Analysing Music Magazine Front Covers

I have chosen to analyse this particular issue of Kerrang magazine because I think that although it carries the same house style that Kerrang usually follows it is unique because it used a variety of different colours that are not usually used in the issues. The pink and yellow colours draw in your attention and make the cover look more eye catching. I also like the sub section pictures down the side of the cover. This makes the cover more interesting as it differs from just having one central image and then just text around the image.  One disadvantage this magazine has is that because the main colour is pink this automatically changes the target audience of the cover to women instead of a mixed gender. I also think that there is a little too much going on in the cover and this is distracting from the central image resulting in the central image not having as much of an impact as what most other issues of Kerrang have.

This is a unique and interesting issue of Q magazine so this is why I chose it to analyse it. It doesn’t follow the original style that Q has, but it still includes the key conventions of any magazine, for example the logo, barcode and date, I think the edgy look the cover conveys works well when attracting a audience. There is limited text on the cover but the text that is included is in a large and statement font making it fill the whole page. The main image is then on top of the main text. The position of the model in the image and the fact the image is overlapping the text, means you eye goes straight to the image. The model is dressed in a sort of ‘school boy’ outfit; this is quirky and original making the magazine seem interesting. I like the font used at the top of the cover because it contrasts with the rest of the style of the cover. It is in a bolder and fuller font and also the white colour stands out on the darker background.

Out of the covers I have analysed this is my favourite. I like the quirky look that this cover has. This magazine is representing the style of indie music and although I am focusing more on pop/punk rock music, I like the style of this cover so I thought it would be useful to analyse it.  The central image is very effective and makes the whole cover work. The photography of the image is very quirky, the model looks like she positioned awkwardly but this works well and makes the image look effective. The dark make-up on the models eyes and lips engage the audience drawing your attention to the image. The dark make-up, black hair piece and black clothing contrasts with the light blonde hair of the model. 

The cover is very bare which usually is a down side to a magazine but I think in this case it is a good thing. It means all the attention can be focused on the image. The text on the cover is in a subtle pale yellow colour and is positioned slightly slanted in the bottom right hand corner of the cover, and I think this is effective because the colour contrasts with the rest of the image. The Colour Scheme is minimalistic, mainly including whites, greys and hints of other very light colours for example yellow. This makes the quirky photography, which is the main feature of the magazines content, stand out and create more of an impact.

 

Music Magazine Project Planning

1.     Research and find definitions of the following Key Media Concepts – make sure that they’re linked to media studies:

·        Audience

-          The person/people who view the media. The media is a range of different things such as newspapers, TV, radio, magazines ect and these things gain more of a meaning when they have an audience. The audience purposes an opinion on the media and is crucial for communication. It is for the audience the media are constructing and conveying information.

·        Institution

-          The people who have a role in the production of media texts. Some may include: Companies/organisations, Producers, Distributors, and Marketing. So this means editors, directors, producers, scriptwriters, screenwriters ect.

·        Representation

-         Representation refers to the construction in any medium (especially the mass media) of aspects of ‘reality’ such as people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Such representations may be in speech or writing as well as still or moving pictures.

·        Media Language

-          Technical media terms used to describe particular elements of the media using more correct and appropriate terminology.

2.     Why have you chosen to do the Print task rather than the Moving Image task?

I have chosen print rather than moving image because I did a moving at GCSE and I found it challenging so I decided to do print at a level because it gives me a chance to do something new and I am more interested in magazines and print formats rather than moving image. I would like a job involving print media in the future as I would like to become a journalist therefore I feel print would be more beneficial to me.

3.     Which skills will you need to demonstrate and develop in order to complete this project successfully? Think about technical skills (photography, use of DTP programmes etc.) as well as other personal skills (creativity, organisation, time management etc.).

I will have to improve on my photoshop skills as I find it hard to get used to photoshop as it is quite difficult and complicated to use. Also I will have to try and use my creative side more and think outside the box to be completely happy with my final design and make it original. Finally try and manage my time correctly to make sure each bit of the task is completed to the best standard possible by the deadline.

