Friday, 20 November 2009
Double Page Article Research (Task 12)
I decided that I was going to write my double page spread article as a biographical about the band Keane. I did some research about the band using websites such as the band website (http://www.keanemusic.com/keane-biography.php) and their wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keane_(band)). I also know quite a bit about the band myself and so I will also use my own knowledge.
Sunday, 15 November 2009
Sketches (Task 11)
I produced some rough sketches of my music magazine front cover and contents pages. I don't know what my coverlines and images are going to be exactly yet so I haven't specified on the sketches. Also, I might change some of the way the pictures are laid out on the contents.
Front Cover
(Click image to enlarge)
Contents Page
(Click image to enlarge)
Front Cover
(Click image to enlarge)
Contents Page
(Click image to enlarge)
Monday, 9 November 2009
Publication Plan (Task 11)
Title: “Pulse”
Positioning Statement: “At the heart of the music world”
Frequency of Publication: Monthly
Price: £3
Distribution: Newsagents and supermarkets, music shops
Style: Informal style which uses some humour and some slang words. It is more for older teenagers and adults so the language ranges from simple to semi-complex. It has a lot of photographs.
Regular Content:
- Letter from the editor
- Readers’ letters and opinions
- Music news
- The month in pictures
- Question and Answer (where readers send in questions to ask to a band/artist)
- New album reviews
- Gig reviews
- Competition (some sort of puzzle e.g. a crossword or a quiz, to win the prize)
- Upcoming artists
- Top ten tracks of the month
- Gig guide
- A free CD and an article about what has been included on the CD.
Feature Content:
- The best and worst album sleeves
- Ten best cover songs
- Festival guide
- Keane (double page spread feature)
- Interview with...
- In the studio with...
- Songs of the decade
- Best of 2009
Positioning Statement: “At the heart of the music world”
Frequency of Publication: Monthly
Price: £3
Distribution: Newsagents and supermarkets, music shops
Style: Informal style which uses some humour and some slang words. It is more for older teenagers and adults so the language ranges from simple to semi-complex. It has a lot of photographs.
Regular Content:
- Letter from the editor
- Readers’ letters and opinions
- Music news
- The month in pictures
- Question and Answer (where readers send in questions to ask to a band/artist)
- New album reviews
- Gig reviews
- Competition (some sort of puzzle e.g. a crossword or a quiz, to win the prize)
- Upcoming artists
- Top ten tracks of the month
- Gig guide
- A free CD and an article about what has been included on the CD.
Feature Content:
- The best and worst album sleeves
- Ten best cover songs
- Festival guide
- Keane (double page spread feature)
- Interview with...
- In the studio with...
- Songs of the decade
- Best of 2009
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Questionnaire Results - Graphs + Conclusions (Task 8/9)
Gender
Conclusion: Most of the people I asked were female so the choices I make about my magazine will be biased towards females rather than males.
Age
Conclusion: I managed to cover a wide range of ages with my questionnaire. Most of the people I asked were between sixteen and twenty years old so my magazine will probably be biased towards them. However there were also a large number of people aged over twenty five so this might balance out the bias.
1. What is your favourite colour?
Conclusion: Out of the twenty people that I asked, a quarter of them said that blue was their favourite colour so I will make sure this colour is predominant in my magazine but also include other colours.
2. Which kind of colours do you prefer to see inside a magazine?
Conclusion: A large majority of the twenty people I asked stated that they preferred to have bright and bold colours in a magazine rather than light colours and pastel shades so I will include these types of colours more than lighter colours.
3. How often do you/would you buy a magazine?
Conclusion: I asked twenty people how often they buy or would consider buying a magazine and gave them the choices of ‘weekly’, ‘fortnightly’, ‘monthly’ and ‘quarterly. Seven out of the twenty people picked monthly and six chose fortnightly so I will choose one of these two frequencies for the magazine that I create.
