Analysis of Music Magazine Double Page Spreads

Below is my analysis of two double page spreads from two separate music magazines:

To conclude I have learnt that:

• The colour red is again important and should probably be used in my article. 
• A stand first is vital to provide an easy entry point into the body text for the reader. 
• White text on a coloured background is once again very effective. 
• A sidebar adds variety to the article and also acts as an entry point. 

Analysis of Music Magazine Contents Pages

I analysed two contents pages to give me a good knowledge for when designing my own pages. The two contents pages are below, with the first being from a magazine with only one contents page and the second with two. (Click to enlarge)

Key learning point: Using two pages for the contents section makes for a much more spaced, attractive layout with also more information- I should use two for my own work. It's also important to have a continuation from the cover, whether this be the colour scheme, fonts or logos. I should employ at least one of these in my pages. A variety of shot types have also been employed to make the page more interesting, which again I should replicate in my own individual work. 

Exploring a Feature Article

Following analysis of a feature article from Kerrang, I recognise the key conventions to be -

Side bar

Pull quote – interesting and dramatic

Subheadings

Layout – Columns – conventional?

Body text

Images – key image, m-e-s reflects journalistic slant of article

                - additional smaller image

Intertextual references – refer to other bands or musicians to connect audience

Stand first – opening sentence that summaries content

Headline – catchy / wordplay

Captions to anchor image

Often jumps back to journalistic pros- though still embedded quotes – present tense?

I then mocked up my own title for the same article:

'MCCRACKEN MAKES MAD MUSIC' - With the extensive alliteration creating connotations of insanity and also being catchy and rhythmic to read. 

I then created my own stand first to go with it:

'Insane new album ‘Lies for the Liars’ by The Used injected with honesty, exclusive interview below.'

- I carried on with the semantic field of insanity by actually using the word and introducing a paradox, with honest lies. 

I then used these skills to analyse a two page feature article, shown below:

Final learning point: I should include a range of the key conventions stated above to create a convincing and intriguing feature article which could slot easily into the Kerrang music genre of rock punk. 

Analysis of Music Magazine Front Covers

Below is my analysis of the front cover of music magazines 'mixmag' and 'Q'.
The key learning point is...

In summary I have learnt that's its extremely important to have a clear masthead to give the magazine identity, and this can be executed effectively by using white on a coloured background- this is something I should include in my work. Something I also wish to use in my cover is the choice of red, as this clearly stands out of the black and white and would be very eye catching on the shelf. 

Preliminary Task Review

Prelim Task Review

This is my final Sixth Form Magazine Cover:

This is my final contents page:

Below is the prezi analyzing my magazine and contents page:

'Planning Ideas for Sixth Form Magazine'

'Planning Ideas for Sixth Form Magazine'

Below are the first ideas I have for my Sixth Form Magazine Cover and Contents Page

Front Cover:

1. Masthead - I wanted a name that was original and catchy, which was actually quite difficult in practice. I recognized that alliteration would be very desirable in the name, so my first thoughts were along the lines of 'The Sixth Sizzler' and 'Sixth Sense'. However, I felt these names had been commonly used before so I toyed with more comedic names such as 'Should've Gone College', but I felt that this too wouldn't work as it wasn't serious enough. I have finally settled on 'Section Sixth' as it's quite original and uses alliteration and makes the magazine clearly directed to sixth formers.
                  - Regarding font- I wanted the name to be very clear and easy to read, so I definitely wanted a sans serif font. The massive variety and choice baffled me at first, but I whittled it down to these three: 

   
   

   FONT 1

   

   FONT 2

   

   FONT 3

   I really liked the jaded feel Font 1 gives, making the magazine appear to be a longstanding publication. The writing it also thick enough to be seen but not so that it's overpowering.
   
   For Font 2 I liked how the thinner writing gave the magazine a more modernistic feel, however the writing might be too thin to be seen easily and to be recognizable.
   
   
   Fonte 3 is very bold which would make the title stand out and I also like how the first letters are capitals, giving an impression of sophistication. However, I feel the font is too bland and simple to be used.
   
   
   
   
   I finally decided to use Font 1 as I felt it had more character and individuality, while also being easy to read and giving the magazine an identity.
   
   

   2. Colour Schemes - I wanted a cool, sleek, modern colour scheme that would appeal to a young, quite sophisticated buyer. I created this colour scheme with the black and white creating a sharp contrast along with a modern look. The blue brings a bit of life to the cover and makes it look a lot less boring and more fun. 

   
   
   

   
   
   
   

Research Into Sixth Form Magazines

Research Into Sixth Form Magazines

I am currently researching Sixth Form magazines so that I can produce a great magazine cover and contents page for my preliminary task. 

This is the front cover of a school magazine, originally found at:

http://kehs.org.uk

I have annotated the key features below which I plan on using in my own magazine cover

To give my study more depth, I then analysed another magazine cover:

I preferred this minimalist style to the first cover, and is something I would like to replicate in future work. 

I then continued to analyse the contents page of the same magazine issue, where I was a tad disappointed:

I felt that such a large editor's note looked unprofessional, I also didn't think much of the colour scheme- which could have easily been a continuation of  the dark blue and bright white, rather than using a stoic black and white.

I then created a word cloud with key words for a magazine cover:

Introduction

My name is Adam, I am a media student at The Fallibroome Academy.

This blog charts my progress in response to AS coursework brief PRINT.

The brief is:
a preliminary task - to produce the front cover and contents page of a new school magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in MCU plus some appropriately laid out text and a masthead.
The main task is to design the front cover, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine which is to include a minimum of 4 original images.