Final Magazine

I have not changed my front cover because of the good feedback i got on it, and i believe that it has all the necessary information, and looms like a 'professional' front cover.

I have slightly changed my contents page by adding more pictures onto the bottom of the page (by the editors note) so there is not as much unused space on the page. I thnk by adding more photos, it gives more of a scrapbook kind of effect, especially as the pictures seem to be bursting out from the bottom of the page and 'exploding' onto the magazine and to the reader. This keeps the readers attention, for example if they are trying to get the idea of a magazine in a shop just from reading a contents page, then they may get the impression that this magazine is full and lively.

I neatened off this double page spread by making sure the first two columns finished on the same line (the third one couldn't as there was not enough text). I added an interesting pull quote which should grab the readers attention so they want to find out more, and i have also added the writer and photographers details at the bottom of the page, as it is important to give the people behind the interview some credit, and help them to get noticed along with the cover star.

Evaluation- Question 7

It is clear from these two images that i have improved in my planning, photography and photoshop skills. Both were made on photoshop, the first cover i made doesnt stand out. My second cover has a model who is making direct address with the reader, and a title that is large and bold and really stands out to the audience. Both my magazines have the issue number and date, however my second cover includes even more necessary information. I found out that this information is necessary to put on because of the research i have done on previous magazine covers, that i didnt do first time round. The first cover only has 2 coverlines whereas my second cover has coverlines down either side which are clear and stand out from the white background. This makes the magazine more aesthetically pleasing, and easier for the audience to read and understand. If the cover is hard work to read, then the audience is more likely to not bother reading the rest of the magazine. After researching previous covers, i have found what attracts the audience to a front cover, and used these ideas on my cover.

Finally, i believe that my cover is generally better quality because of my improved timekeeping; i took the photographs in plenty of time to make sure i could edit them and change my cover according to how the photographs turned out. I did not leave myself enough time to edit my photos first time round, making an all over bad quality cover.

Feedback has helped me develop my work, and make changes according to what they would prefer to buy. The lipstick pink colour scheme was very popular amongst my target audience, as not only did it stand out, but it made the magazine 'gender specific', as though it was made just for them.

Evaluation- Question 6

Photoshop was the programme that i used to make my magazine, and i learn alot from using it that i didn't know before. One of the main things i learnt was how to transfer hand written text to photoshop, and manipulate it until it looks exactly how you want. I removed background, changed the colour to bright pink, and added a black outline to make it really stand out.

Previously, to get a white translucent glow on the picture, i used the brush tool and painted white with the transparency levels high. I learnt that the best way to get a white glow was to use the 'gradient' tool. I selected the gradient tool, and then chose the option of the glow going from white to transparent (transparent meaning that the background image would still show through the white). By using this tool it was able for my to draw on a gradient wherever i wanted, giving just the edges of the image a white glow, making sure that the centre of the image was still totally opaque.

To make my masthead stand out more, i added effects by right clicking the layer on the right hand side of the page, and selecting 'outer glow'. This gave the lettering a black glow around and inside it, contrasting with the pink of the text to really make it stand out.

Evaluation- Question 5

Direct Address: Most front covers have the model looking directly into the camera, such as this Vogue cover featuring Beyonce. This attracts the audience by making them feel like the cover star is looking directly at them, therefore the magazine is aimed directly at them. I have used this on my cover, although my cover model is facing a sideways angle to the camera, she is still looking directly at the camera, making the cover seem personal to the reader.

On my double page spread i have used a pull quote just under the stars name. I have placed it close to the name so that i dont have to refer to her after the quote, and that people know it was her who has said this. This attracts the audience because of the use of name dropping, the readers may recognise who Katherine Jenkins is, and want to read on. There is a high chance that the readers of this article will know who Katherine Jenkins is as she is of the same music genre as my cover star, so readers will be interested in both singers. I have put Katherine Jenkins' name in a bright pink colour to stand out and grab the readers attention.



