Looking Back at Your Preliminary Task, What Would You Feel You Have Learnt in the Progression from it to the Full Production?

In the preliminary stage, I was not as confident with the programmes I had available to me to use. I was also not very well informed about the music magazine industry.

I now know of many different programmes I can use that are available for production and editing. I am aware of different forms and conventions of music magazines and of magazines in general. However, I know of what limitations I can be faced with in the making of further magazine based products.

I am more aware of how to attract an intended audience, through specific uses of things such as images, colours, layout and style.

What Have You Learnt About Technologies from the Process of Constructing this Product?

I am more confident when using media programmes, such as Publisher and photo editing programmes such as Fireworks. I feel that I can now use them to their fullest potential.

I now know how to research necessary information, and am able to find reliable sources, as the internet can sometimes be risky and contain false information. I know that I have to back up my points with evidence from real products.

I have also learnt that I can not entirely rely on technology. For example, programmes have limitations, therefore stopping me from other things that I could have gone on to do.

How Does Your Media Product Represent Particular Social Groups?

As mine is targeted at mainly men, my magazine could be seen to stereotype what men like, such as using black and blue as they are ‘masculine’ colours.

The age I targeted were adults, which highly influenced the style of writing I had to use. I wrote in a formal style, with a relatively complex writing style. However, I would use some formal stuff, such as conversational speech for the interview in order to make the reader feel comfortable. I also used formalities such as exclamation marks to express emotion throughout the text.

I used an image for my front cover of a man in the same age range as my intended audience, which can be seen to represent that age group.

How Did You Attract/Address Your Audience?

The target audience for my music magazine are men of the ages 28 to 35 with a special interest in acoustic music and acoustic guitars.

The use of text and background colours that are typically seen as dark and masculine help to attract a male audience.

The only time when they are not typically manly, is when there are features on woman based articles, which need more feminine colours to suit the content.

Text and language is more mature and formal for the age targeted.  However, there are hints of informal conversational tone so it is not boring. This style also helps to form emphasis and show emotions.

It is in a clear format that is easy to read and understand for many different ages.

Images are typically manly, unless once again they are for female based features.

As I am not in the age range of my intended audience, I found it quite difficult to ensure my magazine would relate to those targeted, but I got a lot of help from conducting questionnaires.

What Kind of Media Institution Might Distribute Your Media Product and Why?

I think a publishing company such as Bauer Media would be interested in my magazine.

This company publish many music magazines, including MOJO, Q and Kerrang! and other non-music magazines such as Empire, FHM and MATCH!

They publish Fashion magazines and hobby and interest magazines, for example golf, photography and motoring.

They also specialise in media such as radio, websites and TV.

They may well be interested in publishing my magazine, as they do not already cater for the Acoustic genre.

The kind of place that may wish to distribute my music magazine are retail stores such as WHSmith.

In WHSmith there is a wide range of magazines that are available, and it would be a perfect place to attract the attention of my intended audience.

When doing my research, I went into different stores and noted down the magazines that they sold. WHSmith was the only store that sold a wider range; others stuck to fashion, celebrity, male interests, puzzle, and a very slim choice of each genre were available.

Newsagents may be less likely to distribute my magazine as the demand for Acoustic magazines is not as high as other magazines, for example, Celebrity, Fashion and Rock magazines. A newsagents will only distribute the most popular magazines.

Evaluation - In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions or real music magazines?

All magazines I researched have some kind of house style, meaning the colours and fonts and general layout of pages are similar and continuous in all issues. I made a house for my magazine layout which includes the same font and layout for pages; I used the same layout I would use for all features on my article, but I changed the colour in order for it to compliment the content. For example, on my article, the colours used are green white and black as they match the image. However, these colours, despite the light green which is feminine due to the article content, are still masculine colours.

My magazine has several similar forms and conventions of real music magazines, such as those I researched. I have used similar ones that tend to make a magazine attractive and popular, such as pugs, main images, gender targeted colours.

