Introduction to Focus Group

Now that the early stages of my magazine are in development, this weekend I formed a focus group to give their opinion throughout the project and guide me in the direction that will be most preferred by my target audience, as the four members of my focus group all fit the target audience of my magazine by having a preference for light indie/mainstream music and being in my target age of 16-24

To achieve a balance, in my focus group I have two males and two females.

Age: 18
Favourite artist: Adele
Favourite song: Hello
Favourite genre: Mainstream/Light Indie

 Age: 17
 Favourite artist: Fifth Harmony
 Favourite song: Work from Home
 Favourite genre: Mainstream

Age: 16
Favourite artist: Bruno Mars
Favourite song: Uptown Funk
Favourite genre: Light Indie

Age: 19
Favourite artist: The Chainsmokers
Favourite song: Closer
Favourite genre: Mainstream

Weekly Plan

This week is work experience week, so I do not have access to the software. Instead, I intend to carry out some audience research this week. I also plan to create a focus group.

Week in Review

This week, I have completed my research into similar media products. I have also completed the article for my double page spread, and I have also chosen the fonts I will be using in my rough cut, so I am slightly ahead of schedule which leaves me more time in the next two weeks to work on my routhncut.

Barcode

Today, I created a barcode for my front cover using photoshop, simply by using the rectangle tools and randomising them and stretching them out. My result can be seen below.

New Fonts Chosen

Today I chose the two main fonts I intend to use throughout my magazine. I got these fonts from dafont.com.

Bebas Neue is a modern, thin, sans-serif font that I intend to use for article titles and headlines. I have chosen it because of its simplicity and timeless look.

Lemon/Milk was chosen as it has slightly more 'personality' than Bebas Neue, and shall be used for smaller things such as featured articles and embedded quotes within articles.

3) Analysis of an Existing Contents Page

Colour: This magazine follows a highly basic colour scheme, with black, white and red being the only colours on the page. This simplistic effect is something very typical in this genre.
I intend to include simplicity in my design in order to not alienate weaker readers, so my contents page will be blocky but will also feature lots of images rather than significant amounts of text.

Image: The images used are relatively simplistic; one is a midshot and one is a long shot, plus a photo of an album. The retro, old fashioned look/quality of the photos is one frequently found in this genre.
However, this is not a technique I intend to use; instead I am aiming for a more modern vibe in order to attract a slightly more generalised audience than this magazine is.

Font: Again, the titlular font and article headlines tend to be writtenin a relatively modern sans-serif font, but the article descriptions are in serif as is typical in music magazines.However, this magazine breaks convention slightly by having the featured articles on the right written in serif font, whereas in almost all similar media products I have researched, this has been written in sans-serif instead.
Again, I intend to follow the traditional conventional approach to fonts; modern, sans-serif font for titles and headlines,with traditional serif font for larger bodies of text.

Layout: The contents page uses a blocky layout, with photos down the side and purely text on the right. It is a very traditional look used which matches the retro look of this magazine.
In my magazine, I plan to use an image dominated look (although this may change) to be consistent with the modern themes running throughout my design.

3) Analysis of an Existing Front Cover

Colour: This front cover uses a very light, bright and vivid colour scheme in a bid to make the magazine appeal to it's target audience of the younger generations. Furthermore, the models are dressed in co-ordinating colours, with green, blue and black outfits matching the colour scheme of the page, which ensures they don't look out of place or awkwardly fit in.
This magazine is a very similar style to mine; even the colour scheme is largely similar, with blue, white and black being the prevailing colours. I potentially intend to use the red tickets over certain parts of text in my magazine as I think it is highly effective at making the key details stand out.

Image: The image used is a mid-two shot, which appears to be one of the most common shots used in this type of magazine. Both models are given relatively equal space on the page, suggesting neither is overshadowing the other in terms of success and power.
On my front cover, I intend to use a close up shot of a girl in order to appeal to my target audience; teenage/young adult women will idolise her, whilst teenage/young adult men may find her attractive, both of which will potentially compel the target audience to buy the magazine. 