I believe the unique selling point of my magazine is the signature of the cover star underneath the picture. This is a personal touch and makes the reader believe that the star has signed the magazine just for them. Furthermore, it shows the stars involvement and that she hasn't just answered some impersonal questions over the phone for example, making the interview even more exclusive and appealing to the reader. Autographs are a popular thing when meeting a 'celebrity', so by adding an autograph to the front of the magazine, it may make the reader believe that they are getting something more, something exclusive for their money.




 

Evaluation- Question 4

Target Audience-Girls/ women aged approx 16-24
Interested in music, fashion, celebrities, art
Enjoys shopping, listening to new music with friends, attending festivals
Shops at young trendy shops; Topshop, Urban Outfitters, HMV, River Island, Primark
Don't have an expensive taste- may not be able to afford much on student budget, may have low income job or no job.
Listens to popular music. Enjoys finding out the top 40 and downloading every track for their ipod. Isn't averse to house or indie music, will try a bit of everything.
Watches reality programmes. 'The Only Way Is Essex', 'Geordie Shore', 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians', dreams for a lifestyle like Kim Kardashian and to look like Beyonce.

IPC Case studies

Women-

In every home multiple purchase decisions are being made every day by the women of the household. This makes mass market women an ideal advertising audience.

Constantly juggling tasks, these women take pleasure in occasional ‘me’ time, during which relaxing with a favourite magazine or visiting an inspirational website is a ‘must-do’.

Young men-

The guy whose uniform includes woven shirts, narrow ties and vintage-style accessories. Who’s downloaded Arctic Monkeys to his iPod and Lucy Pinder to his phone.

Today’s young and affluent men are discerning, media-elusive individuals who take their media on their own terms, both by content and delivery platform.

Nestle Case Study-

Nestlé wanted to connect with consumers on an emotional platform by positioning Senses as the perfect ‘me time’ break among it’s target audience of young women aged 16-34.
Strategy:
Using IPC Insight’s Origin Panel to explore how young women spend their spare time, the pitch team elected to build the campaign around fashion as the most direct way of tapping into this audience’s ‘me-time’ passion.

IPC initiated a cross-media partnership with Heart Radio and experiential agency Stretch Media to produce a campaign that delivered across numerous touch-points. Together they created a strategic platform designed to chart a consumer journey from press and radio to nationwide events and the Senses-branded fashion micro site.

The Solution:
With Pixie Lott as the face of the campaign, “Kit Kat Fashion Senses” formed the unifying, cross-platform theme, enabling the consumer to interact with the brand and ensuring the campaign delivered.

Evaluation- Question 3



Hearst Magazines UK is the largest digital publisher in the UK
'Our reach extends to 1 in 3 UK women and 1 in 4 UK adults. The portfolio comprises 20 magazines and 20 digital properties. Our world class brands are available on multiple platforms'

Hearst Magazines UK publishes 20 consumer titles in the UK: All About Soap, Best,Company, Cosmopolitan, Country Living, ELLE, ELLE Decoration, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Harper’s Bazaar, House Beautiful,Inside Soap, Prima, Red, Real People, Reveal and Zest. The group publishes three magazines, Men's Health, Runner’s World and Women's Healththrough Hearst-Rodale UK.

Plus 20 digital assets: allaboutsoap.co.uk, allaboutyou.com, company.co.uk, cosmopolitan.co.uk, digitalspy.co.uk, ELLEuk.com, elledecoration.co.uk, esquire.co.uk, handbag.com, harpersbazaar.co.uk, insidesoap.co.uk, menshealth.co.uk, netdoctor.co.uk, redonline.co.uk, runnersworld.co.uk, sugarscape.co.uk, triathletesworld.co.uk, womenshealth.co.uk and zest.co.uk.

I believe that National Magazine Company (hearst Magazines) would be a good publisher for my magazine, because of its portfolio of magazines aimed at women, specialising in health, fashion and beauty. Furthermore, Hearst magazines have a wide online empire with most magazines having their own website, and i would like my magazine to have its own website as a form of pull media for the new generation of modern, interactive readers.



