Magazine Evaluation

For my main task in Media, I had to create a music magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread. Since this was my main task, I had to make it look as professional as I could. The magazine has to conduct the same generic conventions as any other magazine around in the industry today. For my magazine, I had to use at least one original image. Other images I could use could be of Rock bands/singers. For the contents page, I would need to include pictures relating to the articles that are featured in the magazine. For the double page spread, I would have to come up with a story based around a rock musician. Since I had to create a music magazine, the first thing I had to think of was the genre of music I wanted to focus on. By doing this, I would know what kind of magazines to research. To begin with, I decided to choose a genre of music that I listen to, which would make the magazine much easier to create, as I am familiar with the genre already. However, I wanted to set myself a challenge within this project so I decided to choose a genre that I could also learn more about. I chose to create a Rock magazine.
Before I began to think about creating the magazine, I had to do some research into the Rock genre and Rock magazines that are around in the industry today. I began to look at magazines on the Internet such as Kerrang! When doing the research I had to focus on the topics they discuss in the magazine, what kinds of photographs they use for the main images, what colours they use and how the magazine is laid out overall. I also brought a few of these magazines as well so I could analyse them more closely. The first thing I wanted to base my research around was the main images that were used on the front covers of the magazines. Having looked at most of the magazines online, I found that the images are the main hint as to what genre the magazine is. Normally with Rock magazines, the image is of a musician/rock band that is very close to the camera. For example, if a Rock band were used on the front cover, all band members would be featured, but the lead singer would be the main focal point on the page. The other kind of image that would be used would be a close up, ‘photo shoot style’ picture of a single musician/singer. While doing some of my research I decided to make a few plans on what I would want my front cover to look like. Having analysed a few of the covers, I had already decided that I would want my image to be of a female musician. I would like the cover to look like a photo shoot, but I had to bear in mind that it could not look ‘glossy’ or airbrushed, as it would take away the theme/genre – it would look more like a fashion magazine. I planned to have a rather large image that takes up the majority of the page. The image would be bright and eye-catching but the model would be wearing very dark colours. I would create and edit my image on Adobe Photoshop Elements 7. I would want an image that ‘jumps’ off the page, where the pose and camera angle immediately grabs the audience’s attention.
The next thing I wanted to look at was the colour that is normally used on Rock Magazines. Dark colours are usually used to accompany the Rock theme. The colour Black used on the clothes of the singers, the strap lines of the magazine or the text all contribute to the style. Black is associated with rebelliousness, dark, deep meanings. Other colours that are used are Red, which represents danger. Red is also an attention-grabbing colour, which is perfect to use on the cover of a magazine. After seeing many magazines that use these colours, I also planned to use them on my cover, whether it is on the strap lines, the clothes on the model or the text. Colour is very important in a magazine, it is one of the main features that can make a magazine look busy or very organized. If too many colours are used on the cover of a magazine, the audience may find it very hard to focus on one thing on the page, finding it very hard to read. If the maximum of three colours are used, the magazine looks very organized; it is easy to find different sections on the page. On my plan, I arranged to have very plain, pale coloured backgrounds on the contents page for example. I would overlay a bright bold coloured text or title on top of these backgrounds. By doing this, the text would be much easier to read along with making sure that the page doesn’t look too busy.
The next thing I focused on when doing my magazine research was the strap lines. There are always a lot of stories that are featured in Rock magazines, therefore that means that a lot of strap lines are on the front cover. This doesn’t always happen with all Rock magazines. They can either have a lot of strap lines that compete with the space of the main image or they have a few strap lines accompanied by a large main image and a large kicker. When making a plan of my front cover, I already decided that I would not want a lot of strap lines as I think I would have trouble making it not look too busy and distracting from the main image. The strap lines on a Rock magazine obviously all relate to music, musicians, albums, and tours/gigs so I needed to make sure that I related my strap lines to the same or similar topics. After looking at my research, I had generated a good plan to start working on, but before creating the cover on Photoshop, I needed to take my images. The image to me is the most important part about the cover. Image is everything. It is the first thing the audience wants to focus on, the thing that grabs the audience’s attention and what makes the magazine look professional.
