Monday 7 December 2015


Georgina from Dom1999
Recce from Dom1999
Risk assessment from Dom1999

Flat Plan

This is my plan for my magazine cover, I believe that it has turned out well because it looks fairly similar to what I want to include in my finished product. For example, the title is slightly tilted and also very eye catching and the Masthead has an interesting logo and font. I've also decided on a price of this magazine which is £3.99 because it would be the medium of a minimum and maximum amount people would like to pay and 0.99 pence is added in order to make it appear cheaper than it is. However, I believe that I need to think about the colour theme a little bit more because I want the colours to compliment each other instead of repel and I want it to look eye catching in certain places like the masthead and title so I will reduce amount of colour used in order to make it more simple. I will also not use the word 'exclusive' twice as it does not seem professional due to repetition and the font will not be randomised with capital and lowercase letters. I would prefer the model to look slightly more in 'action' as if she is engaging with my audience.

I drew this flat plan using Photoshop CS6 and a drawing tablet (Wacom) I wanted to draw this plan on Photoshop because it's easier to show what colours I want to use exactly, in a more faster and clearer way. Firstly, for my contents page I want to have a similar colour palette and style as my front cover, therefore I will be using the same font and the same splatter effect on the ''Content's" text. Additionally, I've decided to include an enormous text (bigger than the ''Contents" text" to make the word eye catching and to clearly state that this is a music magazine and chillstep is all about Bass and Voice, meaning that my audience would be attracted to this instrument. "Features" and "Every Month" will be in capital letters written against a differently coloured background so it 'pops out' of the page. Then, the content itself will be written in small sentences at first and have detail below them in smaller text, these will have lowercase letters. On the right hand side, I will add a model and link her to one of the pages in the magazine.

Here is my flat plan for my double spread. It might look slightly messy but it shows my idea clearly. I laid out the colours for my background using the colour picker which makes it easier to understand and see what I want my colour to look like in my final product as I will be using a colour picker during my production. Overall, I want my model to be in the middle of the page with Interview text 'wrapping' around the image. I divided the text into text boxes which will be easier to understand the layout on In-design as I will have to make columns in order to create text. The colour on my double spread will be soft and easy on the eye which will make the image and text more engaging towards my target audience.

Monday 23 November 2015

Idea Update

Ideas for my front cover

The Price: I believe that the price will vary between £3 to £6 because my pricing question was an anomaly. My target audience are mostly teenagers and they wouldn't pay more than £6 on a magazine since most of my target audience are not employed. The barcode will be on the bottom right hand side because thats where they are located internationally.

Masthead: I will be having my masthead in big letters with a font similar to Bauhaus 93 either in the middle or the upper part of the magazine. The name of this masthead will be ''Chillstep Vibes". I've decided to use 'Vibes' because it represents a person's emotional state or atmosphere meaning that it informs the viewers that my magazine is mainly focused on good music they will most likely enjoy. I want my masthead to stand out and also follow a nice colour palette, meaning that I'd like my masthead to either be yellow or blue. I could also use a complimentary colours, for example if my main magazine cover is yellow, I'll use a shade/tone of purple since it's an opposite. This will attract the attention of the audience since the colours are extremely different. I want my masthead to have an originality to it so I believe I'll add a logo or a special font to the letter C or V.

However, the overall colour palette of the magazine could involve some soft shades and pastel colours since my genre is very soothing. For example, the background could be smooth peachy or heading to orange and the masthead could be dark blue or green (complimentary colour) It is easy to see and is eye-catching but at the same time it's gentle and calm. It will also match with my models hair colour since it's red, which means that its an analogous colour which will also give this magazine a great colour scheme. This will appeal to both genders equally as I'm not using a stereotypically 'girly' and the female model will appeal to both genders as the majority of males are attracted to females and all females are likely to buy a magazine with their own gender on the cover.