 

Condé Nast is home to some of the world’s most celebrated media brands. In the United States, Condé Nast publishes 18 consumer magazines, four business-to-business publications, 27 websites, and more than 50 apps for mobile and tablet devices, all of which define excellence in their categories. The company also owns Fairchild Fashion Media (FFM), whose portfolio of brands serves as the leading source of news and analysis for the global fashion community. Condé Nast has won more National Magazine Awards over the past ten years than all of its competitors combined.
I think Conde Nast could distribute my magazine because of its reputation for distributing successful fashion magazines (eg. Vogue, Teen Vogue). Although my magazine is predominantly about music, it has an underlying fashion theme which is similar to the magazines disrtibuted by Conde Nast.

EMAP owns industry-leading brands that sit at the heart of business powerful B2B communities like Retail, Health, Construction, Architecture, and Fashion.

'Our purpose is to connect professional communities and inspire them to know, to grow, progress and win. Brands such as HSJ and Retail Week create deep relationships and unparalleled reach, to increase value for our customers.'

'We deliver this through senior networking events; industry leading awards; online data products; social media communities; headline conferences and, of course, critical insight, news and analysis. We hear the market agenda, and create innovative solutions and better ways for our advertisers and sponsors to connect with their audience. We provide highly valued subscription services and are rewarded by a following.'

'Always independent, relentlessly inquisitive, EMAP embodies quality, market-leading journalism. We act as the ultimate industry insider, and strive to always be the trusted authority'

 

 

Evaluation- Question 2

I have chosen this image of Taylor Swift on the cover of Billboard magazine to compare to my cover because it is a music magazine featuring a black and white photo with coloured text, and a female cover model. I chose black and white because it flatters the model and this could have been why Billboard chose to use a black and white image as well. Furthermore, a black and white image connotes simplicity, meaning that the cover is not too busy and overwhelming, and this means that all the attention isn't on the cover star, but also the cover lines and information, which is just as, if not more important.

 

The image i have used on my double page spread is an image of my cover star, sitting on a sofa, in a generally relaxed position. This is very similar to an image i have found of Katherine Jenkins from Fabulous magazine, a magazine aimed at young to middle aged women, featuring fashion, health and beauty, and celebs. On both images, the women look quite laid back and relaxed. This could make them; and the magazine seem more friendly and accommodating to the reader, making the reader feel more comfortable. A pull quote is also used on the magazine page with Katherine Jenkins, and capitals to emphasise the most important parts (just like i have used colour for the same purpose).

 

 

The image i have used on my contents page of Matthew Mcfegan from up and coming Indie band 'Junction 23' is very similar to a photograph on the bbc website taken of one of the band members of 'The Law',; an Indie band whose debut album 'A measure of wealth' was released in September 2009 through their own record label 'Local Boy Records' (distributed by Universal via Absolute). Both photographs are taken against a wall at low angles to suggest that the man has power and authority. Both men are dressed in casual jeans and a jacket, suggesting their effortless and laid back approach to life, reinforcing the general 'indie' stereotypes of being cool and casual.

 

 

Evaluation- Question 1

TITLE

I wanted the genre and the theme of the magazine to come across in the title, so that customers would be able to make an assumption of what the magazine would include before even opening it. As my magazine is based on 'pop' music with sidelines of art and fashion, i thought that putting the words 'pop' and 'art' together to make an already well known neologism would attract customers who are fans of music, fashion or both.

 

MISE-EN-SCENE

For my double page photoshoot, i took the photos on a vintage, covered sofa, with the model surrounded by rose petals in a backdrop of flowers and antique ornaments. This gives the images romantic and girly connotations, appealing to the female audience. Differing from the cover, the model also wears pink lipstick which again links in with the pink colour scheme of the magazine. The model is also wearing plain clothes which are classy and cover her up.

