The End

So this is the end of me blogging about my media product (magazine).  Thank you for following me through the process of my magazine.  Here is a reminder of all three pages that I created for my magazine.

Evaluation Question 7

Evaluation Question 7:  Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression of it to the full product.

For question 7 I showed the development of my magazine compared to the preliminary task so i went from showing the preliminary task to the rough cut and to the final cut.  For the first slide I showed an image of the preliminary task and said the good and bad things about the task.  I then went on to show the rough task and show how it has improved compared to the preliminary task.  Finally i showed the final cut and said how i improved it compared to the rough cut.  For the second slide i compared my double page spreads.  For the preliminary task i did not make a double page spread so i compared the rough of my double page spread and the final cut of my double page spread and stated how i improved it.  For the final slide I done the same thing as analysing the front covers but compared all of the contents pages and describe how I improved them to make the final cut.

Evaluation Question 6

Evaluation Question 6:  What have your learnt about technologies from the process of constructing your product?

For question 6 I made a slide for each of the following technologies I used; Photoshop, In Design, Blogger and the Cannon camera I used to take photos.  The first slide was on Photoshop.  I stated how I used Photoshop on a certain part of my magazine.  I also took screen shots of the tools that i used to edit my magazine.  The second slide was on In Design and for this slide I also followed the same technique and added in screen shots of tools I used for the creation of my magazine.  When presenting the presentation I will go in to further detail on how I used these techniques.  For the third slide I focused on how I used blogger.  I inserted a relevant image of previous blogs i created and explained what I done when creating blogs.  For the final slide on this question I focused on how I used the Canon camera.  For this slide I showed an image of the camera and surrounded the image with factors that I used to take my photos e.g, shutter speed, aperture, zoom and focus.  I also showed example of how I used aperture on my double page spread.

Evaluation Question 5

Evaluation Question 5: How did you attract/address your audience?

This is the video that I made to show how I attracted my audience.  In the video I interviewed two people and got them to answer certain questions I asked them.

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 4: Who would be the audience for your media product?

For question 4 on my evaluation I made a mind map and described the type of audience that would read or buy my music magazine.  I looked at aspects such as the age, gender, class, types of clothes they would wear etc.  The main target audience for my design was aimed at both genders of ages between 15-40.  The reason for the wide age range is because the young people listen to new music (already in their youth stages) and the adults e.g aged 30-40 listen to the new music to reflect on their youths.

Evaluation Question 3

Evaluation Question 3:  What type of media institution might distribute your product and why?

For the third question i had to do research to see which insititution distributed magazines that i used as style models for example Q and the NME.  For the first slide i researched in to Time Inc which is the institution that distrbutes magazines such as the NME and Uncut.  On the first slide i added in the companies logo and exmpained why i thought this institution might distribute my product.  One reason that i said was that Time Inc distributes NME which is an indie magazine and my magazine is based on an indie theme.  For the second slide i researched into the Q magazine and discovered that Bauer distributed Q magazine.  I included the Bauer logo in the slide and also explained why i thought that Bauer might distribute my media product.  The main reason i used was that i used a lot of codes and conventions from Q's magazine so my magzine is similar to Q' s in many different ways.

Evalutation Question 2

Evalutation Question 2:  How does your media product represent particular social groups?

For this question i particular looked at the images used and the tone used by the artist in the magazine as this was the easiest way to represent the social groups.  For the first slide on this question i looked in to the attitude that was preserved through the artists facial expressions in the images, for example the sun glasses even though that it is dark outside showign his swagger.  For the second slide on this question i looked in to the tone that the artist used in the arcticle in the double page spread.  For example i looked at the use of swearing used by the artist which preserves he is youthful and doesnt really care what anyone thinks about him, he can say what he wants. For the third and final slide on this question i looked in to the backgrounds of the images that i used on the magazine.  A lot of the backgrounds had graffiti in the background preserving that he has come out of a inner city working class family and music is the only way out of the city and the lifestyle that he used to have.

Evaluation Question 1

Question 1:  In what ways does your media prouct use, devleop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The aim for me on this question was to show at least 3 uses, at least 2 developments and at least 1 challenge that i used.  For question one I firstly focused on how i used forms and conventions.  The first slide i created was showing how i used forms and conventions for my front cover design. In the slide I added in an image of my front cover and compared it with a style model in which i took influence from.  I also added in text stating the techniques I used from this style model.  For the second slide i done the exact same thing however i focused on the double page spread for my magazine.  For the third slide i done the same thing also put focused on my contents page.  In the next slide I focused on how i developed techniques in my front cover and also showed a style model exaple and explained the techniques i developed.  For the thrid slide i done the sae thing however focusing on the double page spread.  I did not show any developments i made on the contents page because I thought that there wasnt nough develoments to talk about in a whole slide.  I moved on to the challenges next.  For the next slide i showed how i challenged certain features in my double page spread by using text and images.  For the final slide on this question i done the same thing but focused on how i challenged techniques on my contents page.

