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