciate and realte to; therefore I feel these are a good choice.
This research helped me in the development of my title as well as the understanding of forms and conventions which I chose to challenge. The notes and observations I made from the research can be found on the blog title ‘Research’ within the main task category.
The front cover research allowed me to see how one large main image is used along with bright eye-catching puffs. The title of the magazine related to music 9 out of 10 times and was quite inventive for example, “Kerrang! – is the sound a guitar make when being smashed up.” With this in mind I could start to brainstorm inventive and ambiguous titles for my own magazine. In reference to the layout I chose to challenge the forms and conventions and give it a unique house-style that hasn’t been see before.
The contents page research taught me that most magazines use images as well as text to show the content of their magazine. I thought this was an effective idea as the audience connect to visual aids more effectively. The title and masthead was present on most contents pages as well, I challenged this by featuring the whole layout of the masthead including the logo and background.
The double page spread research was really helpful as I was struggling to plan a layout for this. The research showed how the designers used one large image to occupy a whole page and left the facing page to text and other information. I liked to keep my double-page spread quite simple unlike other similar products. The research showed how most double page spread look quite busy and crammed with information – I challenged this.
As well as researching similar products I also researched into forms and conventions this was to ensure I included these in my final product. The post I made was really helpful as I kept looking back and revising over it and checking they were included in my front cover, contents page and double-page spread.
I also researched into distribution and representation so that I could apply this to my magazine.
Initial Ideas and Drafts
(link to blog post – http://jessicastarkins.wordpress.com/2009/03/10/initial-ideas-and-drafts/)
I had a basic idea of what I wanted my magazine to look like from there I started to create drafts using photoshop so that I could build on the skills I would need to create my final product. I had two intial ideas and drafts that can be seen on my blog titled ‘Initial Ideas & Drafts’.
The other things I covered when planning and creating my initial ideas and drafts were: Research into font, the audience, development of the title. I have a blog post for each of these.
The first initial idea had a pinboard house-style in which the photographs and text looked as though they were pinned onto the page. I liked this idea because it was original and looked laidback which represented the genre of music well. This initial idea also challenged some of the forms and conventions for example: the masthead situated at the bottom of the page, the main image not filling the full page, the contents page looked very unorganised and also had only images to show the contents; the double-page spread was quite simple with a main image and a main text page. This house-style is very youthful and can relate to teenagers as the layout is unorganised and random. The model that would act as the feature artist will look happy and youthful representing both the magazine and the music genre as care-free and relaxed.
My second initial idea was a more sophisticated and structured house-style; the main colours were red black and grey. This idea fitted more with the typical magazine style. The contents page had a piano key pattern to show the contents and the double-page spread was quite simple like idea 1 with one main image and a page for text. The house-style of initial idea 2 gave the music genre an older representation and was aimed more towards the older more mature audience. The model I would use for the feature artist would look more proffesional than intitial idea 1. This is to relate to the layout and house-style of the magazine: the music genre and magazine would be represented as more serious and mature.
For both initial ideas I used a fictional artist – Daisy James. I planned for her to be an original Unplugged artist that began her career in the unsighned section of the magazine. Daisy James is the feature artist for this magazine issue. The other contents for the initial idea issues included: ‘The Unplugged Artist List,’ ‘The U Festival,’ as well as ‘Reviews, Charts and Recommendations.’ These appeared as puffs on the front cover, I didn’t include them in the contents page as I wanted to make the drafts as simple as possible; however in the final product I did.
Through focus groups and questionnaires I learned that the target audiences favourite idea was initial idea 1. Before I created the computer draft I showed the group a few title font ideas that I found on www.dafont.com these can be seen on the post titled ‘Research into Fonts.’ The first font on my list was decided to be the favourite as it looked youthful and smooth – reflecting and representing the music genre in a positive way. This was the font I used for the intial ideas after I discovered it’s popularity. After the focus group I started to develop initial idea 1 – the pinboard house-style.
Production
After researching and conducting focus groups I oculd move onto the production stage. Due to the preliminary task I knew how to use the photoshop software and since then I had developed my skills further by manipluating photographs etc.