First Slide

First Slide

This is my first slide for the evaluation. I decided to go for the blue background because the blue symbolizes the theme colour of my magazine.  I also decided to use the font that I dowloaded and used a lot throghout my design to show the relevance of the evaluation.  Finally I also added in the three pages that I created for my magazine so that the audience see the pages straight away becase they are the most important part.

Start of Evalutation

Evaluation

Now I am going to start my evaluation.  For my evaluation I am being aked 7 different questions about my final magazines.  There was a number of different ways in which i could have presented my evalutation put I have decided to create my evaluation on Powerpoint.  On my powerpoint document I have to add in video or audio clips as well as text and images to display my evaluation.  The three questions that I have to answer are as follows:

1. In what ways does your media prouct use, devleop and challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
2. How does your media products represent particular social groups?
3. What type of media institution might distribute your product and why?
4. Who would be the audience for your media product?
5. How did you attract/address your audience?
6. What have your learnt about technologies from the process of constructing your product?
7. Looking back at the preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression of it to the full product.

I will answer these questions using a series of images and texts.

End of Posting About My Magazine

 This is the last post I am going to make about the creation and development  of my magazine.  From now on the posts will be on the evaluation for my magazine.  Here are the three pages that make up my final magazine.  Enjoy!

Improvements Made Based On Style Models (Contents Page Final)

Improvements Made Based On Style Models (Contents Page Final)

 The top image shows my final contents page of my magazine and the bottom image shows a NME contents page style model.  I took influene from the NME contents page by having the most important news at the top of the page so that the audience view this part first, hence an audience read from top to bottom.  I also used a band index which is also used by the NME contents page, a band index is useful for the audience because they can see every band that features in the magazine.  To make the band index my own i added blue and grey fonts so that the band index would match my colour theme.  I alsohad the band index at the bottom right hand side of the page instead of the left hand side of the page which is used by the NME.  I also used Black backgrounds to highlight story headings (right hand side of my contents page), this is also used on the NME contents page.  Having a background to headings made the headings look more professional and also makes the headings stand out further.

Improvements Made Based On Style Models (Double Page Spread Final)

Improvements Made Based On Style Models (Double Page Spread Final)

The top image is my final double page spread and the bottom picture is the style model I took influence from for my double page spread.  I am going to show you influences I used.  The main influence is the image which I have already talked about in previous blogs.  The positioning of the double page spread with the article to the right hand side of the page and the artist to the left hand side of the page makes the double page spread look organised so I used this technique.  I also had the name of my artist in large text like the Q style model, I used this technique because it shows the dominancy of the artist.  Another technique I used was having the article text in black font so that it stands out from the blue background, this technique was also used on the Q style model.

Improvements I Made Based On Style Models (Front Cover Final)

Style Model Improvements (Front Cover)

Here is my final front cover along side a style model that I took influences from for my final design.  First of all i took influence from the NME's Cirlce with the quote 'Jack whites shock new album' this is used to inform the audience of important features that are in the magazine as well as standing out.  I decided to use this circle in my design however I used the colour blue for the cirlce so that it matched my blue theme colour for my magazine.  Another technique that i used was having the artists head over the top of the magazine title, this shows the confidence of the magazine because it shows that even if the title is covered the audience still can understand it so I used this technique to also show the confidence of my design.  I also used the technique of having the artists name positioned over the artist in the image, this is so that the audience clearl know that the aritsts name is about the person in the image.

Contents Page Final

Contents Page Final Design

This is my final contents page for my magazine.  It is much different to my rough cut as i have added in lots of different features to make my contents page more professional.  I also added in features that had been used on the contents pages of style models i researched.

