Evaluation

I use a lot of typical features on the front of my magazine for example, bar code, image, title etc, because all magazines feature these and this is probably why they attract consumers. I did not feature anything which is not typical as it may have pushed away consumers. However, if I did feature one or two things which are not typical , it may have appealed to potential readers.

The social groups which are in my magazine are young, mixed gendered, white, middle class people. To the reader they might seem cool, fun and rebellious. This is because, the picture of the "fans" on the front cover look like they are having fun by pulling silly faces. Also, the image featured on the double page spread of Holly with her hood up, makes it look like she is rebellious as most people interpret that people with their hoods up means that they are out to cause trouble. This shows how much people stereotype nowadays.

A music magazine publisher that might publish my magazine might be Bauer Media. This is because they publish a lot of magazines and they are Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. I would hope to make a 5% profit by the end of the first year if they chose to publish my magazine.

The profile of a typical reader of my magazine would be: 15-25 year olds, variety of ethnic groups, middle-class and have an interest in rock music. I have chosen these because this is normally the groups that magazines target at. However, there would be some groups that would be on the outskirts of the groups I have listed. For example, there will be people aged under 15 and over 25 that would read the magazine.

The features of the design and the content are used to appeal to the typical reader so that they would buy it. I used a mid close-up image with Holly looking at the camera because a large image with the person making eye contact with the reader grabs attention. The use of different sized writing makes you able to choose which parts of the writing you want consumers to see first. The front cover also does not look over-crowded and does not look like there is much going on. Instead it is balanced so that the reader does not get bored or think it is hard to read.

To take the images, I used an 8.2 megapixel digital camera. I did not like the resolution of the image on the front cover when I enlarged it using Photoshop. The camera also made the other images that I took look blurry and out of focus. However, the camera was easy to use but I would hae preferred to have used an SLR digital camera as they have more megapixels and more settings. I used a memory card, as well as a USB cable for my camera and also my phone and USB cable, to transfer the images from my camera to my laptop. I found using the memory card more efficient to use for transferring the images. I used several software programs: Paint, Microsoft, InDesign and Photoshop. I tried using InDesign but could not get the hang of it so I decided to not use it. I used Paint for the contents page as it was easier to use. For the front cover at first, I used Microsoft Word to create it. I asked for help from others to show me how to use Photoshop and got the hang of it. I then re-created my front cover using Photoshop and realised how much easier it was to use and that I could have layers of each individual item and use the brush tool to make some of the images have a white background meaning getting rid of objects featured in the images. I also used the transform option so that when I wanted to make my images smaller or bigger, it would not cut off part of the image or make it look blurry. I think using Blogger is a good idea because you can add images and writing and it is an easy way of keeping everything up-to-date and checking what needs to be done/what you have done/what needs to be changed etc. It is also more efficient than writing and adding images to paper because with Blogger, if you've missed something out then you can just slot it in withoout having to re-do all of it whereas if it were on paper then you would have to re-do the page which means it would take even longer.

In my preliminary task, the mistakes I made were: not using an actual image on the front cover, using the same font for all the writing and making it look dull. In my music magazine I did not make any of these mistakes. I liked the different sizes of the writing and the position of the bar code and the program used (Paint) on my school magazine so I developed this further by using Photoshop, having different sizes, fonts and colours of the writing and making the bar code stand out in the magazine on my music magazine. Since I started both of my magazines, I have learned to use Photoshop and Indesign and now have a better understanding of both programs. Advice for people doing this task in the future, I would recommend spending a few lessons on using software like Photoshop, InDesign, Fireworks etc and deciding which one(s) you are more confident using. Also, start to think about straight away what you want your school and music magazines look like, that way you are prepared to get straight on with it. Make sure you do lots of research as well to help you come up with possible ideas on the layout and design of your magazines and to get an understanding on how different types of magazines attract different types of people.


