AQUINAS MAGAZINE CONTENTS PAGE

 

What I like about my contents page is that the layout is blocked so it is clear to follow and that the page numbers are clear to see because they are in bold. I also like the photos I have used because it shows a variety of photos from the photoshoot so it gives the audience a variety of images to look at. I have used the right house style as it follows on from the front cover so the pages link together and so it is recognisable I have used the AQUINAS logo so it links to the cover and creates a professional look. I will keep the layout the same and how the images are set out on the page because it makes the page look different. Also the amount of features that are on the page will be enough for my magazine because it gives the audience a large variety.

To improve I could put more images on the contents page that relate to a different feature to keep the audience engaged. I will also improve my features by making them more suitable to my music magazine, so I will have more features on music instead of fashion. I would also make the image of the front cover clearer to see and make sure it isn't squashed with the other images.

AQUINAS MAGAZINE FRONT COVER DRAFT

 

What I like about my front cover is that it sticks to house style as the fonts are the same so it is easy to read for the audience and that it is a effective because rather than using a different font I just made different parts of it bold to make the more important styles stand out. Also I have stuck to 3 colours on my front cover which makes it look professional and the colours work together so it isn't overwhelming with different colours. I also like how I have put the social networking sites to show a symbiotic relationship with the websites. I like the layout of the cover because the whole image takes up the mise-en-scene and there are plenty of features to choose from so the audience have a variety to choose from. I will keep the whole layout the same because it is easy to read and relates to all the codes and conventions.

For improvements I will make it clear what type of music genre the magazine is and I have decided to do a rock genre instead. Also I will make some of the feautres that are difficult to read I will change the colours of them so it is easier for the audience to read. I will also change the title of the magazine because the target audience won't be aimed at students at Aquinas College, it will be aimed at people who enjoy listening to rock music.

CONTENTS PAGE PLAN

MAGAZINE FRONT COVER ANALYSIS

 

 

 

The target audience for Kerrang! magazine would be about 16-25 year olds who like rock and heavy metal music. This is the genre of music because you can tell by the iconography of the magazine. For example the dark colours like black which the connotations are death and sadness, however the white, red and yellow contrast this because the connotations of white and yellow are happy and red shows passion and aggression which aren’t necessarily bad things. This can relate to the music genre as this is what is needed to produce this type of music.

 

The strap line at the top of the magazine will be noticed because of the word ‘WIN’ in bold letters and in a different colour to the rest of the writing so the audience’s eyes will go straight to the specific word. This is an example of audience participation because the audience have to enter the contest to have a chance of winning so it is getting them involved with the magazine. This will appeal to the audience because they will like the type of music that will be played. It will also appeal to them because they have a chance to get the tickets for free if they win the competition which will make the audience buy the magazine.

The masthead is bold and black but with white lines that run through the writing this could connotate the ideas of imperfections and that no one is perfect even famous people to show that this isn’t fake, it is real music they are promoting. Also it could link back to the genre of music being edgy and real. The fact that some of the masthead is cover up by the main image shows that the audience are expected to know the magazine title without needing to see what it is called and that it is recognisable to them.

 

The main image shows the band A DAY TO REMEMBER which is a popular band for this genre so the audience will recognise them easily and also it takes us most of the mise-en-scene because it is in the centre therefore showing that it is the most important part of the magazine. The body language is informal and their facial expressions show they are happy and laughing which will make the audience feel comfortable because it shows the band has a close relationship with each other. The iconography of the main image relates to the genre because of the tattoos and plugs in their ears which show it is a rock band. Having the lead singer’s hand reaching out could symbolise how they are reaching out to the audience to make them feel wanted. They have direct address and it is a medium close up of them show the audience feels more on a personal level with the band.

On top of the cover stars is the headline, subheading and pull quote. The headline informs the reader of what the band is called if they didn’t already know which an example of anchorage is because it relates to the main image and ties them together. It contrast with the colours of the other two things because it is in white rather than yellow and it is also in a bigger font to show what is the most important part of the information given. The pull quote is on top of the headline which gives a taste of what will be involved in the interview with the band and the subheading underneath the headline is a question which is directed to the audience to get involved with the audience and make them want to read about this band.

 

The extra cover features on the left hand side have short headlines on a red background so they are quick and easy to read and see if any of the features appeal to the audience. By only having a phrase for each feature it doesn’t give anything away that is going to be in the magazine which will make the audience more likely to buy it to see what is in it. The last feature uses colloquial language and abbreviations which are informal to make the audience feel more comfortable and at their level when they are reading the magazine as they will most likely buy the magazine for entertainment not for essay reading.