I wanted to make my images look as professional as I could make them, since I was basing them around a photo-shoot style image. I decided to use my best friend as the model. I have used my model in previous work that I have produced in media and I knew that I could direct her in the image easily, making the photo turn out exactly the way I would like it. The first thing I thought about before taking the images was costume. The majority of the females featured on Rock covers, wear very dark make-up, dark clothes and have a very fierce look on their face. I wanted to create an exact replica of this style of image but add my own little twist on the creation at the same time. I planned to have my model wear either a black top or dress. On top of the dress, I had my model wear a cropped black leather jacket, which has studs, buckles and chains. This was the perfect look for my magazine, as it is a typical costume for a female rock musician. There were also studs on the black dress underneath. I wanted to use black on the cover to represent rebelliousness.
After trying a few test shots with the model wearing all black, I knew that I wanted that to be the look I used on the front cover. The next thing I had to move onto was the hair and make-up/beauty. My model’s hair is black so it matched with the outfit very well, immediately making her look like a ‘rock chick’. Sticking to the genre of the magazine, I needed to make her hair a little wild. On a fashion cover, hair would be curled or be straight but I need to make it completely the opposite. To style her hair, I added a lot of hairspray and shine spray. How you dress reflects on the way you act, so her hair needed to be wild in order for the audience to know her personality. When taking some photographs after her hair was done, I used a fan that was placed right next to my camera along with some other fans that were placed on either side of the model. This would give it an effect of a photo shoot instead of just a normal photograph against a background. The fans made her hair blow against the wall, making the photo seem a lot more professional. After doing some test shots after my model’s hair was styled, I then decided to move onto the make-up. I wanted dark smoky eyes, but I also wanted to add some bright colour in on the make-up. Since I was starting the magazine by creating the image, I decided that the colours used on the image would determine the colours used on the whole cover. My model’s nails were already painted red so I decided to match the colour by using bright red lipstick. Not only did this compliment the photos but it also fit in with the rock genre. Black and Red were the perfect colours to use. Only a small section of the photo was Red: The lips and the nails, but it really made the image Pop!
After trying out a few poses, I decided that I wanted to position the camera below eye-level. If the model was looking down a little on the camera, it would give her more power, she would be more dominant. After trying out this technique, I found one out of many images that I really liked and would like to use for the cover. The model was leaning to one side of the cover, the camera slightly below eye-level, her hair blown and the pose worked really well. The make-up looked more electric due to the pose that my model did, her eyes seemed a lot fiercer. I had managed to create the exact look that I wanted and so I took many other photos in different angles, with different poses incase I needed to use them on my contents page and double-page spread.
After taking the photos, I knew that I could start to create my front cover but I decided to hand round a survey to a group of 20 people. This survey would determine what colours the audience thought should be used on the cover. I had created photographs that focused around the colour Black and Red. Before handing out the survey, I was hoping that these colours would be mentioned. If they didn’t, I would have to experiment with different photos depending on the advice the audience gave. It would mean that I would have to do different photos and start the photo shoot over, but the audience’s opinion and advice would result in the success of the magazine. When I did have the surveys returned, luckily the colours Black and Red were mentioned as being the colours that should be featured on the cover. The other colour that was mentioned was White. At first, I couldn’t see how it fitted in, as I am familiar with White representing innocence and purity. However, having a dark colour for the background, little splashes of Red to make the cover stand out: White would make a great colour to use for the strap lines. They would stand out from the page and work well against the other colours.