Font: The front cover uses exclusively modern, thin sans-serif font (a technique I also intend to use) This ensures younger readers are not put off by old-fashioned text as it may deter them from wanting to read on, as they may anticipate large blocks of serif text that does not suit their wishes.
I am planning to use a similar scheme; no serif font on the front cover to avoid alienating younger readers, but I will use serif font later on in its traditional places. 

Layout: The layout is highly conventional, with the models in the middle and the text around the side, with the logo prominently displayed at the top of the page.
I will not be using this technique- instead my main headline will be written across the page in the bottom third, with feature articles scattered around the side. However, my magazine title will retain the conventional centre-top stature, and I also intend to follow the convention of having the model's head overlap the title (as shown above)

Weekly Plan

Weekly Plan (Monday 20 Feb- Sunday 26 Feb)

This week is half term, so I do not have access to the software to edit my magazine. However, I intend to complete my analysis of similar media products this week and also begin to write my article for the double page spread.

Retaken Male Model Photos

After looking at my male model's photos, I decided they were slightly too blurry, so I arranged to retake them. It was arranged to meet at 10.30am this morning with a similar outfit to last time, but simply with a tshirt rather than a hoodie.

I took a few variations and I am not 100% sure which I will use on my double page spread yet.

Week in Review

This week I completed the analysis of a front cover, contents page and double-page spread as planned. I also planned my rough cut photos, and took them on the planned days (Thursday and Friday).

2) Analysis of an Existing Double Page Spread

Colour: The magazine uses an exclusively black and white colour scheme on the double page spread due to the link with the band's name, 'The Black Keys'. However, because both the models and the text/page are in black and white, the models do not hugely stand out due to their colour, perhaps suggesting they are the same as their music- they ARE their music, not just the artist. Furthermore, it gives a gritty, contemporary feel that will pull in the reader.
My double page spread will follow the aquatic/naughtical colour scheme already established in my magazine.

Image: The image used is highly simplistic, with a mid two-shot used to show the two key characters. One of these is positioned behind the other, perhaps suggesting the one in front is the lead singer of the band or perhaps the somehow more prominent one.
In my magazine, I will not be thinking too much about positioning due to only having a single model for the double page spread rather than a band. 

Font: The font used follows the typical conventions used by music magazines; modern, sans-serif for headlines, with a more traditional serif font used for the main block of text on the article.
This is a convention I intend to follow, as I want to make sure I include typical music magazine conventions, and I feel this one is easy to follow without having a huge impact on the overall style of my magazine 

Layout: The double page follows a highly conventional layout; a photo on the left page taking up the full page, with text solely on the right.
In my double page spread, I intend to play with the conventional format in order to make the article look as appealing as possible because my research has shown that people are put off by large blocks of text.

Content: The text uses lots of superlatives in order to 'show off' the band- this article is their opportunity to appeal to both their target audience and gain a new audience so they need to look as positive and interesting as possible.
In my magazine, I will use a Q&A format with lots of embedded quotes in order to give a more personal experience, rather than a robotic article full of empty adjectives that will not convince the general audience to listen to their music.

Extra Photo

As I felt I was slightly short on photos, on Thursday night I organised a small suburban photoshoot on a street with two female models, for a small image on my front cover.  Here it is:

Magazine Photos Taken Today

Last night and today, I took the photos for my rough cut. Last night (Thursday 16th February) I took photos of Isaac at the beach, then this morning I took the photos of Abbie and Jamie in the studio. The costumes used filled my initial plan; Isaac had blue jeans and a black hoodie which matches the colour scheme of the magazine. Abbie wore a similar colour combination; black t-shirt and blue jeans, and Jamie wore black jeans and a dark grey-tshirt, which still works with the planned theme as it makes him stand out from the remainder of the page.

There is a potential that I will need to retake these photos in the future, but currently the photos taken are the ones I will use in my rough cut.

Beach Photoshoot

Here is one of the photos from today's beach photoshoot for the contents page.

