Planning - double page spread layout

I have thought about the layout for my double page spread and came up with a simple plan to show where things should be. This is what I have created so far as a rough outline:

Planning - double page spread

Main Story (Double page spread):

• Interview
• 'Her head's in the clouds' - Skye
• Links with main story on cover
• Play on words
• Main image left hand side, text on right
• Text boxes and columns for text
• Question and answer

Contents completed

I have now completed my contents page for my magazine:

Contents page continued

I have continued working on my contents page and have inserted all of my text, fonts, colours and one image. I have almost completed this page however I still need to complete it with some more photography as I have recently realised I need to take some more images. This is what I have done so far:

Contents page

I have now began on my contents page for my magazine. I have stayed consistent with the pink/purple house style so the girly pop theme stays throughout. I have also thought about the structured text box and column layout so the contents page does not look messy and has different sections for the different themes. This is what I have done so far:

Research and planning - Contents page examples

As I am now working on completing my contents page, I thought it was a good idea to research some other contents pages out of magazines of the same pop genre. These are some of the pages I had found:

Like the cover of magazines, contents page's are also set out in columns instead of a 'messy' layout. They also have key features on the contents pages of magazines to make the reader interested and again use a range of font sizes and texts. I will think about these different ideas when creating my own to see how I can make my own original page to fit in with the genre and audience.



Magazine completed

Research and Planning - double page spread

I am now beginning to start my double page spread for my magazine. Before starting the pages, I decided to do some research into double page spreads in pop magazines to get some ideas for myself. These are some that I have found:

Contents page feedback

I received some feedback from some classmates to see what they thought about my contents page so far. They said "I like how the pinky purple background is brought into it so it links in with the front page. I also like the different text boxes with the pages on rather than just doing it all as one block". When I asked what I could do to improve they said "Develop the page further so you are able to get a finished product". I now know that the way I have set out my page is different to the usual list of pages and that I should now continue to work on this page to get to a finishing point.

Key conventions

Now my magazine is progressing, I need to make sure that I have thought about all of my key conventions and ensure that they are all linked representing the target audience in a way that interests and applies to them. I will make sure that each of my key conventions represent the target audience and that they fit the pop genre too.

Masthead

• Pink and purple - stereotypically girly, represents the age of 11-14
• Bubble font - connotes a younger audience, not serious or plain
• Circular shape - different to most magazines creating a unique selling point, also is in a relaxed style compared to magazines with older target audiences (e.g, Heat)
• Acrostic style - also a unique selling point, different to others, looks original on the page
• Name - includes genre name appealing to target audience, also includes stars which again connotes a younger audience

Skyline

• States what is inside the magazine making it intriguing for reader
• Includes key features (POP/fashion/boys) that target audience are stereotypically interested in at that age and gender
• Colours are pink and purple, again appeals to the target audience and fits 'girly' house style

Strapline

• States website for reader to go on for more information about the magazine
• States that the free gift is not a toy and should not be given to younger children. Safety precaution giving the magazine a professional image

Colour scheme

• Colours are pink, purple, blue and white
• Stereotypical image of young girls and their 'favourite colours'
• Stays throughout the magazine as house style

Photography

• Female and male pop artists, fits with pop genre
• Innocent stereotypical pop artists to stand as role models for younger target audience
• Smiling and happy images - what younger people want to see

Anchorage text

• Supports the main image
• Bolder than the rest of the text suggesting it is the main story
• Middle of the magazine
• Appropriate for younger audience
• Play on words 'High in the SKYE' (artist named Skye)

Barcode/Price/Date

• Bottom right hand corner, not too big
• Visible for reader
• Adds to professional look of the magazine

Font

It is very common that magazines have more than one font type on the cover. This gives more dimension to the page and make sure it isn't very plain and uninteresting. For example, this magazine (below) includes many different fonts. It helps to emphasise the more important features of the issue and highlight what the producer wants to present the audience as they know what the target audience is most interested in due to previous research.

 

As you can see, as well as the style, the size and colour of the font is also very important. Here, the word 'SECRET' is very noticeable as the dark and bold colour stands out from the bright ones. It is also very large compared to the text around it and the upper case letters encourage this emphasis.

I will take this into consideration when creating my magazine, making sure my font stands out mostly in the places I want it to and make sure I use more than just one font also.

