Proposal Video

This is my proposal video.

 

Evaluation:

 

The feedback I received from my proposal was that many people in the class agreed with my genre, and thought that I would be successful in creating a magazine of that genre. Many of the students in the class are in to the r and b and hip hop genre, so they would most likely buy it. I also carried out a vote on which masthead to use for my magazine and I came to a conclusion and have decided to choose Diverse. This is a masthead that outlines what the magazine is about and what types of people would buy the magazine. it isn't just aimed at one race, it is diverse.

Proposal

Magazine Newsstand Task

Magazine Newsstand task/ distribution of magazines:

Newsstand Task: 

In this specific shop, the music magazines (very few) are in the ‘men’s lifestyle’ section. They are surrounded by other magazines which are of men’s interests, such as cars for example you can see a Top Gear magazine. You can see how the publishers have taken into account how the magazines will be displayed. Most of the magazines have images of cars that dominate the page or writing which I very large and can be seen instantly. 

On this specific newsstand, the magazines are places on top of each other with the first ones showing everything and NME being at the back. With the NME magazine you can only see the top third of the magazine which is the skyline, the bold masthead and a quarter of the image of the model(s).

You can see how the publishers have used the top quarter to grab the reader’s attention. Many magazine have their teasers on the left hand side of the magazine. But with these the most interesting points are on the skyline. On Kerrang!, there is a skyline about posters, on NME there is an offer for an exclusive CD; Total Guitar there is a splash and on Q there is a skyline for 3 posters, 2 of which consist of images.

The first shop I visited had a very limited selection of music magazines. I needed to visit another shop so that this research can help me when it comes to creating my own magazine.

On this newsstand which was in another shop, shows how much variation the stock of magazines can have depending on where they are sold and the specific target audience that is predicted to enter the shop. This shop was in Camden.

This clearly states that the people that enter the shop are interest in rock and indie music. The more mainstream magazines featuring upcoming artists are situated towards the middle of the stand, on the middle row and therefore leaves the end of the rows free for the less popular publications such as ‘Guitar’ which specifically focuses on one instrument opposed to generic music magazines. 

Distribution of magazines:

Many costs are involved within the creating and distributing of magazines, magazines need to get from production to audience quickly and efficiently.

Publishers: Publishers produce the magazines. It would cost a lot of money for me to publish my magazine, as there would be prinitng costs and if I were to sell it to big supermarkets or shops, the places where I would seel them would want some of the profit. In the UK there are 4 main magazine publishers. EMAP Bauer who have merged together to form a bigger audience and make more profit from their magazines. NatMag, Conde Nast and IPC. 
For my magazine I want to choose IPC media, this is because judging from their press pack, and looking at the audiences they do not cater for, r n b and hip hop is not included. They have has wide success with their other genres of music magazines and non music magazine and they are doing something right, that's why their magazines are being sold successfully worldwide. So to put my trust in IPC Media, I believe I will be doing the right thing. 

Distribution Networks:  I have made the decision to not distribute my magazine in places in which magazines are sold. Supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda, and news stands near train stations as they are the places where their are many customers and they are most likely to pick up a magazine if it is presented to them. However, because of my audience who are mostly teenagers and people in their mid 20s, they are most likely to be on their phones a lot of the time. Therefore if there was a website in which my magazine could be uploaded, this would be a more successful method of distributing. 

Sale or Return: Any copies of magazines which are not sold, and returned to the distributor, with no cost to the retailer. This is a benefit to the retailer as there is no risk or wastage involved. However, there is a wasteful and environmentally damaging system for the publisher and distributor. If no magazines are sold, this wastes the publishers/distributors time, effort, and money. So by distributing via the internet, there will be no magazines wasted as it is all an online based system. 

Freemiums: This is the most popular method of distribution. These magazines are given out at stations or other busy public locations. They make all of their money through adverts which as featured within the magazine.

