Choosing the Colour Scheme

The Task
I decided to choose a colour scheme now so that when I am taking my photos I have a clear idea oaf what the model will need to be wearing as well s ensuring that the style of clothes fits in to the genre of pop. I ensured that three colours were the same in each idea as I feel that Black, White and Beige are key to my magazine, as they will help bring out article or details that other colours may not.

The Research

The first colour scheme idea uses blues with the three main colours, the reason I chose to use blues rather than pinks is because I am aiming to create a different pop magazine to the usual ones out already. By choosing to move away from this conventions I am aiming for my magazine to be something my target audience enjoys as it provides a different alternative to the gender stereotyped pinks on pop magazines

Finding the Right Font

The Task
I decided to put together a document of different fonts that I found really interesting and fonts that I thought would work really well on a front cover.
I chose nine different fonts and wrote the name of my magazine in all of the fonts and the name of the font next to this. From this list I only chose one font to feature in my magazine as I did not think that any of the other fonts featured on the list would work well throughout the magazine. For example I do not believe they work to the conventions that are used in magazine article fonts and contents page fonts.

The Conclusion

Out of these I chose to use the font Edo SZ, for the title of my magazine name as well as headlines throughout my magazine ( the contents page and the double page spread). I think this would work the best out of all the other fonts as it is the one that caught my attention the most. I also made sure to ask a few members of my target audience their favourite font and most if not all of those asked chose EdoSZ. 

Cover Line Audience Feedback

The Task
I decided to ask my target audience their opinions on which cover line would work best as the main one and maybe which would work better as a smaller story cover line. I used survey monkey to do this, as it is a quick and easy tool to get answers on as you can send someone the link to the survey for them to complete.

The Research
Underneath I have placed two images of the data I collected the first a chart to show which was more popular the second a table showing how many times a member of my target audience clicked on a certain option for that cover line.

The Conclusion

From this data gathered it is clear to see that the favourite cover line is -(insert name of artist here) The story so far. This will be the main cover line I now use on the front cover of my music magazine. I think this is a good choice as it is intriguing and will hopefully make my target audience want to learn more. Looking at these results I can see that other cover lines were popular and will look to include some of these inside the magazine for example in my contents page.

Cover Line Ideas for Magazine Front Cover

The Task
I came up with six different cover lines, that could feature on the front cover of my music magazine. This will help me be able to see which one will work better later on, and will also enable be to decide whether asking my target audience would be a better way to decide because then it would be directly working with what they want to see on the front cover.

The Research

The Conclusion

From doing this I can clearly see the six options I have to use and later on I will be able to quickly look back to choose the one that will work the best or from these I can ask my target audience to vote on there favourite.

Audience Feedback on Magazine Names

The Task
I presented my mind map of ideas for the magazine name to 30 different members of my target audience, and then placed the data I received in to a bar chart. This will make it easier to analyse and view the results in a clear way.

The Research

The Conclusion

From doing this research I have now got my title for my music magazine. This will be 'Fixate' as it was the option and idea most liked by my target audience and as my magazine is designed to attract and appeal to them it would be the best option to listen to what they say and choose.

Ideas for My Magazine Name

The Task
For this section I decided to mind map ideas for the title of my magazine front cover. I approached this in three different ways, firstly I thought of names that included the word pop to help relate the genre of the magazine and to clarify it when readers pick it up as well as creating different.

The Research

When creating this mind map I was thinking about different things that come to mind when thinking about pop and the other parts that are associated with the genre. I started using with word pop in idea to help get an idea as I thought that it would be good to let people know straight away what the genre of my magazine will be.

Plan of Double Page Spread

The Task
I carried on making plans of and for my final product so that I could go in to production with a clear idea on my mind. I found making the double page spread plan the hardest as I haven't shot my photos yet and I am unsure whether these will be portrait or landscape, and whether they will be close ups of long shots. These are decisions I will need to make during my planning so that I am prepared for production.

My Research
As it can be seen below my plan looks quite bare, however this is due to their only  being a few parts to the page and that means only a few boxes were needed to section these parts off. Like I have mentioned previously this plan will be used as a rough guide when I am creating my double page spread, and will allow me to feel more prepared in the making of the page rather than feel stressed that I don't know where things are going to go.