Features I used from style models:

• Formatting - I used lots of lines to underline certain text and outline certain areas of the page.  This type of feature was used on Q contents pages a lot thoughout a number of different magazines.
• I put the band index at the bottom of the page and the important news at the top of the page.  This is because the audience read from top to bottom and so the more important news will be read first.
• Added in 3 images instead of 2, this is to show variation and also to show other artsts as well as the main artist (front cover artist).
• 'New' logos down the right hand side of the page are used on Q contents page when brand new news comes in and i decided to also use a logo similar to Q's.  However my logos are covered in a blue background to keep my blue colour theme consistent.
• Aligned the text to the left hand side of the page so that the text looks professional instead of all over the place like it was on my rough cut.
• Added in a date at the top of the page to notify the audience, this is also used on Q contents pages.

One thing that I thought of my self for a change was having the page numbers on the band index column in a record background.  I used this as it suited my indie theme.

Overall I like how I have improved the contents page by adding in relevant features, however I spent less time on the contents page compared to the other pages and if I spent more time I could have improved the contents page a lot more.

Double Page Spread Final

Double Page Spread Final

This is my final double page spread for my magazine.  As you can tell the page is completely different to my rough cut design.  To make this double page spread better i added in a number of features that had been on style models i researched.  I previously said in a blog that i wasn't going to add in any features on the left hand side of the page because the style model i looked at didn't use any, however i decided to add features because i thought that the page looked boring with just the image of the artist, so i decided to challenge this idea and add features.

Points I used to make this design better for the final cut:

• Added in a breakout box between the article.  This feature was used in every single double page spread article that i looked in to.  I added this in for the audience who don't want to read the full article so they get a small idea of the article by reading the breakout box.
• Added in a different colour font to symbolize the interviewer asking a question, this is so that the audience could tell easily that this was a interviewers question.
• Added in the writers and photographers names, this was used on every double page spread i looked at so it is conventional.
• Made the page numbers in triangles half way up the page.  This challenges normal page numbers in the bottom corners of pages, this makes my magazine more personal by having different conventions.

Overall i think that my final cut is way better than my rough cut mainly because this image that i used makes it easy for the audience to read the font.  Also after looking at certain style models this is the sort of image (studio image) that is used by these models.

Front Cover Final Cut

Front Cover Final

This is my final front cover for my magazine.  I made a lot of improvements from my rough cut to make the front cover more conventional.  I done this by adding in certain features from other magazine style models.

Features I added in after rough cut:

• Circle 'Kasabian tour pictures' banner in the top left hand side of the page.  This was conventional because a similar technique was also used in the NME magazine.  However I made this feature my own by making it blue adding to my theme colour.
• Slanted the Jamie Turner font and also made one name bigger than the other.  Making it slanted made the fonts look different which made it stand out to the audience more as well as it being larger in font size.
• Large number 5 down the left hand side of the page is conventional because it is promoting features that are contained in the magazine which is used in many other magazine such as Q and the NME.
• + 'Number of bands' down the left hand side was added in for the rough cut, however all of the band names were positioned all over the page and made it look un-neat.  I changed this by putting all the band names in a line so they looked in order and made the design look professional.
• Used a number of lines to outline certain fonts, making the fonts stand out more to the audience.  I used lines often throughout the magazine so it acted as a personal theme for my magazine.

Overall I am pleased with my overall magazine front cover, however if I was to improve my front cover i would have removed the wall background as this doesn't occur in any style models that i researched.

Double page spread font style

DPS font style

For my double page (main text) I went for the serif font of Bookman Old Style, I used this font because looking at my style models the double page spreads all used serif font styles.  I went for the bookman old style serif font mainly because it is an easy font to read for the audience and also because it perfectly meets the indie theme.  I made the main text a black font so that it would contrast from the blue background and stand out so the audience can read the text easily.  I included a questionnaire in my double page spread and I highlighted the questions asked in green so that the audience could specifically see that these were the questions in the questionnaire.  I also included a break out box with a quote inside and this is to break up the text so that the audience don't get bored of the standard main article.  A break out box is also good for the audience who don't want to read the main article so they can just skip it and read the main quotes instead to get a overview of the article.

Updated double page spread

Updated Double Page Spread

This is my newly updated version of my double page spread.  As shown on the previous blog I took a new image in the studio.  The text is aligned to the right hand side of the page and the model is positioned to the left hand side of the page, i used this format because of influences from an NME magazine that i posted in an earlier blog post (noel gallagher double page spread).  I prefer this double page spread compared to my old one mainly because users can now actually read the text without a struggle and this is down to the fact that i used a blue background and black font, two contrasting colours so the font stands out.  I have ow got nothing on the left hand page other than the image and this is conventional because it meets the style model that i am aiming for.