The first feature that draws me to the magazine is the image as it is a mid close-up and she is looking directly at me, and the title HYSTERIA as it is black and bold, has a red border around each letter and has cracks throughout. I put the title near the top of the page because when magazine's are on a shelf, the first thing you see is the title. I think that all of the writing stands out and is easy to read as I have used a variety of colours, fonts and different sizes. The writing that is in capital letters is the writing that I want potential readers to read first. I think I should have put about an exclusive interview with Holly Upton to draw more attention. The "TOP 10 BANDS OF 2009" would have looked better if it was in a different font to the rest of the writing. The writing looks rock-like but I do not think that the background does so I think I should have taken the image in a rock-like background as well as Holly holding a Guitar. The image of the "fans" makes them look like fans but would have looked good if I made them look like they were at a gig. The image of Holly would attract attention as it is a mid close-up and she is looking straight at the camera as if she is making eye contact with the reader. The bar code is large enough to read as well as the price featured on the bar code as well.



I chose to create a contents page because every magazine has a contents page so that it gives reader's an insight as to what is in the magazine. Only 2 of the images are slightly blurry but if I had used a better camera they would not have been slightly blurry. To make the images stand out I used a thick black border around each image. The title "Contents" is easy and clear to read and you can tell that this page is the contents page. The page numbers and what is featured in the magazine next to the page numbers are large enough to read and stand out. The writing in the boxes are small but clear enough to read.







In the end, I decided to feature 4 images on the Double Page Spread as you could see the images more clearly because when I tried to put 8 images on the page, all the images distorted as I had to make them into squares instead of keeping them as rectangles. I used different camera angles. I took one photo of Holly and the more I took of her the more different camera angles and positions of her I came up with. I have used a bird's eye view, 2 worm's eye view and a sideways long shot. They were all taken in the same area so that the images would not clash with each other if taken in different locations. 2 of the images she is looking at the camera, the other 2 images she is looking away from the camera. To make it better, I think I would have taken the images in a more rock-like location (a gig) or perhaps used a prop such as a Guitar.


Having the background black has enabled the colour of the writing to stand out. All of the writing is clear enough and big enough to read. I made the writing bold so that it would be even more visible to read. In most magazine interviews, they tend to have a small paragraph about the interview or the person being interviewed underneath the title. So I decided to adopt this idea and write a small paragraph about the interviewee. The title could have been improved by making it slightly more visible to read. The questions featured in the interview are musical and personal so that the interview does not look dull by just asking musical questions. It looks rock-like because of the colours used. However, I think that if I had used a mid close-up image as the background or used a close-up to cover half the interview page and the whole of the left page as it would have made the page look more professional. I decided to do an interview because most magazines feature at least one interview with a celebrity and it attracts more reader's as they are interested in other people's lives. I used red and black writing because they are rock colours and I used white writing so that it was clear to read on a black background.

Images And Final Design For Double Page Spread

Images: I took quite a lot of photo's to possibly use on my Double Page Spread but chose my 10 best photo's to analyse on here and then choose 8 of the 10 to feature on the page. 5 of the photo's are of her without her glasses and the other 5 are of her with her glasses on. The clothing that she is wearing is what rocker's wear: Converse, skinny jeans, t-shirt and a hoody. (Colours tend to be dark) I have not edited any of the images as I want to keep it as natural as possible.

This is a bird's eye-view camera shot. I like the different levels of light shown in the image. From left to right the level of light decreases. The darkness makes it look gloomy. Her making eye contact with the camera shows that there is an eye-line match between her and the camera.

This is another bird's eye-view camera shot but this time it is taken from behind. The camera is also tilted. It is different from the other photo's as her face is not present.

To take this photo, I had to put my camera on the wall. I like the effect of having two thirds of the image of the wall and the one third of Holly and the stairs. It as a slight bird's eye-view camera shot again. She is making eye contact with the camera again and is smiling slightly.

This is a long shot camera shot and is taken from her side instead of the front, back etc. She has got her hood up on her jacket and is leaning over the banisters to give that rocker look. The image may have looked better if the door was fully closed and possibly the photoframe removed.

This is a worm's eye-view camera shot. Again she has got her hood up. However, this time she is not leaning but just resting her arms over the banisters. I think I should have taken the picture a little bit more underneath her as the light in the room as made a purple light appear on the image which is covering her face.

