Planning my photoshoot

Before going ahead with my photo shoot i decided to make a plan, this will hopefull improve the quality of the pictures and help them relate more to my magazine. Below is the chart i made to plan my decisions;

Comparing Mastheads

After deciding on my masthead design i decided to compare it with another masthead taken from VIBE magazine. I chose to compare it with VIBE as we share a simular target audience and are magazines are based on the same theme; RnB & Hip-Hop.

My Magazines Masthead;

VIBE mgazines masthead;

Simularaties;

• Both mastheads have big bold fonts of a simualar size
• The both have plain backgrounds which can be changes depending on the colour of the header.
• Both the mastheads are in capital letters, this makes it seem as though the magazine is shouting their name at the reader
• Both the mastheads are strong unisex colours, however they are slightly more masculin colours, this fits in with the RnB theme of the magazines and so is appropriate.
• Both the mastheadsa are of a simular size, this size is perfect for attracting attention withought taking over the whole of the front page of the magazine.

Differences;

•  The colours used in VIBE magazines masthead are a lot darker then the colours i have used in my mast head, this is a good thing as i think the darker colours target males alot more then woman. My colours are better as they are softer but still eye-catching, and the colours will appeal to both genders more.
• The typography used in my masthead is alot more unique and interesting then the plain font used in VIBE's masthead.

Mastheads

These are the 3 mastheads i designed for my music magazine, i will be picking one of them to be my final design and use it as my magazine masthead. I have decided to call my magazine Beatz.

Masthead design 1:
I liked this masthead for a lot of reasons. Firstly its well suited to the the RnB genre my music magazine will be based on, this is down to its graffitti type text. The text of the masthead is very 3D, the letters look as though they are coming out from the background, this is good as it makes the masthead interesting and different from other music magazine mastheads. I decided to make the colour of this masthead red, this is because red is a very balanced colour, males and females have equal levels of association with the colour. Also red is very bright, this means the masthead will be eye catching and grab peoples attention, this is good for etablishing a good brand image. A problem i can see with this masthead is that some of the letters are different and some people may struggle to understand what the masthead says, this is down to the graffitti stye, however my target audience will most likely understand what its saying and find the typography very apealing.

Masthead Design 2:

The font i used to make this masthead is very different to the text used in my first design. This text is very modern, i think this goes well with the music side of the magazine as alot of todays music is very modern and done using technology. I also like this text as i feel it is very bold and clear to to read, this makes it easy for my target audience to identify the masthead. I decided to edit the text and make it look textured, this was good as it no other music magazine mastheads are textured, however i dont think the textured text is that suitable for the music magazine and i dont think my target market would like it that much. The colours used in this masthead are all shades of blue, i chose blue as its a very popular colour in the RnB music genre. The dark blue is very boyish but the light blue outline softens it and makes it more apealing to females, this is usefull as i am trying to aim my magazine at both genders.

Masthead Design 3: In this masthead i used the same font as the previous design, this was because i wanted to develop the design and improve it so it would appeal more to my target audience. I started by changing the colour scheme to grey and purple, i like these colours as they complement each other well and would go well as my music magazines overall colour scheme. Also the colours appeal equally to males and females, this will help me reach my target audience. On this masthead i decided to not to make the text 3D or texturized, this was because my market research showed me the simplicity of the mastheads from already existing music magazines, so i decided that i would keep my masthead simple using the idea 'less is more' as inspiration. I think the simplicity of the text worked well as the masthead is clean, bold and eye catching, this will make it easy for my target audience to identify my magazine and recognize it as a good music magazine.

I have decided that i will use my 3rd design as the masthead for my music magazine. This is because i feel its a development of the previous designs. Also i feel it is the design that would appeal most to my target audience.

Connotations That Connect With My Target Audience

Connotations; refer to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to the word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings.
There are several connotations that connect with my target audience. Some of these things can also be seen as stereotypical, below i have looked at a few connotations relate to RnB / Hip-Hop music and my music magazine.

Software

To design and create my magazine i will be using lots of different specialised software.
Below i have shown some of the softwares;

Photoshop

Photoshop is a design software, its famour for being one of the best but also most complecated of its type. 
After using photoshop to complete my prelim task i am now very confident using it and have decided that i will also use photoshop to create the front cover and contents page of my music magazine. I have decided not to create my article using this software as i think photoshop is better for producing things made up of mostly images and big headings, a word processing software would be more suited.