Final double page spread photo

This is my overall double page spread image, as you can see compared to my previous blog, i have added the model into a background and also added a spotlight on the model.  To do this I simply added two different colours white and blue and then selected a certain area on the image and this then contrasted the two colours.  I also selected a direct point on the image so that there is a spotlight surrounding the model looking like he is the main talking point.  I left the right hand half of the page blank so that I could add in the main columns and the name of the artist etc.  I think that this image is much better than the old image mainly because the audience will now be able to actually read the article on the double page spread.

New double page spread photo

This is my new double page spread image as I have decided to change my current one (mentioned in earlier blogs).  I decided to shoot the image in the school studio because the style model that I was going for (previous blog) also used a studio.  My plan for this image was to make my model look very serious to meet the theme of the indie swagger and confidence.  I also made my model wear a white polo shirt to look cool and indie and also so that there was a change of costume from the other images.  I used two lights shining down on the model as this was what the style model i looked at looked like it used and the images that came out looked very similar to the style model (lighting wise).  My plan was to then crop out the model on Photoshop then add him into a background including a spotlight around him. See the next blog to see how the image turned out at the end once edited.

Style model influence for new double page spread image

This is a double page spread of noel gallagher in an NME magazine in 2011.  I looked at a number of different double page spreads to try and find an influence to use for my new double page spread and this image was perfect for my theme.

I liked straight away how there is a glow of light surrounding the artist and this shows that he is the spotlight and this is what I am going to do for my new double page spread.  I am also, like this double page spread, going to have the artist positioned to the left hand side of the page with no information at all, just the artist and I am going to use this because it looks conventional and effective.  I will also have the artist name in large writing to show that the image is on this artist.  Finally I will also have the writing in three columns at the bottom of the page, however there will be more text than this double page spread so the columns will be bigger.

Front cover (updated)

This is currently where I am at in terms of my front cover.  I have made changes based on the feedback I received last week.  Changes such as:

1.  Added a border to the 'notion' heading to make the heading look more appealing 

2.  Increased the size of the 'jamie turner' font so that it is clearly noticed as the main text for this magazine.

3.  Added in basic features such as; the date and the price.

4.  Added in extra information such as; '5 double page image of bands' and 'interviews with'

5.  And finally I changed the font to the left and right hand side of the models head and added a box around the text to make the text more aesthetically appealing to an audience

Improvements

1.  I used a wide variety of different fonts and during my research tasks I said I wasn't going to do this, so I need to reduce the number of fonts I am using.

2.  Also the colour of the fonts are consistently the same, I think I should change the colour to add a better visual effect.

3.  I still think there is improvements on the boxes of text as they don't look the best at this moment.

First draft feedback sheet

This is the feedback sheet that I recieved for my first drafts of my maazine, the points along the top are improvements and the points along the bottom are positives of my first drafts.  As you can tell there are more improvements than positives for my first drafts, however I did expect this.  First of all for the front cover people said that they liked my title name and font, however to improve this i could have added a banner to make the title look more professional, to do this i will add formatting to the title, such as lines and boxes.  People also think that I should add some more formatting overall and also agree to this point.  People also said that they liked the attitude in the photo and i may keep this photo for the front cover or if i was to retake it i will make the model do the same pose.  The font that i used for the content page was not the best and i knew this before i got feedback and i am going to look at my style models and discover the best font to use for my conents page.  However people said that they liked the layout of my content page and i will keep the layout similar for my final document.  For the double page spread i knew that before i got feedback the image was too bright and i knew that this photo was always a risk because of the brightness of the graffiti in the background of the image, for my final document i will use an image preferably in the studio. People did sa they liked the font for 'jamie turner' and this was a font i downloaded and i also like this font so i will definitely use it for my final document.

First draft contents page

This is the first draft of the contents page for my magazine.  Overall I feel that this page is the worst out of the three that I have created and I think this is mainly because I spent much less time on this page.  However I really like the layout of the page and I will use this layout for my final draft.  I also like the heading ' this weeks notion' because it makes the magazine sound personal instead of just 'contents page' for example.  I also like the colour theme as they match the overall colour theme of my magazine to show the consistency.  Finally I also like the image as it looks very urban which meets the indie theme of 'in the city'.  However I do not like the font for 'this weeks' as I think it looks very bubbly, to change this for the final draft I will design my own font like I did for the 'notion ' font.  I do not like the image at the bottom of the page I think it completely doesn't match my indie theme and this photo will be taken again for my final design.  For my final design I need to left justify all my text so that they are aligned correctly, this will make the text look more appealing and professional.  I also think that the font used is not suitable to match my theme and for the final version I will look in to fonts further on magazines such as the NME and Q and see what style font these magazines use.  Overall u feel that this page needs a lot of Changes before the final deadline.