Model: behind or underneath the masthead, there will be a model in a winter jacket doing an 'exciting' pose by laughing, smiling and appearing very lively. There will be a strong background lighting, main, and fill lighting. I also think I will be needing a golden reflector in order to make her skin look natural. The reason why I want her to look lively is because I want her excitement to represent our magazine and make a potentially positive audience.

Title: The title will most likely have capital letters and probably an explanation mark because it appears louder while the audience reads it. This implies that the title will look exciting and it appears more important than the cover line. I believe I'll be placing the title in the middle of the front cover which will inform the readers of my main article. Although, an explanation mark may appear informal, but since my audience are not highly mature meaning that this type of 'fun' and 'informal' language might appeal to them since it adds emphasis.

Puffs: I want a slightly crowded layout in order to make the magazine look busy and full. However, I do not want to expose all of my information within the magazine cover because not adding too much infromation adds interest to the readers who will view the front page. I also want to add a free giveaway on the front cover such as "Free CD inside" in order to increase the chances of my magazine being being bought. I'll also include small thumbnail pictures of other bands either in concerts, their album covers or just them recording their pieces of music.

Ideas for my contents page

The colour scheme of the contents page will be highly similar to the front cover following the same colour theme, however, I believe I'll add an extra colour for the font or anything that I want people to look first. For example, if my palette is blue, yellow and peach, I could add a fourth colour such as hot pink or electric blue in order to make things really pop out. I want the colour theme to match with the front cover because it adds flow to the magazines and it makes it look more professional.  The title 'Contents Page" will be in medium to large on the top of the page because I want it to stand out in order to inform the reader what the page is about. This page will also have pictures that match with the content's topic and it will have numbers on top of it for guidance and the information will be split in different categories.

The contents page will also have a preferably different model wearing a different outfit and and having a different pose in order to make the page more busy and lively. I believe she will be either listening to music or looking very calm and relaxed because 'relaxing' is about my music genre, compared to the model in the main front cover.She will be wearing a different outfit because it adds more variety to the magazine. The lighting isn't going to be focused on the back light as much as the model in the front cover, instead, I will use main light from the front of the model, getting rid of shadows on the face which make her look more youthful.

The contents will be on the right side of the page having subheadings with an eye-catching colour and in bold thick letters in order to capture the viewer's interest that will make him or her continue reading the magazine.  Next to the contents, there will likely be a number guiding the audience throughout the magazine pages.

Double Spread

The double spread page will be mainly focused about an artist (model) from the front cover page because I'd like my double spread to be my main article which will likely be an interview of her. The double spread will also have a nice flow acting as if it's one page, instead of two separate ones. Furthermore, the first letter of an article or an interview which is focused on the artist will be abnormally big which will capture the viewers attention and make them continue reading the article. On the top of the double page, there will be a huge title which is overlapped by the picture of a model which will be the main topic of a magazine. The background colour would be preferably simple such as white or ashy white, it will make it look more professional, however I would still like to include few things from my chosen colour theme, but in a less intense way such as a blue or a yellow title. I want my model to capture most of my audience's attention since they believe that it's the first thing they observe (from the questionnaire).

The main font should be easy to read and also look professional in order to have a nice impact towards the reader. The text will be a dark colour such as black because it's easy to read and it's also easy on the eye making the reading experience more enjoyable. The font in bold would be things that are important such as the names (in an interview) or sub-titles in an article. The paragraphs will be arranged on the right side of the double spread, whereas the model will be on the left.

Thursday 12 November 2015

3 Point Lighting Research

What is 3 point lighting?


3 point lighting is a common lighting method when there is three sources of lighting that includes the High Key, Low Key and Fill lightings. This set up is usually used for photo shoots, CGI and films. All three lightings are equally as important because each one has a role meaning that this method is easily manageable for photographers 





Source: Google Images

Functions of each equipment together

For example, the High key is the main lighting source which shows off the features of a model the most as it is the brightest one out of the two other ones. It usually has the most influence to the subject as it's the brightest and the most noticeable one. This equipment is almost always placed to one side (left or right) of the camera or the subject in order to create a shadow on the other side and light up the other creating a sight silhouette from the background and enhancing the colours of the main subject. This trick also creates more depth to the photograph or the model. High key lighting is important because it can create a certain mood and tension between the audience depending in what environment, colour and contrast it is used in.