Layout

I have learnt that magazine layouts always have a similar structure as they are all set out in a way which involves columns and text boxes. This makes them appear to be more professional looking and not so messy. I have tried to apply this to my magazine too, making it more appealing to look at. This is the plan of my magazine for the way the layout will look:

Cover stories

Main story

I have based my main story on a female artist called 'Skye'. I have decided on this name as the name represents nature and the beauty of it, it also represents innocence which links in with the personality of the singer. As the target audience is young, I wanted to create an artist who would be a good role model for them and set a good example as many pop stars follow this path in todays life.
The model that I used for this artist has long blonde hair and blue eyes. I used this person as I think the name suits her appearance and, again, fits in with the innocent look. Her blue eyes also highlight the idea of the sky and it's colour.
As the anchorage text for this main story, I used a play on words. I think the name "High in the Skye" is a good choice as it suggests her popularity levels as an artist to be high as she has many fans, however, it also includes her name too. I also used "Exclusive interview" as it shows to the audience how it is only available in this one magazine and that is a reason why they should buy it.

Side stories

On front covers, as well as the main story being featured, there are also side stories to attract the audience. I have used shorter stories including boys and fashion to show the other aspects of the magazine other than music. They give a slight insight to the magazine without the reader actually buying it. This gives them an idea of what is inside making them want to purchase it to read on and find out the rest of the information.

Research and planning - Magazine Ideas

Colour Scheme

The colour scheme that I have decided on is pink, purple and blue. I have chosen these colours as they are very popular with my target audience and are also representative of their age and interests. These colours are also very bright making the magazine stand out from the shelf, therefore it is more noticeable and identifiable to the audience.

 

Layout

Most magazines are set out in a formation of columns and text boxes, this helps the magazine to be presented in a neat structure making it easy for the audience to read and to identify all of the features being shown. As you can see in the examples below, the layout of these magazines are very similar. As it is a pop magazine for a younger audience, the front pages are usually very packed with lots of information but the order and columns still stand. 
 

 

 

Photography

On the front page of pop magazines, a lot of the time the image is posed with direct contact with the audience drawing them in to buying them. The artists on the cover are also commonly happy as the audience are of a younger generation and this is what they would be attracted to, unlike serious facial expressions. Looking at magazine covers for pop magazines has given me some inspiration for my own magazine for what I should be portraying to the audience and what the motivation is for each of my images. I feel like the images I have taken so far (without editing) fit in well with the pop genre and represent my target audience well as they are, again, very happy and good looking which is what this target audience would want to be portrayed as.



Reader profile

Target Audience

Gender: Female
Age: 12-15
Interests: Pop music, fashion, boys (stereotypical topics)
Colour Scheme: Pink, purple, light blues

Images

I have now completed my photography for my pop magazine. I have taken a variety of images to include in my magazine as I know images are one of the key conventions used. These are the main images I have taken so far without editing them:

I have used a medium close up to emphasize the face as this image is focusing on the makeup of the model as the image would be used in supporting an article about makeup and a makeover completed on this same model.

These three photos are all medium long shots as here the images are focusing on the outfit and style of the model because these photos would be used for the fashion section of the magazine and will also be displayed on the front cover.

When taking this image, I was capturing possible ideas for my main picture on the front cover to go with my 'Exclusive interview' anchorage text to go with my main story. I wanted to use a photo which is common with magazines when on the front cover so decided on medium long shots. To make the image original and look professional I decided to use a fan so the models hair would wave backwards. This also makes the image seem more interesting to look at. I used a green screen for this image too.

These two photos will be used as one of the side stories on the front cover. I used a grabbed shot to emphasise the exclusive 'unseen' information being shown inside the magazine. I also used a posed shot as the first image was being used as a popular male artist famous with the girls. This image highlights his face and smile which the audience are most interested in.

These two photos are for the double page spread of my magazine, I used another MLS to use and then another of the artist with her hair spread along the floor. This adds variety to my images and will work well with the innocent personality being shown by this pop artist. I also used a green screen for these too so it is a lot easier for me to edit  them later on.

