Flatplans

This is the flatplan for my Contents Page. As you can see I have put the main highlights in boxes at the top of the page so that they are the first thing you see when you see the page. I have seen how in other magazines, such as Rocksound, highlights of the magazine are in the contents with their page numbers highlighted to gain interest. This is how I have set out mine, as I think it will be interesting and attract my target audience of 16-19 year olds. The rest of the contents will be underneath the highlights in a spread out and page-numbered layout with language suitable to the Rock genre. The colour scheme will be the same as on the front cover, in darker reds, blues and purples.

This is the flatplan for my double-page spread. The Band name, which I still need to decide upon will be in large brightly coloured font at the top and in the middle of the two pages, so that readers know straight away who the article is about. I will have numerous pictures of the band across the page spread out and randomly placed, to add a sense of rebellion and non-conforming to the rules. In some, they will be smiling and in others looking serious to add contrast. I will use a relevant font for the text of the article and black writing over a white background, with some sort of photo-shop effect to create a sense of contrast and mystery.

This is the flatplan for my front cover. The colour scheme will be dark, but bright colours, such as red, blue and purples which will stand out and contrast eachother. The photo I will use for the cover will take up most of the page and will show the whole band staring at the camera. There will be colourless boxes around the bottom of the page to advertise other parts of the article and to advertise music lessons/instruments that will appeal to the target audience of 16-19 year olds. The logo for the magazine will be a guitar and two drumsticks crossed over eachother, as this is what my focus group thought would comply best with the genre of the magazine and will attract my target audience of rock lovers.

Preliminary Photos for Magazine

 These are the first set of photos for my music magazine. They were taken in a house in Maldon, Essex on Saturday 29th October 2011. I chose to set the room up like a squat, to give off the sense of teenage rebellion, and the pale colours of the background contrast to the darker clothing of the models.


This photo is good because it shows the whole band, but it's also intriguing as they are hiding their faces. I might make this photo black and white or sepia, to add the effect of intrigue and secrecy. The way they are sitting in a line of ascending height is interesting and the white background of the sofa, the walls and door contrasts to their clothing colours which makes them stand out.







This photo shows the band looking more sinister and mystical. They are still in ascending order of height which is interesting, and they look slightly more rebellious here as their faces are sullen and serious, which fits in well with the rock genre.

This photo shows some contrast within the band, as Nikki is laughing while Mia and Emily are serious. The symettry of 'serious, laughing, serious' is interesting, and the band's positions have changed slightly as they are more hunched up as though they are hiding. This adds a sense of rebellion and intrigue to the photo.

This photo is a close up of the band hiding behind Nikki. I intend to photoshop out Katie, so that the three main band members are visible. This photo shows two of the band hiding behind Nikki, which sends out the message that Nikki is the most upfront. This also shows the secretive nature of Mia and Emily, which adds a sense of mystery and intrigue. The umbrella shielding them from the light adds undertones of darkness and fits in well with the rock genre and rebellion.

Magazine Name Brainstorm

I brainstormed different names that I could use for my Rock Magazine, and my initial ideas were 'CRUSH', 'Phenomenon' and 'Firefight'. I took inspiration for these names by researching songs and artists in the Rock genre. I decided I liked 'CRUSH' the best, as it sounds rebellious and interesting, and it would make people sit up and notice, as it doesn't give away directly what the magazine is about or what genre it is, which also adds a sense of intrigue. I then moved on to research some specific guitar terminology, taking inspiration from the 'Kerrang' magazine which uses onomatopoeia of the sound a guitar strum makes to attract its target audiences. I liked '3rd Bridge' (a style of guitar playing) and 'Distortion' (an amplifying method), as these would both attract the initial audience of Rock-lovers in their late teens as they would understand the terminology as being specific to a Rock Magazine. Also, these names would attract teenagers with a more wider interest in music, as they would be interested to find out which genre of magazine the name referred to. I have narrowed the name down to three choices of 'CRUSH', 'Distortion' and '3rd Bridge), and before I make my final decision I shall ask people in my target audiences of teenagers and young people, to see which name they prefer.

Focus Group: Teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 who like Rock music.


1) Megan
Age:16
Education: SHSG, SEC
Favorite Band: Paramore
Favorite Color: Violet
Very interested in metal/rock music. Shops at places like Utopia, H&M, Dead Glam and Mixtures. Listens to Metal/Rock/Alternative regularly (at least once a day) in her home, while out and about (on her IPod), uses ITunes to download albums such as Iron Maiden (The Final Frontier), Motorhead (Kiss of Death) and Aerosmith (Just Push Play). Also interested in Alternative Rock, including Bjork and Radiohead, which she listens to a few times a week on average. Suitable as a member of my focus group as she has a wide, varied interest in all types of rock, and so will be able to give valid advice on my magazine



2) Harriet
Age: 16
Education: SHSG, SHSB
Favorite Band: Queen
Favorite Color: Silver
Interested in Metal music, shops at Mixtures, H&M and Argoth. Listens to Metal Music regularly (3-4 times weekly), usually in her bedroom or her home, buys new albums from places such as HMV and Virgin Megastore, also uses ITunes to download albums  such as AC/DC (Stiff Upper Lip) and Grand Funk Railroad (Rock 'n' Roll Soul). Also has an interest in Pop Music, such as artists like Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson. Suitable as a member of my focus group, as she has a wide interest in music in general, with a specific interest in the Metal genre