Alongside the distribution methods of buying from a supermarket and subscribing (which will come straight to your door) there are many other methods such as:

Electronic Subscription: this means that when you subscribe to a magazine just like the manual subscription, this will be posted straight to your inbox, your Ipad, Tablet or Kindle etc. I have decided to use this method. This way is more user friendly as every month my magazine will be in the customers inbox, without them having to physically buy a magazine. Also, I am guaranteed the money as an electronic subscription will make sure the money magazine has been payed for each month. 

E-zines: these are electronic magazines. 
I have come to a decision that I would like to do an e-zine. The benefits of this are that many people can access the magazine from the comfort of their own home and they can also view it 24/7 wherever they are. This also has no publishing costs as nothing needs to be printed out. 

Apps: This is the most common and up to date method. An app will be an additional feature which I would consider. An app is a much easier way of people viewing my magazine and reading it as if they own an IPAD, Tablet, or an Android phone they can easily download the app and the magazine will be available on the app every month for them to read and view. 

Electronic brand extension: Many magazines have now extended their brand extension to an online one. This is in the form of social networking sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter etc. They also extend into gigs and other events. This is to ensure that their readers are updated every step of the way, anywhere and everywhere. 
I think that is is the most advanced method of extension and I would be happy to use this. By using social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, during the months that the magazine is not available users can check updates via those sites. Also, users would be encouraged to provide content to be featured in the magazine. 

Evaluation (College Magazine)

 Evaluation

What went well?

Whilst creating my magazine I think that a number of things went well. Firstly, I took lots of images in order to select one from a range of same photos. The fact that I could do them really helped me in choosing the correct image for my final product. I think that the image manipulation of my model on the right hand side of the page really helped me to get the teasers and cover lines in the correct position. If I were to publish this magazine and it was on a shelf in the shop, the main cover lines and teasers would be seen as the left hand side of the page is shown. The layout of my magazine I planned from the very start, which helped me a great deal. Once I gathered my images, all I needed to do was insert them into Photoshop for the cover and my other writing on the page was already there. The masthead which says ‘LSC weekly’ was the largest font on the magazine. I did this so that it stands out, every audience needs to know what they are reading. Next up from that was my main cover lines, these has to be big so that it entices the audience to buy it or pick it up in my case because my magazine is free. I chose to keep it free so that the audience doesn’t have to think twice about picking it up. Also, because it is situated in the college it appeals to the audience. Many college students are stuck for money or spend it on something more valuable, a college magazine not being one of them. So by me keeping it free I have made the right decision. For me, the easiest programme to use was Photoshop. I managed to understand where the tools where and how it worked in a short period of time. However, I did struggle with InDesign. InDesign caused me some problems as I didn’t know how to use it appropriately. I knew how to get the page up by clicking on a new document and selecting international paper, but I couldn’t make the text box transparent. In the end I used help from my teacher and soon got the hang of it. The main cover was easy to create and took the least time, while the contents took longer. But now that I have created both of the pieces, I’m the most happy with my contents. For my contents page, I gathered inspiration from another college magazine which I found on the internet. I liked how she made her contents page stand out with colourful boxes and tried to insert that into my own design. Unfortunately, mine isn’t as good as hers but mine is unique in my own way.

What do I need to improve on?

The parts in which I need to improve on is the main cover. Judging from the feedback that I received by asking my peers. I was told that in order to make my magazine look more realistic I should change some of the fonts on the front cover. So for example, I could change the cover line and not make it so bold. Or I could change the teasers and alter them to make sure that it fits in well with the magazine. One aspect that I know I could change and it would instantly make the magazine look better is the size of the writing and the way the picture is set out. On the left hand side of my image there is a white wall. That is done purposely so that the cover line and teasers can be included. If the white space was a little bigger the writing would fit in well and it would improve the magazine. On my contents page, I could improve the colours that I used.  Over the background I used a purple box which is a little transparent so that the background image can be seen. I tried to change the colour of the text so that it stands out more but I faced some difficulties with this. In the end, I decided to stick with the colour of pink even though it blended in a little. I need to improve my skills on InDesign in order to create a successful piece of work.