 

Underneath the main image are the secondary images set out in a photomontage which is split into 5 sections, 4 of them being different bands related to the genre. This is to give the audience more of a choice if they don’t like one band there are others to choose from so they can find ones they like. The iconography of these images fit in with the genre as they are wearing dark clothing and for example SLIPKNOT are wearing makeup that hides their faces but it comes across as mysterious and dangerous. ‘POSTER SPECIAL’ shows the free gifts that are included in the magazine which will appeal to the audience because they are more likely to buy the magazine if there are free gifts involved.

The pug of the plus icon at the bottom of the page indicates that there is more to add in the magazine and because it is yellow, draws the audience’s attention to it so they can see all the other bands that are included in the magazine. This is to appeal to the audience and give them a variety of choices.

Some of the codes and conventions of the magazine are shown in the right hand corner for example the barcode, the issue number and date and the price of the magazine. These are all essential for a magazine because it will be unsellable without them. The website is underneath these which shows audience participation because it is informing the reader that they can go online and find out any more information about the magazine and keep up to date with the latest news. It also shows a symbiotic relationship between the print version and the online version of the magazine because they should be in sync with each other.

 

 

 

 

CONTACT SHEET

The images that aren't ticked are the ones I think aren't the best possible images to use for my magazine. The reasons being that the lighting on the second image on the second line is reflecting off the glasses therefore it is poor quality. The third image on the second line and the fourth image on the first line have indirect address which won't be good to have on the front cover of the magazine because it won't catch the audiences attention therefore I won't use these. The last image of the first line isn't ticked because the person in the image isn't the main focus and because there is a background on the image it could interfer with the text that I will put on the cover.

The reason I have ticked these photos is because they are medium close ups and most of the backgrounds are plain therefore it wont interfer with the text of the magazine. Also the lighting on all of them is good so the face can be seen clearly and they each have direct address so they are looking straight at the audience. In my opinion the best images are the first one and the third one on the top line because the backgrounds are plain so there isn't anything taking the audience's attention off the main cover star. The third image is in the centre of the mise-en-scene with a direct address to capture the audiences attention therefore this will be the image I will use for my main cover star on my magazine. However I will also use the other images that have been ticked as secondary images.

PLAN OF FRONT COVER

PIE CHART QUESTIONAIRE

By looking at my answers to my questionaire were that the most popular music was rock music, followed by pop and alternative. The most popular social networking sites were Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I found out that most people like doing sports in their spare time and watching comedy films. Most people said that Topshop was their favourite clothing store and everyone has different TV programmes preferences. People's hobbies mostly included sport and the majority of people's favourite food was italian. Capital, Key 103 and Radio 1 were the most popular radio stations and there was a range of magazine choices from the people asked.

 

From this research my 3 features I will include will be:

FEATURE 1: I will include chart based music because even though it wasn't the most popular it has wide range of music on it so it was it will keep the audience happy and also because the most popular radio station was Capital and Key 103 chart based music is played on these so I will include the radio station links in the magazine.

FEATURE 2: The social networking sites I will include will be Twitter and Facebook to show synergy and audience participation so the reader can get involved with the magazine and keep up to date with the latest news. Also I will include instagram so the audience can upload their pictures and can follow the magazine to keep up to date and find the images they are looking for.

FEATURE 3: I will include Topshop vouchers in the magazine because this was the most popular store so more people will like the magazine because it appeals to them. Also I will include competitions to win Topshop clothes/vouchers so more people will enter and want to win.



CONTENTS PAGE

 

The headline is at the top of the article to show the reader that the page is a contents page so they can see it easily. The bold font stand outs and the colour yellow is bright and the connotations of this are happy and we can also see that the colours on the page continue with a house style.

The issue number and cover date are placed underneath the headline to show the specific details about the magazine.

Kerrang! Is aimed at rock and heavy metal lovers and the age of the reader would be around 16-25. Therefore the main image of the cover band is recognisable to the particular audience and if they do not recognise this band there is the name of the band underneath which anchors the image to it. The image shows the lead singer with tattoos and long hair which tells the reader that the genre of the magazine is heavy metal because we associate these things with this particular genre. It also shows him signing for fans which tells the reader that the band is down to earth and care about their fans.

On top of the main image are two smaller images which give the reader a taste of what else is going to be in the magazine and what other bands there is to read about. This gives the reader a variety of choice for the magazine therefore if they don't like one band they have others to choose from.

The page clearly states what the magazine is called and continues with the logo throughout to familiarise the reader and also it is in the colour white so it stands out from the yellow writing and black background.

The category headings break up the page for the reader so it is easier to navigate around the page making it as easy as possible for them. These are also followed by subheadings and sublines to show the reader what is in every article and to help them decide which article they will prefer reading or want to read first as it is easy to flick to the correct page because there is page numbers next to each subheading to break down the text.