Magazine Photo Planning

Yesterday, I arranged a beach photoshoot with one of my male models. We arranged to meet at 4pm at the seafront. I briefed my model on clothing, aiming for a fairly neutral set of colours to contrast the very colourful background, and also instructed my model to bring a surfboard as a prop.

Today, I have also arranged a studio photoshoot for tomorrow with two models: one male and one female. My female model, Abbie, is going to wear a black t-shirt and also a white t shirt afterwards to see which will fit the magazine's theme better. She is going to wear black jeans in order to mimic the style of the female area of my target audience.

My male model, Jamie, will be on the double page spread, and so has the role of 'conventionally attractive teen boy'. To achieve this look, I reccomended a casual look, with an aquatic coloured hoodie, such as green or blue, as well as black training pants and white shoes, again in order to mimic the fashion of the male demographic of the target audience.

I will be meeting Jamie and Abbie tomorrow at 11.30 at the studio to take these photos.

2) Analysis of an Existing Contents Page

Colour: The colour scheme used here is very basic- sticking to a mainly black and white colour scheme, with the exception of the model who is dressed in brightly coloured clothes in order to stand out from the background- a trait I have noticed is used very frequently in music magazines.
On my contents page, I intend to follow a different approach, as I plan to create an image-dominated contents page. However, I will take extra care to make sure it matches the aquatic colour scheme running throughout my magazine.

Image: The long shot used in the photo shows the entire body but because he is kneeling down it creates a more personalised link between the reader and the model. His body language suggests he is open minded and not afraid to connect with the reader.
In my magazine, I actually intend to use a very similar tactic. In fact, one of my potential images for my double page spread has a very similar positioning (as shown). 

Font: The font used varies- for the main headlines, sans-serif font is used, but for any larger bodies of text, serif font tends to be used.
This is a technique I plan to deploy within my own magazine as it strikes an essential balance between the two types of font.

Layout: The contents page is a hybrid between image dominated and blocky style, as it incorporates elements of both.
In my magazine, I will not create a hybrid- instead, I intend to create a purely image-dominated contents page.

2) Analysis of an Existing Front Cover

Colour: The magazine uses a very simplistic colour scheme, sticking to the trio of blue, yellow and white. The one exception to this is the model, Bruno Mars, who is dressed in maroon, serving as a stark contrast to the background of the cover and clearly highlighting him as an item of prominence.
In my magazine, I plan to use an aquatic colour scheme, in a similar manner to the one above, but rather than yellow i intend to use black, although this colour scheme is not confirmed yet.

Image: The midshot image of Bruno Mars is central to the page and overlaps the magazine title, which is a typical convention of  a music magazine. Additionally, it uses the rule of thirds, with Bruno's head being in the middle third in order to signify his importance.
In my magazine, I intend to overlap my title with the image in a similar manner to the magazine above, as it is a highly typical convention of a music magazine that I feel inclined to follow. Furthermore, I will use a close up image, rather than a midshot, in order to create a sense of intimacy and personalisation.

Font: Throughout the cover, the font used tends to be a highly modern, sans-serif font, with no visible serif, suggesting the magazine is aimed at a young, modern audience who will be more attracted to a simplistic design than a more elegant serif font would give.

In my magazine, I intend to use primarily sans-serif font as I intend to reach a similar audience to the magazine above. However, I will still use serif font for some small pieces of text and articles within the magazine so that the reader is not alienated by the lack of traditional text.

Layout: The image is central to the page, with the headline and other featured articles being positioned around the outside of the page, rather than overlapping him. Additionally, the title is at the top of the page in order to distinguish it from the rest of the text on the page, and helps the reader instantly identify the magazine.
In my magazine, I will not use be positioning my headlines and featured articles around the image- instead, they will overlap. This is due to the nature of a close up shot, which takes up the vast majority of the page, meaning it would be highly impractical to fit importnt text in this small area.

