Finished Front Cover

Photoshoot Inspirations

I have taken a variety of acoustic artists and researched photoshoots they have taken part in. I disregarded male and female artists because their poses were all similar. I researched artists such as Bon Iver (Justin Vernon), Lewis Watson, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. All these artists use guitar in their songs and this inspired my research. I am going to base my poses on these photos but they will not be exactly the same, because I will develop some of them and may use a few different poses to promote diversity within my shots and my planning.

Feature Article Analysis

 

 

I took inspiration from the NME Arctic Monkeys feature article for this design, I feel that this design works because it isn't the usual kind of feature article layout (one page of image, another page of text). I chose this because it's quirky and I think that the readers of this magazine will enjoy it as much as I do. The two images on the first page will be portrait and in black and white. This is because I want the 2nd page image to stand out from the other two so that the reader will notice it if they're flicking through the pages. The drop cap will be in big letters and in bold to alert the reader as to where the text begins, and to encourage the reading of the article itself. The website will be at the bottom to remind the reader that the magazine is keeping up with the technological movement and we are on the internet - a modern edge to the magazine. The pull quote will be embedded into the space that I have allocated it on the first page in the columns of text. This will be larger than the body text and (possibly) in a different colour. The page numbers at the bottom of the page are there to enable the reader to navigate through the magazine quickly and therefore easier to read - getting the reader to enjoy reading the magazine and therefore buy it again. The 2nd page of the feature article has a landscape image that covers half the page; this adds variety to the layout of the feature pages and spices it up a bit. This will get the reader to remember the page because of the range of image devices that I have used. The image will be in colour for this picture to add a splash of brightness to the page, and will attract the readers attention as they navigate their way through the magazine - the brightness of the actual colours(not black and white) will catch their eye and so they will stop and read the article. There will be a small entry point at the bottom of the page titled "Um, Sis..." - this nugget of information is about the artist's album (again inspired by NME's Arctic Monkeys article) and the elipsis is to encourage the reader to read more about the album and therefore promotes it to the magazine's audience. The four small columns of text will make the reader feel as though there is less writing and therefore won't feel too exhausted to read it all - when in fact the layout makes it seem like there is less but the same amount is actually being used.

Front Cover Analysis

Contents Page Analysis

Feature Article Draft Page 2

Feature Article Draft Page 1

Front Cover Draft

Contents Page Draft

My House Style Planning

FONT: Georgia
I have chosen 'Georgia' as my body copy/house font because it is clear and easy to read. This will work in my favour with the reader because they won't buy a magazine when they can't read what it's about -  and so this will be beneficial to me and the magazine.
This fits with the genre of my magazine because it isn't too 'out there', it is very natural and that reflects what the articles and aritsts are about.
I went through a variety of other fonts until I came to this one - such as Candara, Calibri (Body), Leelawadee and Lucida Fax. I chose Georgia however because it seemed to fit the type of text that I wanted most, a relaxed, easy to read and relfective font for the body copy.

COLOURS:
I have chosen these four colours as the main colour scheme for my house style.

 

I chose the sky blue, because it represents a calm and chilled out enivornment, which is what I want my magazine to reflect. The black and white show a professional and modern side to the magazine, and the blue and yellow will emphasise the tranquility and mood of the magazine, through the light colours and the connotations they give (spring time, blue skies, daffodils etc).

 

VISUAL FEATURES: 

For my visual aids in my magazine, I will have the website to my magazine on the bottom right hand corner of every page in black capitals (to stand out and to ensure it isn't missed) and then the page number on the bottom lefthand corner of every page. This is because I want the readers to feel like they can navigate through the magazine easily and page numbers on an easy to see space on the page will help that. The website promotion is so that the magazine can have a technological edge to it, being involved in social network sites to widen it's audience appeal and therefore increase the range of people who will hear of it/buy it.

The masthead will be on the top left hand corner of every page to keep consistency with the house style. This is so the reader doesn't forget the title of the magazine or the design so they'll recognise it in the future.

The layout of my articles will be consistent and so will have a link to the rest of the magazine. In doing this, I will ensure that I have 3 columns on each page. Furthermore I have decided to not use borders or frames for my images because I feel it will take away the attention from the image itself, and that's not what I want.

Front Cover and Contents Page Analysis 2

Front Cover and Feature Article Analysis 1

Masthead Final Idea and Reasons

I chose this as my final masthead idea after getting my peers (ones who fit into my target audience) to complete a survey of which ones they preferred, and the most common on was this one. I have decided to put it into black background and white foreground because I plan on using black and white photography for the front cover and I only wanted the sell lines to have colour, this way the features are advertised and the masthead fits with the bold photography and the house style of my magazine.