After having positive reviews about the colours I was thinking about using, along with a few other suggestions, I could then start to move on creating the cover. I really like the image I picked to use on the cover, but I wanted to make it stand out on the page a little more. I decided to experiment with the brightness/contrast. Increasing the contrast made the make-up seem much more vibrant, made the model’s face glow a little and made the black on the image much darker. I didn’t need to adjust the main image much as I didn’t want to over-do the look that I had already created just by using the make-up and costume. After editing the image a little and adding some warmth to the face with a skin tone adjuster, I then decided to add the strap lines, masthead and kicker. While making the front cover, I was closely following a plan. I planned to have a skyline on the cover, as I could not find a Rock magazine that didn’t feature one. I used the colours I was advised: The background black, the writing made white and the décor was Red. Before I could design the masthead, I needed to come up with a name for my magazine. Looking at other names of Rock magazines, I researched into how they actually got their name. For example, looking into the very successful name of Kerrang! : The sound a bass instrument makes when put into a low tempo. Kerrang is the name an instrument makes, The Rolling Stone magazine is named after a famous rock band so I needed to come up a name that also relates to Rock or a musician of some kind. After thinking about the meaning behind the name I would create, I decided that I would base my name around the message that Rock bands give to their fans, what impressions they make. Rock bands and musicians, whether male or female create music that is very dark, very deep. The lyrics they sing and they way they act, reflects a certain way on their fans. Most people refer to rock bands as rebels. This is where I got the name for my own magazine: REBEL. They are seen as rebels, but they are also very respected for what they do. Looking at the rock –style photograph and the name Rebel on the magazine, it gives away the genre of the magazine. I then placed the masthead at the top of the magazine on the left, which worked out well, and it slightly overlaid the model’s face. Due to the position of the photo, the cover would not look right if strap lines were placed on both sides. As a result, I only placed a few strap lines on the right hand side. The kicker is the only main strap line that I decided to feature on the left hand side of the cover. By having no other strap lines accompanying the kicker, it will stand out much more and will be one of the first things that the audience will read. My kicker read: Alexa Rocks. The kicker related to the main image, as the main story in the magazine would be based around her. After looking at what I had created so far, I decided to go ahead with what was drawn on my plan and design the banner for the bottom of the cover. This banner would be used to feature more pictures and text on the cover, along with adding a bit of decoration. I made the background banner Red to match the colour on the model along with some of the strap lines. Across the banner, I added 3 photographs of rock bands, along with text to accompany each photo showing the audience just some of the stories that are featured in the magazine. The photographs I picked are full of colours and they are bright which makes the magazine much fresher. The colours from the photos and the banner make the magazine come alive, it is much more eye-catching. I originally wanted to add a few more strap lines after looking at the result of my magazine and comparing with other Rock magazines, but I didn’t want it to look overcrowded. Most rock magazines normally do look overcrowded with text but it is usually organized into sections. With my magazine, I thought it was best not to add any more as it would crowd the main image. I still had to include the usual conventions shown on the magazine such as the Barcode, the date and price of the magazine. I planned for the date and price to be underneath the Masthead as this is usually where this piece of information is included. I made sure to add a barcode, which was found through Google.
My front cover didn’t take as long to create as I thought it would because I was following a plan. All stages went according to plan. I also used the colours on the magazine that I was advised to, which were: Black, Red and White. I was very happy with the success of the magazine, I had no trouble making it and the reviews I had from the audience were very positive from first view. To get official responses to my magazine front cover, I handed out another survey. This survey included questions based on what the audience thought of the cover, if they thought the colours worked and if they thought anything could be improved on. I handed the survey out to 20 people and all had positive reviews. I only had advice to alter the size of the Masthead. The size I made the Masthead was a little too big for the size of the overall magazine. Looking at the advice given by my audience, I finally adjusted the font size of the Masthead before officially finishing my magazine.
The next thing I moved onto making was the contents page. I followed the same plan that I used when making my front cover. That plan was to research on magazines that are already in the industry today, decide which techniques I would like to focus my magazine on and then make a plan of what I would want it to look like. I decided to look at the same magazines online again so that I could stick to the same theme. I looked at Contents pages from Kerrang! and The Rolling Stone. When looking at the contents pages, I was focusing on the colours that were being used, the way the page was laid out and what types of things are featured on the page. By looking at a few contents pages from the different issues of Rock magazines, I noticed that they generally tend to look full. There is always a lot to look at on the page. The contents pages always feature photos from articles featured in the magazine. I liked some of the styles the magazines used, such as the way the photos are laid out on the page or how the text is overlaid on top of the images. For my contents page however, I wanted to design something of my own to feature. I started to think of ways that I could separate different sections on the magazine. I thought of using one colour and using different coloured shades of that colour to use for different backgrounds. By doing this, not a lot of colours would be used in the magazine, so I wouldn’t be abusing the rule of using more than three main colours on the page. I couldn’t make the text and pictures very formal because it wouldn’t suit the theme of the magazine. I had to make the pictures bright; I had to include loads of text and most of all I had to make it very eye-catching and appealing to the audience. I handed a survey out to a group of 20 again, just like I had done with the magazine front cover. I briefed the audience about the colours and layout I was thinking of doing along with questions based on what they would like to see on the contents page. The main responses I got from the survey was to use bright colours, make sure to fill the whole page and to use bright and eye-catching images of rock bands. I kept all these pieces of advice in mind when starting to make my contents page.
