Friday, 16 November 2012

Rock Double Page Spreads









This double page spread is really appealing to the magazines target audience because it is really rock related. You know this because the main image is of a rock icon and if you didn't know this then you can tell that she is a rock singer because of what she is wearing and her appearance. This is appealing to the audience because it relates to there interests but it is also eye catchy because of how big the image is, it nearly takes up one half of the double page spread. The main text is very appealing and unusual. This is because the text is text you would normally use in a ransom note. This is appealing because it is unusual but also because it is big and bulky which automatically catches your eye. The double page spread follows a colour scheme which is black, white and a bit of red. This is appealing to the audience because it has a professional look and doesn't make the magazine look messy it makes it look neat and tidy. The layout of the double page spread is really good. This is because it is very neat and tidy and nothing is crammed together. The layout is also good because there isn't too much text which may put off certain readers as the target audience relates to the younger generation. The headline and the smaller text are placed well and the main image is also placed well because it doesn't overlap over any of the text and is big which makes it appealing but not messy.

This double page spread is really interesting and appealing to its target audience. This is because of the main image that takes up the whole of the two pages. This is appealing to the target audience because they are a well known rock band and this may appeal to certain fans of there. This also appeals because it is really eye catchy because of how big the image is. The image is a really dark image as there all wearing black and the background behind them is also very dull. This allows the magazine people to write over the image in white text which makes it look unique but also more appealing. This is because they haven't had to worry about the image looking odd if it was smaller they have put text over the main image without it making the double page spread look messy. This is a good thing to do because this isn't in every magazine so its there own unique twist. The text is carefully placed onto the main image because they haven't placed it over the main image's faces. If they did do this it wouldn't look professional or presentable as they are the main thing you need to see. The layout of this double page spread is professional looking and presentable because everything is placed in a certain place where everything is readable and you can see everything clearly. This is a good thing because this makes it more appealing to it's target audience because it looks presentable. The fonts are easy to read and the main bold font in the bottom right of the image attracts your eye because it is bigger than all the other text. This certain bit of font is just the correct size because if it was any bigger it would take up too much room and go over the guys face that is apart of the main image.
 

Rock Contents Pages




This contents page looks professional but also eye catchy. This is because all of the different rock images all appeal to the audience and look interesting because it's an unusual thing to do on a contents page. This is also appealing because it shows the reader how much different content and a variety of information they have in the magazine. The layout of this contents page is very professional looking. This is because it is all carefully laid out and placed in readable places. The strip of information down the right hand side that consists of all information of what the magazine includes is a very good effect and makes it easier for the reader to read. It makes it easier because it isn't scattered across the page and making it hard to find, it is nicely in a column and ordered. The main title that reads 'Contents' clearly shows that it is a contents page but even if this wasn't here you would still recognise that it is a contents page. The colour scheme of the contents page is black and yellow and this is carried out throughout the contents page. This makes the contents page look professional and presentable to it's readers. This colour scheme would probably also be the same as the colour scheme of the front cover. The font sizes are all the same but if it's a heading then the font size is bigger which makes it clear to the reader that it is a heading. Also the page numbers are written very clear so the reader knows what page number that bit of information is on.


The layout of this contents page is very good and professional looking because as there is a main image on the right of the contents page which is the main story they are trying to promote, and also there is a strip of page numbers and information down the right of the page which states what is on what page. The colour scheme of this contents page is red and white and it follows this throughout the whole of the contents page. This probably means that the front covers colour scheme was also red and white. The fonts that are used on this contents page are all the sam fonts but different sizes. They are different sizes because some of the text are headings therefore the font size needs to be bigger to show the reader and make it clear to the reader that this is a headline. The page numbers are clearly shown to the reader so the reader shouldn't have any problem finding what bit of information is on each page, because the contents page tells them this clearly.

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

Rock Magazine Front Covers



The Masthead reads 'Kerrang' and it is big at the top of the magazine front cover. The title kerrang is an onomatopoeia which is the sound of the electric guitar strings when struck. This is black and white as the rock genre is represented by this.The title goes across the full width of the page which catches the audience's eye, as its big and bold. The smash effect on the masthead is very effective as its appealing to the audience because it is unique and different to a usual rock magazine. There is a skyline above the masthead which gives a bit of extra information, but this is also black and white because this follows the colour scheme of the magazine and the rock genre. The slogan says 'Life is loud' which is alliteration and a catchy slogan. This also represents rock music because rock music is loud and heavy. The anchorage text say 'The Amazing Resurrection Of Ville Valo' this is placed well for an anchorage text as it doesn't look messy and in the way of the main image. Although it goes over the main image it doesn't look bad and doesn't make the image look less effective. The anchorage text is also black and white which also follows the rock genre and the colour scheme of the magazine. There is a bar code in the bottom right corner which is well placed as it isn't in the way of anything and doesn't overlap over the picture. Therefore it looks presentable and professional. The main image covers most of the magazine front cover. The subject in the main image is a rock singer, and you know this even if you don't know who he is because of what he is wearing and the look of the subject. He is wearing black and has black eye makeup on which is related to the rock genre. You are automatically drawn to the main image because it is big but also because his eyes are dark and bold which attract the audience. The strip of images down the right hand side of the magazine attract the audience because it has a sell line which reads 'Free Posters'. This attracts this particular audience because the target audience is a younger generation such as teenagers, and they are more likely to have posters on their bedroom wall.



