My magazine cover sticks to most conventions of other magazines. For example, there is a large banner headline across the main image with the name of the band on it to inform the readers what it featured inside the magazine. I also included a bar code, month and year of publication, the price and subtitles to show what else is inside the magazine. I also but a large banner with the magazine’s website on along the bottom of the page so that, even if they do not purchase the magazine, the audience can know where they can go to get more information about it from. I think that the genre of my magazine is clear through the image of the cover. For example, the masthead doesn’t look like any other masthead I have seen on other magazines therefore making it ‘alternative’ to others and putting across the alternative genre. The image also shows the girls in a ‘strong’ pose which could be related to rock and therefore putting across the rock genre. Making the genre clear to be ‘Alternative Rock’ The girls also look happy which shows that, even though they are essentially celebrities, they are approachable, nice and down to earth. The fact that they are almost symmetrical possible connotes that the model in the middle is the main focus of the band and therefore suggests that she is the band.
I asked 3 Wyke students to tell me what they thought of my cover and they said:
- The colours really stand out and go with each other. It looks really effective.
-I like the masthead. I really stands out about the background.
-The background is nice. It looks effective and fits with the other colours on the cover.
My contents page, again, sticks to most conventions of others. For example, I included a ‘reviews’ box, a ‘contests’ box and an ‘every month’ column. I also added a ‘New This Month’ box to show that it is not a new magazine which is also clear through the ‘Every Month’ box. I chose not to include an ‘On The Cover’ box because most of what is on the cover falls into the other categories and therefore did not need it’s own box. I also included conventional page numbers on each article/contest/etc to allow the readers to find the feature they want easily. The house style is also carried over from the cover as the ‘S’ is clearly shown as a ‘$’ just like on the masthead on the cover to show that it is part of the same magazine. The colour scheme is also carried through as it has a blue tone to it which connotes freedom, power, protection, optimism, strength and new beginnings.
(source: http://livingartsoriginals.com/infobluesymbolism.htm) I also used images along the bottom of the page so that, if the readers find something that catches their eye, they can then they can use the attached page number to turn to the page they desire. I think the genre of my magazine is clear on the contents page in the way that the models are positioned. Their poses are not that of ‘normal’ nature therefore making it alternative. All the pictures are of three girls which is a theme of Vega$ound and would be carried through to other issues and it would have been in previous issues as well. I think the contents also appeals to the target audience because the font could be classed as ‘young’ and ‘informal’.
(source: http://livingartsoriginals.com/infobluesymbolism.htm) I also used images along the bottom of the page so that, if the readers find something that catches their eye, they can then they can use the attached page number to turn to the page they desire. I think the genre of my magazine is clear on the contents page in the way that the models are positioned. Their poses are not that of ‘normal’ nature therefore making it alternative. All the pictures are of three girls which is a theme of Vega$ound and would be carried through to other issues and it would have been in previous issues as well. I think the contents also appeals to the target audience because the font could be classed as ‘young’ and ‘informal’.
I asked 3 Wyke students to tell me what they thought of my contents and they said:
-I like the boxes. I think they look really effective and catch your eye.
-I think the blue fits with the cover and looks good with the pictures on top of it and the glow behind them makes them look angelic and that they are good people.
-I like the poses the models are in. They are different and I think they look really good.
The double page spread in my magazine is also conventional in the way that there is one main image taking up the whole of one page and then various smaller ones on the adjacent page. I arranged the text into columns which is typical of magazine articles and also included an introductory and summary paragraph. I chose to write with an informal tone in order to appeal to my target audience of 15-24 year olds. I also put in the artists’ names on the page with the main image as many magazines do to inform the audience of who is who. I think the genre is put across in my double page spread because of the actual text as it is informal and appeals to the audience, and through the images, both the main one and the smaller black and white ones. I chose to highlight important information in blue to both carry through the house style from the other pages but also to catch the reader’s attention; if they do not want to read the whole article, they can simply look at the blue text and see the information I intended them to get out of it. The title of the article ‘Welcome To The Dollhouse’ is a reference to a 1995 film which is to do with dealing with being a teenager which is reflected in the article itself as the girls refer to being in school.
I asked 3 Wyke students to tell me what they thought of my double page spread and they said:
-I like the main picture. It’s really bright and the colour fits with the rest of the magazine. The blur writing also catches your eye and makes you read the information it says.
-I like the black and white pictures on the page with the writing on because it looks like they are part of the background and fits in.
-I think the article is really good and makes the girls seems fun and down to earth. It represents them well. I also like the fact that you tried to stereotype them at the start but then realised that they are actually nice people and that you couldn’t stereotype them.
The magazine on a whole represents its artists in a positive light, as there are no pictures of any of them doing anything that could be classed as ‘anti-social’ or ‘bad’. They look happy and professional which, I think, is how people should be represented.
I think, possibly Bauer Media, a publishing house, might distribute my magazine because it is one of very few that actually publish music magazines in my intended genre of alternative rock.
I think people between the ages of around 15 and 24 would enjoy reading my magazine as I tried to focus on things that would interest them, such as new bands and contests to win tickets to see current bands (that I made up). I think it would appeal to students, musicians and people who like to read magazines in their spare time. I think these groups of people would purchase it because the price of £2.50 is not too much for them to be able to afford it each month as most will be employed and/or getting money from their parents often if they are still at the younger end of the scale.
I have learnt many things during the production of my magazine. For example, I have learnt to use Adobe Photoshop to a reasonable standard; I realise there is still a lot for me to learn about it and that, at present, I am not the most skilled person but I look forward to developing my skills further in the future. I have developed my blogging skills as it was essential that I update every so often in order to allow people to see how the production of my magazine was coming along. I have blogged in the past but only once and not to exhibit my own work but simply to review one episode of a television show that had not, at the time, been reviewed. I enjoyed learning that blogging often can have its benefits such as the ability to learn how it works and all the different things it can be used for. I also learnt a deal about photography and that simple taking a picture is not the most efficient way of capturing an image; thought has to go in prior to the shooting so that when it takes place such as pose, lighting, location, etc; things tended to go the way they were intended and the images tended to come out clearer and more focused.
I feel that the preliminary task of making the college magazine was a very helpful stepping stone between naivety on the matter of magazine production to a partial understanding of what it entails. It helped me to learn just what has to go into the process and also helped me to prepare for the main task. It also helped me in developing my photography, Photoshop and blogging skills.