4.     What interests you about magazines and the magazine industry?

Magazines interest me because they give an insight about what’s going on in the world in a more formal and appealing way than newspapers. Most magazines just included gossip and fashion which may not seem very appropriate but it’s the way that the younger generation want to consume this information. Also magazines are interesting as they are usually bright, colourful and full of information that most teenagers/ young adults are interested it. As well as reading magazines I am interested and enjoy making magazines.

5.       Which genres of music are you interested in?

I am interested in different types of music. I listen to a wide range of music because I feel that it gives variety because listening to the same genre of music all the time may get a bit boring and repetitive. Although a listen to a variety of music the main genres I listen to are alternative, rock, pop punk, pop rock, electronic and some pop or hip-hop/rap but usually more rock styled music.

6.     Which magazines have you researched or are planning to research?

I am planning to research magazines such as Kerrang!, Rolling Stones, NME, Q, Mojo and Rock. I have chosen these as they are all magazines that I would enjoy reading and follow a particular house style that interests me.

7.     Which genre are you planning to produce your magazine for?

In my own magazine I will probably focus on the genre of Alternative rock and pop punk. I don’t want to make my magazine to categorise to one specific group of people but I want it to have a clear target audience.

8.     What is your intended target audience?

The intended target audience for my magazine is teenagers/ young adults who are interested in alternative/pop/punk rock music, roughly in the age range of 15-24. I want to make my magazine appeal to both male and females.

9.     What is the purpose of your magazine? Which consumer needs will it meet?

The purpose of my magazine is to inform people about the latest music news and keep people up to date with their favourite bands.

10.     List your initial ideas for the title of your magazine? Use a thesaurus or dictionary to help you with this. Your title needs to reflect/represent your genre and your audience.

-          Distractions

-          Silence

-          Rock and Roll

-          Demos

-          Echo

-          Escape

-          Encore

-          Paper walls

-          Untitled

Magazine Research Collage

To start off the research of my magazine I created a collage of pictures and words which I want to help echo the style of my music magazine. I first collected a range of magazines such as Kerrang, Q and NME.  These magazines follow the same sort of style as what I want my magazine to follow so therefore I thought these would be the best type of magazine to look at. These magazines also have the same target audience as what my magazine will have (15-24). These magazines have a clear house style to them for example using similar fonts, colour schemes and layouts. These are all elements I am going to consider when making my magazine. My making this collage it will give people an idea of the house style of my magazine and help to establish the target audience.

The type of images I used is images of musicians or famous bands that may inspire the people who will read my music magazine. I used bold and quirky texts that could be used to grab the attention of the reader. I wanted to make my collage have an element of fun to it so it represents that my music magazine will be enjoyable and easy to read.

My Final Advert.

I decided to make my advert for the charity ‘Barnardo’s’ as this is a very successful charity who focuses on trying to stop child abuse. I took a variety of pictures and decided to use this as the image for my advert. This is the original image.

This is my final advert design.  I edited the contrast and brightness levels to make the background of the picture darker but the teddy stand out more as this is the most important part of the image. I then used the ‘Dry Brush’ effect from the filter gallery and this gave the image a sort of blurred look showing the insignificance you feel you have as an abused child. I then added in the text. I wanted to make the text jumping off the page. Therefore I used a bold font and changed the word ‘dark’ to a fluorescent green colour making it alert. The use of white for the main body of the text works well with the dark background making it stand out and then the contrasting green colour compliments this. The green is significant because in the dark the green fluorescent would colour would be seen in the dark whereas many children cannot make themselves seen or even heard in any circumstances. The font also looks like it is in front of the image relating it to the insignificance of children in abusive relationships. Finally I added the Barnardo’s logo to the bottom of the advert because it is important to know what charity the advert is supporting. The green and white colours in the logo compliment the colours of the text. The logo had a white background when I pasted it from the internet so I faded the background making the white words stand out on the dark background.

I decided to design another advert also for the charity ‘Barnardo’s’ because I wasn’t fully happy with the previous final design and wanted to make my advert more eye catching. This is the second image I chose to use. I think the fact that the doll is facing away reinforces the idea that many children suffering from child abuse try to hide away because they are ashamed of what’s happening to them and feel insignificant. Also the doll is alone and therefore isolated like many children in this situation. The doll stands as a metaphor for a child in an abusive relationship.  This is the original image before I began to edit it.