Final Magazine Title

I have chosen 'Pacific' as my magazine title. This is because, due to the opinions of my peers that fit with my target audience, they believe it resembles serenity and a calm oceanic feeling. This is the atmosphere I want my magazine to represent and with the audience I am aiming for saying the things I want to hear about this name lets me know that it's the right choice.
The word rolls off the tongue and provokes feelings of tranquility and calm, and this is the exact reason I chose it.

Masthead Ideas

mood board for my artist

Brand Name Ideas

-          Songbird : inspired by Eva Cassidy’s acoustic guitar song ‘Songbird’ and her acoustic album of the same name, I believe this could be a good title for my magazine because it is sweet sounding and innocent, which is the stereotypical view of acoustic music – calming and tranquil. The connotations of ‘Songbird’ are:
- Pure, innocent
- Mellow and sweet sounding
- The song it makes is delightful to the ears, such as the music in this magazine
- The sound of spring; coming out of winter and into the warmer seasons – out of deceiving music and into the genuine songs.
- Colours such as yellows, blues and greens, all associated with nature and spring time.
- No harsh consonants, a sweetly pronounced word

-          Tune : inspired by the tuning of a guitar – the main instrument in acoustic music. This could be a good title for my magazine because it’s a word that everyone recognises and hears frequently. The connotations for ‘Tune’ are:
- Instrument related; attracts a wider audience
- Main focal point for the pronunciation is the vowel ‘u’, which gives a smoother tone to the word.
- Related to greens, blues and browns, due to the guitar connotation and the smooth sound of the word itself.

-          Melody : this is a synonym of acoustic and so relates to the genre of the magazine well. No harsh vowels to deter the meaning of the magazine and a lovely word to resemble music. The connotations for ‘Melody’ are:
- It’s a synonym for the style of magazine that I’m looking into – relevant.
- ‘a sequence of single notes that is musically satisfying.’ Is the definition, this relates to the magazine because it insinuates that the music featured in the magazine are ‘musically satisfying’.
- The word itself is relating to calm and tranquil environments, which is where acoustic is most appropriate.

-          Serene : serene means ‘calm, peaceful and untroubled’ which is what the magazine is to try and reflect. The magazine is very musically orientated and this is what the genre tries to create – an untroubled atmosphere, which in this case is totally focused on music. Connotations for ‘Serene’ are:
- very pacific, creating a soothing atmosphere before the audience has even opened the magazine.
- very smooth tone through the use of all the letters, ‘s’ begins with a clean start, then the ‘e’ and ‘r’ and ‘e’ again create a slow and effortless sound, then finished the ‘n’ and ‘e’ ensure that the word is finished but on steady terms. 

-          Pacific : pacific is an adjective used for a someone or something who is peaceful in character and intent. This reflects the magazine and its genre because it’s peaceful in that the music is very calm and relaxing. The connotations for ‘Pacific’ are:
- related to the ocean; used as a calming source.
- smooth and rounding vowels, to emphasise the flow of the word.

-          Unplugged : this is a term used to describe an acoustic performance, due to the lack of plugged in (electric) instruments. This is relevant to the magazine because it refers to the genre it’s representing. Connotations of ‘Unplugged’ are:
- seems more natural, unplugged isn’t technologically enhanced.
- enhances the genre of the magazine
- rebellious; not going with the mainstream techno advances in music.
- colours such as browns, reds and oranges to promote the brown of the guitar.