First draft double page spread

This is my first draft for the double page spread on my magazine.  I decided to go for a different style on this double page spread and test a image that uses a graffiti wall as the background.  This could have either went one way or the other and I feel that it went badly.  First of all the image is just far too bright for a double page spread and this lead to the text being very hard to read.  However I think the positioning of the image is very good with the model over to one side of the image and the rest the graffiti.  I ides a number of different techniques to try and make the image less bright so that the text was readable, I firstly made a transparent text box which does work and you can read the font at a close distance, however I wanted the audience to be able to read clearly from a fair distance.  I then went on to blurring the image on Photoshop and I decided to blur the whole image other than the model and this was so that the focus is all on the model and this worked out very nicely.  Although the image did not work I really like the fonts I've used for 'jamie turner' etc and I have used then consistently throughout the magazine which shows professionalism.  Overall I know that the double page spread image needs to change for my final draft as this image is just too bright!

First draft front cover

This is the first draft for the front cover of my music magazine.  I decided to locate my image against a brick wall with the model showing a lot of attitude in the facial expression and this is to show the indie arrogance and swagger.  The day was overcast when I took this photo which was good as it didn't make the image too dark or too bright.  Also I got the model to wear sunglasses even though it wasn't sunny and this was to back up the indie 'coolness'.  I went for a font called 'colours of autumn' for the 'Jamie turner' text and for the text on the wall, I thought this text was good as it looks very graffiti like which matches the theme of this magazine.  However for the font on the wall I could have maybe changed the colour of it so it is easier to read.  I really like the 'notion' heading that I designed and I think it really links in with the indie theme.  To improve I feel that I should have added more formatting to make the front cover look more appealing and professional.  I also feel that the 'jamie turner' font should be much larger so that the audience can clearly tell that he is the man on the image and that he is the main talking point if this magazine.

Initial images (contents page)

Initial images (contents page)

This is my inditial image for my contents page, before any editing.  The location of this is also at The Sage in Newcastle.  I have chosen this location because the area looks run down for example, the fences make it look very run down and also the fact that there is a big building in the background backs up that it is an urban area, so it is a rund down urban area.  This type of area is good because it is as if the artist is saying that music is the only way out of this area and this is key for a new artist (which my artist is).  The model is holding a vinyl prop, this is good to promote the artists new album as well as making the model look very cool and old school (usage of the vinyl).  The model is weaing the same clothes as he is on the double page spread which shows the shoot was on thesame day (which occurs on actual mgazine photoshoots).  I also made the model show a lack of facial expressions to show that the artist is keeping the indie coolness and swagger consistent.

Initial images (double page spread)

This is my first draft image of my double page spread.  The location of the image is at the graffitti walls at The Sage in Newcastle.  I chose this location because the graffitti symbolizes a run down urban area and this is good because the image is basically saying that music is a way out of this run down life.  Also the graffitti is very good for a visual effect as it displays vibrant and different shapes and words.  I have got the model to stand to the left hand side of the image so that graffitti on the right hand side is clealry on show and also it is so that the article is on one side of the page and the image is on the other side.  I got my model to wear a bomber jacket and sunglasses, this is to make him look very cool and indie.  I also made my model have one foot up against the wall, this is to make him look like he doesnt really care about the photo and he can do what he wants and this meets the indie genre as lots of indie artits don't care about a photoshoot.  Finally I also made the model have no facial expressions at all, this is to show the coolness and swagger of the model, this is used often in indie magazines.

Initial ideas contents page

Initial ideas

This is my hand drawn design of a contents page.  I have gone for a large main image at the left hand side of the page of the main artist, this is to show he's the talking point of the magazine.  At the top of the page I have put the contents title, however I have not called the page a standard 'content page' instead iv'e called it 'This weeks notion' this is to make my contents page my own.  I have put the description of the main image underneath the image, this is to show the relevance.  I have also included a smaller image of another artist and this is to show that the magazine isn't all about the one artist.  Down the left hand side of the page I inserted a column which includes a band index and a news section.  On the band index I have listed a number of bands and shown what page in the magazine the band will appear in.  On the news section i have listed some key talking points of the week and also said what page they are going to appear on in the magazine.  The colour theme that i have used is dark blue and black, I have used these colours because they contrast well and look appealing to an audience.  I explained further why i used these colours in the resea

rch.