Pages;

 Pages is a word processing and design software. Its easy to produce interesting articles, word documents and presentations using the software. I will use pages to create the double page spread of my magazine and present my article. I decided to use pages as i can easy manipulate the text changing the collum sizes, font and shapes made.

Mood Board

The picture below is of the mood board i made, the mood board shows objects, people and brand logos that my target market use on a daily bases.

Music Magazine Flat Plans

These are my music magazine flat-plans;

Front Page;

Contents Page;

Double Page Spread;

In the slideshow below i have explained the decisions i made in planning the layout of my music magazine;

Beatz flatplans

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Spider Diagram

After deciding that the genre of my music my magasine will be focusing on is RnB / Hip-Hop i decided to brainstorm ideas focusing on the following things; the purpose/ intentions, genre, & target audience of my magazine.

Prelim Task Analysis

Front Page;

Contents Page;

Below is a slideshow of my prelim task analysis;

Prelim task analysis

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Prelium Task Photos

Below are some of the photos i took for my school arts magazine.

Front Cover Image;

This is the front cover of my school arts magazine. The image is a photograph of 2 girls playing the guitar. The photograph is a full body shot that uses natural lighting shining through the window. Before i use it as my front cover image i will edit and crop the picture, this will hopefully bring all focus to the gilrs and make the image more interesting.

Contents Page image;

This is the image i will use as the background for my contents page. The image is a midshot of 2 girls playing a clapping game. The image is taken outside and therefore the lighting is natural from the sun. The image is very positive as both the gilrs in the image are smiling and having fun, this will help attract my target audience. Before using this image im my magazine i will crop it and increase the contrast.

Fofto fing

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Prelium Task Flatplans

For my prelium task i am going to make the front page and contents page of a school magazine. The magazine will be based on the school Acland Burghley and the theme will be arts. There are several types of art; dance, music and crafts are the main ones which will feature in my magazine. The target audience of my magazine will be the students of Acland Burghley school, so people aged between 12-18 years, however the parents of the students and teachers may also be interested in my magazine.

The slideshow below explains the decisions i made making the flatplans of my music magazines;

Prelim flatplan

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Analysing Articles

Before writting up the article for my music magazine i decided to analyse 2 interviews taken from VIBE & XXL magazine. Check out the slideshow below which shows my analysis;

Article analysis

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Magazine Language & Mode Of Adress

The language and mode of address used in the music press differs greatly due to the target audiences of the different magazines.
Below i have looked at the language and mode of addres of TOTP & VIBE.

Top of the pops magazine;

• The language used is very informal, this is perfect for their target audience who would fing formal writting boring and unclear.
• Lots of hyperbole is used to emphasize topics and excite the young readers.
• The mode of address is very friendly, the reader feels as if the magazine is talking to them as a friend
• The mode of address is very positive,  this is because the target audience is very young and so they must keep thing happy and exciting.
• Lots of slang words / abbreviations are used, the target audiece understand these and will be attracted to this
• The mode of address is very imature, this is clearly to attract and amuse their young target audience.

VIBE Magazine;

• The language used in vibe is very informal, this suits their target market
• Lots of slang words are used, vibes target market will be familia with these words and understand it very easy.
• The magazine is talking directly to the reader, this makes it more personal and the reader will feel as though the magazine is talking to them
• The mode of address is very friendly but also quite serious, this is good for the target audience
• The mode of addres is quite humorous, this is important as it will entertain the reader and attract the target audience.

Analysing A Photo Of An RnB Artist

The Photograph below is of Beyonce Knowles;

Beyonce Knowels is famous worldwide for her music, her songs all fit into the RnB / Hip Hop genre. Beyonce is recognise as a very powerful and confident woman , because of this she has become the role-model of many girls and some boys who look up to her and aspire to be like her.
The photograph above of Beyonce is taken proffessionally, the set up of the photograph is set up and she is posing. The image is a mid-shot / close up of the singer, the background of the image has been blurred, this emphasizes Beyonce and are attention is directly drawn to her. Although the background has been abstracted we can still tell she is outdoors in a very natural area.
Beyonce is posed in a very confident way, she has her hand on her hip facing forward, this shows that she has attitude and is confident, this makes the image look very fierce. One of the most powerfull aspects of the photograph is the eye contact between beyonce and the camera, Beyonce is looking straight down the lens. This has a good effect as the audience of the image get the impression that she is staring into their eyes, this helps them feel connected to her.
The facial expression of Beyonce is very warm and interesting, viewers of the image will want to know more as she is also showing little emotion, this works well with the eye contact as you feel a strong connection with her and also feel as if you know her.