Music magazine feedback

As I have been progressing with my magazine, I have collected some more feedback from class mates to get some extra opinions on how I am doing and how I could be improving. My class mate told me that she liked the obvious house style that stays throughout the magazine so far and how blue is a splash colour to attract the audience that also continues throughout the magazine too. She said she also likes the different variety of fonts and text sizes used too as this presents the magazine as more original. However, I have now done most of the photography for my magazine so my improvements are to begin editing them and start to actually put them into my magazine. Once this has been completed, I can then do the finishing touches for my cover such as overlapping and positioning so I can then continue to finish my contents page and double page spread. I will now go on to edit my photos so they are able to be used in my final product.

Research and Planning - Advertisements

I have learnt that magazines use advertising to attract their target audience as they advertise products that would appeal to that certain group of people. This is how the companies are able to make money as other companies pay for their product to be advertised in certain magazines. This is so important as if the target audience for the product being advertised does not match the target audience of the magazine that it had been incorporated into, the product will not be bought by many and money will be lost. I have looked through a few magazines to analyse the products being advertised and seeing how they appeal to the target audience. Here is an example of one of the magazines and what I found:

Top of the Pops - Target audience: 11-14/female

Tampax Pearl - As the target audience are girls hitting the teenager years it means they are beginning to hit puberty, therefore, this company have bought slots in the front and back of the magazine to target their audience into buying their product as it may apply to them at this time of their lives.

So...? - Body fragrance that appeals to this target audience as there are many different fragrances to choose from. The image on each of the bottles are cartoon which has a connotation of the younger generation of audience. The body spray collection is also targeted at females, therefore, this audience matches with the target audience of the magazine so their sale figures may increase by advertising in this particular magazine.

Swapit - This is a website which allows people to earn 'Swapit' points by playing games and entering competitions, then spend the points on products such as games, music, books, movies and more. This company has chosen  Top of the Pops to advertise their website as they have the same target audience so by advertising it here will get them more customers. It is clear that they have the same target audience as it says at the bottom of the advertisement "The online auction site for kids and teens" which is who this magazine is aimed at.

Pop magazine progression

Now that I have completed the mock up of my ideas for my pop magazine, I have began to develop my ideas to incorporate into my final magazine. So far, I have completed most of my cover however I now need to go on to do my photography to complete it and edit it further. This is my cover page so far:

 

I have also began to work on my contents page to create the structure and style that I may use. I have decided to not go with the conventional list of pages but separate the pages into different sections instead. This will make the contents page look more attractive as there will not be a lot of block text, more space will be used and there will be more images too. This is my contents page so far:

 

Finally, I have also started to develop my ideas for the double page spread of my magazine. However, I have not began to edit this page and work on the style for it yet therefore only my ideas of what I might do to it once my cover and contents pages are completed are shown. This is my double page spread so far:

Research and Planning - Information Websites

I have looked at different websites when doing research for my pop magazine. I have been looking at the websites of popular pop magazines to get some inspiration of what I could incorporate into my own to help me develop my cover page.

The website that I have been using more frequently is the website for We Love Pop. This magazine uses the same target audience as my magazine so it is very useful for when I am trying to create some new ideas as it shows the different magazine issues and what is included in them.
http://www.welovepopmag.co.uk/magazine

Another website I have also been looking at is Top of the Pops. Again this helps me to get some inspiration of what ideas I can use for both the style and context of my magazine.
http://www.totpmag.com/

Pop Magazine mock up finished

I have now created my mock up front cover for my pop magazine as I have decided on a main story to use and the main image ideas and anchorage text to support it. I have created my main cover story for my pop magazine which is focusing on a female pop artist known as 'Skye'. I have decided to use a play on words with my made up artist's name to attract the reader to buying the magazine, so far, I have come up with "High in the SKYE". This also gives me some ideas for my main image as I could use a teenage girl being known as Skye to jump into the air to run along side the anchorage text. I could also use a low angle shot to show how the artist is in the air and aims high. I could also use a long shot as I am planning to take my images in an open space such as a field (as the example is shown in my mock up) to represent nature which links with the representation of her innocent name and style as she is presented as a free young girl with a lively spirit. I decided to create a new artist that young girls would aspire to be like.
I have decided to use an exclusive interview for my lead story as I can then put this interview into my double page spread as it is one of the main features of the magazine. As well as this, using an interview creates the idea that privacy has been opened up about an artists life that my target audience would be interested in as they want to know more about them. This would attract the audience as they feel that they are being let in on the secrets and will know all about the latest information and gossip of their favorite artist. This is my front cover mock up:

 

I have used bright and stereo-typically girly colours as the house style for my magazine. I have done this as it shows a true and clear representative of my young female target audience. I have decided to use a main image with the anchorage text over the top so it is clear which text is linked with the picture as my magazine could begin to be quite crowded. I have also decided to have lures and other stories running down the right hand side of the magazine in a column formation to emphasize the other key features of the magazine also attracting the audience.

