19 Apr 2010
by Frankie :)
in Construction Stages for Music Magazine
a. What are the forms and conventions of real music magazines…what conventions have you identified in relation to the layout and design of music magazines?
When doing my research into music magazines i noticed that they all follow simular conventions. Depending on the magazine, they follow a simular theme throughout using a combination of colours and different fonts. They all have big bold photographs which fill a vast majority of the pages with the text surrounding it. Different font sizes are used to emphasise the importance of certain words or phrases some being in different font styles. The photograph that is shown on the front page is usually the main feature of the magazine so the article will be towards to start. This is usually quite bold on the contents page so that the reader can identify where it is easier.
Other conventions are features such as the date, page number and issue number which are printed on each page in the same position either at the top of the page or bottom. The price is usually only shown on the front cover, this is so that the buyer can see how much it is easily. Sometimes different shapes or symbols are significant to a certain type of magazine which will be conventional to there own style.
A lot of magazines have promotions, deals and offers throughout. This is to attract buyers more as there may be an opportunity for them to win something or to make them more intrigued into what they are looking at, this is done to make the magazine sell on a larger scale.
On the contents page the normal feature are page numbers and headlines. The numbers are usually position down the left hand side of the page with the headlines to the side of them. Some magazines have a small paragraph of writing below which explains what the article is about. There is also a main photograph which fills part of the page, sometimes there are several positioned around the text. The issue number and date is also featured at the top of the page, this is normal for most magazines and newspapers not just music ones.
The double page spread usually consists of a large headline which gives an out line of what the article is about. Surrounding the page is usually photographs with quotes from the person or group who the article is about. The pages are filled with lots of text, in music magazines this is usually an interview. The text is written in columns of either two or three which splits up the page to make it look more sophisticated and simpler to read. The colour sheme remains constant throughout the pages along with the issue number and date.
b. You need to do a case study into at least one of the main magazine publishers. Identify a music magazine that relates to your own.
The magazine which i have chosen to do a case study on is ‘Q’ as i followed the theme and layout in my own work.
‘Q’ is published by Bauer Media group. It was first published in 1986 and was at a much higher standard than other music press as it was published monthly and had a better quality of photography and printing.
The Bauer Media group was a large German publishing company which operates in 15 countries world wide. It is privately owned and under management by the Bauer family. It produces and distributes many popular magazines and also stakes in television and radio.
‘Q’ sits alongside other magazines on their list as they cover all the features that a music magazine should have. These being review sections, new releases, music compilations, film and concert reviews, radio and television reviews, star ratings and advertising.
It covers a range of music genres such as rock, pop, hip hop, punk etc… This widens the target audience as their are specific issues for each genre which enables all different kinds of people to buy the magazine which suits them. ‘Q’ magazines aren’t for a specific age group but most readers are likely to be 16 or above as they are quite sophisticated and detailed.
c. Find out how mainstream retail magazines are distributed
There are three main ways of magazine distribution, these being: free magazines handed out at venues, subscription-only magazines and paper magazines. Other ways of distribution are in newsagents and shops and posting through doors.
What other options are there for distributing magazines? You might like to research and consider the strengths and weaknesses of the following:
o Free magazines handed out at venues
This is usually done at gigs or events where there is large amounts of people. This consists of people handing out magazines to people to help advertise the magazine to a large audience. The benefits of this distribution are that the magazine is free so people are likely to take one as there is nothing pay. It also means that the magazine is being advertised without the needs of funding. This will help the company to get their magazine noticed for future issues and they will not be loosing out on money by giving it out for free as they don’t need to pay large amounts for distribution or advertising. A weakness of this distribution is that the company may find it difficult to find the funds to publish the magazine leading it to have lower quality photography and printing as they are not receiving money from the public as they are being handed out for free.
o Subscription-only magazines
This is a distribution where you can only receive the magazine that you wish for if you have signed up to get it. This will usually consist of a monthly fee which the consumer will pay in order to receive the magazine. The payment must be took every month before they can have it but it may be cancelled at anytime. A benefit of this distribution is that the magazine is exclusive to the subscriber and fits to their interest which will attract a wider audience as they know that the magazine they will be receiving is at good quality and relevance to themselves. A disadvantage of this is that as they are not sold in shops etc… they are only noticed by hearsay or advertisement so it may be hard for the distributor to find a large audience. Also, people may be put off by it being a monthly payment as they may only want to receive them when they have the money to, which may not be every month.
