Deconstruction of a magazine

 

 



This magazine is firstly, clearly a conventional one for having an attractive model for the front cover. This headshot is centred in the middle making eye contact with the reader making a connection with them. Also the massive 'Q' in the top left corner makes it obvious for regular readers that this is the magazine for them. 'Q' refers to the 'cue' on a record player carrying on the theme that this is a music magazine. The title 'Q' makes a short, snappy and catchy title for people to remember. This made me think more about magazine titles for my one, to keep it music related. The text is all san-serif meaning this is an up to date, modernized magazine with the latest gossip. However the text inside the logo is serif but conveys the idea that this magazine has history and has been around for a while and is still in fashion.

 The three main colours are white, orange and blue, the design uses these main colours so they don't over do it on the readers eye and it looks more professional. The orange and blue are complementary so contrast with each other; this makes the magazine stand out more amongst the other hundreds of magazines in the shops. this is important because the purpose of them is to make profit however there are other magazines with the same idea e.g. NME, Top of the Pops etc. Also the orange background supplies the cover lines with a good dark background to put white text over making the text more readable to the audience and they stand out more.

 The main cover line is the largest and most bold showing its significance compared to the rest of the cover lines. This will get the target audience's attention with the latest article. The quote "I feel so alone" is in the font serif to show that it is a quote and not just any old line. Also the fact that this famous, successful singer feels isolated will grab the reader's attention.

School Magazine Comparison

The task was to compare my school magazine to a real school magazine so I used Kettering Science Academy's 'Under the Microscope'.

Front Cover

Similarities

• Both magazines have an obvious colour scheme, mine red and KSA's purple. This links into the school logo and stands out for the fact that that is the purple school and it becomes conventional. This is what I want for my magazine but maybe convey this through other devices rather than just colour.
• Watermarks are also used on both which makes them look more professional and it is a good theme to have through out the magazine pages.

Differences

• Instead of cover lines KSA used miniature pictures on the side of their cover which like cover lines, tells you what's in the content of the magazine. I found this unique but I'd have to experiment more with idea if it was going to work with a music magazine.
• KSA has an article on their front cover which doesn't look eye catching but in a school magazine the purpose is different to music one. School magazines are to inform students, parents and other audiences associated in the school about the latest news on the school. Whereas music magazines are to entertain people about what's going on in the music world and to compete with other magazines. Unlike KSA's magazine, music magazines are in competition with others and are trying to make a profit.

Contents Page

Similarities

• Both have watermarks carrying on the theme. Mine is of the school logo to remind the audience this is a school magazine whereas KSA's is just a pattern to make the page more exciting.
• Both have followed through the colour scheme making these magazines more effective and professional.

Differences

• My contents has a few pictures hinted what is in the article and numbers matching the article number.
• The contents page for KSA's is not just a contents page but has an introduction as well which I hadn't thought of. I  like the idea of having a small bar on the right with the page numbers and will consider this for my music magazine. 

Contents Page

 

 

My main aim was to keep the same format and theme between my front cover and my contents page however my contents page looked even better than my front cover so I went back and improved it.

 

I improved it by adding a warm filter making the magazine stand out from the others more and made the overlay darker. The main colours are red, white and black you can see a clear resemblance between the two pages.

 

I wanted to create a design different to other magazines however keep a similar, conventional layout. My magazine has a retro theme because I would like to make a magazine for retro music so I experimented with different colours, fonts and layouts.

School magazine

Our first task was to invent our own school magazine front cover.

 

 

 

Fonts

The different types of fonts used in a magazine.

Serif- which is a font with tails and feet on the ends of letters.

Non-serif- which is a font without tails or feet and is seen to be more trendy and used in modern magazines whereas serif is more traditional.

Handwriting- this is a font which looks hand written but is obviously typed but is seen to be more person and is used by authors if they have a message to the reader.

In my own magazine I'm considering to use serif fonts to relate to an older audience to try and bring back the past and be more retro. Having a different font to the rest of the modern magazines will then stand out and be more unusual.

Research Methods

We first discussed what primary and secondary research was.

Primary Research

Primary research is gathering your own information that does not already exist. We can do this by telephone interviews, surveys or questionnaires etc. Primary research is good because  it is your own and unique and it means you aren't plagiarising so I will definitely use as much primary research as possible in my music magazine project.

Secondary Research

Secondary research consists of research someone else has written and is not your own. We can do this by using the internet, books or newspapers. In my project I'll put all my findings in my own words or at least reference the original source.