I have mainly used very similar forms and conventions on my front cover, for example, a large title, drawing the attention of passer bys.

Underneath the title is a puff, which helps to sell a magazine by emphasising how good it is.

I have got a barcode at the top right corner, which is necessary for the readers when they go to buy the magazine

I have highlighted and changed the colours of important bits in the sub-headlines, called Buzz Words. I feel that this is a bit different to other magazines.

Many magazines have a promotional offer, a special item that they are including with the issue of the magazine for free. Mine is a free CD which is common amongst music magazines, especially in acoustic magazines.

I have a banner across the bottom of the page which includes other artists that are featured in the magazine. This is very similar on front covers, even of different genres. I feel that I have challenged this tool by the placing of images on it.

Although I have used and developed forms and conventions, I have also tried to challenge some. For example, although the main image is in the middle of the page, I have taken it will a real background as opposed to a plain backdrop, such as in this one.

A thing that is similar though is the showing of the artists’ guitar, as it is partly essential for people to recognise what kind of genre the magazine it is.

Another thing that is similar is the covering of a bit of the masthead (like in the image above). My pug covers the 's', but this is common in well established magazines as they are still recognisable to their target audience and even passerbys.

The title of my magazine, Strings, a one syllable word, could be considered a challenge. Magazines try to create a title that is easy to remember. This can be done by a peculiar title, such as Big Cheese, or by using short, snappy one word syllables. I feel my title is good as it is short, so will stick in peoples mind, but it is also relevant to the content of the magazine, which not many magazines achieve, such as Big Cheese.

On the article and contents page, I have done some things that I feel are a bit different to some other magazines.

I have put borders around many things, which help to make the page neater. I have noticed that many magazines do not do this.

The contents page, I think, is very different to most. It is very simple, whereas most are rather crowded, making them difficult to understand. Also, the colours here are intertwined to the colours on the front page, which would be a continuous things throughout all the issues in my magazine, following the house style.

In my article I have used different colours for the questions asked by the magazine and for questions asked by fans. Not many magazines do this, but I think it is a good idea so people can differentiate easier.

Also, I feel that other Acoustic magazines are aimed at a higher age range, so I chose to target a slightly younger age group. Not only is the acoustic genre then more accessible for many ages, the competition against my magazine could perhaps be reduced.

Completion of Magazine

Development of Drafts

Front Cover:

First Draft:

This is the first draft for my front cover. I have used tried to incoporate masculine colours into the font and border in order for it to appeal to the target audience. These colours also compliment the main image, however, as the main image have an actual background and not a plain backdrop, some of the sub headings are difficult to read as they do not stand out enough.

I chose this image for my front cover as I felt it was a positive image due to the stance and smile. I like that the image has a real background, and this was one of the things that I wanted all along.

Here are some of the other images that I considered:

(I felt that the other full length image was more effective than this one, and also this one is a little off centre)

(the orientation of this image was not appropriate for my front cover, however I did use a very similar one on my contents page as it fitted nicely in the box)


Second Draft:

In my second draft, I have taken away the thin blue border, as I have noticed that nearly no magazines have a border. I have also added small images to the bottom banner, providing more visual stimuli for readers. I have placed the puff/pug into a bright green circle in order for it to stand out and attract readers. As the article on Tom Smith is the main feature, I have placed that into a white rectangle so it is clear that this is the main feature and that it relates to the main image. I'm still having trouble trying to make some of the sub heading stand out and I feel that there are too many of them, however, having a lot of sub headings is very typical of acoustic magazines. I also feel that the issue date and pug/puff at the top underneath the masthead are too big, stealing too much attention away from the rest of the page.


Third Draft:

In this draft I have changed the banner to a dark green. I have also made it slightly transparant so it is not too dominant. This colour compliments the grass and trees, but I might slightly prefer the blue banner as it matches the colour of the masthead, therefore they balance each other out. I have put a slight white border around 'Strings', giving it an outline and making it stand out from the background more. In the top right corner I have placed the competition in a yellow triangle, a puff/pug that will attract audiences. I have also tried to remove some of the sub headings, making it less crowded.