In one of the previous images of her standing in the middle of the stairs with darkness in the background and brightness infront of her from a bird's eye-view camera shot, this is the complete opposite as she is now sitting down, it is a worm's eye-view camera shot and the darkness is at the front of the image and not in the background. She is wearing glasses in this photo.

This is a close-up bird's eye-view camera shot. I like this photo as she is taking up most of the area of the photo. It is different as she is looking away from the camera and not making eye contacts. Holly resting her head on her hand looks better than if she were to have her arms folded and looking away from the camera.

This is a bird's eye-view camera shot and is also taken on the side. I like how she is resting her chin on both of her hands and looking straight ahead of her. Again, she is not making eye contact with the camera so that it looks more natural.

This is a mid-close-up camera shot. Her facial expression looks like she is angry or mean but at the same time she is joking/mucking around.

This is a mid-close-up camera shot. This time she is actually spraying the body sprays. I like the effect of the perfume lines that the aerosol's produce. It also looks good and she is not looking at the camera but instead is looking down at the aerosol's.

Stages Of Creating Double Page Spread:

The first thing I did was the background and then the title. I then created a small paragraph about the interviewee and the choice of colour. Afterwards, I decided on the questions that I was going to feature and the colour of the questions.














I had to re-arrange the width of each answer to each question as some of the paragraphs were small and others were a little bit bigger. I also had to choose a suitable colour of the writing.

This was created in Photoshop. This is my first idea using 4 images. I decided to change the idea of having 4 images instead of 8.

This was created in Photoshop. This is my second idea using 4 other images.

Design Ideas For Double Page Spread

Left Hand Side: I am going to stick to my idea of having 8 different images of the person that I am going to use. However, I have still not decided on a number of things with the images:
1) to use props or not.
2) to have different facial expressions or not.
3) to have different camera angles or not.
4) to have different positions of the model or not.
5) to use a combination of all 4.

The page number will be in the bottom left hand corner.

This is where I got the idea from, for the background in which the images will be taken on. But instead, I will put a black border around each image to make them stand out more. I like the posture of the model used, along with the facial expression. Most photoshoots of celebrity's are taken with a plain white/cream background.



I like the pose in this image as it gives a sense of security with his arms folded, yet he has got a smug look on his face which adds to it so this could indicate a sense of power and authority.








I was looking for poses of celebrities on a plain white/cream background, and I came across this image. From this image, you cannot tell whether the band are sitting on chairs and leaning on the table or are just standing and leaning on the table. I really like the reflections of the band on what i presume is a metallic table or it could be a piano.


I have decided to use a combination of:
1) Props
2) Different facial expressions and
3) Different positions for my images
I have decided not to use different camera angles because most photo shoots tend to be from the front view of the person, long-shot, medium close-ups and medium shots.

Right Hand Side: This is where the interview will be placed.

The title of the interview will be in capital letters, large and in either black or red writing.

The questions will be in red and bold and the replies will be in black and not bold.


Techniques Of How To Interview A Rockstar:

• Know at least two or three little-known facts about the star.
  


• Jot down more questions than you'll need. You have no way of knowing what mood the rock star will be in when you meet them, compile a list of at least 20 questions. Even include ones you don't think will yield interesting answers. Sometimes the interviewee will surprise you with their response.
  


• Maintain a balance of musical, personal and general questions. Ask questions about their latest tour/CD/video, but include more general queries about their childhood, non-musical interests and life philosophy. By mixing up the questions, you'll get a picture of the rock star as a person, not just a performer. Readers relate to this type of interview more than the typical "Let's talk about the CD" article.



• Develop a rapport with your subject. Some musicians prove tougher interviews than others, but if you approach the subject like an interesting person you've just met at a dinner party the encounter will run much more smoothly.

• Lose the agenda. Many rock journalists have a preconceived notion of the interviewee's personality and responses. Go into the interview with an open mind, and let the conversation flow naturally. If the rock star wants to complain let them get it off their chest.

