D.P.S 5

My final double page spread is an NME issue of Lana Del Ray and it still has the convention of three columns of text but they styled the second and third column to connect.

I also like how they broke it up with a blue divider with statistics of how many records she's sold as it gives details to her success.

Along with the title as she's succeeded 'mission Accomplished' as the article is about her career and what she's achieved being it in gold as if she's in first as if she won the Olympics of music.

What I might take from this is the statistic column to show how successful my artist are in the music business showing that they're worth to check out.   

D.P.S 4

   This is another D.P.S from Q, continuing the red scheme from the logo which makes the red 'L' making it stand out bringing attention to the article making us want to read the article. Along with the 'L' matching the artists first letter of their name such as 'lady gaga', making her look even more important in the article since it's about her.

What is also effective is how the image is exclusively on the left and not two thirds of the page like other magazines but keeping the barrier of the split as if Lady GaGa is bigger and better than the interview and the magazine is something less significant.

What I'll take from the D.P.S is the bold letter such as the 'L' of my artists name as it makes my magazine dramatic and look larger than life for a magazine.

D.P.S 3

Here's another one from 'MOJO' to see if they have differences on these types of articles and they follow the same colour scheme to brand these type of D.P.S in their magazine, however in this article more of the image is showing but they still position it in the same place.

D.P.S 2

This D.P.S contains a five column article as four of them are shortened down to accommodate the image of the band which is in black and white which contrasts with the other image below which is colour from one of their gigs. This shows the difference from a fixed pose to the colourful "true selfs" when performing.

It has a bold Drop capital letter in a red panel which matches with the magazine logo of 'Q', showing a coherent theme throughout the whole magazine.

What I'll take from this is to have something coherent from the cover to the D.P.S such as a font or drop capital, as it shows branding of the magazine. 

D.P.S 1

This is a double page spread from an issue of 'MOJO' where it features the title of the page spread 'what goes on' where it's an article on recent adventures of artists or even up and coming artists.

They haven't followed the convention of the rule of thirds since the image is taking up most of the double page spread. The page spread doesn't use three columns but five to fit more content of the article and the corresponding colour scheme of yellow and red with the red parting between the fourth and fifth column.

What I like about this and what i'm going to take from this D.P.S is the corresponding colour scheme but of my own palette of colour. 

Contents page 5

As you see this is another issue of 'Q' following the same format of taking advantage of the pull factor of the artists showing another use of following the same format to build the brand they have created to this day.

Contents page 4

This a contents page from 'Q' which their contents page goes to the next page showing how much they've packed into one magazine to impress the buyer of how much they can offer us on the lastesy music news.

They've placed the images at the top and all their articles and page numbers at the bottom so they let us know what celebrities are going to be in it before we see what stories they're going to be in bringing the pull factor of buying the magazine which is a clever tactic.

Along with the two colour scheme with the text on the two pages of red and white continueing the theme from the cover and that the logo contains red and black being basic text colour makes it pop with the white background.

What I love from this magazine contents page is how it makes us think  about the placement of it all and how it gives me the idea to pace the images of the artists at the top so it has that pull factor 'Q' does with this contents page. 

Contents page 3

This contents page is from an issue from 'NME' where they have images with the a bit of information of the story with the page number in the corner, while having a column of page numbers with what band/artist is on.

They most likely did this so the fans of the artists can find them directly instead of flickering through the magazine and struggle finding it showing that they care about the audience and buyers of their magazines.

What I like about this contents page is that it follows a similar approach as 'MOJO' but more relaxed most likely cause it's more of an indie scene magazine so they probably do this to tend to their preference which I like as it shows that they care about the audience. 

Contents page 2

Another contents page from another issue of 'mojo' where we can point out that their contents page is following the same format, so this shows that I should follow with the same format for each issue of the magazine.

So this can be a starting point of research to see the most popular contents page design they like, so I could do a poll/questionnaire about the situation as they have to the same but with different images and stories (obviously)

Contents page 1

This is a contents page form mojo. I love the how the page looks as it looks busy but clear, making it look really professional. As if the page isn't clear then people won't know what others stories there are in the magazine except the ones told on the front cover.

Another way the contents page looks good is how these page is split into thirds, one third being all images, then the second third being the contents list with mini paragraphs under certain stories and then monthly contributions.

The use of the blue, red and yellow as title panels so we know what is each section, example the mojo filter having it be about new albums and reviews, then under the red title is the articles such as the ones written on the front page.

What I'll take from this contents page is that even though it's busy, there is a way to keep it clear and professional. Having this format will make it more appealing as imagery is very important for music magazines as it helps showcase music acts. 

Magazine Front Cover 5

My final front cover is another issue from 'Mojo' which features a band called Arcade Fire and what stands out is the editing where the bands members are interacting with the band. One member is holding their name on the mag and another members arm is leaning on it, breaking down the forth wall of the artists not interacting with the edited text. So it gives off this persona of breaking down formalities.