Front Cover: I began the front cover by using a pinboard effect background, from the print-outs the background looked very warm and orangey therefore I saturated it to drain some of the colour; this looked better as the colour wasn’t too strong.
The next stage was to add my original image; however I hadn’t taken them yet so I moved onto the masthead. I wanted ripped notebook paper for the background of the title: it had to be original so I created it from scratch on photoshop (http://jessicastarkins.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/development-of-technical-elements-for-the-front-cover/) I was really impressed with what I acheived here and I’m glad I created it myself. From the font research I had already prepared the masthead, I played about with layer effects and colour overlays until I decided to use a gradient fill with the ‘Un’ in black and the rest of the word in colour: a bright pink. This gave the masthead more attention and helped focus on the genre of music.
For the puffs I wanted to use post-it notes and scraps of paper to continue with the pin-board house style. All the fonts I used are from www.dafont.com and work really well with the magazine; I chose handwritten styles as I wanted it to look like it had been written on. I also chose to add a banner at the top of the page to finish the top off. The banner is in an impact label font.
Once I took my original images I could manipulate them and add them to my font cover; the contact sheets can be seen on my blog as well as the manipulation stage. I created one draft which had one original image on however I didn’t think this suited the music genre well so I changed the image and rearranged some of the features like the banner.
Contents Page: I began this page the same as I did the front cover, I also used the same masthead design as the front cover which helps connect the two pages. The production of the contents was fairly simple I used various photoshop tools to help belnd the elements into the page as well as created new features like the blue-tac (http://jessicastarkins.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/development-of-technical-elements-for-the-front-cover/)and the ripped edges.
The images on the contents page are all original: one is of the feature artist Daisy James, another is of a different girl and the third is of a CD cover that I created from other original images. I chose to use all original images because it made the magazine more unique and personal.
The hardest point in the production stage of the contents page was aligning the text with the lines on the notebook paper. This took up a little time but it was worth it as it looks more authentic.
Towards the end of the production I added a few elements like the cello-tape and the extra drawing pins, they aren’t huge changes but it finishes off the page quite well.
Double-page Spread: Again I began this page with the pin-board background. The significant element of the double-page spread was the images, once I had taken them they made the spread look better and nicer.
I wrote the article that is written on the facing page, I used a question-answer style article between the ‘Unplugged’ journalist and ‘Daisy James.’ I also decided to include a strap-line at the beginning of the article to make it look more professional. More technical elements like the blue-tac and the page curls were included as well as a new effect which was the perforated edge of the main image. This was done by using an eraser.
I used the same title design as the masthead of the front cover – the notebook paper; however this time I changed the font to a script font in black and used a butterfly eraser stamp tool on photoshop, this just made the title look more quaint and cute which represented the artist better.
To make sure that the two pages looked as though they were part of a double-page spread, I used the burn tool down the centre to act as the crease of the magazine. Things like this as well as the blue-tac as the background for the page number and the extra pins gave the magazine less empty spaces as well as making it more authentic in terms of a pin-board.
The production stage overall was easier than the preliminary task as I had a better understanding of the software. I enjoyed the production of my magazine because I could show off my skills and elaborate on my ideas without restrictions. The production stage allowed me to learn new skills and gave me a better understanding of being aware of the space and continuing a house-style.
The Final Product
Overall, looking at my front cover, contents page and double-page spread I am really happy with what I have achieved. The mistakes I made in the preliminary task including time management and including a house-style were corrected in the main task. I personally feel that all three texts are very appealing to it’s target audience. I was able to challenge the forms and conventions and create a unique and interesting style of music magazine. I think that the style of my magazine will allow it to stand out and be easily recognizable in comparison to other music magazines.
The layout and other graphological features relate to genre of music really well, the representation of both the magazine and the musical genre are laid back, care-free, youthful.
Front Cover
The front cover of my magazine consists of some bright youthful colours; which combined with the main image contribute to the happy and loose-living representation I aimed for. The lexis I used on the cover also reinforces this representation: I chose to write “chat” instead as ‘interview’ as I think it gives it an informal atmosphere.