The editors letter welcomes the reader in an informal way so they feel comfortable reading the magazine. The target audience may prefer reading this kind of style of writing because they want to be entertained so they don’t need to concentrate hard on the writing to understand.

At the bottom right hand corner there is a box with the subscription and contact information which shows audience participation so the audience can get involved and to encourage the reader to buy more copies of the magazine.

Pugs, promos and specials break up the page to make it more exciting and enjoyable to look at and also offer audience participation because the audience can get involved with the competitions and win prizes from the magazine, this then persuades them to keep buying the magazine because of the prizes and free posters will be a regular thing.

 

 

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

 

The headline is clearly shown on the page because it is bigger than the other writing on the page and also because it is in bold capitals to draw the audience’s attention to it. It anchors the main image to the article so the audience know what the band look like if they didn’t already know. The main image takes up the majority of the room up on the page to show that they are the main cover star and it also shows iconography suitable to the genre as the band members have electric guitars and long hair and clothing that suit the indie genre. By having this image as the only image on the page it makes the page look bigger than it is by having less writing on the page. This could appeal to the audience because they may not like reading huge passages of text. There is also a pull quote that relates to the main image because it is an extract from the interview. This is normally done to break up the article to make the page look more fun to read.

The house style of the page shows 3 main colours on the page; blue, brown and black. These colours work well together because the black and brown are dark colours so the by using bits of blue makes the page look more lively and interesting to read. It also stands out because it contrasts from the dark colours.

The stand first underneath the headline introduces the audience into the article and leads them into reading it. It gives them a quick summary about the band and what the interview will talk about. This is a good way for the audience to get a feel of if they will like the interview or not so they can just skip the page if they aren’t interested. Also the name of the interviewer’s name is in a different colour than the rest of it to make it stand out so the audience knows who has interviewed the band so they know it is real.

The interview is set out in columns so it is easy to follow and makes the page look blocked. The audience can tell where to begin and whether or not it is a new paragraph by looking at the dropped caps in the interview. These are the letters that are bigger than the rest of the writing to indicate where the article starts. This makes the page look brighter and more interesting to read for the audience.

A grey box is included at the top of the page to show extra information for the audience to know. This is done so it gives the audience the definite amount that they need to know and deserve to know if they are fans of the band. The page number in the bottom right is also included so this should relate to the contents page because the number should correspond with it to show communication. The by line is underneath the stand first to show who the photograph was taken by. This gives the person who took the image credit that they deserve to show that no one has taken the credit from him.

RULE OF THIRDS

MAGAZINE FRONT COVER

The promotional banner attracts the audience’s attention straight away because it is at the very top of the magazine so this is where their eye line will look first. Also the word ‘FREE’ is the first word shown so this will appeal to the audience because it shows they will get free gifts or winning something by entering a competition.

 

The masthead is clearly seen on the front cover as it is in bold and yellow. The connotations of yellow are happy therefore creating the right type of mood for the audience. Also it is the brand identity of the magazine so it is recognisable for the audience to see on every magazine.

The promos box attracts the audience’s attention because it is showing audience participation because they are given a chance to win something so it gets them involved and interested in buying the magazine. The flashes and pugs overlap the main image as these break down the magazine page and make it more fun and easy to read.

 

The main image is in the centre of the mise-en-scene therefore showing it is the main cover feature and the most important part of the magazine. The cover line anchors the image to it so the audience know who the band is if they already didn’t know. The ‘gaze’ from the main image shows direct address so the band is looking straight at the audience even though their facial expressions seem serious because of the eye line it shows a more personal level between them and the audience. The pull quote and strap line are also involved with the main image so it anchors it down even more. These are used to give the audience a taste of what will be in the magazine and a sneak peek of what will be inside the interview. This is to persuade the reader to buy the magazine and find out more.

The cover features include secondary images that will be found in the magazine. This is used to show the audience what else will be in the magazine, to give them a variety of bands and stories to keep them interested so the magazine will appeal to them. The type of typography that has been used on the cover is informal and colloquial language is used so the audience feel at a comfortable level with the magazine and feel like they are reading the magazine for entertainment not for big essay writing. It also fits the tone for the rest of the magazine so the audience know what to expect.

The house style that has been used on the cover sticks with colours like yellow, red and white which make the cover stand out and look bright so then when people are looking on the shelves for a magazine this will automatically stand out because of the contrasting and bold colours.

 

The codes and conventions used are the barcode, price, and date and issue number at the bottom right hand corner. These are used because these are what are essential on a front cover otherwise it cannot be purchase. The date also gives an indication whether or not the magazine is a weekly or monthly issue.