4. How much are you willing to pay for a music magazine?
Conclusion: Eight out of the twenty people I asked said that they would be willing to pay between two and three pound for a music magazine and seven said that they would pay between one and two pound so for the magazine that I create, I will choose a price in one of these ranges depending on what frequency I decide on.
5. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being definitely and 5 being definitely not, how much would you like to see the following features in a music magazine?
News about bands/artists
Conclusion: A large majority of the people I asked said that they would definitely like to have news about bands and artists in a music magazine so I will include this as content in my magazine.
Pictures
Conclusion: Twelve out of the twenty people I asked said they would definitely like to see pictures in a music magazine and only two people said definitely not, so I will include images in the magazine that I create.
Gig Guide
Conclusion: Seven out of the twenty people I asked said that they would definitely like to have a gig guide featured in a music magazine and nobody said that they definitely would not, so I will include a gig guide as regular content in the magazine that I create.
Reviews
Conclusion: A majority of the people I asked said that they would like reviews in a music magazine so I will probably include reviews as regular content in the magazine that I create.
Interviews
Conclusion: Twelve out of the twenty people I asked said that they would definitely like to have interviews in a music magazine so I will include one or two interviews with bands and artists as a feature in the magazine that I create.
Letters from readers
Conclusion: There was a mixed response from the twenty people I asked about letters from readers and most people answered in the middle. However, eight people chose the more negative answers and seven chose the more positive answers so I will have to decide whether or not I will include letters in my magazine.
6. Would you be more likely to buy a magazine if it had a free gift e.g. a CD?
Conclusion: A large majority of the twenty people I asked said that they would be more likely to buy a magazine if it came with a free gift so to encourage people to buy my magazine, I will include a free gift.
Conclusion: Most of the people I asked were female so the choices I make about my magazine will be biased towards females rather than males.
Age
Conclusion: I managed to cover a wide range of ages with my questionnaire. Most of the people I asked were between sixteen and twenty years old so my magazine will probably be biased towards them. However there were also a large number of people aged over twenty five so this might balance out the bias.
1. What is your favourite colour?
Conclusion: Out of the twenty people that I asked, a quarter of them said that blue was their favourite colour so I will make sure this colour is predominant in my magazine but also include other colours.
2. Which kind of colours do you prefer to see inside a magazine?
Conclusion: A large majority of the twenty people I asked stated that they preferred to have bright and bold colours in a magazine rather than light colours and pastel shades so I will include these types of colours more than lighter colours.
3. How often do you/would you buy a magazine?
Conclusion: I asked twenty people how often they buy or would consider buying a magazine and gave them the choices of ‘weekly’, ‘fortnightly’, ‘monthly’ and ‘quarterly. Seven out of the twenty people picked monthly and six chose fortnightly so I will choose one of these two frequencies for the magazine that I create.
4. How much are you willing to pay for a music magazine?
Conclusion: Eight out of the twenty people I asked said that they would be willing to pay between two and three pound for a music magazine and seven said that they would pay between one and two pound so for the magazine that I create, I will choose a price in one of these ranges depending on what frequency I decide on.
5. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being definitely and 5 being definitely not, how much would you like to see the following features in a music magazine?
News about bands/artists
Conclusion: A large majority of the people I asked said that they would definitely like to have news about bands and artists in a music magazine so I will include this as content in my magazine.
Pictures
Conclusion: Twelve out of the twenty people I asked said they would definitely like to see pictures in a music magazine and only two people said definitely not, so I will include images in the magazine that I create.
Gig Guide
Conclusion: Seven out of the twenty people I asked said that they would definitely like to have a gig guide featured in a music magazine and nobody said that they definitely would not, so I will include a gig guide as regular content in the magazine that I create.
Reviews
Conclusion: A majority of the people I asked said that they would like reviews in a music magazine so I will probably include reviews as regular content in the magazine that I create.
Interviews
Conclusion: Twelve out of the twenty people I asked said that they would definitely like to have interviews in a music magazine so I will include one or two interviews with bands and artists as a feature in the magazine that I create.
