Magazine Pitch- Audience feedback.

Once I have completed my magazine pitch I asked the audience for feedback. The feedback I recieved was not much however the small pieces of information where helpful for me to continue to create my music magazine.

Feedback:

• The Layout: My audience like the house styles i produced and helped me to decide which one would look the best for each page.

• Masthead: In my pitch i included three choices of masthead i would be happen which using, my audience suggested which one i should use for my music magazine.

• Colour Sheme: The Audience original like the three colours i would be using (white, black and red) however suggested i tone down the brightness of the red so it does not look to bright and tacky.

Masthead Design.

I have chosen this style of font to consider to use for my music magazine because it has a kind of distressed and faded look about it with suit well with the theme of my music magazine as rock music is associated with this kind of style.

 I have chosen this style of Masthead to consider to use for my music magazine because it is in the same font as the logo for the rock band ‘Iron Maiden’. I think this font could work because it is in the style of rock music and is recognisable by fans of the genre.

I have chosen this style of masthead to consider to use for my music magazine because it is the same font as logo of the rock band ‘Led Zeppelin’ I think this masthead could work as it is in the style  of rock music and is recognizable by fans of the genre.

Magazine House Style: Double Page Spread

I have created 3 different variations of the possible layout I would want for my music magazine Double Page Spread. Out of the three designs I have decided on using the third version for the layout for my music magazine.

Jouralism Draft

Kingg Pleasuree in their short career have already been dubbed the next ‘Sonic Youth’. With their mainstream success of their self-titled album ‘Kingg Pleasuree’ they have already began to revive good old fashion hard-core punk with a dashing of grunge and heavy sound pollution influencing smaller bands to follow in their footsteps. However the band uniquely describe themselves as‘Noise’ influenced by the musical styling of such bands as Sonic Youth, The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Bad Brains and Velvet Underground. Formed in 2009 the bands whirlwind career has seen them play around the world and gained worldwide recognition. This week the band took time out of their busy schedule to come and speak to us.

First of all I would like to thank you all, I know you’re all very But lets get to the questions. How do you like being a household name?

B: “well…If we’re being honest.. i think I prefer it when we were a underground band, BUT only because it’s a special link you have between you and your fans. It’s a great connection as you’re a part of something exclusive, kind of like we all sharing the same great secret, but when you become popular it’s not a secret anymore, or at least more people are aware of it, so the bond between the special few who have been there since you started and have supported you through the journey from underground to mainstream is gone, though im not saying we don’t like the masses of new fans, its still great to have your music out there and people enjoying it.”

Right, and how are you all dealing with this newly found fame? It must be weird right?

D: “Yes very, see we’re used to being just some random people, so when people come up to me and are like ‘I really like you’re songs and ask for a picture or something its just weird and will probably just take time to adjust too”

And how are you coping being the only girl in the band?

S: “well we’ve all been playing together since for about 5 years so im pretty used to it all, I mean these guys still mess around a lot so I have to take control and tell them all to buckle down and get to work”

So.. Kingg Pleasuree II, how would you all describe it?

Dy:“Simple. Noise”

B: “its more than just noise. I would describe it as a mix of punk, stoner rock AND Noise. Not just noise”

S:“Amazing. That is all”

D “A mix of everything, we have some punk, grunge, noise. We have it all”

You guys are always compared to ‘Sonic Youth’ what do you think about it?

S: “FLATTERED! because Sonic Youth are one of our main influences, so its nice but we dont want to be a copy of sonic youth. I’d describe us as a mix between Sonic Youth, The Pixies and Bad Brains, with a hit of My Bloody Valentine and Velvet Underground. We love them all!

And finally what are your plans for the coming months.

B: “well we all have smaller side projects we are all working on currently, they’re all very different so we might just work on them for a bit and of course we have a full UK Tour lined up for the start of the new year, so we are going to be pretty busy. Don’t expect anything new from us for A WHILE!

D: “well im going to take it easy for a bit, im glad that the pressure of a new album is over, it was worth it though, and im looking forward to our FIRST official tour. its crazy!”

S: “Same as Daij! Im looking forward to having a break! i’ve been working non stop since we first got in the studio all those months ago! so break first!”

Dy: Making the most of the time I have to relax, get into the studio with my other band and hopefully produce some new stuff before the Kingg Tour!”

In the coming weeks sees the release of Kingg Pleasuree’s Second Album “Kingg Pleasuree II” (released December 13^th) which features collaborations with a range of artists and musicians including Frances Parker, who lends her unique vocals to the bands song ‘Brain-slip’ (which you can exclusively hear! Scan the QR Code or Visit www.unpluggedmagazine.com/albums) and a full blown uk tour starting January next year, we know for sure we will be at a few shows! Sounds like Kingg Pleasuree are going to be extremely busy in the coming months though we are sure it will be worth it!

Magazine House Style: Contents Page.

I have created 3 different variations of the possible layout I would want for my music magazine Contents page. Out of the three designs I have decided on using the Third version for the layout for my music magazine.