Points to develop

My three points of development for when I’m crating the main task is

1)      Make sure that I understand how to use InDesign properly and ask for help when needed and if I don’t understand a certain aspect of it.

2)      Research different magazines of my genre (R&B and Hip-Hop) and analyse them in depth to create a final magazine that is realistic and is similar in the way things are set out.

3)      In the main task make sure that I take a variety of different shots and in different locations to make sure that I exceed the full marks that I can get.

College Magazine (Final Copy) Cover and Contents

Image For Front Cover (Chosen)

   Out of the images that I posted in the previous post, I have chosen this image for the Main Cover of my College Magazine. 

Pictures for College Magazine ( All Images Taken)

 

My College Magazine ( SCAN )

The college magazine that I will create will follow a similar layout to the one sketched out by me. 

Captions, Features, Headlines may change. 

Case Study - College Magazine Analysis

Front Cover : 

This is a college magazine that has been created by another student from another school. In order to create my own magazine, I wanted to analyse another college magazine to get ideas. 

I think that the way this has been created makes the person want to pick up the magazine because it has a use of bright and light colours which invite the reader. The 'W.E' stands out which stands for Wyke Entertainment, but another meaning behind it is 'whatever'. It appeals to the audience a great deal. As the masthead is the writing that will be seen first, it is vital that it is bold and bright. With this magazine, the creator has been successful in ensuring this. The issue sate has been clearer stated below the Masthead. 

The main image used is a medium close up of a student, this is clear as the young girl is carrying a folder in he hands. The fact that there are students in the background makes it look quite natural and real, and not acted out. The background image of the college makes the theme of the magazine seem very real too. The main strap lines are on the main image but do not take the attention away from everything else on the page. The way in which the colour scheme of Black, Green, and Purple has been used within the main cover lines and the Masthead gives the magazine that neutral feel. And almost makes the reader feel that they can relax at college and it isn't as scary as it may look. Also, the font of the anchorage fits in well with the page.  Lastly, as any real magazine a bar-code has been used. On this particular magazine it has been placed on the bottom left hand side of the magazine. 

Contents Page 

Once again, the masthead used on the contents page is big an bold and stands out amongst the other writing. The alignment of the main features of the magazine has been aligned to the left. This is typically like any other magazine and therefore it is easier to understand. The creator has managed to keep the house style the same throughout the two pages which I have seen. The colours have once again been maintained and manage to give the magazine a sophisticated look. The images to the left hand side of the page contribute to the magazine widely. It shows different parts of the college and it includes students that attend the college.This gives the magazine a calm and welcoming effect.

Overall, I think that this magazine has been created well and it does include all the main features of a real magazine. I will try to incorporate some of the features from here into my own work.  

Case Study - Magazine Two (VIBE)

Front Cover: 

The skyline that has been used here is a clear indication that this issue of the magazine represents their 20^th Anniversary and is in fact a special edition which provokes the audience to buy it to keep, as it is stated ‘collectors issue’. Alongside this is another article which will feature inside the magazine is a ‘special’ article on Kanye West.

The masthead that is clearly visible through the bold font and vivid purply pink colour has been designed to stand out. You can almost see it all and it is a clear and shows the audience that this is the magazine they have always brought and with it being the 20^th anniversary, they continue to keep it bold and energetic. Connotations of beat, rhythm, music and rhyme have been shown.

The main cover line is in pink and white. This has been kept consistent throughout the cover and supports the image of the artists on the page.

Medium close ups of Pharell and Daft Punk. They are both wearing dark colours against a white background which makes them stand out. The can also represent that there is a dark side to them, the glitter and sparkle on their outfits suggests that they are happy to be themselves in the industry of glitz and glam. The serious facial expression on Pharell shows that he is serious about the industry that he’s in. The selling lines of the magazine are short and snappy. The hash tag that has been used makes the reader want to talk about the artists ‘Janelle Monae & Robin Thicke’ on the social networking site Twitter.