Plan of Contents Page

The Task
I have created a plan of what I think my contents page will look like, this will help me during production as I will already have a clear idea of where each part should go. This is useful as it will save me time later on and it will mean that I have more time to focus on getting the elements of the page right not the positioning or placing. However like the plans for my front cover I will make sure I am flexible with where things may need to go to ensure that I achieve the best result possible.

My Research

I based this plan off a number of magazines, merging lots of different ideas with some of my own new ones to create this. It is quite hard to come up with a completely original contents page as many follow the same conventions, and use the same style/pattern to create one.

Plan of Front Cover

The Task
I decided to do a plan of what I imagine my front cover to look like, so that when it comes to placing all of my info together I already have an idea of what goes where. However I had two ideas an couldn't decide between them so I will have to decide what looks best when I have all the different parts together (e.g. photo, name, colour scheme, font..etc) 

The Research

This was my first plan and I liked the way the feature stories were all on one side as this is something I haven't seen in any other music magazine I looked at. However that could cause a problem as it may be hard to recognise what genre of music it is if it differs from usual conventions of my chosen genre of Pop.

The second plan that I created followed the more common layout of a magazine, and the features on the front alternate sides with the main article/feature in the middle. This will hopefully inform members of my chosen target audience more, and may look neater compared to the other plan. However I will try them both out, if I haven't decided during production.

My Conclusion

From doing this task I feel more prepared to make and create my final product when every other aspect has also been decided. This will help me with my organisation nearer the time as I have a clear plan of what I need to do already. However a problem with this may be that I feel limited and don't experiment during production and this could mean my product is not the best it will be. To stop this from occurring I will ensure that I don't feel pressured or limited to stick to these plans completely and will allow myself to have freedom to move things around the the final product looks the best it can.

Preliminary Contents Page

The Task
To create a contents page to accompany the school magazine front cover that I created previously. This contents page gives an insight in to other articles within the magazine and was another way for me to get used to using photoshop before I have to create my final front cover, contents page and double page spread. 

The Research
I was disappointed with the result of my contents page and I felt that if I spent more time on it I could of produced a much better and more effective result. The contents page doesn't really link to the front cover that was created and this is something that I will need to make sure happens in my actual task. Creating this has helped me see where my skills in photoshop need to improve for example the font used is not that suitable for a contents page and this is something I will take in to consideration when planning my final pages. I am also aware that I should of included the page number down the bottom as this is a key convention in magazines and one that I will be certain to stick to when creating my later contents page, I will also make sure to include a website address. 

Conclusion

I think that this highlights the weakness's that I have when using photoshop and this is something I will work harder on when producing my final pages for a music magazine. I will also ensure that I use more stories and articles as three is not enough for a contents page and something that I should of considered more in the planning and creating of this preliminary task

Preliminary Front Cover

The Task
For this task I made a front cover based on school and events happening around it, the task description was to create a magazine about school life and using pictures that were taken around the school. The first time taking pictures a fire alarm interrupted causing me to have to do another session taking pictures.From these pictures I chose a front cover as well as attempting to slightly edit it for the purpose of the front cover.

The Research
I have attached an image of the front cover that I created, for the purpose of a school magazine.

Conclusion

There are many things that I would improve on this front cover, this is useful for me to know as for my final product I will be able to ensure the same mistakes are not made. Some of these mistakes are the font size and width changes lacking consistency throughout the front cover, however due to them all being the same font ( which is a factor that will be the same for my final front cover) there is some flow to the cover. Another weakness with this front cover is the background is very busy and detracts from the main image of the two girls on the sofa, however I do like the effect of the faded background to help them stand out more. Another strength of the front cover is the use of direct eye contact from the girls to help connect to the audience and this is something I hope to replicate on my actual front cover. Something I would change from this front cover is the distance of the main image and would prefer a closer up image to connect even more with audiences and to make the person a key image drawing people in.

Summary of Work

The Task
I completed a summary of the work I completed on Target audience and anaylsing existing magazines, hopefully this will be useful later on incase I need to look back and check something I researched earlier.

The Research

Weather Report

The Task
For this task I completed analysis of a magazine double page spread in the style of a weather report.This enabled me to gain a clearer understanding of the way a successful double page spread would be set out.The key features that I focused on were the font, the font sizes, the image, the colour scheme, and any other small features present on the double page. 