Vinyl 2 (finished heading)

After I had taken the images of the vinyls I edited them on Photoshop by using tools such as; the brush to colour in blue parts of the vinyl, the healing tool to improve the quality of the image, the rubber tool to erase unnecessary parts of the image and the merge tool to add two images together.  Once I had applied all of these changes I then saved it as a PDF file and it saved on a firework file and this is the outcome of the vinyl image (image below).  The final name design is the image that is above the text.

Vinyl

These are some images that I have taken of vinyls that I will use as the O's in my magazine name, I have taken these images because I can not take images off the internet.  After taking these images I am now going to edit them on Photoshop so that they look more appealing and professional.

Notion Name Design 2

Name Design

This is another design that I have made for my magazine name 'notion'.  I created the main text using word art font, having a dark blue fill and a black outline of the text.  I picked these two colous because they look very appealing when they are put together.  For the two O's in Notion I have replace just standard letter O's and replaced them with two records, these make the name look very appealing and they also add the music effect to the name to show that there is a purpose to the design, they also match my indie theme.

Initial ideas double page spread

Double Page Spread 

This is my first initial idea for a double page spread.  The image will cover the whole of the two

pages, however the artistwill be positioned on the left hand side of the page and the article writing will be on the right hand side of the page.  The location of the image will be in an area where there is a wall of grafiti, i have chosen this location because grafiti is a sign of a run down area and my model is going to be standing next to this grafiti with a guitar and the guitar prop is used as if the artist is saying music is my way out of this area.  The model will be standing with one foot on the wall, this is to show the models coolness and swagger.  The grafiti in the background will be slightly blurred out and the focus will be on the artist to show that it is all about him.  The writing on the right hand side of the page will be in columns and i have drew 3 small columns but I have decided I do not like this and I am going to change it to three columns instead.  I have drew a box with jagged lines and inside there is a quote from the artist, however the jagged lines makes the image look very unprofessional so I will propbably not use this for my final design.  The page numbers appear in the bottom far corners of the pages.  The magazine name appears in the top left hand corner of the left page and this is so that the audience notice it, hence they read left to right.  There is going to be no information down the spine of the page and this is good because no information is lost.  Other pieces of formating such as a drop capital and dividers between the columns of text will also be added in to the page for the appearance of the magazine.  The artist name will apear nect to the image of the artist to show that the name is about the person on the image.

Magazine name design

Notion Design Name

This is one design that I have came up with for my magazine name.  I drew it in black ink to get a bolder style of drawing.  My original design will be highlighted in blue to make the name look more visually appealing to the audience.  I have made the O's in Notion into images making them look live records, I have added this affect to show to the audience that the magazine is definitely about music and also the O's add a very psychedelic and psychedelia is used often in indie music.  The main font is in block font and this is used so that it stands out and looks more like a heading.  To improve this design insteadof draws the two O's I will add in images of records to make it look more appealing.

Magazine name

Magazine Name

For my magazine name I had came up with four ideas, one which included the 'notion' and this is my preferred name idea.  I created a questionnaire and one of the questions asked what name people preferred and they also said they thought 'Notion' was the best name.  I came up with notion because i was listening to a song which included the word 'Notion' and I straight away thought this was an interesting word, however I did not know the meaning so I searched it up on google to see if the name was suitable for my magazine name.  The definition of notion is 'a conception of or a belief about something' after reading this definition I instantly knew it was suitable for my magazine.  When people ask me why I am calling my name notion i respond by saying 'the definition of notion is about something you believe in and this is good because it is basically saying people should believe in my magazine and read it'.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

For the first question on my questionnaire I asked an audience if indie music appealed to them and gave them an option of yes, no or some.  6 people said they did like indie music, 1 person said they did not like indie music and 3 people said that they liked some indie music.  The fact that a number of people said they do and don't like indie music shows that i have branched out to a wide audience.  The second question was asking them if they read music magazines often, this question was made so that the audience can give me some ideas based on the regularity of how often they read magazines.  Three people said they read magazines weekly and gave me some ideas that I should have my magazine name in blue, this is based on their viewing of indie magazines.  The next question I asked was what colour appeals to you the most as an indie audience?   6 people said that dark blue appealed to them the most, I then asked one person why they chose this colour and they answered 'Dark blue isn't used by any indie magazine, the predominant colour used is red in the NME and Q so dark blue would make your magazine different to other indie magazines'.  The final question i asked the audience was what music magazine name sound the best?  One option I had was notion and 8 people said they preferred notion out of the four options, I will be uploading a blog post on the meaning 'notion' in a future blog.