The Masthead of this magazine front cover reads 'Kerrang'. The fact that masthead is covered slightly by the main image of the magazine front cover shows that the magazine company are a big company because they are confident that the readers and the audience will know what magazine company produced this. The smash effect on this masthead is really effective and attracts the audience's eye. The word Kerrang represents the rock genre as it is an onomatopoeia because this is the sound a guitar makes when the strings are struck. The skyline on this magazine runs across the top of the page above the Masthead. This includes an extra bit of information and it looks professional because it isn't to big for a skyline. The layout of the magazine is very professional. This is because it is very carefully laid out and there isn't anything placed in a certain way that makes the magazine not look professional. The layout of the magazine is a traditional layout because the masthead, skyline, bar code and main image is placed in the traditional place a professional magazine would. The main image of the magazine is a picture of a person playing a guitar and is a rock singer or part of a rock band. You know this because of the dress sense and the image of the main  image. He looks like a traditional rock start therefore this relates to the theme and purpose of the magazine. This magazine in particular doesn't follow all conventions of a magazine because it doesn't have a slogan. This could be because if there was a slogan included on this magazine it may make the magazine look too crowded as there is little space to add anymore to it without it looking unprofessional. The anchorage text on this magazine is "This is the best show out there" 'Green Day Exclusive U.S. Tour Report'. This anchorage text links to the main image as this is a member of Green Day who are a rock band. This is also a sell line because fans of the rock band Green Day will buy the magazine to see the tour dates and locations of Green Day. The top and bottom bit of text have a green strip behind it because this relates to the band Green Day. The colour scheme of the magazine is green, white and charcoal. The white and charcoal are colours that relate to the rock genre as these colours are associated to rock, however the green on this magazine is used just for this magazine as the main image and story of this issue is the band Green Day. This is why they have used the colour green, but they wouldn't usually use this if the band wasn't Green Day. The bar code on this magazine is in the bottom right of the magazine because then it isn't in the way of the front cover. With it being placed in the bottom right it doesn't take up much room as it has to be shown, but with it being here it doesn't make it look unprofessional.



The masthead of this magazine reads 'Rock Sound' in big bold white writing. The masthead is spread across the width of the magazine. This means it stands out to the audience therefore it catches their eye. The masthead could be white because it can relate to the main image as the main man in the image has white hair. However, I think they chose for the masthead to be white because the main image is a dull and darker image therefore white would stand out on this background. Some of the masthead is slightly covered by the main image which shows that the magazine is a popular rock magazine as they are confident the audience will be able to work out what the masthead says. The main image on this magazine covers all of the magazine and has writing written over it. The main image dominates the magazine which will catch the audience's eye as its so big. With the main image being so big it shows to the reader that this issue is related on the rock band 'My Chemical Romance' which automatically catches the eyes of My Chemical Romance fans. You know that the people in the main image are apart of a rock band because they are on the front cover of a rock magazine but also because of the way they are dressed. They are dressed in dark colours which relates to the rock music genre. The skyline at the top of the front cover which is placed above the masthead looks professional. It looks professional because it isn't too big for a skyline and doesn't overlap over the main image or over any main information that the audience need to know. The skyline in this instance is also a sell line as it has information about a competition that can be entered and rock related prizes can be won. This is a sell line because it attracts the audience to the magazine and may push the person that little further into making the decision of buying the magazine. The layout of this front cover is laid out like a traditional magazine would be. This is because all the main things are placed in the correct places or the places that make the magazine look more appealing and professional to the audience. The bar code is in the bottom right of the page because this means it isn't in the way of any information on the magazine and is out the way making the magazine look better. The masthead and skyline are placed at the top of the page as these are the main things the magazine wants you to read first. The other writing on the front cover of the magazine are laid out in the good way as they are down the right and left side of the page because this means they aren't overlapping the focal point of the main image. If the writing was to do this it wouldn't look presentable and professional to the target audience. The anchorage text of this magazine front cover reads 'My Chemical Romance Songs For The Death'. This anchorage texts relates to the main image of the rock magazine because this is the main focus of the magazine and this will make 'My Chemical Romance' fans more eager to buy the magazine. The colour scheme of this front cover is green and white. This is different to a traditional rock magazine because a traditional rock magazine is normally black and white. This magazine is different to a traditional rock magazine because the main image of it is a dark image therefore if you were to put black text on this magazine it would be difficult for the reader to be able to read the writing, and this wouldn't have as much of an effect on the audience as it does with brighter text. There are a lot of sell lines on this magazine which means that the audience are more interested in buying the magazine. The main sell line of this image is the free poster inside the magazine you get when you purchase it. This is the main sell line because the target audience is teenagers interested in rock music and teenagers are more likely to want a poster to put on their bedroom wall than an adult.