Question Ideas:

• What made you want to be a Rockstar?
• What influenced you to become a Rockstar?
• Who inspired you to play Guitar and why?
• How many guitars do you have and which one is your prized possession?
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
• What was your job interest when you were 7 years old?

The interview will be set out in one paragraph or sentence per reply.

The background will be plain white/cream.


I like the idea of having a black border around the whole page to give it that extra touch.

I later on researched an interview layout. This image is from an interview that Kerrang! have done. I like this layout and am thinking of changing my original ideas of the writing to the idea os having the title and answers in white and the questions in red as it stands out more against the black background. I have also thought about changing the colour of the background to black instead of having a plain white background as it makes it look more rock-like.

This is the exact idea that I have imagined what I would like my left hand side of the double page spread to look like. Having a white background makes the image of the person more appealing. I will need to think about the positions I would want my person to be in, whether or not to use props such as instruments, the clothing to be worn and the facial expression(s). I have used these images to get an idea of the different positions that I could possibly use and also for the angle of the camera. I am going to stick with the idea of having a thick, black, bold border around each image as it makes it stand out more. I created this in Paint. The bottom 4 images, ignore the background, I could not find anymore images of him with a white background.




To the left is a template of what I would like my final right hand side of the double page spread to look like. All of the writing is easy to read and not too small that you cannot read it. Where it says "REPLY GOES HERE", this is where the replies from the questions will go. I have also made a small paragraph about the rockstar near the top left hand of the page underneath the title. The questions are a mixture of musical, personal and general questions so that the interview will not get dull. I think I will change the title colour and it is very difficult to read as it is not clear and does not stand out. I created this in Microsoft Word and Paint.

Research Double Page Spread 2: MOJO

Left hand side: The image used is of the band and is in black and white. Two members of the band are looking straight at the camera whilst the other two are looking away from the camera. Only the woman is smiling, however, the man in white on the left looks like he is smiling but that could be shadows making him look like he is smiling. Underneath the image are three paragraphs of information, giving the reader background information about the band. Underneath the last paragraph there is a small box with how to cast your votes about the albums. This grabs your attention by using larger writing as the title, putting it in a box and putting the title on a red background. The page number is in the bottom left hand side of the page. The main focus of the page is in large black writing with the title of the article and who wrote it in a medium grey using capital letters. The paragraph starts with a large "A" and you tend to see this in quite a lot of magazines and books.


Right Hand Side: The title is again in the top right hand corner of the page to match with the contents page in capital letters, black and large writing. The 10 images are of The Go-Betweeners album covers. They have done this because they wanted a vote on what was the public's view on their albums. So to express this they have done a run down from 10 to 1, including an image of the album covers, the title of the album, the person or the group that sung it, a summary of what the public think about each album and then a paragraph about the album. Some of the images are in black and white, others are in colour. AvoidTHESE! makes you want to read it because it grabs your attention straight away and as humans we tend to want to read or investigate something when it says things like this, such as, DANGER or KEEP OUT. The page number is in the bottom right hand corner.

Research Double Page Spread 1: KERRANG!

The images clearly show that this is a rock magazine, with the style of clothing and the band members with their guitars and microphones and the way the page is laid out with it looking busy and cluttered. The images are taken from an event. Out of the writing and the images, for me, automatically the images stand out much more than the writing. With each image there is a small black box with white writing telling the reader who the image is of. The title KERRANG! is in the top right hand corner in the black box the same as the contents page title but in white writing instead of yellow. The colour theme is white, black and red. Having the black writing on the white background makes the writing stand out more. However, the writing on the left hand side of the page is rather small and therefore difficult to read. For the images to stand out from the two pages, they have put a border around the 5 images using white. The writing that they want to attract the attention of the readers are in capital letters, large font size and the band name is in bubble writing. KERRANG! is aimed at teenagers so this double page spread could be portraying that teenagers are messy so the page is "messy" with images from gigs.

