Design Of My Music Magazine

FRONT COVER FINAL DESIGN

This is the final design of my music magazine front cover. With the addition of cover lines and the bar code, it has made the magazine look more quality and professional. the contrasting colour scheme (in my opinion) works well and draws attention to both the main image and all of the cover lines. I have taken inspiration from various music magazine front covers by using a large solo image, which is the main focus of attention with one cover line which is larger than the rest, this goes with the main image. I have made sure that I only use a small range of colours when designing the cover, as to many can cause the page to become chaotic, look really unplanned and poorly laid out. With too may colours the reader could become confused as to whats what. The fonts I have used are sans serif, and they are also very bold, this is so that they stand out and are clear and easy to read.

Feedback:

The feedback I have received from this particular design has come back with mixed results. Most believed that the layout of the page has been done well however the colours are slightly too bright. They also believed that due to the colours being a little on the bright side, it would be more suited to a younger audience. The opinions on the fonts used were generally positive, the majority said that the fonts are simple yet eye-catching, and are also bold enough to stand out, not to be over-shadowed by the main image on the page.

Jonathon Chisholm

I think the front cover is very eye-catching as the colours used are bright and attractive. I think it looks as if it is aimed at early teenagers as the text used is quite 'cartoony'. The layout is professional however I think there is a bit too much empty space. This space could be filled by more text and headings to give more of an insight on whats inside the magazine. My overall opinion is it looks very professional and if I saw this on the shelves it would certainly grab my attention.

Andrew Bews

I believe that this cover looks rather professional, however the colour scheme gives me the impression that it would be directed at a younger audience due to the colours being so bright. The overall layout of the cover is very nicely made and works well to show all of its aspects of the page. The fonts used are also quite bright and colourful so that they stand out. My overall opinion would be that it looks professional, however it would be more suited to a younger target audience.

Chris Rowland

At first glance I immediately thought that the layout is very appealing and professional, I think that the colours used are also attractive and definitely draw in the readers attention. The main image is good as it is relevant to the topic of music which also adds appeal. My only negative point is that there is not enough cover lines on the page, so there is a lot of spare space that could be used.

CONTENTS PAGE FINAL DESIGN

This is the final design of my magazine contents page, I have continued the colour scheme and font design from the cover onto this page. I have laid out my contents in a simple list format, with the page numbers on the left side and the articles just to the right of each number, to easily display which page each article is on. The colour of the text differs depending on what the background colour is. The page numbers are a contrasting colour to the articles, this gives the page an eye-catching feel. The images I've used on this particular page take a rather informal register, establishing this magazine fun and laid back. With other information on competitions and the latest on certain aspects of music lower down the page, they have a different background and font colour and shape, this makes this particular information stand out, also making the reader intrigued wanting to know more about it.

Feedback:

I was generally quite pleased with the feedback I received on my contents page as the majority gave positive feedback. Numerous individuals responded by saying that the layout is very professional and the colour scheme works well to make sure that every section of text is recognised. Some believed that the images that were used let the page down somewhat. Various people said that the image at the bottom right of the page is to silly to be included in a music magazine, however some also thought that it added humour to the page.

Chris Rowland

On this contents page there are a greater range of colours used, this works well to ensure that each story is noticed. The use of colours with contrasting backgrounds also makes the text stand out and catch the readers attention. The page numbers and stories have been laid out in a very organised fashion which makes it easy for me to read it. The image at the bottom right of the page has led me to believe that it is definitely directed at a younger audience due to the silliness of it.

Jonathon Chisholm

I think this is very professional and laid out really well, also very organised.

The use of different colour text gives the page an attractive quality, and the way in which the text has been laid out means that its easy for me to read it. The fonts also change which gives me he impression that this magazine covers various aspects of the music industry. I like how a similar colour scheme has been used on this page is the same as the cover, this shows that it is professional again.

Andrew Bews

Looking at this page it appeals to me, the layout is very organised and makes it easy to understand and read. Judging by the bright colours and picture of a boy making a humorous face leads me to believe that it is meant to been informal and not too serious. I like the use of a black box on the bottom left of the page with a contrasting white text advertising vouchers, this draws me in, wanting to get more information on what is being offered.

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD FINAL DESIGN

This is the final design of my music magazine double page spread, as you can clearly see the colour scheme I have used on both my previous designs has been utilised yet again, some would call this unconventional, but I believe that the colouring works well. Although the colourings are the same, the layout has been altered significantly so that it doesn't become boring and similar throughout. I have laid the text out in a fashion that makes it both easy to read and eye-catching. For the mast heading I have used a colour which is contrast to the background so that it is the first thing on the page that catches the readers attention. For the image on this page I have decided to black it out, this gives the page a contemporary edge and will attract a younger audience. Due to the picture being blacked out the page is given a rather serious and formal register, however when you read the article on the page, it is in fact rather informal and contains a lot of camaraderie. The article is in a question and answer format, I have chosen to write it in such a format as I believe that it is more personal and allows the audience a more in depth look into the lives of the music artists.