To show the key conventions of the magazine in my mock up, I have also inserted a bar-code with the date and price as each magazine has this. I have also used a skyline and strap line to create a more professional looking magazine.

I will now continue to work on my magazine beginning on my final product. I will start my photography with my models and begin to create my contents and double page spread too.

Beginning of pop magazine mock up

I have started to begin my pop magazine by creating a mock up of my ideas. So far, I have created the masthead and thought about the background, layout and what colours I might use. This is the mock up I have created so far:

Final masthead for pop magazine

I finally chose my favourite masthead out of my ideas and analysed it to show what it presents and how it represents my audience:

Masthead ideas continued

After receiving my feedback I then thought about what the name of my magazine would be. I came up with the idea of V.I.P (Very Important Pop). I thought that this is something new and fresh which I have not seen before when researching a range of pop magazines. Again, I asked some of my classmates what they thought about this idea and they agreed and said it was clever and also something they had never seen before. I decided to experiment with this name until I created the final masthead that I was happy with.
These are my final masthead ideas:

Masthead Feedback

After creating my font and colour ideas for my pop magazine, I received some feedback off my classmates to see what they thought of my plans so far.
The positive comments about my ideas were about how my target audience is clearly presented through each of my ideas and how they each relate to the theme of pop. However, I also received some constructive criticism as part of my feedback too. This was that some of my ideas were quite bold and simplistic whereas because my target audience are quite young, I should stick to the bubbly font to represent their age group rather than making it look more sophisticated.
 I will now take this feedback into account when creating my final masthead for my magazine by making sure that it continues to use the stereotypical colours but also having the bubbly type style too.

Music magazine masthead ideas

I have not yet decided on what the name for my pop magazine will be or how it will be presented to the audience. I know that it has to represent my target audience which is girls from the age of 10-14, therefore, it will be quite girly and stereotypical of that age group but still relate to the theme of pop.
I have come up with a few style ideas for my masthead using the example name 'PopStar' to present all of the different font styles. My font and colour ideas so far are being shown below:

Research and Planning - Music Magazine Ideas Continued

After reading through and analysis pop music magazines, I now have a clearer idea of the sort of magazine I would like to produce and what to include in it. I decided to create a mind map including my ideas so far for the magazine:

Research and Planning - Ideas for the Music Magazine

Genre

I have decided that my magazine will be focused on pop music as I have done research into it and have found that it has the widest audience to target and I know a lot about that genre of music which I can add to my magazine. I also think that there is a lot to talk about when talking about pop music such as all of the different artists so it is a good idea for me to use it for my magazine.

Colour Scheme

I think that my target audience may be both boys and girls as I think many artists and bands within the pop genre have many fans that are a mixture of both genders. I will do it from the age of 13-18 because I have found that these are the main ages that are interested in todays popular pop music. Therefore, my colour scheme will consist of colours that both appeal to male and female and would be mostly primary.

Photos

My magazine will consist of posed, grabbed and action images as I think they would all fit in with the theme of music. I will have many different images portraying the artists that will appeal to the audience and make them want to read into the magazine and get to know more about those artists.

Font text and Style

I haven't decided on the exact style for the music magazine, however,  my ideas so far are to have many images displaying the artists and also lots of sell lines and anchorage text with popular artists to draw the audience in as the main focus is image. I also think that the fonts may be quite plain as the magazine will be quite crowded with lots of different information and therefore may need a simple font.

Research and Planning - Magazine Examples

For extra research, I have purchased two pop magazines to get a better insight of what is inside of different pop magazines to get some inspiration for when I am creating my own. I chose the two most popular pop magazines that I have heard of which are, again, Top of the Pops and We Love Pop.