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Evaluation of My College Magazine Front Cover





My front cover is of a college magazine and it represents college students. The front cover shows that college is fun as the subject/student is playing pool. This gives a good impression to the reader as the main message the magazine front cover gives off is that college looks interesting.

My media product represents a majority of social groups as it doesn't appeal to one certain group of people. This is because the college magazine relates to people who are up for fun and outgoing as the subject/student looks like she is having fun and may be a popular person. It represents people who are college students or are about to be college students as the picture appeals to them and the information on the front of the magazine is college related. I have made my magazine so it appeals to all types of social groups because this means that my magazine is suitable for a wider audience therefore more people will buy the magazine.

The media institution that will distribute my media product would be a company called IPC. This is a media company that produce magazines and is a well known company. This company would publish and distribute my magazine because it will be a hit with college students and people who may be going into college. With the media company being such a big media company this will mean that my magazine will be sold in a lot of shops which means more and more people can see it

The primary audience for my magazine will be college students and people who are about to join college. This is my audience because my magazine is all about college and the activities that go on in a college, and consists of information that may help you and give you an idea of what college will be like. However, there is a secondary audience which consists of parents. This is because they may want to know information about the college they are sending there children to and get an idea for themselves what there child’s college experience will be like. This gives the parents comfort and allows them to know what there child is going into. This means that more people are buying my college magazine.

For my magazine I made sure that the magazine front cover appeals to my audience. To do this I made sure that there was a main image that caught my audience’s eye, and by this I included a student on the front cover which looked like she was having fun. I also made sure that the colours were bright rather than dull as college students and teenagers are appealed towards brighter colours therefore this is also catching there eye. I also made sure that once the magazine has caught there eye and they may begin to read the information on the front cover, that the information was interesting to a college student. By this I made sure it included some serious stuff so they know they come to college to learn, but I also included information that was fun such as the 'pool competition' which lets them know that college isn't all about studying as there are fun activities that go on within the college.

I used Photoshop CS5 which is a programme that allows me to be able to create my front cover of my magazine. I learnt a lot about this programme as it allowed me to be able to create my final piece. I learnt how to layer my magazine, by this I mean that on my front cover of my magazine the main image is in front of the main title, I learn how to do this because of Photoshop and this makes my magazine look more professional. I also changed the colours around and added saturation which Photoshop allowed me to do, but also I took the picture of the college student which included a background behind her, but I cropped this out using the magnetic tool on Photoshop which allowed me to remove the background to add my own in.

I am pleased with my final piece of the magazine front cover as it is appealing to the target audience intended and it looks professional.

Monday, 1 October 2012

Front covers and Contents pages


There is a masthead in yellow which stands out from the blurred background. There is a skyline across the top of the masthead which gives you some information on what the magazine is about. The main image is related to the masthead as there is a guy playing American Football and this will show an interest in the audience that is reading the magazine. The audience of this magazine is college students and also people who may be coming up to college so that they get an idea what college is going to be like. The audience could also include parents whose children may be going to college so that they get an idea of what there children are getting into. The main image covers some of the masthead which shows confidence in the brand of the magazine and that they are well known as people will know what it says anyway. There is a barcode in the bottom right of the page with the price to let people know who may be buying the magazine how much it actually is. There is another main slogan which reads 'The Sure Thing' this is bigger than the rest of the text because it is a catchy slogan which grabs your attention when you look at the magazine. There is also a question underneath this which makes you question a certain thing about the sport and the recent events that are happening, this means that it will draw you into the magazine and read on as the magazine will answer this question inside. The layout of the magazine is simple but it looks sophisticated. It is a simple layout because college students see this as a laidback magazine but it also has the sophisticated look because it is about college and they are going to be studying when they join.