Feature Article Artist Planning

My artist will be a male, solo artist. He has always had an interest in music, from a very young age. Although he wasn't always a good singer, he pushed himself and taught himself how to play piano and guitar through Youtube tutorials - due to lack of money to pay for a teacher. He loves his family and has provided for them well with his fame and incoming fortune. He still lives in the town he grew up in because he's only 19, and although he's becoming one of the greatest acoustic genre artists of this century, he can't yet afford to buy his own house and still pay for his education. He doesn't really have many hobbies apart from music, he doesn't like sport, he doesn't like video games and he doesn't like much of the things on television. So he spends his time writing music, studying and reading books. His favourite author's are John Green and Jane Austen. He has a sarcastic and dry sense of humour, mainly developed from the social networking site of Tumblr. He doesn't like common shops such as Topman and Cedar Wood State, he prefers to get clothes than no one else will have - or a smaller amount of people have, from charity shops and ebay. He was spotted through busking in the city of Oxford; he set up his guitar and put out a hat to raise some money at the small age of 15, and music agency giants Universal spotted him. He is currently in the studio working on his debut album, with three singles aleady released along with his first album. He's been inspired by artists such as Jim Morrison, Radiohead and Bon Iver.
• The reason the interview is taking place is because the public need inspiration - the acoustic music genre is becoming ever smaller and with big up and coming stars such as this one, and with such a normal and typical background, it should help to inspire the younger generation to take part in more musical activities. He needs to promote his new album, because although his first album was a small success, he and the agency are looking for bigger things to come his way.
• His appearance is rugged, rough. This is to give a raw and genuine approach will have a large reflection to his music (authentic, means something to him, expressive). He will wear a white t-shirt and faded blue jeans, with dark brown boots. This will give a simple but effective appearance - a relaxed feel, in the sense that it's very basic clothing. He has dark hair that is thicker on top than on the sides and has very prominent facial structure - with slight stubble around the jawline. He will have his guitar in the image to show the audience that he plays and that he includes the instrument in his music - also promoting the acoustic genre which is the genre of the magazine. He will have little to no expression on his face, giving off a 'moody model' look and attracting a younger audience. He won't be wearing any makeup because the acoustic genre is all about being natural, and it's not common for men to wear makeup anyway. The only prop that my artist will have will be his guitar, and possibly a chair, because simplicity is key.
• The location of the shoots will be outside for the front cover - because then the location isn't what they would expect (a studio) and so they will want to know where they are and what they're doing there. Outside will promote the artists personality in that he spends a lot of time outdoors, motivating the target audience to do the same. His image is rough, so the editing will be minimal - but vintage edits will be added to show his personality.
• He will be wearing simple clothing (faded jeans, white t-shirt) to show that he's not all hollywood and buying expensive clothing purely because he's starting to make a lot of money, so this helps the audience to connect and relate to him. He will be natural because men don't usually wear makeup and so it won't appeal to a modern audience - this also reflects his genuine personality; meaning he doesn't need makeup to attract people. In the photos he will be posing almost casually, like the camera has caught him off guard or like we would see him if we were just hanging out with him - to promote his chilled view. His pose will be natural but posed, and his faciall expression will be lacking, so moody or blank.
• My contents page artists will be on a smaller scale, but of the same genre. There will be two female and one male act. The two female acts will be called 'Zara Mouse' and 'Isla Fray' and the male act will be called 'Noah Griggs' - these names are peculiar and uncommon and so the audience will recognise them in the future. They all specialise in acoustic and chilled music which fits with the genre of the magazine; one female and male will pose for the photoshoot, with the woman wearing tight clothes to accentuate her assets and the male will pose with and without his guitar for a variety of shots to emphasise that he produces music where he plays and guitar and some where he doesn't. They will wear their fashion sense's clothes, and so they'll be wearing quirky and unique clothing that aren't available in common high street shops such as Topshop and River Island.

Readership Profile

The target audience for my magazine are teenagers and young adults from the ages of 16-25, male and female. They are all from middle class, 'normal' families and are students at a state school. They either play an instrument or have a preferred sound from one, and the guitar is one of them. They all like to socialise either in person or on things like facebook and twitter - or through text messages. They're more creative than academic, enjoying subjects such as music, english literature, drama and dance. They have their own fashion sense that fits with the kind of music and television shows that they like.
Character Profile:

Henry is a 17 year old boy who is extremely indulged in music. He plays the guitar and piano, although the former is his preferred instrument. He has a large group of friends, boys and girls, and listens to similar music to them. He listens to bands such as Bon Iver and City and Colour due to the relaxing atmosphere they create. He has a distinct fashion sense, but simple. White t-shirts, faded and/or ripped jeans with worn boots. This looks resembles a carefree lifestyle which is what he wants to achieve. His hobbies include writing songs, listening to music, reading and socialising. He doesn't enjoy school as much as other people do and he spends a lot of time in his bedroom. Henry's income is usually spent on new clothes and guitar accessories, or some sheet music if he gets bored with the music he has. He goes out with his friends to the cinema and for birthday meals out as well, so his money may be spent on that too. Brands that most represent Henry are clothes brands such as River Island, Topman, vintage stores and ebay.co.uk. This is because he likes to keep up with fashion, but have clothes that no one else will have - hence the variety of shops. He doesn't work outside of school, but he does gigs in pubs and bars to earn a bit of money a month. Henry prefers to listen to artists that have a distinct sound, like with Bon Iver's singer/songwriter Justin Vernon who has a very recognisable voice - one that if it started playing on the radio you would know exactly who he is.

Mood Board of my Target Audience's Interests

Contents Page Analysis 1

Feature Page Analysis 2

Feature Page Analysis 1

Music Magazine Cover Analysis 2

Target Audience for Q Magazine

Music Magazine Analysis 1

Analysis of my Problem Page

I believe that my Agony Aunt article is successful because I used many of the typical article's conventions, such as an image of the Agony Aunt, supporting images of the articles, large masthead, contact details and writing in columns. This way it fits it with the article's qualities so that the reader knows what kind of article it is. I decided to make it more like the Spiritual Guidance problem page we studied in lessons, but not entirely, because although i wanted to show my inspiration I also wanted to show my own creativity.

