FRONT COVER- FIRST DRAFT

FRONT COVER

CHOSEN NAME DESIGN

CHOSEN NAME DESIGN

NAME DESIGNS

Now I had my chosen name, I wanted to collect together a few different designs which I could use to convey the title in. I wanted the title of my magazine to make a statement and not look boring, unnoticeable and dull. I wanted it to look bold and in hope that it would stop people who would the want to buy the magazine.
I designed a few a came up with these:

NAME DESIGNS

CHOSEN TITLE

After considering all the names I thought of, I came to a decision based on what I thought would be both catchy, and the most meaningful. The one I chose, to me sounded the most snappy and what I considered would be the best one. I abbreviated it so it wasnt a lnog title but I still plan to include what it stands for either under the title or somewhere aroud it. I took my influence for my title from the first magazine i analysed earlier- NME. I did this because I like how it is just initials and still manages to be snappy, but then stood for a whole wider meaning I wanted to do something similar but obviously not copy, so came up with my own.

I chose-  ETM
               Embrace The Music

Whether or not this will actually work when I come to piece up my magazine together, only time will tell however I can change it a later date if it doesnt work as well i had hoped!

TITLE IDEAS

The next step was to think up of a few names that I could call my Music Magazine. I wanted to get more than one so that I had a choice and wasn't just tied to one name. Also, to see them all together and try to imagine which one would sound better. These are what i came up:

TITLE IDEAS

MOCK-UPS

Before I could start building up my actual front cover, contentspage  and double page spread: I had to create mock-ups so that I could follow guidelines to make my magazine the best I could. Below are my three finished, very basic mock-ups.

FRONT COVER

CONTENTS

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

CLASH

FRONT COVER

Language- The most striking feature of this front cover is the fact the background is bright blue and looks really powerful. Its very plain but this makes it effective at the same time. Connotations of blue are normally sadness which maybe explains the expression on the models face. I don't really think of this as sadness, but when i look at this i think of it as more of an electric blue, making the cover look exciting. I can tell by the blue background, that this image was shot in a studio as there is no natural background to the image itself. This then immediately informs me that the magazine is professional and maybe has alot of experience- therefore promoting the magazine to look like its one of the best being published at this given time. The image is also shot as a medium close-up as i can see everything from the models waist upwards. This creates a more personal tone and allows the reader to engage and interact more with the artists being featured. The image itself, looks quite solemn and unhappy, portraying a stern and grumpy expression. This then tells me that its a more serious magazine, and won't contain quizzes and competitions.  Across the top of the magazine, from left to right is a huge, white, bold title displayed and written in capital letters. The capital letters are used to create emphasis and they certainly do the job. They shout out to the audience and almost make them read it- it also looks intimidating as if its a must that you read it. The fact that its a white colour against a bright blue background makes the title stand out an incredible amount. If the text was written in dark blue or purple etc, the reader would have great trouble trying to figure out what it said, however the white against the blue makes it a hundred times easier and also looks intriguing. The magazine is called "Clash"- and for me, i actually think it sounds like something is clashing. This is called personification and the magazine uses this very well. Music is all about the noise which is created by instruments and when i say: "Clash" i immediately imagine drums or symbols clashing together to make the music! I think this creates wonderful effect and works really well with the genre of the magazine. As usual, the magazine has a barcode label and also a price paired together. They are placed at the top right hand side of the cover, at the readers eye level, making sure they definitely won't miss it. All magazines have this so the reader doesn't really need to acknowledge it. It just informs them that the magazine isn't free and allows them to pay for it without difficulty.  The main sell-line, is in red and again stands out to the readers eye. This symbolises importance and screams out to the reader that they must read it. The red also works well against the blue background and again doesn't cause any trouble when the reader comes to read it. The main text on the front cover reads: "Arcade Fire" and this identifies the artist featured in the edition of the magazine. It identifies the artist in case any member of the audience isn't sure who it is so they can then remember it and use it in future preference. It makes the artist more well known, spreads the name around and also bases around this magazine, promoting the magazine as individual.  The cover artist is wearing all black, additionally making it stand out against the blue background and making the artist look important to any one reading the magazine. The artist is placed in the foreground. When i think of black, to most people it usually symbolises darkness and even death, so when i noticed that the cover artist is wearing black, to me, it tells the reader that this man is of a darker genre and even maybe a mysterious character. Basically, it just emphasises the artist in the foreground and definitely makes him stand out to the readers eye, putting great emphasis to the image itself rather than any surrounding text.  If this was a pop magazine, the cover artist would be looking ecstatic or happy, and sucking a lollipop or be based with candy etc, however the fact that this cover artist looks solemn and mysterious immediately tells me that the genre isn't pop but a more indie/rock approach. Indie and rock music isn't generally happy music therefore the unhappy artist on the cover hints that is maybe a rock/indie magazine. All the text that is placed on the front cover is either in black, white or red- all contrasting however working well with each other and creating effect on a huge scale. As the three colours are repeated and the magazine doesn't use different multi-colours all over the cover, it looks organized and structured- creating a professional approach and ordered to the best of the effect. Also, if the colours didn't match and they were multi-coloured it would look shabby and scruffy and basically not professional at all, therefore these colours add to the upper market effect that the magazine already creates.

Ideology-  Along with every other music magazine around, the main belief behind them is going to be music and how it changes lives. With this magazine, there aren't many images and as the background is just plain, i can't really gather up any beliefs from the cover alone. This means that the best i can do is guess and go with what the majority of music magazines subside. Therefore, i would say that music is a strong belief and how much of an impression it has on people and the lives they lead. Also, the belief that music is the key to success and the key to your soul.