I used the ‘curves’ tool on Photoshop to drastically change the brightness and contrast levels of the image. This makes the colours on the doll stand out significantly on the page and bring your attention directly to this image. Increasing the contrast levels made the background of the image black just leaving a section of the carpet by the doll blue, giving the effect of a spotlight shining on the doll reflecting her isolation. I used white when choosing a colour for the text because white contrasts with the black background making it significant unlike the doll itself. I went on the website ‘DaFont’ to get an effecting font for my advert. I chose this one because it has an edgy effect to it but it still simple and stands out. I also included the Barnardo’s logo to the corner of the page to relate the advert to the specific charity. I faded the background of the logo into the image to make the words standout without a white background behind it because this looks more professional.

Photo Shoot of Toys

I decided i wanted to carry on with the theme of toys and child abuse for my final advert. Therefore i took some pictures of toys that i thought would work effectively in my advert to produce a professional and realistic charity advert.

Emulating a Charity Advert

I found this image on the internet so I decided to use it as the main image for my charity advert. I decided to stick with the theme of child abuse that I also focused on when analysing some adverts. I am using a child’s toy. I got this idea from the adverts that I analysed as many of the adverts i saw included childs toys, including one that i analysed.  I feel the use of childrens toys is effective so i choose to also use this technique. This is the original image before I edited it.

I then started to edit the picture. I increased the brightness and contrast levels to make the image stand out on the page and grab the audience’s attention. The colours on the dolls face now draw in your attention as colours are bright and contrasting making the image look more professional.

I then added in the slogan. I wanted to have a slogan that makes an impact. I chose to use the font ‘impact’ and have the text in a bold black colour. This immediately makes the text stand out on the page. The black text also contrasts with the bright colours on the doll. I then added the final text in. I made this text in a light electric blue colour. This brings out the colours in the dolls eyes. I also faded the main text ‘Break the Silence ...’ to give it a ‘cracking’ effect. I decided to make my advert for the charity ‘Innocent Ones’ which is a charity that aims to prevent child abuse. The charity wants to give children who are afraid to speak a voice. I though this was appropriate to my advert as my slogan is ‘Break the Silence...’ indicating the idea that children suffering child abuse are afraid to speak up about it. I chose to add in the web address of the charity. I wanted to keep a consistent colour scheme like on the previous adverts I analysed so therefore I had the address in the same blue colour as I previously used.

Analysing Charity Adverts

1) This is an advert for the NSPCC. The NSPCC campaigns to stop cruelty to children. I like this advert because it conveys a shocking message but in a realistic way. It is made realistic by using a child’s toy. A child’s toy is an everyday household object that could have been easily be damaged in one way or another but this toy has connotations of child abuse. The damaged toy stands as a metaphor for a child being beaten. The image is fairly dull and simple and I feel this is a good technique because attention is then focused on the message it gives rather than a fancy image.

2) This is an advert for ‘Innocent Ones’. I like this advert because it sends out a bold and clear message. Only 3 colours are used in the advert and all the colours contrast each other.  I think this is an effective technique to use as it makes the advert direct and to the point and not including a lot of detail but still grabbing the attention of the audience. Again I like the simple look that the advert gives making you focus your attention on the words and symbol ‘Stop’. I think this symbol is effective as it immediately makes you stop and think about the advert and the message its giving.

3) I like this advert as it isn’t necessarily shocking like a majority of adverts are its just taking a hard hitting subject and telling the truth. The text on the advert says “More child abuse is committed by the person a child trusts”. I think this is a powerful message because it’s solely the truth. Once you have gained a child’s trust, you can control them to a certain extent and some people take advantage of this. Also I think this is a successful image to clearly show this point. The child is holding on to the adult, but is gripping on to the end of their  finger not wanting to let go, whereas the adult is only holding out one finger showing that they are reluctant to want to protect the child. The image is gloomy and dull representing the loose unloving connection between the child and adult.