o Paper magazines linked to and promoted on websites
In order for this to be successful the website must be well known or advertised as this may reduce the amount of consumers as they may not know where to look to receive these magazines. The website must also fit the magazine target audience and genre as this will help to attract more people. An advantage of using this distribution method is that many people these days use the internet so it is an efficient and simple way for people to find out about different magazines and a simple way to advertise them. A weakness to this method is that there is a certain amount of information and advertisement that can be done and people who do not use computers will be unable to find out about them.
21 Mar 2010
by Frankie :)
in Construction Stages for Music Magazine
This is the photograph that i will be using for my front cover, i have positioned them in a simular way to the way sugababes are below.
The pictures below are what i will be using on my contents page and double page spread.
12 Mar 2010
by Frankie :)
in Construction Stages for Music Magazine
This is my first attempt of my contents page. I based it around the layout in which i used in my previous post but added the information and images that i will be using. I kept to simular fonts for the details on what is inside the magazine but used different colours to stick to the theme. But in the pieces of information that i wanted to highlight i changed the type of font and made them bolder. I placed the images on the bottom of the page which i am unsure about at the moment so when i come to make the changes i will re arrange the positions of the text and images slightly. I think the arrow pointing down to the poster which is included in the magazine has a good effect as i used an arrow on my front cover so it relates to that but also makes it clear what poster is inside. I put a border around the images as this gives them a smoother more effective edge. Although this is under developed i am not sure that i will stick to this layout on my final contents page as it is quite basic and looks quite tacky.
12 Mar 2010
by Frankie :)
in Construction Stages for Music Magazine
I made a plan of what i want the layout of my contents page to look like. I have based it on the ‘Q magazine’ content page in the way that i have put the ‘F.’ in the top corner with a strip along the top and left hand side. I have also done this as it started to create an F shape which would have a good effect once i start to add more text and images on to it. I used simular fonts to this stage of the page but used different sized fonts so that it is clear to see what i want to be highlighted. I also placed coloured cirles over the number of the pages in which people may want to read more in to as they were mentioned on my front cover. I have used different colours to stick to the teenage theme as this relates to my front cover.
09 Feb 2010
by Frankie :)
in Construction Stages for Music Magazine
These are the different fonts that i tried out for the band name, I needed to experiment with these alot as this is the one of the main focuses to the cover. I decided to use the top font which is called Pristina. I also used this font for other text on my magazine cover to link it in.
09 Feb 2010
by Frankie :)
in Construction Stages for Music Magazine
I experimented with different fonts to decide which i thought was most approapriate for the magazine cover title. I decided on the bottom left hand side one as i wanted it to be in the style of the ‘Q magazine’ one but instead of using red and white i used dark pink and white. This font is called Franklin Gothic Demi.
09 Feb 2010
by Frankie :)
in Construction Stages for Music Magazine
Next, I added more text to the page to try and sell the magazine more. I gave information on what is inside the cover by naming different bands and artists along the side. I did them in alternative colours for effect but all using the same font. I also added this weeks top 40 downloads as this attracts people more as they want to find out what the charts are. I layed this part of the cover out by writing downloads downwards in the arrow so that it gives an effect
09 Feb 2010
by Frankie :)
in Construction Stages for Music Magazine
I next added the title of the band and have done this in a font that stands out brightly on the cover. I placed it across the photograph to make i t obvious that this is the bands name. I also added that there was a free poster inside by placing it in one of the circles at the top. I used a different font for the word ‘free’ for effect. I then added text to the bottom banner to give more information on what is inside the magazine, i added a page number so that it is easy for the reader to find if they are intreged by this.
09 Feb 2010
by Frankie :)
in Construction Stages for Music Magazine
At this stage i have started to add text to the cover. I have put the main details on the page such as issue number and price etc. I have varied my fonts and colours to create the informal childish effect. I have also put a slogan underneath the magazines name to advertise that it is a new magazine for teenagers. I hope for this to attract the correct age group. I am also working from the top downwards and will make alterations along the way to make sure that i lay it out correctly.
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