Institution- Unlike the other magazines which belong to major publishing companies, 'Clash' is an independent media group with platforms in both digital print and media. It belongs with clashmedia.com and specialises in festivals etc. "Clash has consolidated its position as a leading UK and international title within the music, fashion and film sectors."

(Information extracted from - http://www.clashmusic.com/about-us)

Audience-  As this is an indie based magazine, the main audience sector would piece from any indie fans that are interested in not only music, but festivals and even fashion etc. I suspect maybe a younger generation as compared to an older age group and possibly a bigger ratio of males to females as girls stereotypically prefer pop music to indie/rock. I would definitely suggest that alot of females buy and enjoy this magazine as well as males, however when looking at the customers on a whole, i would expect to see a majority of males to females. I think the main age group which would tend to buy this would be old teenagers to young adults- for instance around the ages of 19-28. I don't generally think its an old magazine due to the artist on the cover as he doesn't look old, however he doesn't look young either.

Representation-  If i didn't know this was a music magazine, i wouldn't be able to tell, because there isn't any sign of music or any images of artists singing or playing instruments etc. Therefore i can't really comment on how music is represented- because to me, it isn't. I would say the older teenager is represented by the photograph being of an older teenager bordering on an young adult. The fierceness of indie/rock music is possibly represented by the red text as red associates itself with fire and danger- so it hints that the music contained and featured is maybe abit wild. The fact that the magazine is maybe pushed over to the male audience more than the females is represented by the blue background and the fact the model is a man himself. Most people associate boys with blue and girls with pink, therefore the fact that the whole background and lot of the whole cover is blue represents the feeling that its more for males than females.

CONTENTS PAGE

Language- The most striking thing on this contents page is the amount of different colours that are used throughout the entire double page spread.  In total, there are more than 7 colours that are placed all over the contents page. This makes it seem exciting and looks bright instead of dull and boring. It also tells the audience that this is a happy magazine, something which wasn't maybe portrayed through the front cover. It also hints that its got a female side to it as well as a male majority like i discussed earlier. The different colours such as pink and  red give it a feminine touch, attracting in the female audience too.  I counted up the total images used on this contents page and in total, there are about 8 different images. This also adds to the excitement that this page is building and makes it more interesting for the audience- rather than looking at the same audience over and over again. This way they can spend time looking at the different images and then feel the need to buy it next time. It also makes it not boring and monotone, it gives it that extra bit of 'umphh' that some magazine lack by the few images they use.  The "Contents" word that is placed centre page at the top is written and styled in huge black, capital letters. The capital letters are there to create emphasis and make it stand out more over the white background its placed on. This is also the biggest text on the page therefore signalling to the reader that its important. Almost straight away, the reader will look at this and recognise that this is the contents page and they won't need to spend time trying to find it, because its plainly says so.  The background of the contents page is in white, making everything in the foreground easy to read and stand out. For example, if the background was purple, some readers may find it hard, and white is a scientifically tested colour that its the easiest colour to read off. Similarly the text is all in black, contrasting with the white background and making it 10x as easier to read against the white- as opposed to blue or yellow where it wouldn't show up. Instead of having all the page listings under one big list, they have decided to break it down into sub-headings and then list the page reference. I think this is very wise as it makes it easier to allocate the page your looking for. Placed all over the contents page are circles that are different colours, these attract attention and catch the readers eye. This could be signalling that these are the most important and even special features of this weeks edition and this way the reader is more likely than not, to notice and read them.  In the eight images, they all feature either black or white people, therefore showing diversity and even representing that this is a magazine for anybody and it supports anybody- something in which is extremely important in this day and age, also something in which many people and things are lacking to the day- equal rights. Finally, most contents pages of magazine are only one page, usually of an A4 size. However this magazine spreads its contents over a double page spread, could be a result of the fact there are alot of contents, they didn't want it to look 'too busy' or simply because it looked better. Either way, it works very well.



DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Language-  The double page spread is set upon a white background, immediately going to make anything that appears in the foreground stand out against it. This works well as it is guaranteed that most text will be read-able, unless of course if the text is then selected in creme or yellow. Evidently, the text they have used is actually in black, of course allowing the reader to be able to read with any problems what-so-ever. The black text contrasts with the white background, but they work every effectively and also show diversity and equality within everybody. The main image is obviously of an artist and he is holding a guitar. It is shot as a medium close-up allowing it to feel more personal to the reader and making the reader feel as though they are there taking the photograph. The fact that the image of the artist has been cut out and placed upon this white background, informs me and the reader that i was most probably took in a studio, creating a formal and professional approach to it. The main image is then edited into black and white, making anything that appears i colour to stand out a heck of alot. And subsequently, there is red text upon that very picture, that just as i thought, stands out incredibly well to any one reading the article. Red signifies importance, therefore signalling o the reader that this article is important, in hope that they will then read the article. To the left of the image of the artist, is says- "Jonny Cash". Immediately, this identifies the artist in the image for anyone who wasn't already aware of what he was called. I then noticed how the main slogan- "Draw the Line" linked i incredibly well with the image behind the artists photograph. To me, it looks like a drawing of maybe a  monster or a dragon, and the fact that the title is about drawing makes it all fit together very well. Obviously this was done deliberately, but in a clever way that interacts with the audience and engages them with a passion.