Letters from readers
Conclusion: There was a mixed response from the twenty people I asked about letters from readers and most people answered in the middle. However, eight people chose the more negative answers and seven chose the more positive answers so I will have to decide whether or not I will include letters in my magazine.
6. Would you be more likely to buy a magazine if it had a free gift e.g. a CD?
Conclusion: A large majority of the twenty people I asked said that they would be more likely to buy a magazine if it came with a free gift so to encourage people to buy my magazine, I will include a free gift.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Questionnaire Results - Video (Task 8/9)
This is a video I recorded of somebody answering a couple of the questions included in my questionnaire.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Questionnaire (Task 7)
This is the questionnaire I created in order to research my target audience. I asked twenty people aged from ten upwards, both male and female. I created the questionnaire using Microsoft Word.
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Codes and Conventions - Double Page Spreads (Task 6)
Codes and Conventions of Magazine Double Page Spreads
Layout
Has drop quotes in the middle or top of article – small excerpts from the article to grab reader’s attention, usually something exciting or controversial.
Page numbers and magazine title in the bottom corners of the page.
Has a by line – says the name of journalist who conducted the interview or wrote the article and the name of the photographer who took the photos used.
A limited use of colour.
Images
Has a large image – sometimes has a caption saying who the picture is of.
Sometimes a picture of the journalist at the start of the article.
Text
Eye catching headline – bright colour, bold, large.
Catchy text that relates to the article and/or the person/people it is about.
Has the text in columns – name of artist or person the article is about is highlighted in some way i.e. bold or in a different colour.
First letter of the article is usually bigger than the rest of the text.
A short summary at the beginning of the article – a stand first.
These are the double page spreads I analysed to get these codes and conventions:
Q Magazine (click to enlarge)
NME Magazine (click to enlarge)
Layout
Has drop quotes in the middle or top of article – small excerpts from the article to grab reader’s attention, usually something exciting or controversial.
Page numbers and magazine title in the bottom corners of the page.
Has a by line – says the name of journalist who conducted the interview or wrote the article and the name of the photographer who took the photos used.
A limited use of colour.
Images
Has a large image – sometimes has a caption saying who the picture is of.
Sometimes a picture of the journalist at the start of the article.
Text
Eye catching headline – bright colour, bold, large.
Catchy text that relates to the article and/or the person/people it is about.
Has the text in columns – name of artist or person the article is about is highlighted in some way i.e. bold or in a different colour.
First letter of the article is usually bigger than the rest of the text.
A short summary at the beginning of the article – a stand first.
These are the double page spreads I analysed to get these codes and conventions:
Q Magazine (click to enlarge)
NME Magazine (click to enlarge)
Monday, 26 October 2009
Codes and Conventions - Contents Pages (Task 5)
Codes and Conventions of Magazine Contents Pages
Images
Have a large amount of pictures.
Larger images correspond with main story/stories.
Smaller images with smaller stories.
Images usually have the page number on which links to the story they are related to.
Title
“Contents” at the top in a large font.
Can have the issue number, date and magazine website near to it.
Layout
Laid out in different sections i.e. “features”, “regular content”, “reviews”.
Content in columns with page numbers beside.
Sometimes contents pages are set over a double page spread.
Font
Font size usually 11pt.
Easy to read font which is consistent throughout.
Editor’s Letter
Letter from the editor or editorial team usually with information about the issue.
Credits
Sometimes has credits for the front cover photograph and other photographs.
Information
Information about the magazine – address, phone number, name of editor.
Information about subscribing – price, how to subscribe, how many issues etc.
This is the contents page I analysed to get these codes and conventions:
Q Magazine (click to enlarge)
Images
Have a large amount of pictures.
Larger images correspond with main story/stories.
Smaller images with smaller stories.
Images usually have the page number on which links to the story they are related to.
Title
“Contents” at the top in a large font.