The Research
From placing the double page spread I was analysing on to a large screen and presenting the features of it with animated stars I was able to show a clear understanding of the page and the knowledge I have already gained by doing my research into magazines. This task is able toe give me a better idea of present features on existing double page spreads as it is enhancing my abilities to pick out these key parts on the page. As an example I am can pick out certain parts such as the writing, where one or two words are written in complete capitals to emphasise certain factors, or parts of the celebrity in this case Adele or any other person being written about.

The Conclusion
This video allowed me to look in to what makes a successful double page spread and allowed me to identify what key parts need to be in the double page spread and other features that may not be as important but still contribute a small amount to the overall product.However another thing that I learnt from collecting and editing my video was some more final cut pro skills that will be able to be used later on in more research tasks, however I can still see that my skills need to be improved and added to as the cutting tool I used was not always accurate and has provided some jumpy moments to this research. Some other things that filming this video has provided me with is more knowledge and time working with final cut pro to help enhance my skills using the tool, this helps me to polish off some skills even though it is obvious I am still new to the programme due to parts that I have mentioned about about the jumping between shots due to filming mistakes. Creating this weather report has allowed me to show some knowledge I have already learnt in this course as well as show what else I need to learn. The key parts that I found out from analysing this cover and talking about the aspects of the double page, was the importance of the colour on the page and how each one can connote a different type of celebrity and can set the theme on the magazine. Another key thing that I learnt from this double page is the importance of text whether its the size, the font or the placing each contributes to the overall feel and look of the page and this is important as if the text is not appropriate sizing to the page or the font is out of place the article will not look or work well.

Annotating an Existing Magazines Double Page Spread

The Task

I continued annotating Q magazine choosing to use a double page spread that I believed had lots of interesting aspects to it. This task will continue to help me refine my skills in picking out important parts of information, needed in a double page spread.

The Research

I decided to use Keynote to display my annotations as I wanted to keep using different tools in order to widen my knowledge and experience of web programmes. I also used it as I thought it would be clearer to view. The annotations that I completed were done by me picking out features that I believed to be successful in the page and features that I will be thinking about using when creating my double page spread later on. I really enjoyed doing this task as I think I have started to be able to pick out the important features quicker and am now able to be more critical about what makes the page successful or not and this will help me when I am planning and making my double page spread on a musician.

Conclusion

Overall as I mentioned about I think by completing this task I have been able to add to my experience of different computer and web programmes as well as being able to successfully complete a task on one of these new tools. I will definitely be using Keynote again along with other tools. I think that whilst I have picked out some key points I could have continued and picked out other smaller ones. For example how the clothes each band member is wearing catches the readers eyes as the colours on the clothes are bright and clear to see.

Annotating an Existing Contents Page

The Task
I chose to annotate the contents page of Q magazine, I used the October issue as I had previously annotated the front cover of the same issue. For this task I placed the page in the middle and wrote around it. Learning from previous experience I will also be typing up my annotations as I was aware that they may of been unclear and illegible in my last annotation blog post. Hopefully this will solve this issue and my work and annotations will be clear to see and understand.

The Research
Starting from the top left hand corner and going around clockwise I will be explaining my evaluations in an attempt to ensure that my work will be able to be understood. 

1. The black box and the text inside is a clear and bold section of the page, it shows the reader what this page is displaying (the contents/an overview of the magazine) 

2. The numbers displaying which page the article is on is larger that the word page due to the fact that the magazine are probably certain that most people will already know what the number stands for without needing the word 'page' however it seems like it has been included to ensure that there is no confusion amongst readers. This is a convention that I will aim to use in my contents page.

3. The white background of the page ensures that all of the articles and colours on the page will stand out and will not be missed

4. The bright colours in the image and on the clothing of Mick Jagger attracts the readers eyes and catches attention over to the right side of the page where more articles are being showcased.