Representation- This is an article about a musician and of course it features in a music magazine, this is represented by- a) the photo of a musician and- b) the fact there is a guitar in the photograph. I have not seen many magazine with an actual instrument posed the way this one does, but it looks effective and represents that this in fact a music magazine and doesn't allow the reader to forget this.



KERRANG

FRONT COVER

Language-  Nearly fulfilling the entire front cover, the main image is of the featured band - "My Chemical Romance". Without a doubt, this immediately inform the reader who the weekly edition is going to be based around. Evidently, if a member of the public audience doesn't like that particular band that week, they just don't buy it. The band, are dressed in all black colours, however the band member in the the center page, is the only person with red hair, immediately standing out and drawing in the readers eye to that particular band member. This could be telling the reader that this person is the main singer and artist in the band. Additionally, the red colour has many connotations, for example: danger, warning, excitement, high risk and dangerous etc- also bringing excitement and danger to the magazine. The main image looks as though its been shot in a studio- suggesting a professional magazine and upper market product. Its also been shot as a medium close-up so the audience feels as thought they are maybe in the image with them as it was took- involving the target audience, making it feel more personally aimed at the reader individually. Throughout the whole front cover, the chosen colours all clash together and contrast- each adding excitement, and again drawing in the readers eye. For example, blue, red, black, yellow, white, orange and probably many more all appear somewhere, no matter how big or small they are on the front cover design. Although the reader may not take this in straight away, they all work very well together- rather than only being one or two colours (which would just look boring!).  In the centre page, a huge blue banner stretches from the left hand side of the page across to the right hand side and clearly states in white text- "My Chemical Romance".  In case the readers and audience didn't already know, this just identifies the main cover artist and allows an insight to what is included in the magazine. The blue colour used for the banner is also used at the bottom and the top of the age, gain acting as some sort of banner- which then again, has white writing on it. The blue and the white work very well together and make it easy for the audience to read. The main masthead is plastered at the top of the front cover and states- "Kerrang". This puts its name on the magazine so the readers and audience know what magazine they're buying, as well as making the "Kerrang" name more well known. It is also placed in this position so  that when the magazine is stacked in a magazine stack, the title of the magazine is still visible to passers by and will hopefully draw in the readers eye. Also, if a person cant decide what magazine to buy, and the other competitors main masthead is not visible, than this one is more likely to catch the eye and then be sold. It also looks more professional and upper-class.

As well as the main image on the front cover of the band, there are also a further four images along the bottom. These inform the reader what else is in the magazine and what they can expect to find. This would work well if a reader didn't like the cover artist and wasn't prepared to buy the magazine, however they then noticed different cover lines and cover stories along the bottom, with artists they did like, then leading to further sales than if there was no other artists visible on the cover.

Just above- "My Chemical Romance", there is a red circle with yellow writing. The fact that its red, tells the reader its important leading to them reading it and taking note. Connotations of red are warning and danger, therefore catching the readers eye and immediately making them notice it. The yellow and white writing inside the red circle, also work well at drawing in the audience and the text is very easy to read.

There is also a barcode in the bottom right hand corner. Barcodes are something in which practically every magazine will have so its an expected convention of a magazine. The reader won't even notice it because its so recognized, however it will also be paired with a price, telling the reader and the person selling it how much it is and how to buy it etc.

The main background on the cover is in white, however when looking at the main image, text, cover lines, barcode etc: you don't really seem to notice it much as its not that visible. The fact that's its white, simply makes everything in the foreground stand out more, creating emphasis and making everything in the foreground seem alot more important.

Ideology- The fact that 'Kerrang' is a music magazine, there has to be the belief of how good music actually is. Therefore, it is clear that the main ideology behind the magazine is simply- music. The cover artists are a band, not an individual artist, but a band of four all working together. I then presume that they believe in teamwork and building up your success together and as part of a team. This then leads me on to presume friendship is a big belief behind the magazine.

Institution- 'Kerrang' is published under a huge publishing company named- 'Bauer Media Group'. One of the three main publishing companies, it produces around 38 million magazines a week! It is a German company and s based in Hamburg, Germany. Bauer operates in over 15 countries worldwide- produces extremely well-known and successful products such as "Q", "Take a Break", "TV Choice" and "Bella" etc. Kerrang is one of their most successful products.

(Taken and extracted from a wikipedia search of 'Bauer Media Group' - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauer_Media_Group)

Audience- Bauer media describes Kerrangs audience as - "Individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty" (http://www.bauermedia.co.uk/Brands/Kerrang/). Thinking more logically, i would have thought that Kerrang is aimed at both a female and male audience but if i was to choose one over the other, i would say it leans over the the male side a little bit more. I presume this purely on the fact that stereotypically, girls tend to like a more 'poppy' music and generally more up-beat genre, as to males who stereotypically prefer louder and deeper music. Of course, this is not the case for every single males and females as some males prefer pop and some females prefer indie or rock. I would also say that Kerrand is aimed at a youngish audience as compared to an older audience. For instance, i would categorize it in the category of maybe 16-25 year old, pushing the boundaries either way by maybe a year or two. It completely depends on simply what the audience likes as to what magazine they buy. Obviously, the magazine is aimed at rock/indie music lovers more than other categories.