The Fill Lighting is also important because it fills in the shadows which are created by the High Key. This equipment is placed mostly on the opposite side of the High key and it is mostly less intense in terms of colour and brightness meaning that it is a lot softer than the main Key lighting, this technique is also useful because it softens the shadow made from the Key. This effect is achievable if you move the equipment slightly further away or use a spun. Fill Lighting gives the image or the film a sense of dimension as if the subject is right before the viewers eye and it might show off the details of the subject in the shadowed area.

Finally, The back light called the Low key has a purpose of providing highlight and definition around the subject's outlines which creates a silhouette and separates the subject from the background which provides a 3 dimensional look. This piece of equipment is usually placed behind the model from the rear so the camera does not see it.

Functions of each equipment on it's own 
High Key:
Each individual lighting will look different without the other two. For example, High Key lighting will create and intense shadow if it is used from the side making the mood of the scene look serious or even mysterious as the facial parts of the model are absent. This can be used in horror films to create suspense. If the light is used from the front, it can make the model look youthful because the light from the front won't create any shadows on the face.



Low Key:
Low key lighting is usually used with a fill lighting or a reflector instead of a traditional 3 point lighting. This type of lighting contours the side of an object or a person which can create a very bright outline behind the model.

Fill Lighting:
This type of lighting isn't usually used on it's own as it is a weak and soft light, meaning it is mostly used to soften sharp shadows.
How will this impact my plans?

Since I'd like to have a strong (yellow/orange) light behind the model, I would either use a natural source of light such as the sun or I'll use a studio light with a filter or edit the colour in Adobe Photoshop. I've also decided to use this technique and add High Key and Low Key lighting to show off the details in the models face. I believe I'll be using a gold reflector to create a nice tone to the photograph. Therefore, I believe I'll most likely use the light facing 45% to the side and a golden reflector on the opposite of the main light including the back light.

Monday 9 November 2015

Institutional Research

Date Researched: Monday 9th November 2015

Woofah Magazine
Source: http://www.woofahmag.com

Woofah is an independently produced fanzine covering either dancehall, grime, dubstep, bashment, roots or all points in between. This means that this company is independently published and sells its copies from their own website. This company does publish new issues once in a while meaning that their business is doing well, however they don't publish magazines at a steady pace. This magazine would be a great magazine to feature my own because they mostly focus on electronic music meaning that our target audience would be quite similar, however it is highly unlikely because their selling is slightly unpredictable.

Rock Sound
Source: https://media.info/magazines/titles/rock-sound

The magazine which was firstly published on 10th March 1999. "Rock Sound" is published by Freeway Press Inc. Rock Sound is a British magazine heavily focused on rock and slightly electronic.The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also featuring more well-known acts such as artists and bands. I believe that this company will be interested in printing out my magazine because they had a dubstep issue featuring Skrillex and rock music is also quite similar to dub-step, my genre is dub-step, however my chosen sub-genre does not match heavy rock as much which could cause some problems with agreeing because it will likely bring the different kind of target audience.

Spin
Source: https://media.info/magazines/titles/spin       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_(magazine)
http://www.ibtimes.com/memoriam-magazines-we-lost-2012-956388

This magazine was first published by Spin Media which is a digital publisher Bob Guccione Jr. that owns a number of pop culture websites meaning they publish artists and bands ranging from Katy Perry to Nine Inch Nails and Gorillaz . Their first issue was released on May 1985, however they do not produce any new issues since 2012. This company would be great to print out my magazine since they feature pop culture and dub-step in their magazines. However, they stopped because many magazine companies had closed their issues, due to the "digital age".
Spin mostly focuses on Pop Culture because it is the most popular music genre meaning it would get them more audience. Spin media also publishes different websites such asBuzznetIdolatorStereogumVibe and The Frisky. These websites are mostly music blogs and news where people can share and view different kinds of information.