This Week's Plan

Weekly Plan (Mon 13th Feb- Sun 19th Feb)

This week I intend to continue my research into similar media products, with one front cover, one contents page and one double-page spread analysis hopefully to be complete by the end of the week.

Furthermore, I intend to plan and take my photos for the rough cut around Thursday/Friday, with a location shot on Thursday and studio photography on Friday.

Outline of Rough Cut

Today, I began to create a basic outline of frames for my rough cut front cover. As I make progress filling in the frames, I intend to track my progress on this blog. I am currently deciding on a title, with 'T' and 'Transform' currently the main competitors. I plan to carry out a survey in order to see what the target audience wants before I make a concrete decision on my name.

Audience Research: Genre

After consulting my target audience, Pop recieved 0% of the votes, so i felt it would not be wise to make a magazine against the wishes of my 16-24 year old target audience. Instead, I have opted to change genre, as mentioned yesterday, to the modern mainstream/light indie genre, as this recieved over 85% of the votes.

Change of Genre

After completing some audience research (which will he posted to this blog tomorrow), it has become clear to me that a pop-magazine is not a highly sought after genre. Instead, the most popular choice seemed to be a modern, light-indie magazine, with a hybrid of both modern themes with unique and original themes and representations.

Therefore, I will now be basing my magazine around this genre, rather than the modern pop magazine I had initially proposed in earlier blog posts.

1) Analysis of an Existing Double Page Spread

Colour: The magazine uses a very feminine colour palette, with different shades of pink dominating the page because of the background, suggesting it is predominantly aimed at girls due to the stereotypical association of pink with females. The text uses a regular black, which also matches the photo of Nicki Minaj. This is effective as the black stands out from the pink and gives the impression that Nicki 'stands out' from everything else.

In my magazine, I intend to follow an aquatic colour scheme, with whites, blues and blacks dominating the pages. I am not yet sure what colours I will use for my model, but currently I am considering using colours that stand out from the background in a similar manner to the above double-page spread.

Image: The image used is very simple and minimalistic: Nicki is placed very prominently on the right half of the page. Additionally, the rule of thirds is used to make certain features of the model stand out. Particular attention is drawn to her eyes and her breasts.

In my magazine, I will try to employ the rule of thirds, particularly on my double page spread, in order to direct the reader to the most important parts of the photo.

Font: The article uses a small variety of fonts- the headline uses a modern, sans-serif font to grab the reader's attention and serves as a stark contrast to the remainder of the article, which uses more traditional serif fonts. At points throughout the article, important quotes are shown in sans-serif, bold font, which helps to distinguish the most important parts of the text from the rest of it.

In my magazine, I intend to use mostly sans-serif, modern fonts for my titles, headlines etc, but I also aim to use traditional serif fonts in my articles in order to follow the conventions of a music magazine.

Layout: The double-page spread is set our in a somewhat unconventional way, with the model being mostly positioned on the right page with the vast majority of the text on the left. Typically in music magazines, this is the other way round, suggesting the magazine is aimed at an audience that responds well to change and experimentation.

My magazine is aimed at a light-indie/modern audience, who tend to be receptive to change and experimentation, so I am keen to include this in my magazine. However, I intend to carry out some audience research on this before I reach any solid conclusions.

Content: The article itself is written in a fairly informal manner, clearly with the intention of appearing relatable, reliable and trustworthy to their target audience. After the introduction, the article is split into three distinct points/sections from an interview with Nicki Minaj, allowing the reader to easily follow the key points Nicki is making in the interview without excess baggage that may bore the reader.

I am not yet sure what the subject of my double page spread will be, but currently I am considering a Q&A session with the model.

1.) Analysis of an Existing Contents Page

Colour: The magazine follows a very simple colour scheme of red, white and black in order to follow the conventional colours typically used by Q Magazine. This constant use of these colours allows the magazine to be instantly recognisable to both its target audience and generally. It also makes it gender neutral, being able to appeal to both men and woman in equal measure.