Representation- The obvious fact that is in indeed a music magazine, is clearly represented by the fact a music band/artists take up the whole front cover- telling the reader this is a music magazine and not a celebrity gossip magazine. That feeling of teamwork is also represented by the fact there are more than one person in the featured band and there is in fact a total of four people- also backing that feeling of friendship. The younger target audience is also represented through the artist being young and not old. This immediately hints that the magazine is targeted at the younger audience rather than an older generation. Lastly, the fact that the cover artists are all male, backs up what i said in 'Audience' as that i think it would appeal more to males than females. The producers and editors could have done this judging by stereotypes or maybe a poll they have taken but it definitely says to me that males are more likely to read it.



CONTENTS PAGE

Language- All together, there are about 12 images, placed all over this contents page. This is alot of images to just have on the contents page and creates a huge amount of things to look at for the reader. They are all of music artists, whether they are individual or in a band and are mainly all in colour. The main image, however covers about half of the page (top half) and is taken as a natural shot, as opposed to in a studio. When i first looked at this, it created the feeling, for me that i was stood there watching him in the crowd. I think i thought this because it looks as though the camera is looking up at him from a lower level, therefore resembling the viewpoint as if i was actually in the crowd. The text on the contents is in both white, yellow and also black. These work well together and they all base on the each different colour. For example; the yellow writing would be on the black background, the white text would be on black, and black would be on yellow or white. There is also quite alot of red too. Red is a very striking colour and normally resembles something important, therefore telling the reader that this piece of information is important to read. The page numbers section is set out like you would expect to find, and is formatted as just list and page numbers. Instead of having it all in one huge list though, they have broken it down into categories and then have chosen smaller lists under each. For example: "Feedback", "News" and "Win" are all sub-headings to which they then compile a list of page numbers underneath. Along the left hand side, there also seems to be a short letter from one of the team member behind the magazine, addressed to the reader. This makes it feel more personal and makes the reader feel alot more involved- as though the member has written a personal letter to every one who buys the magazine. Along with the letter, there is also a photograph of what clearly is the person who wrote the letter. Again, this makes it feel even more personal as you actually know what this person looks like and can actually imagine her in your mind. I think this is a really friendly touch to the page and makes the reader feel very comfortable reading it as if they actually know the publishers and editors.

Ideology- The ideology of the contents page is basically the same as the front cover. The belief of music is very important and again i would agree with saying this conveys a strong feeling of friendship and teamwork.

Representation- The knowledge of music is represented through the different artists shown on the contents page and the images they are shown by. As this is a music magazine, of course these images represent that by being involved with the music industry of today. I would definitely say that feeling of team work is portrayed here too, as you can see the letter from the person working at the publishing company. This gives off the friendly vibe and represents that this is a friendly magazine, whilst also representing the fact of teamwork- teamwork can make you successful and teamwork produced this magazine.



DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Language- So straight away, the audience is drawn to the main image that appears on the right hand side of the double page spread. It took me a while to notice how the image on the front cover is exactly the same to the image shown here, something which is not that common. Most magazines have a variety of images and use different ones for different pages. They may have used the same image for a number of reasons being: a) this image suited everything the best- b) shows continuity: c) makes it easier for the audience to recognise from the front cover therefore revealing identity- d) that was simply the best picture- and probably many more reasons- which we, the reader will most likely never know. As this is also the only image we see on the double page spread it adds more emphasis onto the band and takes the distraction off looking at the other images. As we saw on the front cover, the band member who appears right at the front, has red hair as opposed to everyone else who is either wearing black or have black hair. This stands out an incredible amount and puts emphasis on the fact he's the main singer of the band. Red also symbolises importance and even danger, giving it an exciting vibe and also a 'must read' feeling to it. To show continuity, the member to the left of him is also wearing a red watch, exactly the same shade of red to the singers hair. This works very well and makes the feeling of importance feel much stronger and creates a whole new effect. On the right hand side with the image, the background colour is white but you don't really see much due to the image in the foreground covering it up. This tells me it was shot in a studio and not just in the street- telling me its professional- promoting the magazine at the same time. It also puts emphasis on the characters in the foreground and makes them look important. The person in the centre, the same character who has the red hair also is posed with his hand forward slightly. To me, this looks as though the hand is coming out of the page into the reader. I then thought that this created a connection with the artists and the readers, making it feel more personal and even exciting. It looks as though you are there with them and he is reaching out to touch you, something which i thought worked really well. The main colours on the left hand side of the double page spread are green, black and white and they really contrast, but contrast well to create maximum effect. They all stand out particularly well and look really unique and powerful. The green colour especially stands out to me as it appears right down the middle of the page, as a lightning bolt, separating the image from the text. Connotations of green are fresh, neutral and equality- something which this is trying to tell the audience That this band is fresh, meaning they are young and have new music to share and they are neutral meaning people of all sexes, age group etc can like them. The colour used in the lightning bolt is then used again the colour some of the text we see on the left side. This shows continuity again and the repetition of emotions. It also stands out against the dark background its placed upon and makes it visible and incredibly easy to read and understand without squinting to the eyes. "My Chemical Romance" is stated just under the main sell line and serves the purpose of identity. It simply lets the audience know who the article is about and so we can put a name to the image on the other side of the page. When i look at this, i also feel like the editor/producers have formatted it to make it look like a comic book. Due to the lightning strike and the contrasting colours, they all make it look exciting, something which you'd find in practically every comic book.

Representation- The feeling of teamwork again is represented by an image of four people rather than one together making success. Also, the fact that the article is about 'My Chemical Romance' is then represented by a photograph of 'My Chemical Romance' and lastly, the feeling of freshness, new music and equality is represented by the green colour along with the contrast of all colours representing excitement.