Ideas For Double Spread

Images And Final Design For Contents Page

Competition Winner Images:
It is a mid close-up. The two thumbs up indicate a positive view of winning the competition. However, her face does not quite show that she was esatic about winning the competition other than having a small smile. She won two tickets to go see You Me At Six but the tickets are not present in the image as they had not been sent out yet. She is not in rock clothing as it is not just rock people that read rock magazines as a variety of people read them. I think I will use this as the competition winner image as out of the three photographs I prefer this one.







Again, it is a mid close-up. She is doing the thumbs up pose again but only one hand is fully shown in the photograph and this makes it look not that good. Her facial expression shows that she is excited but it looks silly and not very competition-winner-like. I do not like how her body is over to the left of the frame. However, I do like the idea of tilting the head slightly.

This photograph is a mid close-up. Again, she is doing the thumbs up pose to show that winning the competition was a positive thing but her arms are not fully showing in the frame. Her facial expression shows more enthusiasm. I think I would have to get rid of the shadow that is present. The head is slightly tilt which I like.

I edited this image in Photoshop so that the white strips on either side of the album cover were present. I have decided to use this album cover image because it is the new album from You Me At Six.

I decided not to use this album cover image because it is an old album from You Me At Six and the image is blurry.

I would have used this image but I only needed a picture of my head and not of my whole body.

I edited this picture in Photoshop so that it is just my head featured on the contents page. I have decided to use this image as the "editor" image.

I will use this image because she looks mischievious/rebellious and this i what may attract more reader's.

I like this photo but I do not like the colour of the background so I will not use this.

I have decided to use this photo as the colour of the background is better and it is not blurry. Also the other photo's which I have taken for my content's page are all taken from the front view of the person and this is taken on a slight angle.

Stages Of Creating Contents Page:

This is the layout of the Contents Page with only a

little bit of writing and with no images.

I changed the boxes at the bottom so that the picture did not distort and so that it fitted. I then added the writing to the boxes.

I then started adding the images.

Design Ideas For Contents Page

I like the style of the title because it makes it more noticeable to readers but i would have the title in the top left hand corner of the page instead of the top right hand corner.

I am going to divide the page into two.

Titles, page numbers and what is featured in the magazine next to the page numbers will be located on the letf hand side of the page.

Images that i think will catch everyone's eyes will be placed on the right hand side of the page.

This is a good idea of having people who work for the magazine company actually writing about themselves or about the magazine. I would like to use the idea of having 3 people writing about the magazine or their favourite bands/music and why or people that have won competitions and how they felt about winning.


The images will be of excellent quality and vibrant colours to make it captivate people.

The writing will be of visible quality so that people can read clearly what everything says on the page. The main focuses will be in larger writing to show that they are the main big focuses featured in the magazine.

To the left is an idea for the layout of the contents page.

















The next stage of the design idea of the contents page is what is displayed on the left. The images that I have used are from Google just to get an idea of what I would like it to look like. I also changed the layout slightly by adding images of previous issues and adding two boxes at the bottom with a small paragraph from a person along with an image of them. The writing of what is featured in the magazine and the numbers is clear to read and stands out. When it comes to making the final contents page, I think I will change the title font, size and colour to make it more appealing. I created this in Paint.

Research Contents Page 2: MOJO

The whole of the contents page is tedious. The page is divided into two parts with the images on the right hand side and the writing on the left hand side and at the bottom of the page. The colours are not striking and for it to be striking the colours would need to be radiant to capture the readers eyes and interests. The title present on the contents page is in capital letters, bold and in a dominant colour; black. Putting the title on a plain white background makes it stand out more compared to the rest of the information on the page. The other titles are in capital letters, bold and in red to also make it stand out. The page numbers are in gold and are not that visible so would make it difficult to read. The titles of what is featured in the magazine is next to specific page numbers in capital letters, bold and in black. The information next to the titles of what is featured in the magazine is in black, small writing which is quite hard to read. For the writing to catch the eye of readers and potential readers, it should be in a more vibrant colour and in bigger writing so that people are able to read it clearly without having difficulties. However, the font is consistent. There is a variety of images used on this contents page: cartoon, band, soloist etc. To me the images do not grab my attention because the colours are quite dull and not vibrant enough. The images are not just random ones they are ones that relate to stories on the page. The layout is not busy but is tidy and clean.

