Date, Price and Barcode

  Today I have been researching where different put their barcode, the date and the prices on their magazine front covers. I have done this so I can get some kind of idea where to put mine.
In the images below the date, price and barcode are circled.

Skyline

The image above is the text that I have added to the purple banner at the top of the front cover of my music magazine. I added this because it informs the reader of what to expect from and inside the magazine. I produced the text by using a font generator on the internet, however when I did this the text was black so I have coloured it blue. the reason I chose blue is because, along with the purple banner behind it, it will really stand out to the readers. I generated each word individually so that I could insert hearts in-between words. I added the hearts to break up the words and to add a bit of individuality and appeal to the magazine.

Front Cover

 

 

  Today I have added information to the little bubble in the bottom left hand corner of the front cover of my music magazine. I created the text for it, again, using a font generator from the internet. I chose to use blue text because it contrasts to the pink behind it, so it adds colour to the cover. I also fell that, along with the colours, the font of the text will appeal to and entice readers to buy the magazine. You will also notice that beside the text I have produced an album cover to demonstrate the article. To produce the album cover I used powerpoint. I coloured the background in purple and added heart shapes all around. I also added a picture of Megan to the album cover which suggest that it is her CD. I took the image on the same day as the rest of my images of the 'girl group'. In this picture Megan looks a bit cheeky which links in to the title that I have given the album, "Cheeky Little Secrets".

Bold Boxes

  The bold boxes scattered around the page I intent to fill with 'smaller' news stories. For example in the large pink box down the right hand side of the double page spread I intend to fill with images of girls dressed up for the R.O.Y.A.L music awards and judgements on what they are wearing.

Competition

 

  I decided to add a competition to the magazine to add even more appeal to it for the audience. it will give people the opportunity to get up close to their favourite girl group, which some young girls would die for and therefore but the magazine simply to try and win. For this reason I will be adding an advertisement of the competition to the front cover of the music magazine.
  I also added a competition to the double page spread as it fits in with the article in addition it brings colour to the page.

  I created the image above by producing two circles, one pastel blue with and shading effect, and the other pink and placing the pink on top of the blue. I chose the colours because they fit in with the theme/colour scheme of the magazine.
  The text on top I produced by using a font generator from the internet again. I used that specific font because I think that it fits in with the idea of a competition and represents it well. You will notice that the name of the band 'crush' is in capital letters and larger than the rest of the text to draw immediate attention to it for 'crush' fans. The competition will also draw attention as the first word in the bubble is 'win' which many people will be drawn to as people love getting things for free.

Star

  I added the star as another attempt to entice the reader into reading the article. This would be the case as I have added "#youhearditherefirst" this suggests that the information enclosed in the article has never been heard before as the girls have never told anyone else. This reaches out to the reader and makes them feel special and like they are connecting with the girls and the magazine. The hash tag feature will also appeal to my young target audience as they all use and love twitter, it also gives them the opportunity to physically connect with the magazine. The star is also a space filler but at the same time adds colour and appeal to the article.

Image

  The image that I have used for the double page spread is of the four girls in the girls group presented on the front cover. The image links in to the title and the content of the text because in the image Megan is standing alone on the far left and the other girls are leaning to the right whispering to one another and at the same time looking shocked at the news that they have just heard from one another. the reader will automatically assume that the three girls are talking about Megan's mystery man first presented in the title. Megan is also standing very boldly and proud with her hip, it is also clear that she can see the girls whispering but she doesn't care because she is pleased with herself.
  The image is very large and in the centre of the double page spread so when the reader turns to this page it is the first thing that their attention is drawn to. I also feel that the image will entice the audience into reading the article.

Content

  Today I have decided that for the content on my double page spread I will produce an interview with the featured girl group 'CRUSH' from the front cover. I have decided to produce an interview because many magazine double page spreads are in interview form. In addition the only other option that I was considering was to do a story on the girl group rather than an interview. I decided against it as I felt an interview was more appropriate for my target audience. In addition I don't think that a story would best fit the magazine.

  In producing the interview I will create it in a question - answer format, the interviewer and interviewees taking it in turns to speak i.e. asking and answering questions. I will present the questions from the interviewer with a large Q and answers from the girl group with a large A.

  In terms of the content of the interview I will need to ensure that I include information that links to my juicy title. I will also give information about other things and brush upon the feature in the title, as this is what, from experience, many popular magazines do.

Title

 The title for my double page spread is "A new man on the horizon for Megan?" The colours that I have used for this are a pastel pink for the text and a pastel blue for the semi-circle behind it. I have specifically chosen these colours because they link back to my front cover and carry the theme through to the double page spread. I also think that these colours will appeal to my target and attract them to the article.

  The text that I have used for the title I produced by using a font generator on the internet. I used this particular font because I feel that it fits in with the content of the article. I also selected it because my target audience will see it as fun and cool.