 

NME

FRONT COVER

Language- The magazine's main Masthead is featured in the top left hand corner of the front cover and clearly states- 'NME'. Not only does this allow us to identify the magazine we are reading and are in fact about to buy, it makes it incredibly easy to maybe read in a magazine stack or under a pile of other magazines or items. When this magazine was being produced, the editor will have done this deliberately so that it was easily identifiable in shops and grabbed the readers attention over others whose title featured at the bottom or in the centre etc. NME stands for 'new musical express' and if you look just under the masthead, you can in fact see that this has been written on the cover, this will have also been done specifically on purpose to make the magazine more well-known and so that the readers new what it stood for when they purchased the product. The masthead is one of the most striking language features on the front cover, as it is in huge, bold, capital letters and is coloured in white. The immediately clashes with the background of the magazine as it is in fact dark blue. These two contrasting colours work very well together and you, the reader, have no trouble trying to read the writing. For example, if the writing was in black against the same dark blue background, it would most definitely not have the same effect, and the reader would be squinting and straining their eyes to attempt to read it.

The main sell-line is also extremely easy to read and you would be able to read what it says from a long way away. The main sell line reads: "40 years of Glastonbury/ The worlds greatest festival". This is located band in the middle, centre page of the front cover, immediately being one of the first things the audience will read. This is obviously because its the most important thing in the issue and even what the magazine focuses upon through the whole article. In a way, this centre sell-line not only promotes Glastonbury and raises awareness of it, it also gives the magazine a good name as being 'in with it' and 'in the know' of possibly the biggest British festival of the decade if not century. The producers know their target audience and use this event to their advantages and strengths. So, the centre staging of the sell-line, does in fact own the front cover and grabs interest from a range of viewers. Like the masthead, it is seen in white and also orange! These colours contrast so well against each other and stand out so effectively its hard for any passer by to not be drawn in by the bold colours. The orange, as well as the white stands out an incredible amount compared to the dark blue background. There is also a green pattern placed behind this main sell-line, sort of drawing in the readers eyes to read the sell-line, if the reader didn't notice before, the green pattern ensures  the public eye to be drawn in. Again, the green colour contrasts with the dark blue background, only adding yet more on the magazine as a whole.

There is one main photograph situated on the front cover as you can see above, it is in fact Glastonbury itself. I think this is used so that if anybody happens to not know what the festival is, they can associate it with that photo. As you can see, its not taken in a  studio and it's not taken as a professional studio shot. It looks as thought maybe someone from the festival in the crowd has taken it and sent it in, bringing across that naturalness and also 'what you see is what you get'. It also makes the reader feel as though they are there in the crowd, just another spectator among thousands of others, something in which i think works really effectively as it gives a real insight into the atmosphere and goings on at Glastonbury. It looks exciting and this promotes the festival. The image also looks like it was taken on an evening, also backing up that idea of excitement, as on the whole, youths like to be involved on a night time. The photograph is taken as a long shot, representing that idea of being in the crowd and to me, looks as though the camera has been placed on the floor or a lower surface as it would be if someone is holding it. I feel as though when i loom at the image, I'm looking up at the stage as though I'm sat down and this works really well, as again, it makes you feel as though you are there yourself, even though your not.  On top of, the fact it looks up to the stage, makes the stage look dominant and great- promoting the festival and making it look spectacular and magnificent. If the image was placed on the front cover by itself, and as above, the sell line wasn't placed in the centre of the page, on top of the image, the reader wouldn't have a clue what the image was of- however, the fact it states that it is 'Glastonbury' we, the reader can immediately put a name to it straight away and doesn't waste time wondering where or what it is, we just buy the magazine: It identifies the photo.

    All text and writing on the page, is either in orange or white; there is no other colour used at all. This shows continuity throughout the cover and suggests a more professional magazine as opposed to a magazine which uses multi-coloured text. This wouldn't look very good and would come across untidy- therefore, the two extremely contrasting colours look professional and worth reading.

On the cover, i noticed there are also  items we, the reader would expect to see ob the cover of any magazine- something which we, the audience has come to just expect and assume as the years have gone on. For example, the date of the magazine being published and the week it came out for sale is visible: in this instance it can be seen in the top left hand corner just above the main masthead ("26 June 2010"). Next to this, is also a price, another language feature we just expect to see- ("£2.30").  Thirdly, in the bottom right hand corner of the cover, is a barcode- of course how we buy the magazine.

Along the very top of the cover, there is a huge advertisement of Glastonbury- "Glastonbury Special". I think this was also placed there so it could been from a magazine stack. This way, without picking up the magazine to actually read, the audience could immediately see what the magazine was focused upon in that issue. Underneath this is the statement- "40th Anniversary Issue": this promotes that edition and makes it sound special so the audience will want to own a special edition, they will then buy it.

Down the right hand side are four separate images, all of different artists that are actually attending Glastonbury. The read will want to find out who else is going to be playing at the festival- therefore would then read or buy the magazine in order to find out more. I see this as a kind of a teaser to the audience as it only reveals certain acts and not all of them  on the other hand something in which i would think is very powerful and boosts up alot of their sales. To back this up, above this column, there is another box which says "Preview/ who will be the stars of Glasto 2010". This alone would have made the readers want to find out more and in fact find out who the stars of 2010 are, but instead, they then insert images of only a few acts- teasing the audience, making them then want to purchase and find out more.