Along with have the artists names in a different colour to stand out with side text on other articles on the so it catches attention of other readers so if they're fans of them it's easier for them to notice and pick up a copy of the magazine.

I like the image where it interacts with the text and I'll most likely try and create a simular front cover with the technique as it's very different compared to other magazines. 

Magazine Front Cover 4

This is the second analysis on a 'NME' front cover. What draws me to this front cover is the contrast of the colour patterns with the black and white image with the yellow panel with blue writing. This colour difference makes this seem more exciting to read.

Apologies that this post seems short, that it's hard to write unique points when it'll overlap with what I like with other covers.

Magazine Front Cover 3

This is an issue of the Rolling Stones with Madonna on the front cover with an 'image dominated' look so it fits the ego and power Madonna has on the music industry since her beginning in the 80s.

Thar there is such little text on the cover shows Madonna's importance and her face isn't covered unlike other artists who have been on the front cover but have text on their face, along with having her name the largest piece of text on the cover what still doesn't cover her face.

The text colour contrast with her skin makes the logo title stand out and with her name too giving it dramatic effect which is Madonna's brand. Along with it being more simple compared to her past revolutionising the music industry this simple image of her being a close up gives her a different side which can bring readers in than see her in some risqué outfit but this image is simple and clean.

What I love about the cover is the whole simplicity which I may use so the cover will focus on my music artist that will be featured in my magazine and that I find no faults with this front cover but I might find faults later on when I look back at this cover.

Magazine Front Cover 2

This is the second cover i'll be looking at which is an issue of 'Q', featuring Cheryl, who was a former member of the girl group girls aloud.

What I love mainly about the front cover is the image of Cheryl herself in the centre of the magazine to grab attention of the public. She stands out by with appearance especially with her lipstick to make her look dynamic and not to be messed around with, along with it matching the magazine logo of the red panel with the white capital 'Q' in the middle of it. Creating a colour scheme of red, black and white which the cover doesn't stray from apart from the superimposition of the grey circle, and grey writing.

Another reason why this is effective cover is that Cheryl is the nation sweetheart and this image gives us a new image of Cheryl and how she's 'badass' and 'edgy' even though she is a pop artist and not a rock artist. So it gives appeal to other audiences outside of the genres Cheryl specialises in.

However what I don't like about the magazine is the superimposition white panels on the left of the cover as it takes away the effect of the image and colour, instead they could've went with the grey writing which suits the magazine.

On the other hand I love how the image of Cheryl dominates the cover and I'm in consideration of using the image and text balance on my front cover with the 'image dominated' style part of my front cover. 

Magazine Front Cover 1

The first cover is from a 'NME' magazine. My favourite thing about this front cover is the tri-colour scheme and making the logo stand out by being in the read box but still have the white writing to keep the logo coherent with the rest of the magazine.

Another main reason on why I love this front cover of 'NME' is that it's a mix of the 'blocky' style but still 'image based' so it makes it look effective as we can see the other names of artists that are going to be in the magazine, so they can get more readers of the fans of the artists.

The main image they use to promote their article of Kasabian were the image is the band members looking directly forward giving the reader the aura of the band. As they're a rock band they give this rock and roll presence which kasabian fans would want from them.


However there ways they can improve the front cover in my opinion; They could of added another image on the front cover just in case people couldn't see the artist names in smaller font sizes but I would make the Kasabian smaller and place either one or two images of other artists in this issue such as Lily Allen and The Horrors. So it gives people who may not read 'NME' a reason to and get new subscribers/ buyers.     

What I love about this magazine what i'll take from it is the mixture of the 'blocky' and 'image' dominated style as it makes it look smart and clean, and I'll feel this will work well with what my magazine will be.

The Research

As I'm making a media magazine I have to research by looking at five magazine front covers, contents page and double page spreads. As well the magazines have to relate to the type of magazines we're going to create.

Since I'm creating a magazine what features all types of music so I'll be analysing 'NME', 'MOJO' and 'Q' as they have the style I want, so I'll be posting on my blog the covers I'll analyse for the conventions I will use on my Magazine.

Preliminary Task

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 This is the final    product of our preliminary task to create a school magazine front cover and contents page. 

 When I look at it now it definitely can be improved, as they both look minimalist, for starters I could sort out the image of the model on the front cover and bring it down so the image ends on the bottom of the front page. Also having the model on a location rather than a studio where I just placed a colour on the background as this caused an issue of the article  information on the front cover making it hard to read as it goes onto the models hair.

The contents page is definitely the better one out of the two as it suits the minimalist style as it looks cleaner than the front cover. I used the colour change on the font to separate it from the title of the contents page. Instead of having the logo maybe I could of added a image of the school or a bunch of students instead to make it more filling or creating a longer list of stories and have them closer so the big space of white would be less noticeable than it is.

Overall this product either gets a pass or a fail, and my product passed the preliminary task so i can now move onto my research for my main AS media course work task to create my music magazine.