Music Magazine Websites

After researching into the music press i discovered that many of the magazines have websites too, the websites have simular content to the magazines however more types of media are used. Below are links and examples of some music magazine websites;

Vibe magazine

http://www.vibe.com/

Top Of The Pops Magazine;

http://www.totpmag.com/

Kerrang magazine

http://www.kerrang.com/

NME

http://www.nme.com/

User Profiles

The music press use 'user profiles' to help them target their audience. User profiles break down the characteristics of the magazines target audience. Below i have analysed the user profiles of 2 well known magazines, Vibe & Top Of The Pops.

Vibe;

• RnB / Hip-Hop music lovers
• Mainstremers
• 12-24 year olds
• Males & Females
• People interested in the celebrity life.
• People interested in gossip
• Middle to low class people
• People who are interested in new music releases
• People who are Interested in the music culture in America
• People who preffer to dress in designer makes

Top Of The Pops;

• 6-14 year olds
• Young girls
• Girls interested in gossip & celeb news
• Girls who listen to pop music
• Girls who like makeup and other girly things
• Mainstremers
• Girls with background infomation on the celebs that feature in the magazine.

Masthead Research

Before designing my music magazine i have chosen to research different mastheads of already existing music magazines. Below i have analysed 6 of the most recognisable mastheads.

Top of the Pops

The colours used in the top of the pops master head are very bright, this makes it very eye catching & attractive for the magazines target audience. The typography is very bold and unique, this makes it stand out and attract more attention. The shapes used in the master head are all very circular, this fits with the theme of the magazine; pop music.

Kerrang!

The colours of the Kerrang master head are black & white, these are contrasting colours, this means the white writing stands out well against the black background. The colours also fit in with the rock theme of the music magazine. The shapes in this master head are very sharp, this help the magazine target its audience as it again fits with the rock theme.

Q Magazine

The master head for Q magazine is very plain and simple; this however works well as it is unique and easily recognisable. The white colour of the letter Q stands out against the red background making the brand of the magazine very noticeable and easy for customers to find. The font of the letter Q is very formal, this works well and fits in with the magazines target market.

NME Magazine

 The colours of NME magazines master head all contrast each other, this helps the text stand. The colours are also good as they go with the magazines target audience. The size of the letters is very large, this again makes it stand out more and catch people’s eye.  The shapes in the master head are very rectangular, this goes with the theme and target market of the magazine.

Vibe magazine

The Vibe master head is extremely plain, the text is of a formal font and is coloured white. The size of the font is very large, this helps it stand out. Despite the logo being very plain and simple, i think it is still good as it is easily recognised and stands out, this is good for the magazine as their brand will be more familiar.

RnB Music Genre

I have decided that my music magazine will be in the RnB / Hip- Hop genre. Below are examples of artists in this genre and their music, check them out!
RnB;

'Chris Brown - With You' single cover                     'Rihanna - Rated R' album cover

Rihanna - Hard 



Chris Brown - No Bullshit



Tinie Tempa - Pass Out

Researching How Music Albums Are Aimed At Their Target Audiences

Music albums are all aimed at specific target audiences. The album covers are used to target these audiences and often contain lots of colour, a large image and a small amount of text.
Below are some album covers from artists that produce music within the RnB / Hip-Hop genre. I bullet pointed ways different album covers have targeted their audience below.

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday;

• The pink colour is very femenine and will catch the attention of females, this is good as the target audience is mostly females.
• The photo on the cover is of the artist Nicki Minaj,  she is wearing princess type dress and pink heels, these cloths are connotations that represent the barbie doll image, young females will connect with the image as they may aspire to have this 'barbie' image.
• The text on the cover is very plain and simple, the word 'pink' is emphasized, the font is a diffrent size and colour, this is to emphasize the albums identity as 'Pink friday' is not only a name but has become a well know quote associated with Nicki Minaj.
• The word 'pink' can also be used to target the album at females again, as pink is a connotation of young girls and barbies.