Down the left hand side of the cover, the reader learns that in the magazine there will be photos of the "most historic glasto sets"- as to any fan this is interesting and will again, make them want to read it and look- therefore leading to them buying the magazine.

Institution- NME may be the name of the magazine, however the actual publisher and institution of the magazine is IPC Media. IPC Media is one of the three main publishing companies/institution of this time and is extremely successful. All together, IPC produces over 85 extremely successful magazine brand names! IPC focuses on three main target audience, women men and upmarket women.

( Information researched and extracted from: http://www.ipcmedia.com/about/)

Ideology- As this i a music magazine, i think it's pretty clear that their main belief is about music being the power behind everything.  This edition imparticular, is focused around Glastonbury, therefore i think the beliefs behind this is that Glastonbury and festivals in general are the way forward, whether its to present and express your own music to crowds of thousands, or whether its to attend and experience  and watch artists sharing their worlds with you.  I also thinks its about fun and enjoyment and enjoying time with your friends, family and meeting new people- all around the music industry.  Overall, i would say magazines want you to understand the importance of music and how to be successful is through a career in music- something in which is portrayed through this music magazine.

Audience-  Obviously, the audience of this magazine is music fans! However, when breaking down which music fans would read this magazine, i would have to say I imagine a much bigger proportion of younger people to older people would purchase and read this magazine- purely because, NME is all about new music and generalizes around youth; older people tend to stick to their music and not listen to new music. I do think that maybe a few older people would still read this if their children, younger relatives or friends had this magazine lying around- however not going out to buy themselves. It appeals to both females and males, however again, if i had to choose i would say probably more boys would buy and read this magazine as opposed to girls, stereotypically, girls are generally into pop or dance music but i still definitely think alot of females would buy this magazine and are huge fans of the product. Categorising the age groups, i would have though that possibly the age range of around 17-25 year olds would buy this more than other age ranges.

Representation-  This edition of the magazine features purely on Glastonbury. This is represented by the front cover being dominated by a huge photograph, taken from a previous Glastonbury. As there is no model or artist featured on the front, representing males, females, genre's its hard to point out anything representing anything apart from the photo representing Glastonbury! However, the artists who have images on the cover such as Florence, Muse the Gorillaz or Dead Weather, these are all fairly young artists- therefore representing that the magazine is aimed at young people as opposed to old people.



CONTENTS PAGE

Language- The contents page is set upon a white background,contrasting very well with the black text in the foreground. All the text is in black, immediately creating emphasis and drawing in the audience's eye to the contents page. Aswell as being in black, the text used appears to be in bold and mainly all capital letters. This is again, contributing to the effect and making it all the more powerful.
All together, there are eight main images used in the contents page: each showing a different subject or act that will be attending Glastonbury. They are also all in colour, apart from one image, which happens to be the centre image and also the biggest on the page. The images in colour, happen to sort of ring around the black and white image- also creating effect that the centre image is the most important article to read.

"Inside this week" is spread across the top of the page in huge black capital letters. This masthead identifies to the reader that this is in fact the contents page so they're not spending ages, trying to find it. Alot of magazines just say: "Contents"- making this magazine abit different from the rest and seperate from others in similarities. As NME is a huge magazine, i think this is important they have their individual, unique appoach and maybe this is it. It also doesn't follow the trend, therefore isn't boring in the sense of being the same as every other magazine.

The images on the contents page, all have page references in the bottom right hand corner, again in big, bold letters. Like the "Inside this week"- the page numbers in fact doesn't have a list of articles them pair with: "page-", like alot of magazines do, they rely on the fact they know that the audience will have the knowledge to automatically assume the numbers are the page numbers. This also demonstrates continuity: building up more effect.

Three of the images, are shot as medium close-ups- allowing us to identify the artist more and study his appearance, who it actually is, and their style for maybe our own influence. It also feels more personal and the reader feels more involved-as though they are stood opposite the person, even having a casual conversation with them. Underneath every image, is a quotation from the artist, based on what they have recently said. This also contributes to that feeling of it being more personal and directed at the reader. Aswell as feeling like you are stood opposite them, you then feel as though they are maybe talking to you, making the reader feel even more involved. The centre image talks about just Glastonbury as a whole, whilst the other images are focused on individual artists.

Funnily enough, even though this is a music magazine, only two of these images actually features a musical instrument.
Lastly,"Plus" lists some more contents within the magazine and tells them where to look with the page numbers.

Ideology- The beliefs of the contents page are pretty much the same as the front cover. Again, the belief that music is a pure passion and the best way to have fun is through music is portrayed through the many photographs of music related images. Glastonbury is also strongly conveyed again, representing the fact that festivals in general are fun and worth the money- trying to get people to attend.

Representation- Music is represented through the eight images of music related photos. Also, Glastonbury is represented again through the many image used, each showing different parts of Glastonbury, making it look and feel exciting. The front cover didn't really portray a particular age range, but the contents does a little bit more. The photographs are based around young people, representing that the magazine is mainly aimed at youth and the younger generations-as compared to older age ranges. The majority of the images at 6 to 2, are men while only one photograph actually has a woman in it. This could maybe be representing the fact the magazine is more aimed at males than females, but the fact there is one woman: Florence, opens up that appeal to females too.



DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

Language-  Immediately, the entire left side of the double page spread is taken up by one main image- subsequently of a singer at a previous Glastonbury festival. The image is in colour and works well at drawing in the readers eye. The crowds in the background, appear to a little bit blurred, therefore adding emphasis onto to singer- the main focus of the double page spread. Also on the left page, is the headline/masthead saying- "Upfront" in huge, block capital letter and also appears in a striking white colour. All these factors, allow the human eye to fully understand what the writing is saying: as compared to whether if it was in black, was small and not in bold, meaning people would have huge problems trying to read the words. On top of this, the general background tone on the image is a dark, deep colour- again contributing to the huge effect the bold white writing  has.
On the right hand side of the double page spread, the reader see's there are two individual images that are featured. Again, they are both featured around Glastonbury and look as though they have been taken from a previous concert/festival. When the images are compared to one another, i noticed that they both clash and contrast in the main colours they appear in. For instance, the top image is mainly a red colour, whereas the below image is mainly a blue colour. This may not represent anything important however, they do create an exciting and interesting vibe to the reader, and sort of 'big up' Glastonbury alot- making it seem exciting, of course attracting people to attend the event. The text on the right hand side is actually quite small and maybe difficult for some readers to read. However, the text is written in black, against a white background, making it easier and of course making it stand out too. There is a single strip of text that is in pink, definitely standing out to the rest of the text. This could have been done for a number of reasons, for example: a) could be an important section of text that is a 'must read' - b) could overview the whole article briefly - c) could tell the reader what the article focuses around, saving them from reading the whole, article - d) could be a quote from a particular artist - etc! There are many reason why this could be! The pinkish colour, is also repeated at the top of the right hand side, this show continuity and also adding emphasis. Connotations of pink are additionally a friendly and welcoming approach, therefore representing that Glastonbury is a friendly and positive place to be. Also, as i mentioned earlier the feeling that its an event for only men or a magazine for mainly men, this pink colour being repeated, opens up the appeal to a female audience and invites a wider range of people to become interested.

Ideology-   Again, the belief of festivals is represented by more photographs of Glastonbury- the biggest music festival around. Also, the idea of music being 'the way forward' is again represented by photographs of musis artists singing and playing instruments.







Analysis of 3 Music Magazines



In order for me to produce a music magazine to the best of my ability, i am going to write an analytical piece on each of 3 successful and well known music magazines that are still being produced to this day. I will choose the 3 magazines, from which i think relate the best to my chosen genre- 'indie'.

I am going to analyse the following three:

• NME
• Kerrang
• Clash



Music Magazine Genre and Genre Research

What is the chosen genre, which your magazine will focus upon?

I have decided to base the genre of my music magazine upon 'Indie'. I have chosen this genre because I think I will be able to present it better than i would other genres. I originally wanted to do 'dance-pop', but then when I thought about it, I came to realise that I wouldn't be able to portray it or bring it across very well as I maybe would compared to 'Indie'. Therefore, I finally decided to do 'Indie'.

What are the key features of this genre (i.e what are the main cultural and musical elements of this genre that give it its own individual appeal- how does this genre represent itself)?
'Indie' music is basically 'independant music', therefore artists associated with this genre tend to be less staged as a 'pop' artist would be. A 'pop' artist would be alot more manufactured and rehearsed than an 'indie' artist would be, because they are independent and work for themselves, generally doing all the work on their own and not having teams of large numbers working behind them. Key features of this genre would definitely be that Independence and the fact they associate and belong with small music labels, as opposed to huge, major music labels in the music industry. 'Indie' artists will probably also have less money than major names in the music business that fall under 'Pop', they wont be as well known and they will struggle alot more with getting by in life. Successful 'Pop' artists that are huge and extremely well known, will probably always belong to a  famous record label alongside other huge artists, and they'll all know each other and maybe work together abit more than 'Indie' artists would. 'Indie' artists keep themselves to themselves and only extremely successful ones might belong to major record labels, i think that's a key feature of 'Indie' music. The music is nearly always played with guitars mainly and follow a more relaxed however heavy rhythm to the tune of the song. Songs produced by 'Indie' artists wont be as hyped-up and happy-go-lucky as 'Pop' music would be, and would follow a lower beat and maybe a more down-to-earth approach to their songs, giving the themselves identity, making themselves different from the rest such as really famous artists, of course making themselves individual. The genre represents itself through guitars and the particular clothing they wear. 'Indie' artists tend to wear vintage-style clothes such as drainpipes and checked shirts etc, as opposed to hardly wearing anything like 'pop' artists tend to do. Although they show less skin than 'pop' artists, it would definitely not go as far as maybe 'rock/metal' music would go where they show no skin at all. 'Indie' artists also have that look of swept hair, sticking to their style and come across however they wish to. They don't show off in huge, expensive cars and wear lots of bling like 'R&B' artists, they are toned down but present a very individual approach around themselves.


What magazines, currently in publication, cover this genre?
Personally, I don't really think there are thousands of huge, well-known music magazines out there, associated with purely 'indie' music. Having said that, I'd say if i was to choose one well-known magazine that I personally think was the most 'indie' (ish) I would say 'NME'. NME has been publishing weekly magazines since the 7th March 1952, and is still ongoing to this date. This magazine has seen very famous faces pose for the cover and bases around most genres at separate times. For instance, one week it could focus upon 'indie' and the next maybe 'punk'. Other magazines such as 'Kerrang' and 'Clash'are also associated with the genre  have chosen-Indie and i ill then analyse them in a later post as well as NME.





