In order for articles to intrest and intrigue its targeted audience they need to include different uses and gratifications; personal indentity, social interaction, information, entertainment and coventions to do so. Common conventions seen on magzine articles are headlines, standfirts, revelation, images, language features which all help to create a selling point.
In order to create a successful contents page there needs to be certain conventions anf features included in order to give enough detail for the audience so they know what to expect from the magazine. Common coventions seen on a contents page are headlines, information, page numbers, images, titles which all need to conventionally work together to display the information needed. Throughout the process of designing my contents page I have focused on AIDA; attention, interest, desire and action to help create a meaning and connote my magazines genre of music for the audience.
CONTENTS PAGE PEER ASSESSMENT
What type of shots have been used to create a variety of shot distances and how has the camera been used to communicate meaning?
-A mid shot has been used in both pictures, demonstrating the understanding of different types of shots but also shows the models’ costumes very well. The smaller image could feature a different star to make it more intresting.
What choice of Mise en scene is appropriate for the star image and genre?
-The outfits of the models suit the genre very well, portraying the theme of indie very well. The brown colour scheme of their outfits really reflect the Indie genre, showing her understanding of Mise-en-scene. Not only do their outfits correlate the genre, the use of props help emphasise the her chosen genre, again portraying her understanding of Mise-en-scene.
How far is the font used readable and reflects the genre
-The bold, sans serif font is easy to read and reflects her chosen genre well. Even though the fonts are plain, they suit the genre well and make the models stand out more.
What technical conventions of a Contents page are present and used effectively?
-The headlines used are appropriate for the chosen genre. The page numbers are used effectively, not only enhancing how visually appealing it is but also guiding the reader.
How has Indesign been used to layout the page to convey a brand
-The layout of the contents page has been thought out well. The size of the title is fairly large, leaving enough space for the page numbers and coverlines. The spacing of the insets used makes the contents page look complete. Could feature different design and shapes to make it more exciting.
How well have the text and visuals been integrated together?
-The colour palette of the models contrasts well with the magazines colour palette, making it visually appealing and ensuring the models stand out on the page.
Where has photoshop been used to manipulate the photos to enhance the star image or genre?
-Photoshop has been used well, enhancing the quality of the photos and brightening up the models faces.
How is the language used appropriate for the genre and target audience?
-The language used is appropriate for the genre and it is easy for the target audience to pick up on what genre it is. Thre could be more coverlines featured to give further detail.
Visually appealing, good photos, well thought through, appropriate colour palette.
B grade
Contents pages are important within a magazine in order to interest its targeted audience by giving detail of what the magazine will include. The conventions include details of specific page numbers and what will be featured on them aswell as images, coverlines and mastheads. Different designs can feature an image spread across the whole page whereas others do not and may feature smaller images however all share common conventions. By researching different contents page designs from other magazines has allowed me to see how different components are placed within the page and what they feature.
On contents pages it’s important to make sure all components and compositions work well with one another in order to give the detail needed to the magazines targeted audience. By hand drawing different design layouts has enabled me to roughly play with where different compositions could be placed within the contents page. Creating four different designs different from each other has helped me to see how a contents page will come together and what will work best with my music magazine.
Headlines seen on contents pages are extremely important in order to attract the audience whilst giving extra detail about the contents of the magazine. They need to be catchy and short to draw attention whilst getting the point across quickly for the audience to create a selling point. Creating several headlines has allowed me to use specific language creating attraction and entertainment. The headlines are associated with my magzines music genre making sure they hit my targeted audience, drawing the readrers in.
My first draft of my Indie Alternative music magazine would be reaching a B grade at this stage. In order for it to get a higher grade I will need to include more coverlines and conventions to give the targted audience more details about what would feature inside the magazine. Overall my magazine comes together and looks like an Indie music magazine due to the coolour pallette, costumes, fonts, mastehad and the model but still needs extra information to reach an A grade.
However, typically on Indie Alternative music magazines are very simplistic designs which feature very few coverlines and details about the contents of the magazine. In order to make mine ‘the same but different’ I will not be able to crowd my magazine with lots of information but instead include key details in order to make a selling point.
Throughout the process of my photo shoot I had to think the angle, lighting, shot and how the model is posing including their body language hair and clothes. In order for my star image to create a meaning and brand for my magazine cover I needed to make sure all aspects were thought about. By taking a variety of photos allows me to try different styles to decide which image works best with my chosen genre of music.