Feedback:

For my double page spread, many believed that the layout was done very well however the overall colour scheme made the pages lack a professional appeal. Yet again people thought that due to the continuing colour scheme, the magazine will be directed at a younger target audience, aged around 13-15 years. They believed that the layout was professional, and the article was not over shadowed by the title and the pictures.

Andrew Bews

I personally enjoyed this piece the most out of all three of your designs. The layout is extremely professional and really looks like a real magazine article. I enjoyed the question and answer format, it gave me a good description of the artists lives. The image used gives the page a contemporary and modern feel, the black image shows to men standing back to back, it relates to me as I aspire to be successful.

 Chris Rowland

I enjoyed reading this page as it has a great amount of humour within the article, it is also laid out very well which establishes professionalism. I think that the boarders and the mast headings work well and they are very bold and stand out to grab the readers attention, the names of the artists are written in a large bold contrasting colour which could mean that the artist are very big at the moment. The only thing I can suggest to be changed is the continuous colour scheme that has been used throughout, as the reader could become bored of reading it.

Jonathon Chisholm

I very much like how this page has been laid out as it looks very realistic. It is clear to see which part is which (by that I mean what is the mast heading/whats the article etc). I believe that the colour scheme has let this double page spread down somewhat as it is reoccurring and seems tedious after a while. My impressions concerning the article, I think that the informal register of it appeals to the audience and establishes a laid back tone, also the question and answer format gives a in depth analysis on the artists lives.

This is the layout that my music magazine front cover will take.

the mast head of the magazine is located at the top of the page and will be the largest and boldest text on the cover,to make sure it stands out from the cover lines. With the main image on the page, I have made sure its is significantly large enough so that it is the centre of attention and the most important aspect of the page. I have chosen to use contrasting reds and white colourings which makes the writing stand out from images but still not taking the attention away from the image. The image has been sized so that it doesn't fill the page and so that cover lines can be placed in various positions. With the use of a bar code at the bottom right of the page, it gives the magazine cover a professional edge.

I have decided to create my contents page in a list format with the numbers displayed along the right hand side, going across the page, I have chosen to use this layout as it is clear and easy to read, and will not be at all confusing. The colour scheme that I have used stands out and makes it bright and attractive with contrasting bold text. I have also added to images, one at the bottom, one at the top, this gives it a somewhat informal register as the images depict someone who is in a laid back pose. The bordering I have used gives the page a quality and professional design. The text used for the page numbers will be bolder than that of the stories next to them, they will also differ in colour and size (the numbers being larger). This also means that it will be simple to find articles and what page they are on.

In my double page spread I have followed suite, and decided to use the same colour scheme and font that was used on both my front cover and contents page. I decided only to place a boarder on the left side of the page as the image I'm going to use will take up most of the right hand side. I have placed both the title of the article and a sub-heading on the left side as that is where most of the information and writing will be located, the sub-heading will be establishing what will be discussed. The use of musical notes around the headings make sure people realise that this article relates mainly to music, or is about a person(s) working in the  music industry. I have placed two numbers on either side of the page, one on the bottom left, one on the bottom right, this depicts what page number you are on. I have used a small font for this so that they don't conflict will the more important text on the page.

For my music magazine cover drafts, I chose to use a variety of scenarios that are relevant to the music genre. I made several decisions when designing these covers, for example, where to place mast headings and cover lines, how big should the main image be. In the end I chose the image at the bottom left as a template when designing my front cover.

For my music magazine contents drafts, i decided to use images that related to the image used on the front cover, I did this to ensure that the main image on the cover is continued on this page, so to establish it as the main topic. I decided to use the image at the top right as a template for my contents page.

For my double page spreads I chose to have my text filling up the majority of the pages to establish that the information is more improtant than the images. The double page spreads have been designed focusing on various aspects of real life music magazines. The design I have chosen to use as my template is the image on the bottom left.

Music Magazine Questionnaire

After producing a music magazine questionnaire, I then placed all of my research into graphs to display it clearly. This is what I found.

In the results of the first question I discovered that from a group of 15 people, only 5 actually read music magazines, leaving a total of 10 that don't, this could hinder somewhat the idea's I have for my magazine, as the answers for the other questions may not be reliable.

 In the second graph "How often do you read music magazines?", there was a mixture of answers given. The majority of the answers given went either to "Daily" or "Never", which meant that there is a variety of people that don't read magazines.

In the answers given in the third graph "What is your favourite music genre", I discovered that the most popular genre was pop, this gave me an idea of what genre my magazine would follow, as if pop is most popular around my target audience, then it would only make sense to produce such a magazine.

In the fourth graph it displays the results of "Why do you read music magazines", the results that were gathered consisted of "Interest" or "Entertainment". These particular answers have given me ideas for my magazine, when discussing colour schemes and fonts. By having brighter more attractive colours to add to the entertainment value.

On graph number five "What would you like to see on the cover of a music magazine", the evidence gathered has led me to believe that most people would want either a solo-artist or a band on the front cover, judging by the results the best option would be to place an image of a solo artist on the cover as the target audience find it more appealing.

In graph number six "Where should the mast heading be placed" the majority of answers given by the target audience were generally directed at the top left of the page, which is where the stereotypical mast heading would also be located. This is most likely where I would also place my mast head, although I may conform to the stereotypes and make mine more original.