Rolling Stones
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jann_Wenner
http://www.rollingstone.com/

Their first issue was released on November 9th 1967 by a company called Wenner Media and LLC. 
Wenner Media is published by Jann Wenner who was focused mainly on pop culture, however this publisher also publishes other magazines that are not music orientated, such as a lifestyle magazine called Men's Journal which is focused on outdoor recreation, enviromental issues, health and fitness, outdoors and fitness, The reason why I believe Wenner Media publishes different magazine genres is because they want to appeal more to male audience, for example the original website for Rolling Stones looks like a news website rather than a website that shows their issues and features music bands. However, I believe that they will be interested in adding my magazine to their list of titles because they also feature music from any genre such as hip-hop, pop music, rock and of course, dub-step. They will more likely agree because my genre is a mix of pop and dub-step meaning it might bring them and me similar kind of target audience, additionally their target audience like fashion so they could appeal to my magazine as well.

How will this research affect my ideas?

I've found out that most magazines I've researched are not heavily focused of dub-step music, instead they are mostly about rock, pop and electronic music. This made me realize that there is a gap in the market meaning that there is no competition, however this might not be a good or a bad thing since dub-step is a completely new genre. Although, that could also mean that there isn't a high demand for a dub-step magazine which is why I chose to do a sub-genre of Chillstep because it has vocals and melody like pop music which is in higher demand. From my research, the best magazine that matches to my theme is Spin because it has a wide variety of music genres and it also featured bands such as Daft Punk and Moby which is electronic music. However, they stopped selling copies so my second best choice was Rolling Stones because they also feature different music varieties and they have very similar target audience.


Monday 2 November 2015

Costume and Props Research & Planning

The model of my magazine will be preferably a female because my chosen sub-genre is chill-step which heavily relays on female vocals and beats. The colour theme will most likely consist of yellow and red or blue. The reason why I chose these colour combinations is because I want the magazine to be eye-catching but also match with my theme, which is dub-step so I want to make it look slightly natural and slightly colourful.

I will photograph the model against the sun to get a yellow outline of sunshine behind her face/body whilst using a flash to capture her front and not cause any shadow which will create a nice professional look. This photo shoot should be made either in the morning or evening because it is considered as the best time of the day to take photographs, which is the 'Golden Hour' meaning that at this time of day, the light has a warmer tone and a softer colour.

It would be also a good idea if I could photograph the model in the studio with light equipment mostly facing from the rear of the camera to create a bright light behind her. It would also be easier to manipulate the light in order to gett he desired photograph.
source: Google images

Requirements for a model: My model should look quite young to appeal to my target audience, for example she should be preferably from 16 years of age to 25 because my target audience is mostly about at this age. I also want her to have light coloured eyes such as green, blue, hazel or gray so I could Photoshop and enhance the colours easier. I would also like the model to have either blonde, light hair or toxic red hair. If the model has blonde hair, I could Photoshop it and change the colour to red easier because I prefer working from light to dark, which also will give a more professional outcome than a dark hair model. The reason why I chose red hair is because it matches with my dub-step genre and it will also capture attention of my audience, because red is a strong and visible colour.

Example.    Source: Google Images

Potential colour combinations of the outfit: 
I have chosen two shades of blue and a shade of yellow to match with my magazine theme and the red hair. I will be using yellow and red as my main colours to capture people's attention, blue will be my secondary colour which will be in places I believe are not that important. White could also work for a secondary colour as it isn't very eye-catching on it's own.

Clothing Ideas: I'd like my model to have a 'laid back' and a modern clothing style because my genre is about relaxing, meaning that it will give a clear message to the potential customer. 
  • I'd like a modern style because my target audience loves fashion, meaning that they follow latest fashion trends.
  • I think the clothing style could also look fun and happy to apply the emotion onto the reader.
  • A skirt may enhance the body type of a model by adding a curve to her waist.