Contents Page:

First Draft:

I have used my flat plan to help me create a contents page with articles and their corresponding page numbers. I have created one box in the middle just with text and numbers, but also four small boxes around it containing an image and a paragraph introducing the article. At the top of the page is one of these boxes but large, containing information on the main article, about Tom Smith who is the cover image. It is the first thing that should catch the eye as it is the most important thing in the issue.



Second Draft:

I have changed the colour of the boxes to the same blue that is on the front cover, intertwining them and showing the house layout. I have also highlighted buzz words in a light blue to make them stand out. Instead of having the competition information along the bottom of the page, I have placed it in a blue circle in order for it to catch the readers eye quicker. I have also changed the layout of some of the boxes.




Double Page Spread:

First Draft:

I have created an article about an acoustic duo, making up the interview myself. I found it hard to create two different people in my writing.
The photos on the first page show an event in chronological order, which I think looks really good, however the pictures are not of a very good quality due to my camera.
On the second page contains two "Fact Files" about the artisits, which is common in acousitc magazines, and they always tell you what guitar the person plays. However, I have tried to make mine more interesting by adding random, interesting facts.
I think the purple colour works well as it is dark, meaning it is quite masculine, however it is youthful which compliments those being interviewed.



Second Draft:

I have decided to change my first draft completely. I did not like writing for the interview as I found it difficult to write from two people's point of view and manage to make it convincing. I also had an issue with the quality of the images. Now, I have made an interview which contains a solo artist.

I have tried to incorporate the house style -as seen on the contents page- with the green lines at the top and bottom of the spread, and also the "Strings Interview" at the top. However, I am not sure the top line looks comfortable.

Although the green is not very masculine, it compliments the colours in the image and looks youthful, like the image does.

I chose this image as it shows the girl's personality; playfulness, represented by the throwing of the grass, and delicacey (young age), represented by the grass itself.

Other images that I took but did not pick:



 (I felt this picture was too boring)

(In this image the grass was too clumpy and looked silly)

(I felt this image didn't look right on a double page spread, so I used it on my front cover instead)

(As this image shows a lot of personality -the bare feet, the big grin- I put it on my contents page as it was more appropriate there than in my article)

Third Draft:

I have taken out the line at the top of the page and have made the title stretch across both of the pages. I feel that this looks much better.

Planning of Magazine

Possible Names for my Magazine:

• Get Ryhtm
• Strings
• Audience and Audio
• Banquet
• Music Box
• Seven Days of Rhyme

Final choice of Name - Strings

I have chosen this name as it is short and snappy therefore it will stick in people's minds. There are also no other acoustic magazines called this.

My magazine will be a monthly pulbication that focuses on genres such as folk, country, blues and jazz which are all part of acoustic music.

The name strings relates to a guitar, but it also provides imagery of other instruments such as banjos and double basses, which are sometimes used in the genres that my magazine would feature.

House Style:

Masculine colours such as black, red, blue, green and white
Simple layout that is clear and easy for readers to follow
Formal style of writing, with some informalities, especially in articles with younger artists

Mood Borad:
To help me get a feel of what I should include in my magazine I have created a mood board, using acoustic magazines. I have found colours, content and images that are typial of acoustic magazines.

Flat Plan:

A flat plan is a tool that let's all the pages and its content be seen at one time.

Examples of flat plans:

Below is my flat plan that allows me to see all the articles and adverts I want in my magazine and where they will be placed:

My magazine will have 118 pages, which is typical compared to an acoustic magazine. It is also a good amount of pages for a monthly publication.


In my magazine there will be many advertisements of a large variety that will appeal to my target audience, such as adverts for acoustic guitars, albums and tours of artists. There could be adverts for music-related holidays (such as dancing holidays/music festivals as well as non-music related things, such as from clothing companies.