What features do they have in their magazine and how do these features tie in with their target audience's expectations of representation?
If NME was focusing upon 'indie' music one week, the producers would deliberately associate the cover and contents with the 'indie' theme. For example, the images will revolve around that genre and relate to things associated with that particular style of music. Features in NME include the recent music charts and how artists in general rank against each other each week with their new releases. The magazine also features stories and interviews around different artists, whether their famous or just well known, or even just...known. I suppose it brings attention to those artists not quite in the spotlight as well as promoting those who are in the centre limelight at that time. Images probably make up over 50% of NME, and when I have actually read it myself, its amazing at just how many photographs there actually are displayed and featured in it. NME is defiantly associated with rock and indie music more than 'pop' and happy-clappy music. This is presented through the images they use and generally the background on the magazines are dark colours, making the images and text stand out more and look more effective and powerful. Again, if they were focusing a weeks edition on 'Indie' music, they most likely would photograph an artist playing the guitar or looking down the camera in associated clothes (drainpipes/checked shirts, sannies etc). This would then meet the expectations for the people who bought it that particular week or edition.


What additional features could you put in your magazine to make it stand out and appeal to an audience that is not already being marketed to?

In terms of age, I would probably feature a slightly more older artist associated to my genre, to make it that little bit more appealing to the older generation who maybe wouldn't buy the magazine if it contained all young artists. Young people are being marketed for alot more sufficiently and better than older people are, therefore, if i did decide to do this it would attract them and promote a positive vibe of maybe equality and fairness.

GENRE RESEARCH

  



POP

Pop is basically music in the form of 'popular music'- generally in the charts and tends to be very upbeat, happy and also catchy. Pop music is the sort of music where it will be suck in your head all day, because of a catchy gimmick from a song. Pop is an extremely huge sector of the music industry and makes up practically all of the 'Top 40' music charts- and they are usually the main winners at award ceremonies. At the moment, there are thousands of successful music artists which fall under pop, for example: Katy Perry (above), Justin Bieber, Ke$ha, Miley Cyrus, Take That etc. These are all incredibly well known. Pop artists generally tend to follow guidelines on how to style themselves, which has received negative attention in the past as they apparently look- "manufactured" or "fake" and also "all the same".

I wanted to choose pop for my own magazine but when considering the requirements on the photo quality, I thought my model would be better suited to a different approach.

R&B

R&B is abbreviated for "Rhythm and Blues" and is commonly known as American music. Most R&B artists are American born, it originated in the 1940's and is incredibly popular among all audiences worldwide. Being one of the main genres of music, successful artists include- Rihanna (above), Alicia Keys, Akon, Beyonce, Jay-Z and many more. British R&B singers are recently becoming more and more popular, for example, Jessie J is a new artist on the scene, and has just been voted Critics Choice for 2011- signalling that R&B will become even more bigger than it already is. Along with Pop, R&B is probably is one of the top two contributors to music to this date. Stereotypically, the genre is dominated by African American and is audited to have a thumpy rhythm with very quick, witty lyrics. It is also known to be quite aggressive and even rude.

ROCK

Rock music is also another main group of the music industry. This tends to be a low/heavy beat and some people describe it as "just noise". The singers tend to shout and the music comes across, to some, as violent or aggressive. The music created is based around the electric guitar and drums, creating an intimidating pulse to people who aren't too keen. There are very successful rock bands/artists around, such as: Metallica, Guns 'n' Roses (above), Sex Pistols, Rolling Stones etc. Stereotypically, people who are linked to the Rock culture, are thought of to wear black clothing, with black hair and in general, follow the 'gothic theme'. Artists who do belong to this genre, also do win big at award ceremonies and despite there not being as many younger rock artists around, the rock name and theme has continually and persistantly been carried on throughout the years.

COUNTRY

Country music is still going strong, and with the increasing number of fresh, young artists associating themselves with Country, has definately brought the profile back up. For example, teen sensation Taylor Swift (above) is huge throughout the world, and despite being only 21, persistantly releases singles which all hit somewhere in the Billboard Top 10. Basically, Country music is music generated from a mixture of traditional and popular (Pop) music, brought together to form this whole different genre. Traditionally, Country orignates from the Southern States, and is particular popular in places such as Tenesse, Canada. In the 1940's, the genre was referred to as 'Hillbilly' music and then refounded itself as Country and Western. Country music has grown up with some top record producing artists, such as Elvis Presley, George Strait, Gareth Brooks and Taylor Swift (above) etc.

INDIE

Indie Music is the idolised term for Independant music. Music that doesn't origenerate from mainstream record labels, as the artists usually tend to be signed to smaller, less well-known and more often than not, unsucessful labels/companies. Indie adopts the apporach of 'do it yourself' and the artists in this genre, are alot more involved in producing their image that projects to the public eye, as compared to Pop where the artists don't have much say. The music itself, tends to be very realistic and down-to-earth as opposed to boppy and funny. Indie artists, like earlier stated, are somewhat more involved with the production of their records and see more profit from the word go. Even though Indie artists don't happen to be as well-known as other artists belonging to different genres, some bands/singers do hit the big time. For example groups like 'The Ting Tings', 'The Temper Trap' and 'Arcade Fire' (above) do make it into the top 40's, for example 'Arcade Fire', just last night won the main award at the 2011 Brits, 'Album of the Year'. This only proves that indie artists have just as much chance as Pop, R&B etc.

(some information has been taken, editted and re-written from http://www.wikipedia.org/)