5. By using a larger image of a very well known musician people will be drawn to see what it going on, and will then read down and this could cause them to look at the review pages. However in the image the magazine have included the name of the musician incase people cannot recognise him but may recognise the name

6. Using the word 'new' interests readers as it will cause them to believe and think that this is something they do not know but need to. Or it will cause them to want to know this 'new' thing

7. Even though the small 'Q' is hard to see and right at the bottom of the page it is reinforcing the message to the reader that this magazine is Q and reminds them what they are reading. It is also interesting as it is showing its name which is well known and easily recognisable

8. The rhetorical question used provides humour to the article and uses one of Blumler and Katz uses and gratifications to sustain an audience (in this case entertainment is used)

9. The larger text and bolder font used shows clearly what artist will be featured and this is especially useful if a well known and liked artist is mentioned or featured in an article.

10. The bright colours used to back the page numbers can signify the range of articles present in the magazine and is also a way to attract audience attention.

11. In this image he is the only one not wearing glasses and is making clear eye contact with the camera and reader, this could relax the reader and make them enjoy the magazine as they feel more important(this is directed at me).

12. The use of adding the sticker 'cover story' to the article, helps readers link the two pages together and if thats what drew them in to the magazine will help them find the article they want quicker

13. Satire is used in this article description and is another example of Uses and Gratification- and entertainment is used again

14. The page layout goes through the magazine e.g. the article in the first few pages is presented first and then the article on the next page slowly weaving around the contents page to end up and the other side with the article on one of the last pages.

15. The use of the word 'exclusive' shows that this magazine has something different to offer than the other magazines around it. 

The Conclusion

By doing this task I feel a lot more confident in designing and started to plan my contents page as I have a clear idea on what makes a successful one. Doing this task has also allowed me to see some conventions that I will need to use when creating my magazine to ensure that it can be recognised and used as a music magazine. Some problems I encountered with doing this task are similar to some that I had annotating the Front cover. These problems include not being able to read the annotations and to help with that problem I wrote them out again about to ensure that they can be seen and understood. Another problem I had with this task was the spilling of nail polish over the page as can be seen on the left hand side, this was due to some unfortunate events which may or may not have included my cat knocking over 5 different nail polish colours. However I thought that as I decided to right out the words again the writing it obscured would not be a massive problems- instead it now just looks messy.

Annotating an exsisting magazine front cover

The Task
For this task I have taken a front cover, contents page and double page spread that relate to my chosen genre. With these I will annotate all key features of the front cover to give me a better idea of what to do when creating my front cover, as I will be aware of what works and looks good and what could be changed and isn't as effective or will not be as affective with my front cover and target audience. 
The Research
I have used the front cover of Q magazine as I think it is a very successful publication but also has some aspects that will link to my chosen genre of pop. Underneath are photographs of my annotations on and about the front cover. Some of the key pieces of information that I picked up on and analysed was the colours used throughout. This is because there was three main colours and one bright one to attract attention. For me the main colours used were red, black and white this could be due to the fact that the Q logo is always printed in red and white and black is also a very common and reoccurring colour used for text print and other aspects such as a background through out the magazine. The bright colour used would be the yellow due to the fact that no other yellow is present on the cover and it stands out against the black background, this is a good way to catch the target audience's attention as well as ensuring the magazine stands out to a prospective buyer. Another aspect I will mention that has also been annotated below is the use of the word 'exclusive' on the front.This will attract audiences because it connotes something new and exciting that no one has seen before of heard before from this band or person. This is a clever way of attracting people as it will appeal to the aspect of people wanting to know something new.

The Conclusion
From this task I have learnt some of the key  features of a magazine that need to be present on the front cover of a magazine, for example a barcode will need to be placed on the front cover to allow a consumer and a potential buyer to purchase the product. I have also gained a better understanding of what should be consistent through the front cover for when I am planning and designing my magazine and the front cover for it. Another reason doing this task has been beneficial to my end project as by looking at pre existing pages and studying how the front pages has been laid out and how the different features has been included is interesting as it allows me to be able to get a clearer idea of what works, what parts I like and what I don't as well as my target audience's opinions as the magazine I make will be focused on them and their needs and wants.

Target Audience Interview

The Task
For this task I will be finding different people that represent the target audience I will be directing my magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. By doing this hopefully I will gain an understanding of what are the key features people included in my target audience look for and like, as well as learning different things that they don't like. This will ensure I include the key features that are liked and reduce the amount of features that are not typically liked on the front covers of magazines.
The Research
I found two different people who fit my target audience overview, so that I could get the best answers that would help me in the production and creation process of making my magazine. Although they are categorised under the same target audience the two girls who I interviewed do have different views and different ideas, however instead of hindering my research this will enable me to create a more representative front cover. 