Can have the issue number, date and magazine website near to it.
Layout
Laid out in different sections i.e. “features”, “regular content”, “reviews”.
Content in columns with page numbers beside.
Sometimes contents pages are set over a double page spread.
Font
Font size usually 11pt.
Easy to read font which is consistent throughout.
Editor’s Letter
Letter from the editor or editorial team usually with information about the issue.
Credits
Sometimes has credits for the front cover photograph and other photographs.
Information
Information about the magazine – address, phone number, name of editor.
Information about subscribing – price, how to subscribe, how many issues etc.
This is the contents page I analysed to get these codes and conventions:
Q Magazine (click to enlarge)
Codes and Conventions - Front Covers (Task 4)
I analysed some magazine front covers, contents pages and double page spreads and found out the codes and conventions of all three.
Codes and Conventions of Magazine Front Covers
Masthead
Name of magazine usually left aligned or right across.
Uses a large, unique font.
Can be partially covered if the magazine is well established.
Positioning statement is above the title and normally conveys that the magazine is better than the competition.
Barcode
Usually at the bottom of the magazine and has the date, issue number, price and website of the magazine near to it.
Buzzwords and puff
“Exclusive!” “You won’t see this anywhere else” “New!”
Images
One main image which anchors with the main story.
Main image usually close up or mid-shot.
Person/people in the photograph normally looking at the reader – direct address.
Never any text over the face. Smaller images which correspond to other stories in the magazine.
Simple colour scheme
Colours that don't clash and are easy to look at.
Coverlines
Usually small amounts of text near to the smaller images.
Main coverline with main image.
Coverlines all in the same style of font.
These are the front covers that I analysed to get these codes and conventions:
Q Magazine (click to enlarge)
NME Magazine (click to enlarge)
Codes and Conventions of Magazine Front Covers
Masthead
Name of magazine usually left aligned or right across.
Uses a large, unique font.
Can be partially covered if the magazine is well established.
Positioning statement is above the title and normally conveys that the magazine is better than the competition.
Barcode
Usually at the bottom of the magazine and has the date, issue number, price and website of the magazine near to it.
Buzzwords and puff
“Exclusive!” “You won’t see this anywhere else” “New!”
Images
One main image which anchors with the main story.
Main image usually close up or mid-shot.
Person/people in the photograph normally looking at the reader – direct address.
Never any text over the face. Smaller images which correspond to other stories in the magazine.
Simple colour scheme
Colours that don't clash and are easy to look at.
Coverlines
Usually small amounts of text near to the smaller images.
Main coverline with main image.
Coverlines all in the same style of font.
These are the front covers that I analysed to get these codes and conventions:
Q Magazine (click to enlarge)
NME Magazine (click to enlarge)
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Music Magazine Research (Task 2)
I researched some magazines of a similar genre to the one I am going to produce so that I could get an idea of the price and frequency of them and then I would be able to decide on my own.
Q
Price: £3.90
Frequency: Monthly
Issue Size: 170 pages
Positioning Statement: "The UK's biggest music magazine"
NME
Price: £2.90
Frequency: Weekly
Issue Size: 66 pages
Positioning Statement: Doesn't seem to have one
Kerrang!
Price: £2.20
Frequency: Weekly
Issue size: Unknown
Positioning Statement: "Life is loud"
Rock Sound
Price: £3.80
Frequency: Monthly
Issue Size: Unknown
Positioning Statement: "New music first"
Q
Price: £3.90
Frequency: Monthly
Issue Size: 170 pages
Positioning Statement: "The UK's biggest music magazine"
NME
Price: £2.90
Frequency: Weekly
Issue Size: 66 pages
Positioning Statement: Doesn't seem to have one
Kerrang!
Price: £2.20
Frequency: Weekly
Issue size: Unknown
Positioning Statement: "Life is loud"
Rock Sound
Price: £3.80
Frequency: Monthly
Issue Size: Unknown
Positioning Statement: "New music first"
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