My Pitch

Magazine House Style: Front Cover.

  

I have created a house style in the layout i want my magazine front cover to follow. I have looked at existing magazine covers with different layouts and have taken inspiration from them and have used a similar structure to create mine. I have created 3 different variations of the possible layout I would want for my music magazine front cover. Out of the three designs I have decided on using the first version as the layout for my music magazine.

Magazine Proposal.

Magazine proposal. 

I have decided that the title of my publication will be called ‘Unplugged’ as it the terminology is used within rock music. I have also decided that the genre of my music magazine will be rock/indie music and will be in a similar style to current magazines such as Q, NME and Kerrang.  The content I will feature inside my magazine will include items such as:

·         Bands or artists (that current exist or I have created)

·         News

·         Reviews (of Performances)

·         New Releases (Albums, new songs)

·         Upcoming (events such as gigs and band signings)

·         Interviews (with bands and artists)

·         Free content (Posters and cd on the front)

My front cover will have convention layout that features a main cover and title, a skyline and cover lines. I have decided to use a 3 piece colour scheme using the colours Black, White and Red because red is a bold colour which in contrast with black and white will draw be eye catching and will get attention from the readers. I have decided this from looking at current music magazines similar to mine such as kerrang and Q who both use similar colours schemes.

I have decided on the publisher group Bauer Media to publish my music magazine. I have come to this decided because they are a large cooperation who owns many other forms of media such as radio and Television stations. These extra forms of media would be beneficial to help promote my magazine and to get publicity to open it up to a wider audience. 

From my previous research in to magazines such as Kerrang! Q and NME have influenced me into targeting those ages between 15-30 years as my target audience for my music magazine. My research has shown me that a higher proportion of men tend to be interesting and listen to rock music rather than women as they are more likely to be fans of rock/ indie music and are into the rock lifestyle possibly being musicians themselves. Therefore with this information, I will take account these factors of my target audience when producing my magazine front cover, content page and DPS to make it more appeal to a younger audience of rock/ indie fans, I will do this by using a tone of language that is easy to understand but not to informal and include more pictures within the pages.

Magazine newsstand task.

The Magazine shelves in WHSmiths are neatly arranged with each magazine placed in front of the each other to make sure a certain brand is not covering another (apart from the mess made from readers or customers).  Music magazines are arranged in to sections according to the genre for example all the Rock music magazines are placed next to each other, such as the magazines in the images above: Kerrang and uncut are dedicated to rock music and the sub genres within.

Magazines with free contents such as CDs or advertisements for free posters in the lower left third are put in front of the shelve to show customers what is inside the magazine to persuade them to buy the issue for the content within.

Popular brands of magazines have bought positions on the shelves within certain stores such as newsagents and supermarkets known as the ‘eye line view’ The Eye line view is directly in sight with the customer when they are browsing to ensure that more copies of the weeks issues are sold to the public. The magazines that do not make it in the first row on the shelves rely on bright and bold colour schemes to attract the attention of passing customers. Magazine colours schemes often consist of the same three colours, which are: Black, White and Red. The black and white is used as contrast to make the red look all the more bright and appealing to the public though colours like yellow are often used to be different. Another way magazines get the customers are interesting Coverlines, which usually are rhetorical questions which leave the reader wanting to know more information and hopefully will pick up to investigate. Also the font used plays and important part in grabbing attention from customers. Bold fonts are used to make a name, phrase or word stand out to show off what is inside the issue of a magazine, usually the artist/ bands name is the largest and boldest part of the cover as it is most important, however If the issue is offering a free item the word ‘Free’ will be bold to ensure customers see this.

Magazine brands take advantage of the increase of use in modern technology. They do this by advertising the magazines website within the magazine. The sites are updated daily featuring news and photos, This keeps people up-to-date with news in the music world. However other magazines such as Kerrang and Q have branched out even further by creating facebook and twitter pages which are linked to there radio stations and involves fans with artist and or musicians thats are being interviewed by giving them the chance to send in questions to be answered on the radio. these magazines also have apps available for Iphone and blackberry users to keep themselves up-to-date with news and new music.

Preliminary task evaluation.

In this evaluation I will be evaluating my preliminary task, which was to create at college magazine front cover as well as a contents page. In this evaluation I will be commenting on what worked well, what I need to improve on and how I will improve on these points before creating my main task to produce a music magazine.

I feel my overall design of both my front cover and content page for my college magazine was successful. I created both the front cover and contents page for my college magazine in Photoshop.

 

What went well?

 

·         Use of Photoshop: - I feel I used Photoshop to a good degree on both my Front cover and contents page. I used features within the program to make my magazine pages look slightly more professional such as the rulers, which I used to see where to put each Coverline was be and if each Coverline was an equal distance from the last. I also used Photoshop to brighten up and to add contrast the photography I took.