Research Contents Page 1: KERRANG!

The colour theme and font of the contents page matches the colour theme of the front cover: white, black and yellow. Small writing is used for the small paragraph in the top left hand corner. The editors did this to enable the readers to look closer. The same medium sized writing and capital letters for the page numbers and the information next to the page numbers. Large writing is used for the contents page title CONTENTS and for one of the main focuses in the magazine READING AND LEEDS. The title CONTENTS is in yellow writing in a black box with small white writing underneath it. This makes it more noticeable to the readers. In the bottom right hand corner, it gives you information about getting the magazines delivered to your door monthly. Underneath the images there is a number for readers to subscribe to to have this offer. They have used bright red to attract readers to read and sign up to their exciting new offer. A competition is featured in the explosive shape with the font quite big to make it stand out. With each image there is writing to go with it, with the title being in capital letters and bold with information in small writing underneath the title. 12 images have been used. The images are of festivals, gigs, bands, band members, album, a girl with a paragraph of writing next to her and 3 images of KERRANG! magazines. The graphics are of excellent quality. Having a fair number of images on the contents page, makes it more captivating. The contents page is busy and this is what captivates readers and potential readers as it shows that there is quite a lot of big stuff happening in the magazine.

Ideas For Contents Page

Images And Final Design For Front Cover

I do not like the light switch, the photo frame and the border present in the image. When taking this photo, I had the flash on so the photo did not come out blurry. However, you can see the reflection of the light in the room on her glasses so you cannot really see one of her eyes properly.













This image is the edited one which I edited on Photoshop. I edited it because I did not like the photo frame, the light switch and the border on the wall. It looks better with a plain white background. However, I do not like her facial expression. Although it is natural, on the front of most Rock magazines the people are either doing a rock pose or are standing there with a normal facial expression. You can see the reflection of the light in the room on her glasses so you cannot really see one of her eyes properly.








Again, I do not like the light switch, the photo frame and the border on the wall. I like her facial expression in this photo. You can still see the reflection of the light in the room on her glasses but this time it is on the rim of her glasses instead of the lens.

I edited the image again in Photoshop. It looks better with a plain white background. This photo was taken with the flash on and it makes the photo look brighter and more sharp. I will use this image to go on the front of the magazine as it is the most appropriate image out of the three that I have chosen to analyse.













Yet again, I do not like the light switch, the photo frame and the border in the image. She is smiling which makes the image look better.















I edited this again in Photoshop as I did not want the light switch, the photo frame and the border present. I had to use the brush tool more in this photo as the background colour was not all the same colour as I did not use the flash on the camera. Without the flash on, the image of the person looks darker and her face is slightly blurry. Also, without the flash it created a darker shadow.

Fan" Images:

This was taken at night. Two of them are doing the "rock-on" pose and the third is in the background sitting, looking straight at the camera. I do not think I will use this image as it is slightly blurry and the person in the background is pixelated. However, I do like the "rock-on" pose.

One of them is not looking at the camera and is not pulling a silly face like fans normally do which is a shame as it would have been a nice image to use.

There are four people present in this image. They are young people so they are good to use as "fans". They all have different facial expressions which is good as fans would not normally have a serious face when having their photo taken and they look like they are having fun.

I created three title ideas using the "cracked" look a bit like the Kerrang! title. My title ideas are different to that of Kerrang! because in the Kerrang! title, the cracks start from a point and go out and there are only two points whereas mine have lots of cracks all over the place. I chose the third design because it looks better as the cracks are going in both directions, whereas, the first one the cracks are going right and the second one the cracks are going left.

Stages Of Front Cover:

I created this in Adobe InDesign CS4. All of the writing has been placed onto the document except the soloist's name. The positioning of thw writing looks fine but I may re-arrange some of it.

I've decided to create my front cover in Microsoft Word as it is easier to use and none of the writing becomes pixelated.

I decided to re-create the front cover using Photoshop.

This is the Final.