3) Nikki
Age: 16
Education: SHSG, SHSG SF
Favorite Band: Tokio Hotel
Favorite Color: Red
Interested mainly in Rock as a whole, with particular interest in Pop/Rock and Metal/Rock Crossovers. Shops at Mixtures, H&M and Utopia. Listens to Rock daily, usually in her own personal space (her room, on her ipod). Uses ITunes and YouTube to download albums, such as Lost Prophets (Liberation Transmission) and Greenday (American Idiot). Has a wide interest in music, is eclectic in her taste, likes Punk Rock, Pop and Metal, which are the main genres she listens to regularly. Suitable as a member of my focus group as she most favors Metal/Rock, but has an interest in other forms of Rock, and other genres which I could take inspiration from




4) Chris
Age: 19
Education: KES, KES SF, Works at Primark
Favorite Band: Paramore
Favorite Color: Black
Interested in Rock music and alternative. Shops at H&M, Topman, Utopia and Next for Men. Listens to Rock 2-3 times weekly, and listens to Metal and Punk Rock 4-5 times weekly, usually while working at home or in his personal space (i.e. his bedroom). Uses ITunes to download albums, and listens to MTV daily. Also interested in rap artists such as Jay-Z (American Gangster), Beyonce (I am... Sasha Fierce), R.Kelly  (Love Letter) and Big L (The Big Picture). Listens to these on a daily basis. Suitable to be in my focus group as he has an interest in Rock Music, amongst other genres, which will give him a different insight into the Rock genre. Also, he is the only male member of my focus group, which will  mean I get feedback from both genders.

Student Magazine Front Cover

My Student Magazine Front Cover

Student Magazine Contents Page

Student Magazine Contents Page

What I did in the lesson today

I created my Contents Page for my Student Magazine and I finished my Front Page, which has not been uploadedb yet

Flat Plans for Student Magazine

This is the flatplan for my front cover of my student magazine. I shall use a ringing school bell as my magazine image and my magazine title will cover the top of the front page. I will have my main photo of a student holding their folder covering the front page, with other highlights of the magazine around the edges and bottom of the page. This will entice the reader to buy the magazine, and the adverts will attract the reader further as they will be relevent to the target audience of lete teenagers. The colour scheme will be red and green as they will contrast eachother and stand out to potential readers.




This is the flatplan for my contents page. CONTENTS will be written across the top of the page to make it obvious what the page is about. The writing will be in two columns with a photo in thye middle, and two smaller photos at the top, showing more students smiling., This will attract the teenagers buying the magazine as the photos will show their fellow students smiling, as a welcoming mode of address. Again, the colour scheme will be red and green to stand out and make the text which may be black/white stand out.

Student Magazine Photos

Too dark, too many people in the background, model not looking at camera, tree is at a bad angle

Brighter, photo is more in proportion, model smiling at camera gives off a friendly mode of address, folder/lanyard shows a study atmosphere, as does the building in the background (looks like a school environment)

Not as good, model not looking at camera

Natural-looking photo, too much of a close-up for a contents page

Very natural-student-looking picture, can still see the school building and the other mise-en-scene such as the books, lanyards and scenery

Other people too close to the models, bright light on roof makes it look bad

Model is too off-centre, the focus is more on the school than on her

Student Magazine Name Ideas

I have brainstormed some names for my student magazine. I thought of 'Recess', which indicates a break from work, which is when the audience will be reading the magazine. It also gives off the impression of relaxation and a student point of view of life, while outside of the classroom. 'The Canteen' and 'The Pencilcase' are both things that students can associate to school life, as the pencil case gets used often in class, and the canteen sells food to the students (and food is always realted to students!) 'The Canteen' also gives off the impression of relaxation as it gets used in breaks between work, and so the target audeince can engage with that. Another idea was 'Pit Stop', which would be good to attract students who work hard and don't often get breaks, as it describes their hard-working lives and they can connect to the magazine in this way. Also, 'Pit Stop' again is an indication of relaxation, and so it will attract students who need a break.

Fonts and Colour Scheme for my Student Magazine

The target audience for my student magazine will obviously be primarily students, with a secondary audience of younger people, who are going to be students in the future. For this reason, I want to engage the audiences with light and bright colours, such as yellows, reds, blues and greens. I have experimented with different fonts for my front cover and contents and I found that Kristen ITC:

Student Student Student Student

was an interesting font, as its flambuoyant style sends out a relaxed and happy message. It is also quite a fun font, which indicates that the magazine will be fun and lively. I tried using different colours from my colour scheme, and I decided that I liked the red and green best, as they are bright and lively, but are more mature than the blue and yellow, which I think would make the pages look more childish, and this is a student magazine after all.

The next font I tried was Juice ITC:

Student Student

Again, this font worked well with the colours red and green as we can see. This font is slimmer and smaller than Kristen ITC, which made it look more mature and serious, and less like the flambuoyancy of the previous font. However, this font still has a bouncy and unique style, which would attract my target audience.

I also tried out Ariel:

Student Student

This font is used a lot in magazines because it is clear and easy to read. It is also nice to look at as it fits in with a variety of styles and genres within the magazine. Again, it worked well with the red and green colouring, and I think it will attract my readers because it is clear and noticeable.

Then I tried out Cooper Black:

Student Student

This font is much bolder than the other fonts I tried, so it will stand out when my target audience look at it. It is also clear and easily readable, which will attract my readers, and it works well with the colour scheme, However, it looks a bit heavy and does not fit in with the relaxed and happy feel I hope to create with my magazine.

I have decided to use Kristen ITC for my front page, and a combination of Ariel and Juice ITC for the contents, as I think that this is the best way to attract my readers and keep their attention. I decided not to use Cooper Black as it was too thick and heavy for the theme in my magazine. I have also decided to use bright red and green for my colour scheme as these worked best with the fonts I tried, and they give off the impression of a relaxed, happy working environment in my opinion.

Student Magazine Analysis

The magazine I've analysed is called 'Impact' - the University of Nottingham's Official Student Magazine.
http://www.impactnottingham.com/

'All About Me' Montage