Initial ideas front cover

Initial Ideas

These are my first hand drawn initial ideas of my front covers, there are three designs to show the revolution of the three ideas.  I had to make three different copies because i realized things that were wrong with each initial front cover.  For the first idea on the far left of the image i firstly drew the image of the model and i instantly realized that it was not the right size of what i was aiming for.  I was aiming for a medium close up and i drew a long shot and i realized that to change this I had to draw the models head larger.  On the second initial idea I also drew the model first and I did draw it the right size this time, however i realized that I wanted the persons shoulders touching the sides of the magazine and this lead to me creating a third and final initial idea.  For the last idea of a front cover I started by drawing the artists shoulder and then drawing the head, this was to make sure that the image was meeting my needs and it did.  I then went on to add props to the drawing of the model, i added sunglasses and a bomber jacket which are two typical props for an indie artist to show their coolness.  I then added the bar code which was at the bottom right hand side of the page this is so that it is out of the way and not recognized by the audience because the bar code is not relevant.  I then added the box at the top right and this is to represent where my magazine name is going to go.  I added lots of boxes around the main image and these are there for different stories that occur in the magazine.  Finally i added a main box going across the image and this is there as a heading for the artist on the front page.

Contents page 5: Q magazine

I have decided to analyse this contents page that occurs in Q magazine because the image on the page looks very indie and also Q is a indie magazine and my magazine is going to be based on indie rock so analysing this will be beneficial for me.

The image that is on the page covers up around 2/3 of the page, this infers that the magazine is going to be aimed around the artist in the image because he is dominating the contents page.  The image is very indie because the artist is looking away from the camera and doesn't really care about the camera, this is showing typical indie 'swagger'. The image has a page number formatted to the image, this is beneficial for the audience so that they know where to go to find an article on the artist in the image. The title is highlighted in a red background and this is effective because it's keeping up the Q magazine colour theme and making it consistent.  The title appears at the top of the page and it is called 'contents' this is very boring because mainly all of the other magazines use this title for their contents page, to improve this they could have made it their own like the NME did by calling it something like 'New this week'.  There is another image at the top left hand side of the page, this is good because it shows variation of the artists in the magazine.  Underneath the smaller image there is a column that shows other artists that have a article in the magazine and these artists that are listed are page numbered so that the audience know where to go to find an article on a certain artist.  The main background is in a white background and this is effective because the red and black font colours stand out and are easily read by the audience.  For some piece of important text there are little pieces of formatting underlining this text to and this is effecive because it makes the text stand out.
For my overall contents page I will also use more than one image to show variation of my magazine.  Finally I will also ad formatting to certain pieces of font so that the font stands out compared to normal font.

Contents Page 4: NME magazine

I have decided to analyse this contents page in the NME magazine mainly because the NME is the home magazine of indie music and my overall magazine is going to be based on indie music.

There is only one image on this page and using the rule of thirds it is positioned right in the centre of the page, this is very effective because the audience look straight at the image as soon as they open the magazine.  Below the image there is a short description of the image and this is to inform the audience who do not know the artist in the image.  At the top of the page there is a contents title and it is simply called 'contents' this is very boring because every other magazine will use this title for their contents page, so the NME are not making it their own here.  The title is in bold white font and is in front of a black background, this is good because the font really stands out.  Down the right hand side of the page there is a column which states some of the articles that are involved in the magazine, these are all page numbered so that the audience know where to look to find a certain article.  There are headings down the right hand side of the page this is to separate the certain articles in to 'live performances' and 'News', this is effective as it shows variation. At the bottom of the page there is a promotion banner, this is used to persuade the audience in to buying another NME magazine.  Down the left hand side of the page there is a band index and this shows the audience all of the bands/artists that are involved in the magazine and it also states all of the page number this is so the audience know where to go to find the bands.  The bands in the band index are highlighted in red font, this is good because it stands out from the black font on the page and catches the audiences eye.  The main background of the page is in white and this is effective because the black and red font that is used stands out and is easily read by the audience.
In my magazine i will also use a band index but however not call it 'band index' this is so that i make the band index my own.  My main image will also be in the centre of the contents page, this is so that it is noticed straight away by the audience.

Content age 3: Q magazine

I have decided to analyse this edition of Q magazine because Q is the next most indie magazine to the NME and my magazine is going to be based on indie music.  I also chose it because the image on the page looks very indie.