Conclusion
From this research I have found out that two very important features to my target audience are the colours that are used on the front cover as well as the fonts and people featured on the front of the cover, for the magazine. All of this tells me the features I will need to spend more time on when creating my magazine. I will be conducting more research in to my target audience based on my genre and also more research in to double page and contents pages due to the fact that this interview mainly focused on the front cover and features that can be slightly inserted in to the other pages. By doing this task using final cut pro I am getting better understanding and experience with this tool, and this will help enable me in later tasks as well as later projects or coursework. Even though there is still many features I need to improve on such as cutting clips of film out and placing it together again I have already started to slightly improve on that skill.

Choosing My Target Audience

Target Audience

I have come to the point in my research in to music magazines and genre, where I need to decide on my target audience. This is important as I will be starting to gain an idea of what I should include in my magazine to ensure that the audience I am directing it to enjoys it. To complete and do these stages later on I need to have a clear idea of who my target audience is. Therefore I need to choose who I will focus my magazine on.

From looking in to the genre of Pop it is clear to see that a large proportion of the fan base are female, because of this I will ensure that my target audience is girls/women. The age of pop fans vary depending on the artist, however I will be focusing this down slightly and target fans aged 16-23, as I believe I can do a better job targeting girls of these ages. Another reason I have decided on these ages for the target audience is because I believe being a seventeen year old girl myself, that I understand what girls of these ages may want in a pop magazine, and by using this target audience I will make the best product (music magazine) that I can.

Summary of Genre Research

The Task

I have completed a summary on the research that I did on Genre so it is all placed somewhere together and can be looked over quickly if desired. 

Uses and Gratification Theory

The Task
For this task I am going to be looking in to a theory that was created by Blumler and Katz, to find out what people uses the media for and the things that they get out of the different publications and parts used in the media. This will help me as it will give me an idea of what types of things should be included in my magazine front cover to help the audience enjoy it and hopefully fufill some of their other needs.


The Research
I have made a go animate so that the information I found out can be seen and viewed very easily in one place. This will ensure that everything I need such as the key pieces of information from the theory is accessible to me very quickly and simply.  https://goanimate.com/videos/0pvbP6n77nxU?utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=usercontent


The Conclusion
From doing this research in to the uses and gratifications theory, I have learnt a lot about what should be presented in different articles and media outlets for the target audience to ensure that they enjoy what they are reading. For example from this research I have learnt that a lot of people use the media to find their personal identity, this shows me that people can sometimes gain their own morals and values from reading about people they look up to and can identity with, this can mean that people also like to have information and like to gain a sense of social interaction without interacting but gaining and reading about some aspects of different situations and people. All of this will help me as I will now hopefully be able to include these different aspects and ideas of the theory in to my production work and it will also be a key feature to remember during the stages of designing and creating my front cover, contents page and double page spread as it will ensure the most attraction to my target audience.

Research into Other Pop Magazines

The Task
I am going to be looking around for different pop magazines to get an idea of layout, and names most commonly used and associated with the genre of pop. For this I will be using the internet to research as well as looking in shops to see what is available there. This task will hopefully give me a better understanding about how successful magazines for different genres are presented in magazine form and this will help me later on when I chose one pop magazine to do a detailed analysis of it.

The Research
I decided to insert all my findings into a wordle document to ensure that it is easy to view. This is a clear and precise way of presenting it and key words of the genre and the magazines. I found that many pop magazines will have short monosyllabic names making them easy to remember and quick to say when talking about.

The Conclusion
From doing this research I have managed to find out a lot about my chosen genre, this knowledge will help me when I start the creative process and start thinking about good names for the magazine, as I have another reference point full of previous research. This is also helpful as the colours I used in the wordle are the most common types used in the pop magazines, with the exception of white and red which is only used in a few magazines such as Q. 

Mood Board Of Chosen Genre

The Task
For this task I have made a mood board video using final cut pro, to demonstrate key features of the genre of my choice pop. The video will include key artists, fan pictures to give an idea of the usual fans of the genre, concert arenas pop music will play and what they look like during the concert as well as magazines already existing that are focused on pop music, producers of music and also instruments most commonly associated with the pop music culture.