CONTENTS PAGE

 After analysing previous magazine contents pages, i found all the necessary information to put on my own, and made sure i included all of this. My contents page includes the title of the magazine in the same font as on the cover, and this is on the top left as this is where the eye is drawn to first. The list of pages and page numbers are down the left, which is neat and clear and includes all necessary information for the reader. I have only put four pictures on this page but made them large so they are easy to see, and the reader can see that these are important parts of the magazine. These visual aids are used to draw the reader in. The page numbers are added to the photos for an easy guide through the magazine for the reader. I have written an editors note and put this at the bottom, as it is important but not the most important part. Similar to the signature on the cover, i have added a hand written signature to my note to make it more persoanl and seem hand written, directly for the reader.

 

 MASTHEAD

As my audience is female, i chose to make the masthead a lipstick pink colour to connote femininity and girliness. Furthermore, this is a bright and bold colour which will stand out on the shop shelves and attract the customers eyes towards my magazine. The font i chose to use is a very bold, clear font which again helps the magazine to stand out amongst other magazines. As the words in this font are made up of little circles, my first thought was that it looks like the bright bulbs that surround a glamorous dressing room mirror, or are the type used when a movie stars name is 'up in lights', giving my magazine glamorous connotations and a seemingly high status.

 

 

 

 

 

Production

I started off my magazine by adding a bright blue masthead and box to the black and white image. I also added an issue number and date which is necessary information. I chose blue for the colour scheme as It could appeal to both male and female, and is quite a regal blue which matches with the theme of a classy music star.








By adding on coverlines and a title to introduce the cover star, i am making my magazine more attractive and appealing to the reader. I have also added a plug at the top left of the page, as this is where the eyes are focused to, and an extra offer will help to attract the reader into buying my magazine.

I swapped the black box for a white transparent box, as this does not break the cover up like the black box did. I also added more coverlines to draw the customer in so that they think they are getting more for their money.

I decided to make the image of the cover star bigger to fill more of the cover so there wasn't as much empty white space. I also made the coverlines bolder and in black and blue to stand out more, and made the main coverline a brighter blue to stand out. I also added a barcode and a twitter address and website.

I decided to change the masthead to a bright lipstick pink colour, as my audience is female, this colour will stereotypically appeal to the female audience, while also standing out from other magazines for its brightness. I changes the main coverline to the same bright pink, and also changed the font of the coverlines to a slimmer, more professional font.






Once again i made the image bigger to fill the page, and also made the masthead as big as possible to spread across the top of the page and draw readers in. I changed the blue theme colour to a pale blue so it wouldn't take any attention away from the neon pink titles. I made the box at the bottom smaller so it wouldn't take up unecessary space, and then i added a handwritten title in bright pink to give the magazine a modern and contemporary feel, and contrast to the uniform style font of the title.









Firstly I wrote out the signature of my cover star on paper and scanned it in to the computer, and opened it on photoshop. The picture of the signature had to have a background so i opened it on top of my cover photo. I then used the magic wand tool to select just the writing and delete the white background, to leave just the text on the picture.The colour of the text was a bit dull so i changed this by increasing the saturation until it became a bright pink colour to match my colour scheme. Although the text was fluorescent pink i didn't think it stood out enough, so i added an effect to the image of the signature by clicking on 'blending options' and increasing the outer glow, so the text had a black outline but still had a sketchy look. Using the outer glow tool left a few black dots around the text so i used the eraser tool to get rid of these dots, making the text look smoother. I then decided to slant the text using free transform to make it look more like a hand written signature, and decided to put the 'x' at the bottom, on top of the 'i' in Louise, and i did this by drawing round the x, and choosing 'layer via cut' to seperate it from the rest of the text, and then moving just the x.


















I started off my contens page with the same blue colour scheme as my original front cover, with overlapping photos and a text box at the bottom right. However, from doing research i realised that any important text would not benefit from being in the bottom right section as this is the last place where the eye is drawn to.