Targeted at ages 16-30, Vibe Music Magazine focuses on the rap and hip-pop music scene and the artists. The main cover of this specific issue takes it attention to both male and female reader. Many people are interested in different artists, but the glitter and sparkle may grab the female reader’s attention, and the use of pink which is very dominant.

The barcode is clear and visible on the left hand side of the page at the bottom. It clearly shows that there is more to the cover as it says ‘Cover 3 of 3’ so along with buying this magazine there are 2 more covers to be seen. The barcode also clearly states that it is the summer issue.

Contents Pages:

The contents pages have been separated out into two different pages with advertisements of different things in between. I think that this gives the magazine a cluttered feel and can almost make the reader lose interest. 

The first contents pages has Daft Punk featuring on it regards to the front cover. On the left hand side there is a clear writing of what else the magazine has to offer. The writing has been kept clear and uncluttered and easy to understand with it being white on a black backgrounded box. The 'V' that states that it is Vibe magazine has been let loose at the top right hand side of the page. This is in the colour red. This suggests the fire and tons of exclusive information that Vibe is prepared to give within the 20th anniversary. On the second contents page, there is now an image of two different people. They are posing with glasses of champagne in front of a VIBE balloons. This states that the magazine are very happy to be celebrating their 20th anniversary. Alongside the image of them both, there is also another image of another celebrity, clearly indicating that he will be featuring on one of the pages. On the right and left hand side of the pages are there subheadings of the different articles and the different font sizes to tell the reader which page they will be issued on. 

Double Page Spread: 

This double page spread doesn't have a full article on it, just two large images of Pharell and Daft Punk. They are both in very vivid colours just like the contents page and the front cover of the magazine. The fact that Daft Punk are in robot costumes suggests that they aren't like any other artists. There is something different about them and they have a lot more to give. The colours also suggest positivity and the way they are with their job, happy and ready at all times. The main cover line says 'Dancing with the stars' in bright colourful writing which shows that they are playful and have a laugh whilst doing what they enjoy the most. The images look almost something out of the extraordinary. The writing on the right hand side of the page is in white writing which clearly stands out and gives a minimal amount of information on the two musicians.

The language used throughout this magazine is Colloquial, words such as 'ain't' are used. This is because the magazine is aimed at teenagers and an audience up to their mid 30s. The music genre of Rap and Hip-hop has been portrayed throughout the different types of artists that are being showcased within the magazine. Musicians such as J Cole and Robin Thicke appeal to younger audiences who produce music to their taste. At Vibe, readers are encouraged to provide content. Vibe Magazine is published by Intermedia Vibe Holdings, based in New York City. 
Additional Information: It was founded by Quincy Jones in 1993 in partnership with Time Inc. It was first called Volume before it was called Vibe. 

 

Here is a image of the press pack taken from Vibes Website, it explains all the different types of publishing methods used. I will explain in 'distribution methods' what I will use for my magazine.

Case Study- Magazine One (NME)

Front Cover: 