  For the wording of the title I played around with different headlines that I thought would best suit the article and at the same time appeal to the audience. The title that I have selected presents to the audience the idea of a juicy new story about Megan and her love life, it also adds an element of mystery for them because it doesn't give a lot away. Therefore this entices the reader into reading the article.

Double Page Spread

How do magazines target their audiences?

Progress

Now I have added the text for the girl band and my main image to my magazine front cover. It took me a while playing around with them to try and get them in the right positions so that it looks professional. I have also added two pink (different shades) parts of circles to the bottom left hand corner of the magazine to cover up the missing half of Megan's leg.

 



Images

 Today, using the website previously mentioned, I removed the background from the image that I wish to use as the main image for my front cover.

 

 As you can see, because of where the table was, half of Megan's left leg is missing. I intend to remedy this by putting a pink bubble, with information in, in front of it.

Design

 Today I have continued to put my music magazine together. So far I have edited the original colour for the colour of the column going down the left hand side of the cover. I have changed it from a bolder, deeper blue to a lighter baby blue. I did this as I thought that it would be more age appropriate for my target audience. In addition I feel that it fits in more with my colour scheme and theme.
here is a preview of the magazine so far:

 

 I have also inserted the image of Harriet that I have previously selected. I have placed it in a box with a plain, white background and a pink rim around the edge of the box. I have also put the story concerning Harriet linked to the right of the box. The white text on a block pink background adds a fun, young and poppy element to the magazine. I also feel that both the style and colours used for this will appeal to my target audience.

 

 You will also notice that I have added the banner at the top of the magazine front cover. I have done it so that the banner is purple so that it stands out from the rest of the main cover as the rest of the cover is all pinks and blues. I have also done this as in my research I have noticed that other magazines too used bold or outlandish colours for this banner so that they stand out more.

As you will also have noticed I have slightly tilted the banner so that it is not exactly straight. I think this adds more of a fun element to the magazine, in addition it makes the magazine appear less serious and age appropriate for my target audience.

Font

 For the name of my girl group I want it to be very big and noticeable on the front cover. I also wanted it to be representative of both my music magazine and the girl group. I also want the text to be very big because this would suggest that the girl group is very popular and well known therefore the magazine want to advertise that they have an exclusive with these pop megastars.

 I produced the font by using a font generator on the internet. I copied and pasted the text into a paint document and then filled all of the white patches with a baby blue to give it a more rustic and individual look.

(the title for the

girl group)

 

 I also used a font generator to produce the text introducing the girl group, this is shown below. I selected this font and colour for the text because I feel that it fits in with my theme and colour scheme.

 



Photography

 After I had chosen my main image for the front cover I encountered a few issues. The first being that the girls exceeded the green screen, I knew this would be an issue when I was going to attempt to remove the background. I first tried to remove the background using applications on the desktop, such as PowerPoint, paint and publisher. However when this failed I decided to search the internet to see if I could find anything that would help. to my surprise I found a wonderful website that was easy to use and removed the background wonderfully without leaving any traces of background behind. Below is a screen shot of the website.

 

 The second issue that I encountered was that the table blocked out Megan's leg. This was a fault in my own photography skills that I could have noticed when taking the picture. However it was easy to remove the table using the website mentioned above.

Photography

 

 The image above is the one that I have selected to be on the front cover of my music magazine. I feel that in this image the girls look much more sassy and comfortable in posing for the camera, they look as if they know what they are doing because they have done it many times before. The girls also look like they are comfortable with each other and have know each other which is what I required as I needed them to look like a famous and  professional girl group.

 Another thing that I am pleased with in this image is the effect of the girls' legs crossing over each other, I feel that it will add a more dramatic and professional tone to the magazine.

Photography

 

 I also felt that this image was inappropriate for my magazine, however I am still glad that I took it so that I had a range to choose from. My issue with this one is that Megan (in pink) her head is in the way of our view of the girl behind her (Libby's) head. Also The girls' facial expressions and body language does not suggest that they are pop stars or even comfortable with the situation.

Photography

 

The image above is the first picture that I took of the girls. I didn't think that this image was appropriate for my front cover as I don't think that I have taken it very well. To begin with the camera is not directly in front of the girls, it is slightly to the left, and secondly I don't think that the pose the girls are doing in this image is the best out of all the other poses that we did. However the image is strong as all of the girls have fitted onto the green screen and they are all looking directly down the camera lens.

Photography

  Today I took my pictures of my girl group that will be the main feature on my magazine. I took a number of shot with the girls in a number of positions. Before I took the pictures I already had ideas for a few of the poses that I wanted the girls to pose. I told the girls before we began so they knew what I was expecting of them. I found the photography fun and interesting to do because I enjoyed directing the girls and telling them how to pose/look.