I decided to place all my page numbers and description on the far left of the page, as this makes the page look more organised and is easy and clear to read. I decided to put the editors note on the bottom right as this is important enough to be on the contents page, but not the most vital information there. I have decided to use 4 sample pictures on my contents page, and make them quite large and on the right of my page. The title of the magazine and the title of the page will be on the top left hand side, as this is important information, and this is the first place the eye is drawn to.





Because of changing my magazine front cover colour scheme, i had to change the contents page colours also from blue to pink. I have stuck with the page information down the left hand side (neat and clear), i still have the editors note on the bottom right, with a handwritten signature similar to the cover. I still have the title on the top left, and 4 large pictures towards the right hand side, slightly slanted to make the page look more informal and have a scrapbook effect.

This was the very first draft of my double page spread. It still has the blue colour scheme, and all the text is in lines down the right hand side. The title is the stars name in the same font as the cover, and the rest of the text is in dark black and blues.

The picture is the same as before and in the same position, but the colour scheme has changed from navy blue to bright pink. The title of the magazine is still on the top left hand side and is larger than before, to stand out more, and i have added the stars signature, similar to the cover, because i like this handwritten touch, and it keeps consistency throughout the magazine. Because her name is written in this signature format, i have taken away the title at the top of the page, and instead i have pushed up all the text, put it in 3 formal columns, and added a sub-heading in the middle of the text to break it up and add more colour to the small black text.

Fonts

Masthead

'PointerSisters- Freeformed' I chose this font because it has connotations of lit up Hollywood title, glamorous and important. The circles in the title also may resemble the light bulbs of a dressing room mirror, having expensive and classy connotations.

Coverlines

'Berlin Sans FB' This font is slim and neat so doesn't take any attention away from the masthead or the main coverline. Although this font is neat, it still looks modern and informal for the young, trendy female audience.

Main cover line

The main coverline that introduces the star is hand written and scanned into photoshop. This contrasts to the neat font of the rest of the coverlines.

Plug

'Gill Sans Ultra Bold' This is a very bold font that stands out, and this is important because a Plug shows something extra that is being offered, that will appeal to the audience.

Magazine Name

This is in the same font as the cover, to keep consistency and help the reader to remember the name, hopefully for next time they are buying a magazine.

 

'Queen of Classical Pop'

This font has connotations of royal and regal text, linking with the idea that she is the 'Queen' of classical pop. This contrasts with the handwritten signature in the left bottom corner, which keeps the page from not looking outdated, and keeps it modern and 'pop'; the genre of the magazine.

Photo Editing

 

 



Internet Research

 

NME has become a truly unique multi-platform media proposition. Across the magazine, NME.com, NME Video, NME Radio and the brand's live events and awards, NME reaches over 1.1 million music fans every week.
NME is the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world. Every week it gives its readers coverage of the very best in new music, including award-winning features, the latest releases, live reviews, the definitive guide to the best new bands in its Radar section, as well as a regular look back through the magazine's incredible 60 year heritage.
NME.COM is the world's biggest standalone music site serving an audience of 16-24 year-olds. It draws on NME's heritage as a music authority to delight users with a mix of news and artist interviews.

Uncut is the home of 'timeless rock music', including a range of artists. It aspires to be the monthly magazine of choice for discerning, knowledgeable music fans that typically grew up with the classic rock of the sixties and seventies who continue to be excited by new music that connects them to the records they have always loved. Uncut has a discerning, well-informed readership that is served by an editorial voice and content that is entertaining, authoritative and informative, with a specific emphasis on delivering the most definitive reviews section in the monthly music sector.

 

Cosmopolitan, the magazine for smart, spirited young women, is an icon of a brand. With more than 1.6m readers, Cosmo is the life, love and relationships bible – celebrating fun, glamour, men and a passion for life.