Examples. Source: https://www.pinterest.com/ijltifam/music-genres-fashion
I believe that I will be working with the fashion style of the first image above.

Available clothes that would make an outfit for a magazine cover
Coat:
I have chosen a white coat because it looks quite modern and trendy, it matches with the season and it's colour is good as it is bright and it won't take away all of the attention from the model, it will also match with my magazine colour theme.

Availability: coat is available at all times by borrowing from my friend so no cash needs to be spent. The coat is also in a great condition.





Jumper:
I've decided to use a yellow jumper because it matches my colour theme quite well as I want the outfit to match with the theme I am going for. This jumper also matches my fashion style.


Availability: Available at all times,  the jumper is a possession of mine.





Scarf:

Picture to be added later


I've also decided to get a white scarf because it would match nicely with the coat since it's similar in colour, a white scarf would compliment a model's face, and it would also indicate that the surroundings are cold so the reader get's the right message.

Availability: Uncertain but possible. The scarf belongs to my friend and the scarf is in a great condition.

Cardigan:

Picture to be added later

I believe I'll use this clothing for another picture for my contents page, I have chosen this cardigan because it is also white meaning it matches the front cover

Availability: Uncertain but possible. The cardigan belongs to my friend and the cardigan is in a great condition.

Leggings:


These leggings match my chosen style very well and they also have a  blue colour theme which also matches with my chosen theme 

Availability: Uncertain. Nobody I know possesses these leggings, They have to be bought from the internet.



Makeup Ideas: I'd like my model to have a natural makeup look. In detail, I'd like highlighted tear ducts, an eyeliner pencil next to eyelashes, a peachy blush, pink lip gloss, eyebrow pencil, a brown mascara and foundation. I want the model to appear attractive in a pretty or endearing way, which makes her ready for a photo shoot
Examples.  Source: Google Images. 

Expression and position of my model: I am planning to do a photograph from waist up  or full body. The model should look directly into the camera lens as if she is making eye contact with the audience, which will also capture their attention because the first thing people notice in a model is the face, eyes and hair. I also think that the model should show expression such as smiling, laughing or being excited/surprised because that emotion can be carried on to the reader, which will improve their mood meaning that they will more likely be satisfied with the product. 






Tuesday 20 October 2015

Masthead Research

 

This Masthead is taken out of the 'Spin' Dubstep Magazine. The font is very plain and bold with white letters against a light green background. Since this font looks laid back and very straight forward, it makes the readers remember their magazine because it only has four letters. The colour scheme is also incredibly simple, salad green and white meaning that it is very easy on the eye and it is also quite noticeable. The font has no outline or a specific design to it because again, it is created to be as simple and as eye-catching as possible, however it is all in capital letters to create a slight enthusiasm. The connotation behind this masthead is that the green is a gender neutral colour so it appeals to any gender and the font is white so it is clearer to read and notice.

This Masthead is for 'RollingStone' Magazine which features different kinds of genres for rock and also Dub-step. This masthead appears to be as a single word because there is no gap between 'Rolling' and 'Stone'. However, it has two capital letters and the masthead connotes with a piece of rock rolling down a hill or any other surface.That makes the readers imagine the action and associate a rolling stone with this magazine. This masthead is also red which is a very sharp and noticeable colour, the font appears thick and pointy. The black thickness makes the masthead appear three dimensional meaning it pops out from the page and grabs the reader's attention. There is also a white outline in front of the black 'shadow'to separate the colours and add a unique design to this font which also makes it easier to read.