I have found that there are a lot of similarities between the two magazines. Both magazines have a similar colour scheme of fluorescent pink, blue, yellow and white. As well as this, both of the main images are of the same band One Direction and the magazine contains the same, if not, similar artists. This is mainly because they both are appealing to the same young target audience which have a strong interest in the pop genre.
The layout of the magazine is also similar as there are many sell lines and images covering the majority of the magazines. I think that this is a good effect as it makes the magazine eye catching from others due to the bright colours being portrayed and the faces of popular artists that can be noticed by the target audience.
There are many key themes within both of the magazines which, again, are very similar. These themes are pop music, boys, fashion and gossip. These themes imply that these are the topics that this particular target audience is interested which can help me with my magazine as I will be sharing this same audience.

By looking through these magazines, I have already received a lot of inspiration for my music magazine as I have a clear idea of what sort of topics my target audience are interested therefore having a wider knowledge of what I can include. It has also given me a clear vision of what my magazine should look like as the layouts are both so iconic of the pop genre and represent the audience in a bright and girly light. There are also many other features included in the magazines such as interviews, posters and quizzes that I can consider too.

Research and Planning - Pop magazine sales figures

Top of the Pops

I have found out that in 2012 Top of the Pops has sold 78,352 copies. This suggests that this version of a pop magazine is very popular and has a wide ranged audience.

This is reflective of the BBC TV show Top of the Tops which had its highest viewing figures in 1979 of 19 million. This is one of the reasons that I decided to focus on the pop genre for my music magazine as there are so many people interested in it.

Research and Planning - Pop Magazine Analysis Continued

As I was researching pop magazines, I found another very popular pop magazine, however, it has a different target audience than the magazines that I have already analysed. The target audience for the Billboard magazine is still female however it is aimed at an older age group. I have also analysed an issue of this magazine too:

Research and Planning - Pop Magazine Analysis

Top of the Pops

We Love Pop

Research and Planning - Music Genre

I have decided to do my music magazine on the pop genre. I have chosen to do it on this type of music as I think it has a wider range to it and is one of the biggest genres with many different artists within it. I have done some research into pop music on the internet to widen my knowledge on the genre so I know what type of things I should put into my magazine and what kind of audience my magazine will appeal to.

Pop Music

I have found that the definition of pop music is very flexible as the music known as pop is constantly changing and expanding. It is usually easiest to identify pop music as the music that is highest in the top 40 charts at each moment in time. Over the past 50 years, pop music has been one of the most successful musical styles but it has been continually changing, however, there are consistent patterns identifying this genre.

Audience

 

Since the 1950s pop music has been known to be the genre of music accessible to the widest audience. This means that it sells the most copies, is played most often on the radio and sells the most concert tickets. Since 1995 pop music has been dominated by sounds that are still rooted in basic elements of rock'n'roll.

Pop music and Song structure

The basic form for pop music is usually the basic verses and repeated chorus. The basic song is usually between 2 1/2 and 5 1/2 minutes long. Like other forms that attract a mass audience, pop music continues to be a melting point that borrows elements and ideas from a wide range of musical styles. For example, r&b, country and disco. 

Magazine Cover and Contents Page Improvements

We were given our completed school magazine cover and contents pages back with feedback on what we can do to improve and consider when creating our music magazine. The features that I need to improve on are:
Anchorage text - I need to make sure it is clear to the audience which piece of information is the anchorage text to support the image
Cropping and Editing - When completing the photography section of my music magazine, I need to explore more into cropping and editing my images to make them look more effective on the page to emphasise their motivation
Bar code and Price/Date - I included the bar code, date and price on my school magazine, however, the sizes of them were a bit too large for the page
Exclusive features - On the contents page, I included everything that would be featuring in my school magazine, however, I did not specify any exclusive features that may be emphasised on that page too
Space - I need to make sure that I use a lot of the space given on the contents page and do not leave too many blank areas as these need to be filled because contents pages usually consist of a lot of information and images
Now that I have received both positive and critical feedback on my school magazine, I can see what aspects I should keep the same and repeat or the areas that I need to improve on in my music magazine. When creating the next task, I will keep these comments in mind and apply them to my work to ensure that I have improved on everything that should be improved on so my next magazine is at a higher standard.

Completed cover and contents page annotation

Completed Pages

Cover Page

Contents Page