contents page

These are two versions of the contents page of my magazine. The smaller picture was the first contents page I constructed, it uses the same font and colour scheme of the front page and shows the simple layout. I decided against this as my final contents page because I thought it looked juvenile and too simple for my magazine and did not correspond with the front cover well. The collage of pictures did show the range of my photography during the session but the scatter of them wasn't what I was trying to interpret. I also didn't think about the colours of the artists outfits they clashed with my colour scheme so I had to change it.
After analysing that contents page, I decided to start over fresh and begin a new and more sophisticated contents page that corresponded with my front cover and the later pages of the feature. I used a large A4 picture of the lead singer with his guitar and put it in black and white to control the intense clashing of his red shirt and guitar. This picture adds feeling of the bands genre of 'Indie'. The averted eyes of the singer shows the modest and intense sytle of their music. I used the same list of regulars and features as I had constructed before. Then I changed the colours of it to correspond with the background of the picture. Using the same fonts I arranged the writing around the centre attention of the picture and also placed the 'Play. Contents' on two lines to give more space to the surrounding areas.

Front cover

This is my front cover of my magazine. I used the colour scheme of yellow, red, black and white. This colour scheme is a recurring one in my magazine through contents page and feature which puts the magazine in sequence. I used large red writing with a black outline to stand out on my yellow block background, so that this is eye catching to the readers on the magazine stands. I used the same font through the front cover and the whole magazine to show consistency.
The sale lines are in white to make them stand out on the background of the picture. I staggered them around the A4 page to space them out and not to block the faces of the band.
The picture I used is of the whole band outside their recording studio in Camden on Hawley Road below a bridge. This adds cultural reference to the north London boys and the audience that they hope to attract. Their average day clothes show their personalities. The added accessories such as sunglasses and the head phones to show individuality. The use of another box next to the title shows another band in the same genre of the band I am looking at. I used the same font but in a double line way with a change in the colours to give a bold and eye catching title to the band. I also used a circle coloured in in yellow to make it stand out and outline the important thing in the magazine. This technique is almost like a sticker which adds a more believable feel to a real magazine.
Also to attract my reader I have stated that there is a free CD inside of the bands first 7 songs in a demo form. This would make the audience want to buy the magazine to have a chance to listen to this new up and coming band that is AudioVisuals.
To make is more realistic magazine cover I also used a date, issue number, price and bar code.

Analysis of Music Magazine's front covers

NME uses their typical colours of red, black, yellow and white. This selection of colours works well together to connote the indie/rocky style of the magazine. This front cover of 11^th April 2009 has a picture of ‘The Horrors’ on it. The five band members are in a triangle shape, with the lead singer at the front and the other behind. This shows the band as a group but represents the hierarchy. The band are also dressed all in black, this connotes their type of music, which is slightly dark themed. Their hair also shows this as it I long and distressed, the look altogether shows they fit to the genre of the magazine.

The front of the magazine is in blocked capitals for all of it, and the font does not change anywhere on it. This shows the consistency of it and the importance of its contents. There are other pictures on the front of ‘Arctics’ and ‘Kasabian’ to show other important bands within. This shows the large range of genres within. The splatters of paint look around the title of ‘The Horrors’ adds an arty overview to the magazine and the art that the band create. T also adds more colour to their black outfits. The use of the explosion represents ‘the psychedelic return’ in a modern indie way which is clever to attract the reader.

The audience that would be attracted by this music magazine front cover is a large age range as the way they are dressed is not narrowing but the hair is modern to teenage boys. The magazine as a whole would attract more teenagers, both girls and boys.

Initial Ideas for Music Magazine

Front cover ideas...

• Genre of music - indie, rock, pop, country, classical, jazz, disco, dubstep, r 'n' b... etc
• Colour scheme - Red, white, yellow and black
• Image - band/artist, 'Hella Better Dancer', 'Audiovisuals' or 'Tamara'
• Font - bold, straight, big text, same font throughout (consistency)

Contents page ideas...

• same band, font, colour scheme of front cover to show consistency!

Deconstruction of A School Magazine

This school magazine has a large picture of a school boy in uniform which connotes a private good school, as he uses a microscope, which shows the type of school it is and the courses that would interest people. The title 'Parent and School' is in big bold red letters, the 'Parent' is in a slight italic writing that looks more like handwriting to show their input. The 'School' is straight but in the same colour, to connect the two, but set the rules for the ethos of the school.

Along with the microscope and the lab coat, of the woman in the background, the words 'The Science on Energy Smart Schools' shows the type of school it is. This type is in Times New Roman which is a common type and it is green, this connotes the "green" message it is putting across.

The magazine front cover also shows some of what is 'also inside' this makes the reader want to look more into it, if they are interested by the front cover. This is good as if makes the reader more interested to read the magazine.

The magazine cover also has a little logo at the bottom left hand side of the page. This fits with the colour scheme that it holds of green, white and red. this signifies the unity of the school and how professional it is. The black strip at the bottom of the page makes the information easier to read as it is on a block background.