This Masthead is from a magazine called 'ROCK SOUND' which is a rock magazine that features electronic music. The font is very bold and slightly curvy, they are also all in capitals which makes them appear loud to the reader which connote to loud music which is rock and electronic. The masthead also possesses a logo which is on the first letter 'R', the letter itself has a gap in the middle and on the outside of the letter, there is a splatter effect which makes it look like spray paint meaning it can connote to rebelling, creativity and fun. The masthead has two separate words which clearly says 'rock' and 'sound' indicating that this magazine is in fact, a music magazine that are looking for a specific range of target audience. The colour of this masthead is red, which is a gender neutral colour, however other Rock Sound magazines have same mastheads but their colours differentiate each time which means that they might change colour to fit in with a particular topic they are doing for the magazine or to fit in with the colour scheme .

This masthead is taken out of a dubstep magazine called "Woofah". The font seems to be very stylized, uneven and even dangerous because there is an effect right in the middle of it. This effect slightly resembles broken glass or black spears which makes it more interesting to look at as well as more recognizable as a magazine. It is also white in colour against a black or dark blue background which makes it stand out and capture the viewers attention because they are completely opposite in contrast. The background itself has a slight gradient of dark blue to slightly lighter, this colour makes the viewers think a certain way because black (or dark blue) is slightly moody, unknown and even dangerous. This masthead is also the biggest text on the cover which also makes it stand out compared to everything else around the magazine.



I have experimented with different fonts to see which one would match my chosen genre the most. I believe that Bauhaus 93 which is the 12th font from top to bottom as the best font which matches with dub-step and beats because it looks quite modern compared to other fonts. In my opinion, the worst looking font in probably the third one from the bottom, I believe so because it does not match with my chosen topic and would match more with a furniture or a fashion type of  magazine, it also looks slightly old-fashioned.

Monday 12 October 2015

Questionnaire

Please underline your chosen answer

Q1: Are you a male or a female?            
    male                      female                 other

Q2: What is your age?         
    >17            18 - 25           26 - 30              31 - 40             41<

Q3:  How much are you willing to pay for a magazine?
   >£1               £2 - £5             £6 - £10               £11 - £20              £21 - £30             £31 <

Q4: How often do you read magazines? 
  Never     Once a Month      Once every 2 months     Once every 2 weeks     Once a week     Everyday

Q5: What is your favourite dub-step Genre?
  None    Classic    Chillstep    Drum & Bass   Breakbeat    Brostep     Glitchstep      Rock     Ragga

Q6: Would you prefer a thick magazine or a thin magazine?
                             Thick                    Thin

Q7: What free offer would interest you more?
        CD         Concert Tickets        Vouchers           Posters   

Q8: Whats your current favorite magazine?
  None      Rocksound       Mixmag         Woofah     Rolling Stone      Other
  
Q9: What magazine topic would interest you more?
  Interviews         Artist's personal life        Fashion         Gossip        Other

Q10: Do you follow a magazine company on social media?
  Yes                No

Q11: Would you like a magazine to follow a certain theme?
  No                    Not concerned                   Yes

Q12: What is the first thing that captures your eye in a magazine?
  Nothing             Title              Image           Masthead        Other

Q13: Do you prefer to have more writing or images in your magazine?
  Writing                    Images                   Other

Q14: What colour would stand out more?
   Cyan         Magenta         Yellow         Black       White      Other


This questionnaire was answered online instead of in person because social media gives us an easier access of the amount of random audience that could answer my questionnaire instead of in person. The reason why I chose to collect online data was because it was easier to get people to answer my questions since I would've have to print out 20 questionnaires in order to question 20 people, instead I asked 20 random people on a social media permission to answer my questions, then I sent them an attachment of this questionnaire. Lastly, judging by their answers I tallied it out on an Edexcel document to sum up my answers in one sheet.

This questionnaire was answered by 20 people 

Conclusion: I have found out that the majority of my target audience will be male with mostly ages varying from 17 and under to 25 years old. My target audience will also likely buy a magazine once every 2 weeks to once every two months. I have also discovered that people are willing to pay from £6 to £10 for a magazine meaning that it does not have to be made out of bad quality and the profit per magazine would be rising. Fortunately, My target audience has also chosen Chill-step as their preferred sub-genre of dub-step following by Drum & bass meaning that I could include it in my magazine as my secondary main topic. The viewers also prefer a thick magazine over a thin one because it has more content to choose from.