'At the heart of every feature is the ethos that Cosmo must inspire young women to be the best they can be. Whether that’s by empowering them to ask for a payrise, offering honest sex and love advice, or helping them to hunt down those heels, Cosmo engages with our reader on a deeper emotional level than any other brand, providing solid, intelligent advice she really trusts.The Cosmo reader is a family girl who loves men but she doesn’t live through them. She’s obsessed with fashion and beauty and the smartest ways to make them work for her. She’s proud of her relationship with her friends, and her hard-earned career. She might not always feel 100% confident – about her body, her relationships or her life – but that’s where Cosmo comes in. '

As a result, Cosmopolitan is the most widely read monthly magazine in the UK – one which is as in touch with its readers now, as it was when the magazine launched in 1972.
Cosmo’s a magazine for ambitious young women, aged between 18 and 35.
Cosmopolitan won both the PPA’s Consumer Media Brand of the Year in 2011 and the BSME’s Innovation/Brand Building Initiative of the Year for Cosmo on Campus, its spin-off student magazine which is distributed to a quarter of a million students each term. The magazine has a circulation of 353,413 and its website, cosmopolitan.co.uk, engages more than 1.6m unique browsers per month, not counting Cosmpolitan’s thousands of Twitter and Facebook followers. Cosmopolitan’s published 15 e-books and produces highly successful spin-offs. The brand is consistently ranked as the UK’s number 1 top grossing brand in the Apple Newsstand for iPhone sales – showing a rapidly growing demand for Cosmopolitan through emerging digital channels.

 

Channelfly. 10 times a year. Rock. 2001- present.

Channelfly.com, an online promoter of bands, launched The Fly to support its Barfly Club in Camden. It broadened distribution of the fanzine-style rock title and now pushes out about 103,000 free copies 10 times a year.

 

Spotlight Publications (United) / Emap / Bauer. Heavy metal. Weekly. June 1981- present.
Kerrang! started out as a supplement to Sounds before being launched as a separate title. In 1991, it was sold to Emap (which was taken over by Bauer in 2008) when United pulled out of consumer magazines to concentrate on its business magazines such as Music Week.

Emap launched Kerrang! as a national digital radio station in 2000 and there is also a TV channel. Kerrang! now claims to be the world's biggest-selling rock weekly, having vied with NME for the top-selling UK position since 2002. There are also Australian and Spanish versions.

Inspirations

POP magazine is a modern fashion magazine which goes against the stereotypical connotations of a magazine cover, as it has a main image, small title and only few cover lines. The image is usually quite artistic and so is the text around it. I like how the text has a hand written look, making the magazine look contemporary and unique, with connotations of a scrapbook, appealing to women. I hope to use something like this on my magazine cover.

Men’s health is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand. It has 38 editions worldwide and a monthly circulation of 1.85 million. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of men's life and health. It was launched in 1987 and started off as a health-orientated magazine; however it is now more of a lifestyle magazine for men, covering all aspects of a man’s life. Men’s health is aimed at professional men aged 25-45.

The main photograph is always in black and white, a picture of a young man, in his twenties, in very good physical shape. The photograph has been taken in black and white to encourage men to buy the magazine; because it could be more likely that a man would feel uncomfortable when buying a magazine if the man on the cover is topless and in colour. Furthermore, the model also has a friendly smile and is making direct address with the reader to make readers feel more comfortable when buying the magazine.

I would like the cover of my magazine to be in black and white so that the emphasis is on the coverlines and the masthead (the content of the magazine). Furthermore, I believe that using a black and white image would make the magazine seem applicable for both genders, so if a male wanted to buy the magazine possibly for the music genre, then they would feel more comfortable, as though they are not going against gender stereotypes and buying a ‘womens’ magazine.

Second Photoshoot

I decided to go for a contrasting style to my first photoshoot, and instead of going for harsh black and white with sharp shapes and structures, i chose to go for more colour, softer facial expressions and body language, and a more 'homely' setting. This pink and flower themed setting has soft, girly, feminine connotations which will appeal to the female target audience.

 

 

PHOTOSHOOT 2