In my magazine, I will be using black and white heavily to contrast each other, but I also want my magazine to appeal slightly more exclusively to the younger generations, so I may use slightly more bright, exciting colours.

Image: The main image used is taken from an intentionally looking ameteur photoshoot, with very little photoshopping. This is done to create an authentic image that will resonate with a less commercialised audience. The model is seen to have a very serious, troublesome expression, which fits the context of a somewhat retro magazine.
In my magazine, I intend to follow the opposite approach, following a very over the top, heavily photo-shopped and airbrushed image to in order to appeal to a youthful teenage audience, as this target audience tends to enjoy commercialised things more.
Font: The contents page uses predominantly serif, black font in order to appeal to a retro audience who enjoy simple, conventional designs to contrast the more acquired tastes of the music involved.
In my magazine, I will use mostly sans-serif font in order to match the modern theme of the magazine and appeal to the younger audience that this magazine is aimed at.
Layout: the left third of the page is taken up by an image as mentioned above, whilst the featured articles are listed down the side in a very conventional manner, with a seperste background to the rest of the page.
In my magazine I plan to have a image taking up the full page with text over it in order to create a more modern, urban look.

1.) Analysis of an Existing Front Cover

Colour: The magazine has a strong focus on warm colours- in this case particularly red and ginger, with Florence's hair taking up the vast majority of the cover to show her significance. In additional, the red logo compliments this as it creates an inviting, easy to look at aesthetic that does not put readers off by being too abstract or unconventional. 

In my magazine, I intend to use contrasting attention grabbing colours, such as red against white, in order to appeal to a youthful, modern audience who will be more attracted to a magazine that stands out from the crowd but also remains true to the genre of a pop magazine.

Image: The image used is a close up of Florence that draws particular attention to her face, because it is a contrasting colour to the rest of the magazine. It also has connotations of intensity, due to the serious, almost mischievous expression on her face, suggesting the magazine is trying to appeal to a more mature teenage/young adult audience.

I am planning to include a mid shot of a model as I do not want to focus heavily on the facial expression. Instead, I want the emphasis to be more on body language and movement, to represent the youthful, exciting and modern themes running throughout the magazine.

Font: The magazine predominantly uses sans-serif text with a relatively modern but simple font in order to retain their generally young audience. A heavy use of serif font would make the cover look significantly more old-fashioned and would be off-putting for the target audience. However, a moderate use of serif font has been allowed, such as in the subheading above the headline, to ensure it caters to a wide audience rather than solely the target one.

I will be following the same approach, using mostly sans-serif font in order to retain my intended target audience of young adults. However, as in the example above, I may use serif font in some instances, perhaps during small snippets such as quotations. 

Layout: The centre of the page is taken up solely by the photo, and the magazine subverts stereotypical conventions of a music magazine by placing its headline at the top of the page, an area typically reserved for the magazine title. All the featured articles are then placed around the outside of the page, allowing the photo of Florence to remain completely unobstructed. 

In my magazine, I plan to follow a more conventional approach, with the main headline towards the centre of the page in order to make it stand out more in comparison to the feature articles, which i intend to place around the edges of the page, in a similar way to the example above, but I will avoid the upper third of the page as I believe this area should be kept clear of any distractions from the title and image.

Initial Ideas

Here is my initial ideas poster

Brief description:

-young adult audience

-modern pop genre

-light, modern,fun

-bright colours: red, white and black colour scheme

Text and font: black and white only, simple. Modern, youthful fresh feel.

Potential titles: Today, Transform

Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task, we were assigned the task of designing the front cover and contents page of a school magazine.

On my front cover, I chose to use a low-angle close up of a student standing in front of the school, in order to achieve a traditional look and feel. On both the cover and the contents page, I chose to use a blue, white and black colour scheme to run throughout the magazine. Additionally, I followed other codes and conventions of a school magazine, such as the positioning of the model, and the placement of text on the page. This includes the centralised headline on the cover, the upper central title on the contents page, and the smaller central text for the individual article titles.

These are all codes and conventions I intend to adhere to when creating my music magazine.