 

·         Photography:  - The camera I used was a compact cannon 12mp. I used this camera to capture the photography used on my front cover and contents page. I took a range of different shots in different locations in the school such as the front of the building, canteen and library. Out of the few images I took I only used 2/3 of them. The main image I used as seen on the front cover of the magazine is a shot of the college with the sign saying ‘Leyton Sixth Form College’ on. I choose to use this image, as the main idea of the magazine was to be a first issue of a magazine that featured within the college so I used the image of the college as an introduction of the magazine symbolising the ‘first’ issue.

 

What do I need to improve on?

 

I feel I have two main points I will need to improve on. The first is my knowledge of software such as InDesign and Photoshop. To improve my current skills I will use the software(s) more frequently to familiarise myself with it. I will do this by learning how to do different techniques within the programs from YouTube or other sites that offer the information. The Second point I need to improve on is my photography skills. To improve this I will plan what I want to be going on in each shot will be used for each image. I will also consider what poses and shots will be used in each image,

 

Write three key points for development when producing the main task (music magazine)

 

The three points I have decided I need to develop on before producing my music magazine are improving the use of software such as Photoshop and InDesign, to help make my finished piece look professional and believable as a music magazine. Another point is the photography I will be using which I will improve by planning what I will what to be used in each image and researching existing images within music magazines to see what fits in with the theme and genre of the magazine. The Last point I will consider is continuing to research music magazines similar to the style of mine such as NME, Q and Kerrang. I will take a note of how the pages are structured, the design layout and the style of writing (informal/formal) in the articles and on the main pages.

Preliminary Task: Student Magazine.

My Preliminary Task: Student Magazine.

Kerrang Media Pack.

Details of Kerrang Magazine are featured. These details include the number of years the magazine has been running for. the median age of the average reader of Kerrang who is 22 years old. this shows us the target audience of the magazine is young people, possible in college, university or first time employment. The target audience relates to the price of the magazine as the younger audience my not have jobs therefore the price is low. Other details included are the number of copies sold, and the number of readers who continuously read the magazine. The cross media featured within the magazine are music stations on television and on the radio, a web address,  K! Awards and K! Tour.

The mission statement of Kerrang Magazine is to ensure there is always an appeal to there readers who are fans of sub-genres within rock music. In each issue there is a balance between old and new music featuring new and old bands and keeping fans and readers up to date. 

Brand Extensions of Kerrang Magazine include being partners of large rock music festivals and include the media coverage and exclusives with the featured acts. Kerrang Radio which has around 1.3 million listeners and a television station that has around 7.1 million viewers. Kerrang Magazine has also branched out in to social networking sites such as Facebook (12,208 likes) and Twitter (55,589 Followers)

This is the issue schedule that features the date of when each magazine goes on sale and which date the issue must be completed by to be looked over and then be confirmed for sale for the whole year of 2011. From this information we can see Kerrang magazine release 4 magazines per month

This features a brief outline of the details of the pages, such as the sizes of pages. This also features the cost of advertisement whether the company would like to take up a full or half a page or an double page spread.

College magazine cover.

For research for my preliminary task which is to design and create a college styled magazine i have decided to look at current college magazines to analyse. I have decided to look at an existing college magazine to see what features, layout and colours are used within the process and how the reader reacts to them, for inspiration for my own college magazine i will be creating.

Magazine Case Study: Double Page Spread.

I have decided to look at 2 double page spreads, one from Kerrang! magazine that features a visit to the studio where the band My Chemical Romance were recorded an album of these and the other from NME magazine that features lily allen talking about the public perception of herself. I have decided to base my music magazine on the layout and decide of both of these magazines. i have looked 2 doubles page spreads and i have analyse what effects are used and how they reader and or audience reacts to these effects as well has the colour scheme and overall design.

Magazine Case Study: NME.

The second magazine i have decided to look at is NME (new music express). i have chosen to look at NME as i want to create a rock music magazine similar to it. in this study i have analysed what techniques are used in attracting the magazine to the readers and how the readers themselves response to it. The front covert of NME i have chosen to look at is one with the Arctic Monkeys on dated November 2011. the second contents page i have decided on is also from the same issue of NME which features other current bands as well as the Arctic Monkeys. NME is targeted at fans of rock, indie rock and alternative aged between 15 - 30.

Magazine Case Study Kerrang!

I have decided to look at Kerrang! Magazine to review and analyse in this case study. I have chosen to look at this magazine, as I want to produce a rock music magazine similar to Kerrang! for my music magazine coursework.  In this case study I will be looking at what details go in to creating a front cover, a content page and a double page spread. I will also be looking at why the magazines creators use these details and how the reader responses to them. The front page issue of Kerrang! Magazine I have decided to look at is an issue from September 2011. This issue is a special celebration dedicated to celebrate 20 years of Nirvana’s ‘ground breaking’ album Nevermind.  The content page i have chosen is also from kerrang! and is dedicated to the former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and features interviews from other current bands and artists.

Kerrang! is a British magazine targeted at an audience between the ages of 15 - 30 who are fans of all forms of rock music (grunge, punk and metal). Kerrang! is published by the 'Bauer Media Group' who also publish other music magazines such as Q and are partly in charge of music channels on television such as The Box, Smash Hits Tv and Magic Tv.