We next brainstormed different research methods, primary and secondary;

Quantitative Research 

This is research that is numerical, patterns and trends that may even be presented as a graph. For example, questionnaires will result in answers that can be presented in a pie chart, for example 'Which front cover do you like best?'

Advantages                                                            Disadvantages                                                             

-It is quick and easy questions to                          -People may not answer honestly if asked on paper

 answer.                                                                 -People may not bother answering the questions

-Good way to answer decisions you                     -You can't get detailed answers or opinions and  

 cant decide yourself.                                              suggestions to improve the front cover

-Can easily find out what is popular                     -The wrong target audience may be asked

 and what is unpopular to the public

Qualitative Research 

This is based on opinions, thoughts and feelings about the questions which can provide you with suggestions to improve your idea and develop it for the public. For example an interview with a focus group can provide you detailed responses.

Advantages                                                              Disadvantages                                                           

-This can help you develop and improve                -Going through detailed answers and questioning  

 your original idea and make it better for                 will take a long time

 the public

- Answers that are supported with opinions

 can help solve problems and prompt you

 with new ideas.

 Examples of Primary and Secondary Research Methods

Magazine Terminology

Text

• Font
• Sell line
• Cover lines
• Serif
• San-serif
• Handwriting
• Masthead
• House style
• Skyline
• Centre Spread
• Earlug
• Bleed
• Off register
• Pug

Images

• Camera Shots- Big Close Up (BCU)

-Extreme Close up (ECU)

-Midshot

-longshot

• Colours- contrasts, what do they represent?
• Mise en scene;

      -Costume

      -Lighting; high key, low key, back lit

      -Hair

      -Make-up

      -Setting

      -Props

Features of a Magazine

The 4 'F's of a Magazine Design

1. FORMAT: This determines the whole look of the front cover including the logo, cover lines, size of the magazine, department headers and other things that keep the same copy of the magazine conventional. Magazines are kept conventional in order for them to be recognized by regular readers.

2. FORMULA: This is the editorial content- what's in the magazine. The types of articles and what their length is and where they should come in the magazine- the back or towards the front. This all has to be considered and contributes to the formula.

3. FRAME: The frame consists of margins, gutters and standard size for pages. Once margin sizes are decided, it is usually kept the same from issue to issue.

4. FUNCTION: The function is the purpose of the magazine- what is theme, message, target audience etc. And also what is it trying to achieve.

The Front Cover

• Masthead (title, logotype, logo or name plate)- Must be especially done to be unique therefore recognisable.
• Date line- Date of publication and the price. A monthly magazine is usually released the month before the cover date. 
• Main image- Usually one model with a close up face making full eye contact.
• Model credit- The photographer and model is sometimes done on the contents page as well.
• Cover lines- The amount of cover lines has increased over time because of competition from other magazines, they have to be the most interesting. Also they most avoid touching the model as the colour blending makes them difficult to read.
• Main cover line- This is usually the largest text and must stand out compared to the other cover line.
• Left third- The left third of the magazine is vital for sales in shops where the magazine is not shown full-frontage. The title must be easily recognisable in a display of dozens of others. the start of the masthead is important here, as are short cover lines that are easy to read. The top fifth of the cover is usually dominated by the masthead may be vital part in the supermarkets, where magazines are displayed differently.
• Bar code- In bottom right or left corner.
• Selling line- Setting out its editorial philosophy. Short, sharp and catchy.

The History of Music Magazines

• The first ever music magazine was released by Billboard magazine in 1894. Their charts started however in the 1930's.

• June 1926, Melody maker was released along the honours list and the charts list of that time. In the 50's it came into competition with NME. It became more popular with the younger generation when it started to post about the latest artists.

• New Musical Express know as 'NME' was founded in 1952 and was the best selling British magazine in the 1970's.

• In 1967 the Rollin' Stone magazine was introduced. It was more about the culture of music than the facts.
• 
• In 1978, Smash Hits was released in a glossy cover designed for fans of pop.
• The Face was released in 1980, aimed for an older audience.
• 




• Vibe included gossip about a lot of artists, e.g. the story 'Rihanna exposed.' And is popular today as well as in 1993.

 

• In the present there are now all different magazines of all different genres to cater for all different audiences whether it's Kerrang for rock lovers or Opera magazine for classical fans.

Music magazines were used to inform different fans of different artists the news about them, now however they have become less popular because you can get this information via the internet. Magazines have also got a lot more colourful and visual to the reader. gradually over time magazines are made for specific types of genres rather than cater for all.

Introduction to me

Hello, I'm Harriet Broadley and this is my blog for AS media.