When beginning to make the contents page, I wanted to add a few things of my own that I see featured in many other contents pages including an editor’s section. I created a small section where the editor talks about this month’s issue of REBEL. I didn’t add very much text, as it was not the main focus of the page. I placed this section in the top left hand corner, using my own name for the editor, as I am the creator of the magazine. To accompany the coloured section and text, I added a smaller picture of the issue. On the top right hand side, I decided it was the perfect place to put the title of the page, which of course was entitled: Contents. The background of the overall page is a very pale colour, so I made the background of the titles very dark in order for the text to stand out on the page more than anything else. I obtained the background patterns on Photoshop. To accompany the titles, I added a quote from a famous Rock Band. I had seen this technique used in magazines a lot, so I decided to feature it on the contents page. Something like this would be featured on the contents of every issue. Normally a quote featured on a main page like this, means something that the magazine is based on or what the magazine creator was inspired by when making the magazine. My quote was based around the famous Rocks stars: The Rolling Stones. The left side of the page was inspired by many of the contents pages I had seen. It was a pretty simple design; I didn’t want to distract the attention too much from the main focus on the page. I made the actual contents very simple to read. To accompany the contents, I added some pictures of rock bands including one of my original images. By using one of my original images, I was posing my model as being a rock singer too. This fitted in very well as I had tried to create a photo-shoot style photograph and the pictures I used of the bands were professional too. As part of my design, I wanted to add something more creative to the page so I added pictures but in a slightly different way.
Along the right hand side of the page, I created a bright red background. On top of this background, I added more photographs of bands. I wanted to make the background look like a notice board. By developing this idea further, I added and edited some paperclips on Photoshop and overlaid them on top of the images. To make it look more like a notice board effect, I overlaid multiple images to make it look they are being held together. By adding this design to my page, I think it made the overall page look much brighter and interesting. It added something, which made the page seem much more appealing to look at and read regardless of how much or how little text there was on the page. I didn’t add as much text on my contents page as I have seen on other rock content pages, but I added the same amount of detail by adding pictures. I made sure to add the story I was featuring for my double page spread on my contents page. This would make my coursework link together, making the magazine much more realistic and professional. After completing my contents page, I handed out another survey to determine whether I needed to change anything on the page such as certain colours. After asking questions based on what the audience thought of the contents page and how I could improve, I changed a few things. Some of the surveys responded saying that I should change the font I originally used, as some words could not be made out. Another suggestion was to change the layout of the contents titles. After adjusting the page a little, I then decided to move onto creating my double page spread.
When it came to creating my double page spread, the main thing I had to think about was what would be featured in the article. This was a change from making the cover and contents, as I had to focus on the layout more than anything. Most double page spreads featured are posters of singers or top celebrity stories and interviews. I decided to do an interview on my double page as I had already featured the story on my contents page. The interview would be based around the model I featured on the front cover. Her rock celebrity stage name is Alexa the Punk. The double page spread would be an interview based around the singer. I have read many magazines that feature these types of interviews so I was very familiar with the techniques that are used. This was the only part of the magazine where I did not hand out a survey beforehand, as I already planned an idea for my double page. I didn’t want a lot of bright colours on the page. Although it is a rock magazine, interviews are usually quite formal pages. This means that I would keep the background very basic and add one main bright colour. For the first page, I featured a quote taken from the interview in large bold writing accompanied by speech marks. This quote also acted as the title on the page. I have seen this technique used in almost every interview page, so I used it too in order to make it instantly recognizable as an interview. Just below the quote, I added some text, which briefed the audience as to who and what the interview is about. The bottom half of the page is where the interview started. The interview I created is completely made up along with the questions. The questions based around the singer were about her personal life and career. Normally these are the type of questions that are featured, along with being the type of information fans want to learn more about. I set the interview text as a very simple design by using white and yellow text against a black background. This made the text much more easier to read. The second page featured the next part to the interview along with another quote taken from the featured story. The main colours I used on the page were black and red because they contrast very well and look very attractive when put together. These colours are also featured on the clothes and make-up of the model that I have also featured on the page. The picture I have used was another photo shoot style shot that I had taken. To adjust it a little, I made the contrast a little higher so the photo jumped out more than anything else on the page. This was a perfect photo to use, as most interview photographs are photo shoots. This makes the magazine and the interview look a lot more professional. Overall, the double page spread was very easy to create, as it doesn’t need much on the page in order to stand out.
I think my overall magazine was very successful. I had applied all the conventions of a magazine that I should including my own little creations. I put a lot of time into making my magazine and planning it out before hand, which made the process a lot easier. I think by handing out surveys before doing certain stages of my coursework, gave me constructive criticism when needed. It helped me adjust my magazine for the better, along with learning different techniques on Photoshop at the same time.