The overall layout for this content page is that the main image of the mostly talked about band in the magazine is positioned from the middle to the top right hand side of the page, the image is very large and dominates the whole page, this is good because it catches the audiences eye.  Underneath the image there is a description of the band that the image is on, this is to notify the audience of who the band is.  The column down the left hand side of the page is gives a list of different artists that are going to be included in the magazine.  The columns down the left hand side of the page include page numbers of all the different artists that are in the magazine and this is an advantage to the audience because they may want to turn straight to the page that includes their favourite band.  Underneath the first image there is another image on and artist that is included in the magazine.  Around this image is another list of artists that are included in the magazine, there is a large amount of information on this page and this is good because it lets the audience know a lot about what is going to be included in the magazine.  The title of the page is just a simple 'contents' and this is not very effective because lots of other bands will use this title for their contents page and they do not make it their own.  The main image is very indie, with the band in pose, not smiling or making any facial expressions, this makes the them look very cool and indie.  The background is just a plain white background and this is good because the black font that is used for the text stands out because it contrasts, however it isn't good because it looks plain and boring.
For my overall contents page I will also include more than one image, this is to show the variation on the page.  Finally I will also include a column which states things that are included in the magazine, this is to inform the audience.

Contents page 2: NME magazine

I have decided to analyse this edition of the NME magazine because the NME magazine is a very indie magazine and this is what my magazine is going to be based on, indie rock.

This magazine is a older version of the NME magazine and it uses a different layout to the new NME layout of the contents page.  The overall layout is that there is a main image in the centre of the page of the main artist and underneath this image there is a description of the image.  At the top there is a old NME title 'NME this week' this is good compared to just using the standard 'contents page' title because it makes it their own.  Down the right hand side there is a column of information about what is going to feature in the magazine, the information includes the artists that are involved in the magzine.  The right hand column has five different headings 'News, radar,live,reviews and features) these are good because it seperates the information on artists into these specific groups.  Down the left hand side of the page there is a column which states 'Band index' this is very useful for the audience because they are able to see which bands feature in this magazine.  At the bottom of the page there is a promotion of other NME magazines ans this is used to try and make the audience buy other editions of the magazine and this is good for the NME's income.  Each piece of information down the right hand side on artists also includes the page numbers of where about these artists will feature in the magazine, this is good for the audience because they know exactly where to find a article on a certain artist.  Also all of the bands on the band index have page numbers next to them, this is useful for the audience because they know where to find information on a certain band.  using the rule of thirds, the image is right in the centre of the page, this is good because the audience will spot the image straight away.
For my overall contents page I will also page number the artist that feature in my magazine, this is beneficial for the audience.  I will also use a band index to show the audience what bands feature in the magazine.  Finally i will also position an image in the centre of the page because it is easily notices by an audience.

Contents page 1:  NME magazine

I have decided to analyse an NME magazines contents page because my magazine is going to be based on indie rock and the NME is the most indie magazine, so I thought analysing this would be more beneficial for me.

The overall layout to this document is that there is a main image (larger image) in the centre of the page, with a description underneath the image and this acts as the talking point of the magazine (main story).  Surrounding the main image and description there are other little images of artists and these images also have a description underneath the image.  These descriptions are beneficial for an audience who do not know who the artist in the image is.  At the top of the page there is a heading which does not state 'contents page' which would appear on a normal magazine but they call it 'inside this week' this is very good because the NME are making it their own and the fact that it appears on all NME magazines shows it's a part of their house style and they are keeping it consistent.  The heading 'inside this week' only appears on the more recent versions of the NME e,g 2010 to present.  The images of artists are edited with the page numbers in to them, this is beneficial for the audience because they know where about to find information on a certain artist.  The page is surrounded with a white background and this is good because the only font that needs to be used is black because it contrasts to white and makes the font stand out.  However just using a white background and black font can be very boring and does not show creativity.  However though the fact that only black and white is used makes the images stand out because they are bright and contrast to the white background, this then catches the audiences eyes.  All of the descriptions that appear underneath the images use a quotation from the artists, this is good because it shows the realism of the magazine because they have interviewed the artist to receive information about them and this shows reliability of the magazine because some magazines may make false information about a artist.
For my contents page i will also include a heading that is different to 'contents page' this is so that i will make the magazine my own because it is different from the standard 'contents page' title.  I will also use a series of images and descriptions in my contents page, this is to show the magazines variation.