50 Cent -  Curtis

• The target audience of this album is very clear. The dark colours and masculinty of the photo suggest that the target audience is mostly males.
• The image on the album cover is of the artist 50 Cent, the image is very serious, aggresive and tense. This works well as the album focuses on rap, and therefore the artists look fits in with the gangster rapper stereotype. This image is very successful as it will attract lots of males who know the artist and who enjoy listening to rap music.
• There is very little text on the cover, the main word is the album name 'Curtis', the style of the writting is fits in with the gangster theme, its done in a tattoo style, tattoos are connotations that go with the stereotype.

Music Genres and magazines

The slideshow below shows different magazines under there targeted music genre.

Media genres

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Music Blogs

Before posting more post on my blog i decided to do some research into the other already existing music blogs.

                                            

This is a image of the gardians music blog. The gardians blog is very successful, one reason for this is they have used lots of types of media to present information across to their target audience, for example they use articles, videos & photographic images. The appearence of the gardians blog is very simple, they havent used any bold text or colours, instead they have used very natural calm colours such as blues, whites and greys. This shows that perhaps the target audience of the gardians blog is people aged above 25 years of age.

The gardians bloig contains several gadgets, below are 2 that i like and will think about adding to my own blog.

This gadget is a playlist of newly released songs, a playlist would go well on my blog as it would emphasize the music theme of the magazine and show people that i have thought about the music genre of my magazine and matched it with the genre of the songz i put in my playlist.

Analysis of VIBE front cover

In this post i will analyse and then compare 2 music magazine front covers. The front covers are taken from Vibe magazine & XXL magazine, both these magazines are from the RnB Genre; 

                                                                 Vibe magazine

The generic music convention codes employed by this magazine suggest the target audience are males and females between the ages of 14-24 years. 

The masthead of this magazine is very simple, the four letters selling 'vibe' are all the same colour and size, however part of the text is hidden behind the photo mage. despite this we are still clear of the name and identity of the magazine. The masthead is very big and bold, this attracts are attention and makes it easy to recognise the name of the magazine in a quick glance.

The ear piece is also very simple, the text is short and small, this means the ear piece does not sway are attention away from the photo. 

The main image on the page is a photo f the famous artist Trey Songz, the image is a mid- shot from a front view. The photo of Trey is targeted towards woman, this can be seen in many ways, for example he has no top on, as trey songz' body is very muscely and sexy the female readers will find him very attractive and want to read the story about him. Trey songz also has a large reputation amongst woman and loved by many of them so they will instantly be interested in the magazine.

The colour scheme of the front page is very concistant, the white and red text stand out          well with the black background of the photo. The colours are all very masculine, this will attract male readers and brings more attention to the photo of trey songz who is also posed in a masculin way. The colours are also very romantic which will attract female readers as who will be attracted even more to the image on of trey. 

The mode of address on this front cover suggests that the readers are educated, it also suggests that the readers will already know some background information on the topics, stories and artists being discussed inside the magazine, this can be seen in its informality, the magazine is addressing the reader as a friend and informing them. The magazine uses some slang words, this helps it connect with young readers and also target its audience.

The magazine Vibe is a music magazine that is based on the genre R&B, this genre is a very popular one which has been developed into a way of life. Appearance reputation and music are the 3 main aspects of the genre. The RnB / Hip Hop genre is connected to a phew negative stereotypes, this is down to gangster images and people commiting crimes. Vibe magazine advertises none of these negative things and is therefore representing the target audience in a positive way.  

Music Press

There are several types of Music Press in the UK. Some of these applications are imported into the UK from the USA such as NME. Although there are several music press applications they are all very different, this is because they are all focused on a different genre of music, for example; RnB, Rock, pop. Below are some examples of Music magasines.

Top 10 Music magazines;
Listed below are the top 10 applications of music press according to The gardian. This is important as i can now look into why these magazines are the most successful and apply the winning features to my music magazine.

1) Q
2) Mojo
3) The Fly
4) Uncut
5) Kerrang
6) New musical Express
7) Classic Rock
8) Metal Hammer
9) Mixmag
10) Word

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/aug/17/pressandpublishing.circulationfigures4