There will also be a section at end of my magazine for Classified Ads. Here people can advertise their guitars that are for sale, or people can advertise thnigs such as guitar lessons. I will get money from these for my magazine.

The amount of adverts in my flat plan is similar to that of a real acoustic magazine.


Regular features include:

• News Feed
• Live Reviews
• New Talent
• Article (on artists or genres)
• Interviews (in-depth and fun)
• Seasonal Features or entire issues (eg reviewing the best things from the follwing year)
• Gear Reviews (an essential feature for acousitc magazines)
• Guitar Techniques (of all levels of experience)
• Classified Ads
• Preview for next months issue

Reasearch - Target Audience

Audience Feedback Questionnaire:

As part of my background research into what audiences want in a music magazine, I conducted a questionnaire. I asked 30 participants 10 questions, all of them from different age ranges.

The questions varied as I needed to know about certain things, such as musical preferences, so that they would help benefit me when I was to make my magazine.

Example Questionnaire:

Results:

Question 1:

"Are male or female?"

This is a simple question to show how many males and females tend to read music magazines. My result shows that males are more likely to read music magazines and have a greater interest in them.

Question 2:

"What age range are you in?"

 The main ranges seem to be 15 to 19, 25 to 29, 30 to 34 and 40 to 44. This will help me know what audience I should target.

Question 3:

"What music genres are you most interested in?"

I only used the genres of music that I was interested in making a magazine for. The most popular genres appear to be Acoustic, Old School (ie Classic Rock), Pop and Punk. This will influence my decision, however, the results were very close.

Question 4:

"Do you prefer Weekly or Monthly music magazines?"

Just less than half of my sample would prefer monthly magazines, which will influence whether my magazine will be a monthly or a weekly publication. Some people said they prefer monthly magazines as there is more in an issue and they are better value for money. However, many people said they prefer magazines that come less than monthly (ie fortnightly).

Question 5:

"How often do you tend to buy music magazines?"

The results from this question supports the fact that people prefer monthly magazines.

Monthly magazines have to be big enough with many features that would last for a couple of weeks, which will help me with the producing of a contents page.

Question 6:

"How many different magazines do you tend to buy?"

More than half of my participants tend to buy just one type of magazine. What was interesting in the result of this question was that nearly all of the people who answered that they but three magazines were female.

Question 7:

"How much are you willing to spend on a music magazine?"

The most suitable price for a magazine according to my results is in the range of £2.50 to £2.99, yet once again the results are very close. No one seems to want to spend more than £3.50. However, if I were to make a monthly magazine, it may well have to cost more than this price as it will be bigger than a typical weekly magazine.

Not many people seem to be swayed by the situation of their favourite band being featured in the magazine or if there is a really good pug.

Question 8:

"What attracts you to a music magazine?"

The two most popular answers were "I always get the same one" and "If my favourite band is featured" and the "Cover story". No one is interested in text, and only a few people get swayed by the colour, and most of these people where men. A lot of people get the same magazine, which emphasises that my magazine will have a lot of competition.

Question 9:

"Do you visit music magazine websites?"

My results for the question show that just under half of the participants tend to visit music magazines often, however a lot of them never do. If many people visit such websites, they will tend to not buy the related magazine, unless there is something particularly good features in that issue that they can't see online. The technology of these music websites are a main competition for magazines.

Question 10:

For the last question, I asked the participants to name the first three music magazines they could think of.

I thought this would be a useful to show the most popular genres, and therefore the competition that my magazine would have. This graph shows the most popular magazines that participants could think of:

The results I have gathered from my questionnaire will be useful for the production of my magazine. I can now see what things an audience are most attracted by and what they wish to see in a music magazine.



Target Audience:

I have decided to target males of ages 28 to 35 who have a keen interest in acoustic music, acousitc guitars and genres such as folk and country.

Research into Acoustic Magazines

The most Popular acoustic magazine in the UK:

ACOUSTIC

Acoustic is a British glossy publication that deals only in acoustic music. It was originally bi-monthly, but is now a monthly publication. It features reviews, guitar reviews, artist interviews, guitar lessons and tricks, vintage guitar advice and many other things. Many of it’s columnists are famous guitarists and musicians.