The Research

The Conclusion
From making this video I have learnt a lot of interesting knowledge on the genre, the artists I found ranged from a couple decades ago to this years most popular pop musicians/artists. This video has allowed me to also look at how many already existing pop magazines there are no matter what the readership or circulation size is. This will help me later on in my coursework as it will have provided an even clearer base of knowledge for when I start designing and creating my own music magazine. The aim of this video was to find out more information and details of pop genre as well as people, instruments, venues, text style and producers linked to this genre. In this video I was also able to look in to similarities and differences of pop artists e.g. make up styles, clothing styles, hair styles, music made and also types of instruments used in the songs. From looking in to more pop magazines and articles it has become apparent to me that to interest the target audience into buying the magazine there needs to be articles that could have scandal in them, or a competition running in the magazine linked to a popular musician that will appeal to many. Overall from looking at all these different aspects of the pop genre it has started to form a clear idea of what my magazine front cover should look like, from pop artist style, to the colour schemes and texts associated with the genre.

Researching My Chosen Genre

The Task
I am going to start research in to the specific genre I have chosen to create my music magazine on. By doing this I am going to have a greater knowledge of the genre and the conventions most commonly used within.I will also look in to a brief overview of the term genre to understand what will be part of the pop music genre.

The Research
I used emaze to create a clear profile of what pop music is and other defining factors of the genre.
The Conclusion
From doing this task I have now obtained the knowledge I need to have a deep insight in to Pop genre. From doing this research I have more understanding of what needed to be put in and on my magazine to fit into my genre of choice. This research is going to help me when designing the front cover and also will help me analysing future magazines when seeing what it is most common and most effective on magazine front covers 

Investigating Mass and Niche Magazines

The Task
I will be looking in to one mass music magazine and comparing it to a niche music magazine. To do this I will be creating a powtoon.

The Research
I used the internet and hardcopies of magazines to research in to two separate magazines and then wrote all my findings up on to a powtoon. I looked in to target audiences, circulation and reach, look and style, and content. By looking in to these different aspects I have developed a clearer understanding on the difference and some slight similarities of mass and niche magazines.


Conclusion
From doing this research I have learnt about what is usually in magazines and what appeals to different audiences, as well as finding out about some conventions used throughout magazines no matter what the audience size or the genre used, even if the desired result is different. This research will help me later on in my project as I have now gained a better understanding about what I will need to add to my magazine.

Summary So Far

Research into Music Magazine Publishers

The Task
I have looked in to different music magazine publishers and there history, hopefully this will allow me to see how magazines are published and what sort of publishers sell different music magazines.

The Research

Conclusion
From this research in to the industry that surrounds music magazines, I have learnt that there are only a few main publishers. This is interesting as there are so many different genres covered by music magazines many of them for niche target audiences.This research will help me later on in my production of my music magazine as it shows me what the of things are needed to start off a magazine company and what these publishers and companies want from their magazines.The reason I did this research was to give myself a better insight into the whole industry of music magazines and from this I have learnt about three big publishers and a brief overview of their history.

Investigating Iconography

The Task
I am going to look in to artists in different music genres, to see how artists vary style and look because of their genre of music. This will help me to identify what type of image I will need to create and make when I am design my own music magazine and finding a genre to use for that.

The Research

From this research I can clearly see the different genres a at glance to help me identify what icons and what clear identifiers belong to each music genre.

Conclusion

This will help me later on in my project and in my designing on a magazine front cover, contents page and double page because it will allow me to clearly represent my chosen genre with correct iconography, and will help me to ensure that the genre is clear and identifiable to target audiences 

Magazine Names

The Task

I am going to look in to existing music magazines names, for this I will be using the internet to find names and hopefully see if their is a common name used with all of the names and also to see what names work in the music industry. Lastly from this research I will be able to see what names already exist so when making my music magazine I won't use an already existing name.

The Research

Below I have put some of the names I found together so that I can quickly see some at any moment if I need a reminder of what I found out.

Conclusion
By looking in to different magazine names I can now start to identify commonly used words and names for the music magazine industry.T his research it will help me later on when I am creating my own music magazine to achieve a effective name for the magazine.