 I was very pleased with the pictures that I took as I felt that when selecting the image for both my front cover and two page spread that I will have a wide range to choose from.
 I looked through all of the pictures that I had taken, once I had uploaded them to the computer, and looked at each one individually to see which one would be suitable for my front cover.

Photography

My next step was no remove the green screen from the background of my image. I found this difficult to do on publisher and powerpoint so I found an internet site that did it perfectly.

Photography

  Today I took some photos for my front cover. I used one of my friends and took the pictures in one of the media rooms in front of  a green screen. I took a number of pictures from different angles so that I would have a wide range to choose from when composing my front cover. I analysed all of the pictures that I took and selected the one that I thought best on my magazine.

(the picture I have used for my front cover)

I also too experimental shots such as the one above which is a low angle or worms-eye view shot.

Girl Group

I have decided to go with a girl group for my front cover. I will dress them all in light pastel colours so that they all look girly and feminine. I will also do their make-up so that it is soft and use light pink lipsticks so that its not too bold and to make them look delicate.

I will be selecting 4 girls to make up my girl group. To take the pictures I will go down to media and use the green screens. I also need to get the girls to wear matching jewellery but ensure that it fits in with the theme. I will be going for the look demonstrated by Little Mix in the image below. Also demonstrated by this image is the plain white background that I want for my front cover.

Main Story


Originally I wanted a boy band as my main feature therefore the main image on my front cover.
I intended to get together a group of four boys and dress them in surfer outfits, so summery t-shirts and Hawaiian shorts. I was also going to insert a tidal wave in front of the boys for a surfing effect.



 

 

 

 

However I decided to change my idea from a boy band to a girl band instead as I did not want the boy band to confuse my target audience which is girls. In addition the boys would not have fitted in with the girly theme that I am going for with my magazine.

Fresh Music

Today I decided that the title I wanted for the side column was "fresh music". For this I felt that I needed to come up with an appropriate yet still professional looking text. I found the text that I wanted then I thought it might be fun to add a glow to it. To my surprise this worked and looked very professional and appropriate for the magazine and representative of the information I want to include in the column.

 

The next step was selecting the colour of the text. This was pretty easy as I alredy knew that I wanted it to be pink as this was my theme colour. Then I thought that it might be a good idea to remove the E from fresh and replace it with a love heart instead I tried it and put it in place on my magazine. I think that it works well so have left it ibn place, I also gave the heart a glow to fit in tith the text.

 

 

Research

Today I decided that I wanted a column along the left hand side of my magazine front cover. In the column I will show smaller music stories and information about celebrities that will be in the magazine. I want it to be similar to the column shown on the magazine below, however mine will run from the top to the bottom of the page.

 

 

I have decided that the column will be a bold blue as I want it to contrast the background behind the image I will be using which will be white. I wan the background to be white as I don't want it too be too much for the reader, also I feel that it will look more professional with a plain background.

Font

Today I decided on the font and exact colour that I will be using for the brand name of my music magazine.

I selected the above font and colour for it as I felt that it best identified my target audience (young teenage girls). I feel that it will draw attention to the magazine as the pink used is very bold, in addition the pattern towards the bottom of the text is very girly and pretty and, I feel, will add a uniqueness to the magazine.

I have also used pink as I want this colour to be a main feature on my front cover. However I had to make sure that it will not make the front cover too cheap and tacky. After placing it on the front cover and experimenting with it I have come to the conclusion that it is not.

Today I have been putting together my music magazine and playing around with the layout.



Experimental Images

  Today, in lesson time, me and some fellow media students went down to one of the media rooms where we all took it in turns to take some pictures of one another. The purpose of this was to experiment and to see what type of picture angles, what types of background and what poses would look good and what would best fit our magazines. I wanted to make sure that I did this before I start to take actual pictures for the magazine so that I am not wasting the time of my models and so that I can get used to the camera. I also wanted to see what the images would look like on the computer. Below are a few examples of the type of images that I took:

As you can see from the final image I also experimented with various effects such as blowing the girls with wind for the effect on their hair.

Evaluation

Today I evaluated a music magazine front cover. The magazine I chose was Rolling Stone and the issue had Taylor Swift as the main feature.

Music Magazine Research

Today I have been looking at different pop magazines that are aimed at young girls. I have been looking at the colours they have used i.e background colours, the layout of the front cover and other devices/techniques that hey have used for a successful front cover, below are a few examples.

 

 

 

 

I was also considering what type of models I was going to use and whether I wanted a boyband or solo artist on the front cover. Today's research has also given me insight into how the design and layout of the front page will immediately effect who the target audience are and people's first opinions of the magazine.

 

Today I have been experimenting with text fonts and name ideas for my music magazine. I have also been experimenting with different colours.

 Planning my media product 

  Today we were given the following information to help us to begin to prepare and construct our music magazines.