The masthead 'NME' stands for The New Musical Express. It is written in big bold red writing and is snappy and easy to remember. The masthead is situated on the top left hand side of the page which is the first thing that the audience and readers will see. The colour red which is the most dominant colour on the front cover connotes danger and power. The image is a medium close up of Florence. As you can see from the image of Florence, is looks as if she is ready and also fierce and powerful and as if she can take anything that comes her way. It is an eager sort of pose. So by the magazine using red and bold letters, it tells the audience that she is ready and you should in fact pick up the magazine and read all about her. As she is coming out of a taxi, this suggests that she is ready for the music industry and perhaps wants to take music to a whole new level, and to watch out for her as she may not be like your typical artist. As the background is dark on the cover, with black and greys going on the red writing really stands out from the main image. The white that is around the ‘NME’ makes the white of the anchorage also stand out. The skyline also has writing about what the magazine consists of and makes the reader want to but it even more. The image of Florence is in front of the masthead, this makes the audience slightly forget about the name of the magazine and just focus on the celebrity that is being advertised. Alongside the masthead, there is a small banner which says ‘667 UK gigs listed’ this doesn't take the audience away from the main focus however, because it is hanging of the masthead it is another thing that the audience will instantly see and maybe be intrigued by. As with every magazine a barcode is used. With NME, the barcode has been turned the other way but it suits the style of the magazine and fits in well. Moving back to the colours, I think that red has been used as it is vibrant and it demands attention from the readers. The target audience of this magazine is 16-24 year olds. As it has many different themes of music, it is where the audience wants it to be. The main genre of music is Rock, but it isn’t very strong or indie such as other magazines. The price of this magazine is £2.30 which works well with the audience. As it is a very glossy magazine which gives of a fun feel, it still manages to remain professional due to the use of fonts. The pricing works well because many of the readers and students and it is a great affordable price. The words used on this magazine are very thorough and easy to understand. It says, ‘Florence takes America’ this promotes success, and with the target audience being anyone that’s in education or work, it pushes them to be successful.

NME is published by IPC media, IPC have been very successful and has produced lots of different magazines such as What’s on TV and Marie Claire. Across the magazine, NME.com, NME Video and the brand's live events and awards, NME reaches over 1.1 million music fans every week. NME.COM is the world's biggest standalone music site serving an intensely engaged audience of 16-24 year-olds. It draws on NME's heritage as a music authority to delight users with a mix of news, opinion and artist interviews.

Contents 

Many music magazines have their contents pages split into two pages however; NME has situated their contents on one page. I think that this is an easy and stress free way of presenting information. Especially because the audience is youngsters, they like to find all their information and stories on one page rather than flicking through them all and finding where everything is.

The masthead at the top of the page has been kept very consistent, as it is red and white it complements the black background. There have been three main colours used on this page which are black red and white. Overall, has used a vibrant house style.

On the left hand side of the page, there are regular categories of bands that are within the magazine. It is in red writing which has been kept consistent with the other colours on the page. Main cover lines have been used on the right hand side of the page. This makes it easier for the audience to read and find what they want. Once again the main colour is red and black has been used. Red has been used for the numbers and big bold writing has been used for the main titles, once again this helps to see what you want to read quickly. The main centre image is of The Astoria which is a music venue as stated by the main anchorage. This is a clear indication of what will be in the magazine. Lastly, advertising has been used on in the black box at the bottom of the page. This clearly indicates the reader to subscribe to the magazine and save over £45 if they like what they read. 

Double Page Spread: 

The image taken here is a long shot of Florence. It is from a distance but also shows the rest of her body. This shows that her fans and the readers may know about her but there’s more to her that meets the eye. The image is of her looking directly at the reader, this shows that she wants the reader’s full attention and gives a sense of communication between the reader and her. The big bold writing of USA dominates the two pages, but it doesn't take the reader away from the main image.

Once again the colour scheme has been carried on to the DPS. It still continues with red black grey and white. The colours really suit each other and make the article worth reading. There is minimal information on the left hand side of the page and it is set out like a newspaper article. This shows the professionalism of the article, but the clothes that Florence is wearing and the big black boots connote a sense of determination and power. This tells us that Florence has broken through into America and the music industry and is ready to tell her story. The drop cap is in a fancy writing which suggests a girly theme. This tells us that Florence may as well be fiery, but she still values her feminine side.

 

By looking at this press pack, I have decided to create a magazine that covers most of these points.

The press pack tells me that the readers of NME feel that they need the magazine most of the time. I want to create a magazine that the readers feel like they need to but whenever it is released. I will make sure that I have a variety of entertainment news, of artists that they are most interested in.

The key facts of the magazine tells me that the price if £2.20 and  the frequency of it is weekly. I want to make my magazine roughly the same price, but I want it to be released on a monthly basis.

So that my magazine sells more, I want to create content suitable for both male and female audiences. This way I know that it will be bought by both male and females.