My final image I have chosen for my magzine front cover will be the one displayed below. I have chosen this photo of my cover star as it features a close up shot allowing the star to be recognised. The focus and zoom are proportional as well as the models pose and direct eye contact to be facing the audience. This image will work well with my genre and within my front cover I will be able to place certain features easily e.g masthead and coverlines.
The title of a music magazine is exeedingly important to create an ideal selling point and brand for your product. A title needs to be recognisable and easy to read in order for the audience to remember your piece of media. Simplistic titles can be extremely effective and get straight to the point for you readers; giving details about your magzine and genre before opening it. Designing five different possibilities for my final masthead has allowed me to experiment with different fonts, colours and sizes of texts.
|For my final masthead design for my magazine I will be using either of the two displayed above. The first design is simple yet different and effective as it uses different conventions; invloving both upper and lowercase letters. This can give an effect thats the name of the magazine can be shortened to the ii. magazine as well as making it stand out from many others. The full stop at the ends adds an extra touch and also implicating the importance of the magzine suggesting a high well known brand. The second design is a lot more simple however is bold, making it stand out easily to the audience. When choosing my final design I will test these two mastheads with my final image to compare and see which one is more powerful.
Layout and graphics involved within a magazine help to create a selling point to their targeted audience. If a magazine is too busy and full with different conventions then this can distract the audience from the main points and details. These magazine designs that I have chosen have simplistic but effective characteristics helping the audinec to have a focal point on the star image and other important details. Inspired by certain features within these magazines I woul like my final piece of media to include:
The above magazine covers appealed to me as they all included most of these features aswell as extra details to make them ‘the same but different’. Aswell as the features involved they are all coordinated with the Indie music genre helping me to be inspired by what could be included within my final piece.
Perparing for a photo shoot is extremely important in order for both you and the model to be organised and successful. In order to do this I have created a production meeting agenda focussing on everything I and my model needs to bring to the shoot to create the final image. Planning ahead allows me to gather a style and costume for my model which will then complement my chosen music genre. Important faetures to focus on are:
These will all help both me and my model to know exactly whats happening and when in the direction of having a successful photo shoot.
Magazines usually include a cover star on the front page and throughout the magzine which is important to understand how they are percieved towards an audience in order to create a successful magazine. Creating a star image collage focused of my chosen genre has allowed me to undertsand how certain posts and images within the media represent a star as a person.
A famous star within my genre is Billie Eilish who is displayed in many different ways online towards her audience. Her extraordinary life is shown through media with her achievments and awards as well as unique fashion alowing the audience to understand her ‘star life’. However through important topics such as mental health and body image she reveals her personal life and struuggles allowing people to understand that she has an ‘ordinary life’ just like everybody else.
Gathering an overall idea of how I want my star to look and different features within my main images is extremely imprtant in order to plan ahead. Creating a collage of images similar to the aim of my final photos has allowed me to see all the conventions used within an image to create a meaning and style.
My genre of music is Indie therefore I have chosen images which connote this genre and use conventions similar to other magazines of this music. Within my photos I will focus on the body language, makeup, costume, props and lighting/setting in order to connote meanings and reprswnt my main star towards my targeted audience.
Looking into what my perfect image would hope to be like will help me to have a base for my photos and a rough idea to follow. It has allowed me to plan ahead and choose all the conventions carefully to match my specific genre.
By using YouGov I have learned details about my target audience for my Indie music magazine. This website has helped to understand the features and intrests of my audience. Searching a popular artist, Billie Eilish, who produces some Indie music I have found out that my audince is both male and female however it’s primarily female with a higher percentage. The audience enjoys online entertainment, pubs and nightclubs, city breaks, beach holidays and driving connoting a chill and relaxed vibe. From searching other atrists in this area I have also found out that the age of my audience is quite a wide range but most of the audience comes from later teens who enjoy showing their individual differences. Other enjoyments and interests of my targeted audience are:
Creating a dating profile on the perfect audience member for my Indie magazine has allowed me to go through the process of finding out my exact target audience. By doung so I have found out gender, age range, hobbies and intrests, music taste and their general character. This task has enabled me to understand the audience and see it from their point of view which will then help me to create my music magazine and include everything that interests them.