It is published by Oyster House Media Ltd, who publish Specialist Magazines, such as music and boating. They are also an Event Organiser.

It is one of the very few music magazines that is dedicated to Acoustic music, and is the only one in the UK.

The target audience for Acoustic is males around the age of 30 to 50.

Other acoustic magazines and guitar magazines:

• Acoustic Guitar (one of the main American acoustic magazines)
• Guitar World
• Guitarist
• Total Guitar
• Bass Guitar Magazine
• Guitar Player
• Classical Guitar

Magazines Analysis:

Having decided to do an Acoustic Magazine, I will analyse one of the same genre to help with my production. I will look at a front cover, a contents page and a double page spread. They will be from the same issue.

Front Cover Analysis:

This is a front cover of an issue of Acoustic Magazine. I will look at its layout and typical front cover codes and conventions.

“ACOUSTIC” is the magazine's masthead. It is always the same size and font and usually always the same colour.

This is the feature that will enable regular readers to recognise the magazine, but will also allow new people to know what the magazine is about. It is big and bold in order to attract people.

The main colours used on the page are black, white, red and green. These are quite dark, masculine colours, which can indicate that the target audience for the magazine is men.

Another thing that suggests the target audience is mainly men is that the images used are of men. If the images are of men, they make it easier for the reader to relate to them.

The text on the front cover is clear and easy to read as it is large and bold and does not blend in with the background. Also, all the text is in capital letters helping to show the importance and exclusivity of the cover lines.

The feature image links to the feature article. The image is of Kris Kristofferson, who is a recognisable man, not just as he is an inspirational musician who has made his name in the acoustic world, but he is also an actor. This will therefore attract and interest many different people. He is wearing dark clothes, and is against a dark background, yet his face is soft and friendly.

The image is the first thing that the eye is drawn to when looking at the cover as it is the biggest thing on the page and is positioned in the centre. It also jumps out from the page as it over laps the name of the magazine and everything else is positioned around it. The fact that the image overlaps the mast head shows that it is a very well known magazine as it will still be recognisable to its target audience and does not have to worry about a bit of it being covered.

The headline for the main article is the largest of all the cover lines. His name is in large, bold font, the biggest font on the page, other than that of the Magazines Title. This will ensure that readers know what the main article is. Written above Kristofferson's name is ‘Closer to the Bone’, which is the name of his new album, giving a good insight into what the article will be about.

The use of different colours here is effective by putting different emphasis on each word and by making it stand out evern more. It also suggests that the article will be in-depth as closer to the bone leads you to believe that the interview will be personal and thoroughly detailed. There is a quote from Kristofferson, once again providing an insight into the article. It is the second thing that catches the eye.

There are many cover lines on the front cover, and this seems to be common on most of Acoustic's magazines. All though there are many of them, they are neatly set out and are very easy to read. They are a brief summary of what this issue of the magazine includes and allows readers to instantly know what the magazine will include from a distance without having to browse through the contents and pages.

The cover lines have been structured into two main columns. Each column is on either side of the cover image, which helps to centralise it and emphasise how it is the main image of the magazine for that issue.

There are two banners on the page, one running along the top of the page and at the bottom of the page. They are used to inform readers of more things that are included in the magazine, other than those already listed in the sub-stories.

They contain relatively small writing, but are on a bright background in order to make them stand out. The banner at the bottom stands out more as it has a picture on it, which spills out onto the rest of the page.

There is a pug of a Free CD for the readers. It is introducing ‘Malta's Finest’ Acoustic duo to the readers. The magazine is suggesting music to the readers by a band that is not very well known in the UK.

It is in a circle to help differenciate it from the other cover lines and to also make it more noticable to readers.