I will most likely include free tickets and posters in my magazine because it will attract most of my audience since the questionnaire stated that 6 people close free concert tickets and 7 people chose free posters. This means I could include posters from different popular artists and bands that could appeal most to my target audience, more likely the posters and the tickets will be connecting to my chosen sub genre which is Chill-step.

The audience also has favorite magazines and I have discovered that most people like Mixmag, followed by Rocksound. This suggests that I need to make sure that my magazine will be slightly similar to Mixmag and Rocksound to fit in with my target audience criteria. This means that I have to include their style in my front cover and contents page. I would also need to include articles about Personal lifes of popular music artists and hopefully have an interview in my magazine as well which I'm hoping to have as my general magazine content. The audience is also highly interested into fashion which could mean that I can include that in my magazine as an extra topic.

Most audience would also like to have a certain theme to the magazine whilst other large amount of people do not care about the theme. This could mean I can make a specific theme which could match with my target audience, however I will not include it in my product because changing the theme would cause too much work in a span of  2 weeks which is when the audience reads and buys their magazines most often.

I am also planning to make my main image of the front cover as eye catching as possible because the audience believes that the main image of a cover should be what catches their eye first following by a big title with a thick font to capture the readers attention as that is the second most noticeable thing about the magazine. The audience prefers to have more images rather than more writing meaning that I have to variate my images throughout my issues. Finally, my colour scheme is likely to include yellow and cyan as they are most noticeable colours stated by my target audience, these colours also match with my genre because they look 'futuristic'. I believe these colours could attract more audience to look at my front cover. 



Most of my target audience follow magazine companies on social media. Fortunately, This means that I could make a social media account for my magazine to advertise and expose it to a larger variety of audience which will attract even more viewers. I have chosen to feature these bands because I believe that they meet the criteria of 'chill-step'. These bands are also very popular according to YouTube views.


Thursday 8 October 2015

Research Into Potential Target Audience






















The Title of the Magazine above: Rock Sound           Source: Google Images

The magazine states that 55% of their audience is female which is quite surprising because this genre is generalised as the male music. Their target audience is quite young aged from 15 to 26 years old with a quantity of 715,000 people.  Their target audience is also very interested in fashion and concerts because they spend £250 million on gigs/concerts and £265 million on fashion of their choice. However, their target audience discover new music and change their music preference very frequently meaning that the magazine has to keep up with new trends and music in order to keep their target audience and their potential new customers because their friends buy based on their recommendation.  On the other hand, more than half of their target audience follow them on their social media and buy their new prints frequently.






















The Title of the Magazine above: Mixmag                  Source: issuu.com

This magazine states that the top countries that buy their content are United Kingdom, United States and other. Their target audience is mostly male which is 59% compared to 41% of female audience and people with ages from 18 to 24 are most likely to buy the magazine meaning that they also have young viewers because the magazine states that the median age is 24 years old. Mixmag's most popular social media is Google+ followed by Facebook, Soundcloud and Twitter which is quite surprising because Facebook is the most frequently used social media. The magazine states that their target audience also spends most of their income on nights out, clubbing, music, latest mobile phones and tech/DJ Equipment with a majority living in the city and are single. They also state that their audience is loyal because nearly 80% do not buy or read another music magazine and spend little time watching TV. This means that the magazine needs to find new ways to advertise their content, instead of advertising it on TV, they could use posters or online advertising.


My Target Audience:

I would describe my target audience and young adults of both genders, most likely a majority of males  aged between 16 to 15 years old living in a city.

Their interest may include: Clubbing, Social Media, Gigs/Concerts, Fashion and latest mobiles. These factors could help me in my magazine development, I could grab their attention by including their interests on my front cover such as giving away free concert tickets or CD's if they buy my magazine.