The elements on the front cover have a very natural look: un-straightened and ripped. This made the house-style look more authentic, the puffs, images and masthead look as though they have been pinned on randomly.
There are two visual clues into the type of magazine: one is the logo and the other are the music notes that look doodled on. The fingerprint and music note logo I think is really effective as it symbolises unique music as well as a unique music magazine.
Without the typical elements such as the barcode, price and date the magazine would not look as professional as other similar products therefore these are the necessary features I had to add.
The main image represents the artist as very youthful and natural. The photo of Daisy James, my fictional artist, really helps the representation of the magazine as she is placed on the front. Her face is representing the magazine and it’s music. I think it does it is a really positive way and exactly the way I aimed for.
The background of the masthead was chosen because it represents songwriting and writing lyrics. The breast cancer ribbon is there to remind the audience of the donations from the proceeds I basically chose this charity because of the target audience: young female adults. They may be aware of the charity and the magazine represents a good cause and shows how ‘Unplugged’ are about lifestyle and well-being as well as music.
Contents Page
As you can see the contents page continues the house-style. The masthead and logo is used again at the top of the page. The breast cancer ribbon is used again.
I have three original images on the contents page all of which represent the genre and magazine in different ways: ‘Luke B Image – Young, Daisy James image – happy and finally the other image – natural.” Like other similar products I used these images as contents as well as the text on the post- it notes and the notebook paper.
Incase the reader was unaware about the charity, I included a tick box style piece of text to reinforce their contribution: “Breast Cancer Foundation Donations (ticked)” I think this also adds to the handwritten theme of the magazine: it acts as a to do list that the audience will be able to relate to.
The randomly placed elements on the page help to represent the laid back personality of the magazine, the young female audience will also be able to relate to the layout: a neat structured layout doesn’t reflect a teenager or young adults life. The layout also is a lot more interesting to look at than a boring plain design that other magazines have. This gives ‘Unplugged’ a benefit against competing products.
All of the puffs are there to represent both the magazine and the genre of music. I included competitions like “Submit Your Lyrics” and “Send us a Demo” these are there to encourage the audiences musicality. We want the audience to get involved within the magazine and what it stands for.
Another content of the magazine is “the Download List” and “Unplugged Acoustic list” these both show how the magazine distributes the music and helps acoustic artists get heard by the rightful audience.
Double-Page Spread
The double-page spread also has the house-style. The notebook paper for the title background was used again but this time with butterfly cut-outs which represent freedom and beauty within music.
The photographs of Daisy James do really well representing the magazine and the music genre they look young and relaxed. The mis-en-scene also reinforces this: the quaint bedroom setting suits the genre and the artist really well. The smaller image on the left page I think is really effective because she is holding sheets of written music, her facial expression also helps the atmosphere of the image.
Although I included no musical instruments I think the setting, expressions and layout represent, reinforce and clearly show that the magazine is about music. Like similar products the right page includes a thumbnail of the artists album cover and a question-answer article.
I really like the layout of this double-page spread and I think the extra elements like the blue-tac on the page number, the extra drawing pins and the ink fingerprint add authenticity and help represent the music genre as sometimes being messy and random but overall, like the layout, the genre is well structured and well-presented.
The distribution techniques of the magazine I think are really effective and will work. By considering the target audience and their interests makes the distribution of the magazine really strong. The distribution plans of ‘Unplugged’ can be seen on the blog post titled “Distribution”.
Overall, combining the representation, layout, technical skills and distribution plan I think that I have a really strong magazine. I am really pleased with my acheivements and looking over my final product would not change anything. I think my magazine shows professionalism and youth. I successfully reached my goals in terms of representation and am very happy with the final product.
I think that from the feedback I received from the target audience I have created a magazine that suits its projected readers and offers something new and interesting compared to other competitive products.
Filed under: Main Media Task
Blue-tac effectOn my contents page there is a small amount of blue-tac; I created this simply by using the paint tool and different shades of blue. Although this was a very simple task I think it is really effective.