Underneath the name of the magazine is a puff, saying “The UKs only dedicated acoustic guitar magazine." This lets the target audience know that there are very few other magazines who specialise in their wanted genre and that this magazine should be the best one to buy. The puff also shows that this is the main acoustic magazine and therefore what my own magazine would have to compete with.

At the bottom right hand side of the page is a rectangle that contains the barcode, the price of the magazine and the issue date. Although it contains necessary information, it does not belong itself to a large section of the front cover so it is put out of the way where it does not attract attention away from the other main features.

The price of the magazine is £3.95. I find this price rather expensive, but it is targeted at adults who should not have much difficulty in paying this price, where as I am a student with no job. However, the price is reasonable considering it is a monthly magazine.

The logo of the magazine's publisher is also featured in this rectangle, "Oyster House Media". This acts as a little advertisement for this company.

Contents Page Analysis:

Although I am creating a one page contents, I can analyse this for inspiration.

The page is set out in a way that is very easy to understand. There are page numbers next to all features in the magazine, in order for the readers to easily flick to their wanted pages.

The contents is also in the same layout that is continuous throughout the whole of the magazine – the house style- and is simple and easy to understand. This simple layout is important in music magazines as readers do not wish to have to concentrate in order to understand a magazine that they have just paid good money for. 

The colours of the images are fairly mixed due to their variety. However, the other colours used are all quite bland, rather masculine colours, such as the black and grey writing.

The only bright colour used is for special things such as their “New techniques section” and the “Acoustic competition”.

These things are highlighted in bright red to signal their significance and importance.

There are several pictures to represent their relevant features, which also help to make the page more appealing to look at.

They act as an extra aid to knowing what the magazine will contain as some of them have a small paragraph telling the reader about the article.

The features are all separated into matching topics. For example, all the new music is in its own box, and so are the guitar techniques. This makes the pages look neat and organised, so it is therefore easier to understand.

The largest picture is for the main article, taking up half a page. Once again it is of dark colours.

There is a paragraph underneath the page number and name of the man interviewed, that gives the reader a taste of what the article will include.

Double Page Spread Analysis:

I will look at the layout, design, use of images in this double page spread to help me with the development of mine. One of the main things I need to assess is the writing style for when I come to writing my own article.

The article is of a woman, Rosanne Cash, so the colours used here are more soft and feminine. There are even some pink coloured flowers used in the photograph.

There are two images of Rosanne used; one that is the background image, taking up more than one page, and a small one of her with her guitar.

The main image shows her in a strong and powerful stance with her arms crossed and a stern face, showing that although there is a woman in this man dominated magazine, she is making her place.

The second image shows her in a much happier pose. Also, her head spills out of the photo, overlapping onto the white background, making her stand out more.

The title of the article is in very large, bold font, and it is relevant to the article.

Underneath the heading is a small paragraph that acts as a small introduction to the article, saying who Rosanne is and what she will be discussing.

Throughout Acoustic Magazine there is a continuous page layout that is simple and clear. Even for special articles and interviews there is a base design for the pages.

Although the text it is not presented as a typical interview with written questions, there are many sections with large quotes from Rosanne. There is also a quote from Rosanne taken out of the article and enlarged, separately in its own box.

However, it is again presented differently, with a little introduction from the writer so the readers know what the quote relates to.

There is a lot of writing in the article. It is neatly presented and easy to read, despite being in a small font. Her and the writer talk about her musical influences and inspirations, her writing process, what guitar she plays and why. The style of the writing is very formal. This is because it is aimed at an older audience, so includes large words and long sentences.

There is a separate box on the right, in which Rosanne is just talking about her father, who is an acoustic legend.

The box includes a small image of her Dad, Johnny Cash, which is in black and white, masculine colours.

Conclusion:

From looking at this Acoustic magazine and other ones, I have noticed similarities:

They are often of the same dark colours, with simple layouts, and a strong, more intellectual writing style, showing what their house style is.

They contain similar features, such as guitar and gear reviews, new music features, album reviews, guitar techniques and many varieties of articles and interviews.