Research evaluation and Magazine Plan

Doring my research, I have found two magazines that match my chosen genre which is called "Dubstep" in order to analyse them. The chosen popular magazines that are called Mixmag and Rock Sound. Moreover, I have found out that dubstep magazines usually feature other music genres such as rock, hard metal and electronic dance music in their articles as well as front covers. These two researched magazines have a very unique content and design which other magazines which an ordinary fashion magazine does not have.

                                                         The Rock sound Magazine


I have discovered that this magazine has a huge title in the middle and the Title is behind a medium shot of a single artist called Skrillex which is what I noticed first. The title has a slight shift to the left and has a splatter effect on one of the letters. The second thing I have noticed about this magazine is the huge stylised masthead which has also has a platter effect for their logo. The magazine also had graphics, a nice blue, yellow and white colour scheme and cover lines to feature the content inside. For my magazine, I believe that i would use a large title to capture the audiences attention and make the title look quite stylised in order to create a professional feel to it.

 The other magazine that I've researched was called Mixmag, I have found out that this magazine looks very busy and uses a smart colour palette which is yellow meaning that it is bright and very visible. I also like the fact that the main artist looks quite enthusiastic which has an impact on the audience.I believe that this is something I would like to feature in my future magazine. 

After doing an analysis on my researched magazines I have noticed that both of them seemed to follow a pattern. They followed the main genres which was dub-step, rock and electronic music. Which has inspired me to have a big title scattered in the middle of the page with a slight shift. I also would like to have an exciting model in a medium shot format because I like how it changes the mood of the viewers. Additionally,I will have a bright yellow colour palette for my font because I want to capture the attention of my audience since the colour 'yellow' is considered as the most noticeable colour in the colour spectrum.

I believe that I will do Chill-step as my main magazine topic since it is still a popular genre that is slightly out of the ordinary. Chill-step is mostly sang by females with bass and beats meaning it could attract both genders of audience since both genders would be willing to listen to 'easy music'. For example, males would be attracted to the sound of a female voice because it is an opposite gender and females would be willing to listen to the same gender because females have similar voices which makes them relate to the singer. The age of my target audience would be mostly adults followed by teenagers because it is a new type of genre in the music industry.

Monday 5 October 2015

Prelim products and reflection

 I believe that my front cover turned out great because I have included everything necessary conventions of a magazine, for example I included the barcode, masthead, cover line and a date. I tried to have a pink/blue colour scheme in my magazine because it goes well with the image, the image’s background is blue and the person is wearing a pink cardigan. I did not struggle at using any Photoshop tools, I corrected the colour of the main image as well as made an iris blur so the audience focuses on her face rather than the blouse pattern. However, I struggled with layout and the topics of the magazine, which doesn’t make it quite professional. The Masthead could also be better or more eye-appealing.
I believe my content page was also a success. The font is very easy to read because it is outlined with a white colour and the dots after the letters help the audience find the page number as easy as possible. I also think that the page matches my cover by colour scheme, for example it has blue and pink. The featured images are nicely presented on the right hand side and there is a big image underneath the contents. The contents are also divided into three sections, which makes it even easier for audience to manage. However, I dislike the fact that the images on the right hand side look transparent which was a Photoshop mistake.





This was my initial idea on how to lay out my magazine, I have kept some ideas such as the font style, the layering and the models. I also used my ideas for my articles and put them on the finished product. However, I changed the placing of the date and I also changed the amount of information on the front cover because I believe that the amount that I have now is better to lead the viewer to buy the magazine. In other words, I've put less information on my cover and more information on my contents page. I have also decided to use the blue as my main colour scheme. I believe that I should have added the teacher on top of my masthead to make it look more interesting and professional. 

To improve this work, I should research and look at how professional magazines to improve my layout. I would include things such as graphics and puffs in my main cover page and also advance my skills on Photoshop to avoid small mistakes such as transparency or a bad Masthead. I could also improve on my composition regarding the front cover and the contents page.


Prelim Research