Brief Analysis Of Three Magazines

Task
I started some of my research off by looking in to three well known magazine front covers. I decided to split my research of these in to four sections: firstly the history of the magazine, secondly who the target audience was and how that was shown throughout, thirdly brief analysis of the front cover and lastly a collage of previous issues of the magazine to show if there is or is not a running trend through all the front covers.

My Research

Conclusion

From doing this research I have been able to find out who some magazines have started up and what they have gone through to become what they are now ( well known names and brands). This research will help me when I'm starting to design and create my music magazine, as it shows me briefly what type of things are placed on magazine front covers and why they are however this is something that I will look further in to, to ensure that I have a good knowledge of more magazines and how front covers change depending on genre and target audiences. Something I have learnt from this is that magazines need to stand out as when on the shelves all consumers can see is a small section therefore brighter colours and fonts should be used to stand out a to be different from competitors, this finding will enable me to 

Introduction To Magazines

The First Magazine 
The First Magazine ever published was called 'The Gentleman's Magazine of London' it was released in 1731 and had a monthly edition. 




















What is a Magazine?
A magazine is a publication that contains articles and images usually focused on one specific genre or aimed at a particular target audience. Magazines are different from newspapers as they tend to be thicker, glossy, and are published less frequently than newspapers. The frequency can depend on the size of the readership, or the specific target audience the magazine focuses on. For example a popular magazine like Cosmopolitan comes out once a month this is because there target audience is mainly focused on 18-34 year old women therefore this is a demographic that may not be able to afford a weekly magazine. Magazines have the ability to influence social trends, and have to stay in touch with demographic, economic and social trends as sometimes magazines emerge from these trends. Magazines do not tend to break stories of the last days events, however they may contain material about people or events. 

Genre
There is a huge range of genres in magazines that is widening all the time. There is a higher degree of audience fragmentation as more niché magazines, for example magazines have become more specific for there audiences, fishing once only had one magazine now there are separate once for Game fishing, Trout & Salmon and Total Carp are now all separate magazines. As magazines have become more popular the range of genres has increased,20 years ago there were no lifestyle magazines directed at men, however now there are many directed at men such as GQ, FHM and ZOO because now there is a want for these types of magazines.

Front Covers
The front cover of a magazine creates an identity for the magazine, the front cover of a music magazine will immediately show the consumer what genre of music the magazine will cover, what type of things will be included in the magazine and who the magazine is directed at. It also helps differentiate the magazine from competitors. Another reason the front cover of a magazine is so important is because when you see the rack of magazines in a shop they will all be overlapping, if the front cover is good it will stand out from all the others and would be able to be seen and picked out from a pile of magazines. 

Analysis of Two Music Magazines

The colour scheme of this magazine is mainly focused on bright neon colours like pink and yellow, these colours are also usually associated with girls. From this the audience can tell that the target audience is teenage girls around the ages of 11-14. The images that can be seen on the front are of famous stars that would attract the target audience to view and read the

magazine. From the front you can also tell that the main genre of the magazine is based on pop music, this is because of the people shown on the front, another reason for this is because the name includes the word 'POP' this helps demonstrate the genre. The use of pink and yellow also connote bright and upbeat news, this again helps to attract the specific target audience it is aimed at.

The colour scheme of this magazine (red and black), helps show the audience what type of genre this magazine focuses on. The red connotes danger and passion both of these very present in the rock genre. The black connotes power and mystery these two things will intrigue the consumer to pick up the magazine to read. Both colours are very eye-catching which will help the magazine to sell as it will attract the eye of the buyer. The name of the magazine is catchy and memorable and also stands out on the stands. From the front cover you can also tell this is aimed at an older target audience and at both men and women in there thirties to forties.

Conclusion

The point of this research and information on magazines is to help give me an idea on what magazines are about, the different types of genres used and represented by magazines. The research has shown me some brief different ways that magazines are used and how they ensure they are seen by there target audience. This will help me with my final product and ideas for it as it had given me an idea on what is expected on a magazine. However I know that more research will need to be done to ensure that my magazine represents the genre that I choose. This research has also given me an insight in to what colours magazines use to show what they will be focusing on by using the conotations ascribed to each colour, e.g. black with power.