I didn't want the reader to feel overpowered by the Agony Aunt herself so I made her image small and at the top, so you would know who she was but she wasn't out of proportion to the rest of the page. I feel this works best because it gives a more relaxed feel to the page, something a teenager would want.

Although I feel my article was a success in many ways, I for one would not read it in a magazine because this kind of article doesn't interest me. The layout, although natural and readable, doesn't suit my tastes - although I hope it suits other girls my age.

My photography could use work, due to the fact that they don't look professional enough to be in a magazine, they look too casual and doesn't promote the seriousness of the article itself, or its contents. However, I feel as though the colour scheme I chose fitted the purpose. This is because no teenage girl wants an overpoweringly pink article, it doesn't attract attention. This colour scheme promotes femininity but not in loud colours, in a more natural and smooth manner. The articles are typical to a teenage audience and I feel as though my target audience would stop and take their time to read it, as the three situations would most likely have applied to them at one point or another, or will do in the future.

The layout I think complimented itself, by being easy to read and eyecatching to my target audience.

Throughout the rest of my coursework I hope to achieve more organisation and better presentation, this will be achieved by staying on top of my work and not leaving it till the last minute. My photography must also be improved to achieve a more professional outlook.

In conclusion, my Motormouth Miranda page was a success, in attracting my target audience and making them want to read the whole thing due to exciting and suited contents. I thoroughly enjoyed this preliminary project and I hope to do something similar later on in the course.

My Agony Aunt Page

Readership Profile and House Style

Readership Profile

I think that the target audience for my magazine will be teenage girls from the ages of 13 - 19, this is because I am a teenage girl myself and I will know what kind of issues go on in a teenage girls life - boys, school family etc.
I decided no younger because they wouldn't understand some of the situations in the magazine, and who the people featured in it were. Older people would probably be the same, they would be caught up in university or starting work in the real world and so would have little time for a magazine such as this one.
These girls would all go to school - state or private is unimportant - and they would all have a wide social network. This is were some of the articles would feature celebrity gossip and pictures of attractive male celebrities and this will attract the young female generation. This way they can all talk about the latest breakup with their friends - so the magazine would give the girls a topic of conversation to be had at lunchtimes etc. 

They would all face the same issues, whether is be boys that they like, stressful schoolwork, annoying families, teacher feuds etc. This way they would all have a reason to read the magazine because it features things that help them to deal with school and how to get that boy they like. 

 House Style

My magazine will be called 'Motormouth' because it is a common synonym for the word gossip, which is what this magazine is mainly about. The slogan for my magazine will be 'gossip is power' because this will give the girls a sense of superiority over girls who don't this magazine, this way they will be drawn to the contents of this magazine because it gives them a false promise that the gossip in these articles aren't anywhere else, and they are more powerful than the other magazine's articles.
The masthead will be at the top of the magazine, so that the title isn't lost amongst others on the shelves. It will be in the largest font on the front page and will be in white letters on an orange strapline. This way they don't feel too young buying a magazine that's covered in pink, because they think they're too old for that now.
The font will by slanted but not overly girly and swirly, this way they feel as though the magazine is more mature than the others that have a similar contents. The slogan will be just under the masthead, and so they read the title, then the slogan, and then the sell lines and the image comes into recognition. The font for the title will dominate, and then the slogan will be smaller but bigger than all the other writing on the front page.
The colour scheme will be evidently feminine, but not overpoweringly pink. This is because pink attracts girls aged 3 - 8 and normally no higher. Using less block pink will give off the mature look for a teenage magazine, which is all most teenage girls ask for.

I have chosen four fonts to try for the title of my magazine.

Agony Aunt Article Aonnotations

The Conventions of Problem Pages

1. Aimed at a female audience
2. Picture of the article's writer
3. All have a slogan promoting that writer's advice; the slogan is the second largest writing on the page
4. Image's relating to the articles
5. Colour scheme is bright and fun, more feminine
6. Each question has a sub title with vague descriptions of the question
7. Show the question that's been asked in a different colour to the answer
8. The masthead is the largest writing on the page
9. All questions and answers are written in a maximum of three columns
10. All have postal and email addresses to entice further questioning
11. Small description of the journalist's qualities 
12. The image of the writer is friendly and open, helping the reader to open to them in their questions
13. Often related to everyday problems that women would face in day to day life
14. Quotes from the answers/questions to tempt the reader into reading that article 
15. The picture of the 'Agony Aunt' reflects the problems of the reader (e.g a doctor for your health problems)