Contents Page
Double Page Spread
Thursday 6 January 2011
Looking back at your preliminary task of designing the school magazine, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?
When designing my school magazine, the whole concept of using photoshop was very new. Most things I did were experimental whilst I was figuring out what photoshop was capable of and forming an understanding of how everything operates. This of course was a benefit when designing my music magazine. At the same time I was looking at other magazines and identifying what I liked and didn't like about each of those, and then attempting to use the tools of photoshop to get the results I wanted. Occasionally I would be trying to achieve a desired result when due to my inexperience with the technology I would get a result that I had not intended, but that I liked. An example of this was when it came to choosing my colour scheme. I chose my main burgundy colour and was pleased with this. When I went to chose this colour again, admittedly I was not paying much attention and selected the wrong colour: a lighter red. I found that this contrasted well with the burgundy, therefore decided to use it in my magazine. But mistakes like this are all part of the learning process.
What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?
There is far more than meets the eye in designing a successful magazine: layout, font, research into readerships and overall look. This has been something I have really enjoyed about the project. I feel I have gained confidence with the tools used in photoshop. This meant that towards the later parts of forming my magazine, I was able to move a lot quicker with the knowledge that I acquired. Working on this project introduced me to different aspects of design that I had not thought about before, such as making a page layout look interesting and appealing, contrasting photographs and where text would look most accessible. All of these skills are important in today's modern world in which a knowledge of computer technology is very important in many professions.
Through this process I also learnt the importance of development. By improving and developing a design it allowed me to make comparisons between the original idea and the end result. When comparing these two I was able to clearly see and evaluate the choices I made from start to finish.
How did you attract/address the audience for your music magazine?
The chief aim of the magazine is to focus on music. Music is an essential and important part of young peoples lives. Therefore the magazine should appeal immediately to the youth demographic. Placing a musician on the front cover is designed to appeal to that target market. The colour scheme I chose is neutral, appropriate for both male and female customers.
To ensure that my magazine is suited to my target audience I have used language and terminology that the readership can immediately identify with. Including lots of information on the latest music scene will attract all people with an interest in music. Having information on various different genres gives me a larger target audience. I have catered to the needs of all of them by maintaining a simple magazine design that does not include anything too distinctive to one particular music style.
Wednesday 5 January 2011
Who would be the audience for your magazine?
'Melodies Choice' is a magazine dedicated to serious music lovers of whatever genre. However, even though I include styles such as R&B, the image of my magazine is not glamorous or glossy. It doesn't focus on the image of the artist, just the music they produce. This means that the articles inside are mainly music based, therefore 'Melodies Choice' includes many reviews of albums and live concerts. It contains information on the latest music based news, and has some stories on artists, however none of them are written in the same gossip format as magazines like 'Hello'. 
My audience would be formed of both male and female readers. Because my publication is quite versatile it attracts many different people, making it impossible to generalize one specific type of reader. But the style of my magazine would appeal in my view to mostly indie fans, as there is more indie based music included within the magazine than any other. The disposable income of my targeted demography is generally modest. (approximately the amount of the weekly EMA allowance as my magazine targets mainly students.) The psychographic of my publication can vary. But social groups interested in the latest celebrity news and fashion styles will not find my magazine too appealing. Music fans in any career could be interested in my magazine, but most likely they will have a high interest within the artistic and creative industries. 'Melodies Choice' is a British influenced magazine, so does not include aspects from the glamorous American lifestyle.
Advertisements would target the youth market: for example, Cd's are generally around £10, DVDs and cinema tickets are approximately that price too, so these would be obvious products.
What kind of institution might distribute your magazine?
To determine which kind of institution would be a main distributor of my magazine I did had to research different companies of magazine distribution.
Emap is an online and offline distribution of retail, built environmental, media, health, government and education. After further research I discovered that the magazines they distribute fall mainly under business genres, therefore not suited for my magazine. The only media related magazines I was able to find were all linked in with the business industry. After deciding that my magazine does not fit in with any magazines of this institution I continued with my research.
How does your music magazine represent particular music groups?
From the front cover, you can immediately tell that the genre of the magazine is more indie than pop. However my music magazine is not exclusive to one particular type of music. On the front cover the main picture is a boy playing piano. This suggests a more acoustic genre. To enhance this, the image is in black and white, and has an old look to it, making it less digital and contemporary. However in contrast to this there is a smaller picture of Dizzie Rascal, famous for his grime and R&B styles of music. This tells readers that this magazine doesn't represent just one style or genre.
The use of mellow colours presents a slightly more serious image in comparison to a magazine using more striking colours such as pink, yellow and lime green. I decided to use these colours to indicate the magazines main focus point, the music the artists play, not the latest gossip on each of them. Although the contents page lists a few artist's stories, these resemble biographies and serious news rather than informal 'chit-chat'. These are aimed at people who are dedicated and interested in the artists, not just their embarrassing drunk moments.
The age of serious music fans can vary, but I have specifically aimed mine at young adults aged 16-21. As this publication includes artists of all genres, its target audience becomes larger than a magazine aimed at 5-8 year old boys. To make sure that I catered to my target market's needs, I carried out a questionnaire.
QUESTIONNAIRE
1)What price do you think suitable for a high quality music magazine?
-£1.50 -£3
-£2 -£4
2)Would you prefer a music magazine to be predominantly images or text?
-Images -Text -Equal amounts
3)Do you like advertisements included in your music magazines?
-No -Yes -Don't mind
4)Do you prefer the layout to be easy to read and clear to see?
-No, I prefer more creative layouts
-Yes I do -Don't mind
5)How many images would you like to see within an article?
-Minimal amount -Depends on the article
-Many images -Don't mind
RESULTS
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RESULTS
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