This magazine has a fairly large masthead that reads 'College' however on this magazine you can't read the entire masthead as the main image is covering up some of the letters. Even though this is the case you still know what it says as it is obvious. The reason the magazine company has done this is because this shows that they have confidence in their brand name because they know that it is a well known and popular magazine therefore they don't need to show the entire masthead. The main image is a picture of a college student, and you know this because he is holding books and is looking casual but also very formal and sophisticated. This image shows to the people who are buying the magazine that college is a good place and you know this because the person in the main image is looking happy which shows a good impression on the college and the reader. The colour scheme on this magazine is simple as there is only 3 colours being used throughout the magazine, this makes it look formal and interesting as it's not just a multi-coloured all over the place magazine, even though they used a random bit of pink on the magazine this doesn't break the colour scheme as this draw attention towards the splat. The font is kept the same and only a few different fonts and sizes have been used, this shows that once again it makes the magazine look sophisticated and professional as the person making the magazine hasn't just gone crazy and using all different types of fonts and colours. There is a barcode in the bottom left of the magazine which shows us the price of the magazine so that the person who may want to purchase that magazine then knows how much it is. Also with the barcode being in the bottom left of the magazine it isn't interfering and in the way of anything. It doesn’t overlap over the main image otherwise it would ruin the magazine and make it look tack/less professional. There is a small strapline/skyline above that runs across the top of the page above the masthead which gives you a bit of information. There are many different types of slogans on the magazine which draws attention from the reader or the audience  which may make them want to buy and read further into the magazine. The black background behind the main image makes the main image stand out to the audience and the reader. This is good because it draws attention to the image that is telling you most about college which is what the magazine wants to do. The layout of the magazine is very carefully chosen and ordered which shows that the magazine is sophisticated and professional. The layout also shows that although college is a happy place to be and it is fun there is also a serious side to it and you do need to work while you are there.


This main heading on this college magazine reads 'College' however you cant see all of the main heading. This shows that the make of the magazine is a popular magazine as they are confident enough for the audience to know the make of magazine and what it says. The main image of the girl who will be a college student shows that college is a happy place as she has a smile on her face. Also the way she is dressed looks casual but also formal therefore this shows that college is a fun place but there is work to be done. The main headings that are the sell lines are laid out in a good way as they are not cramped together, they are spread out and in an orderly form. The colour scheme of the front page is restricted to 3 colours which is good as it makes the magazine look professional and sophisticated. If there was all random colours and not thought about the magazine would look tacky and all over the place so this makes a big difference. There is a barcode in the bottom right hand corner which will show the price of the magazine but also it isn't in the way of the magazine it is in a place which makes it look proffessional and not out of place. The whole magazine as a whole looks proffessional and sophisticated and sells the idea of college in a good way, and will draw people to the idea of going to college.
This layout of this contents page looks very sophisticated and professional because there are three main images that are promoting the college and then there are the main headings underneath these images which tells you all the information you need to fnd the article you want to read. The images promote the college in a good way as the picture of all the girls together in there sports kit looking happy, this promotes it in a good way because it makes the reader believe that college is a happy place. The other image which is the picture of the college that the magazine is based on also promotes the college because it looks very formal and professional which lets the audience know they are going to a top college. The last picture of the woman who may be a student there lying on the books which gives an impression on the reader and the audience. The impression that this will give the reader is that learning is good and not boring because she looks happy that she is there. The layout of the contents page is very organised which can have a reflection on the college and give it a good impression. The clolour scheme of the contents page is chosen carefully as they have only used 2-3 colours. This is good because it looks formal and the publisher hasn't gone mad on colours making it all colourful and look unproffessional.
 This contents page looks professional as the layout of this is very organised and formal. This looks good because it shows a good impression on the college as they care about the appearence of the college and the representation they are giving. The colour scheme of the contents page is very formal as black and white are very formal colours as they represent a formal image. This shows that the college is good but its also formal. The picture of the woman on this contents page is appealing to the eye of the audience. It is appealing to girls because she has fashion sense and it will appeal to the boys because she is good looking. Therefore this makes the audience think that college will be good, interesting and enjoyable. The main heading is appealing as the way it is set out isn't how you would see a normal magazine to be set out. Therefore its a different layout which is more interesting and appealing to the eye. The pose of the woman on the contents page strikes the audience and grabs their eye towards the contents page. All of these points make the college seem interesting and appeals the audience to the idea of going to college.

Monday, 17 September 2012

Brief Explanation Of My Project

My name is Jake Bullen and I am currently a student at Bramcote Hills 6 Form who is studying AS Media Studies. For AS Media our preliminary task is to create a college magazine which will have to include a close up of a student with the text and headings a magazine would include.

My perliminary checklist:

- Find and annotate the covers of three college magazines
- Find and annotate the contents pages of two college magazines
- Create a mock up of tge cover for your college magazine
- Create the mock up of your contents page

- Create the cover of my magazine but I must use my own images
- A minimum of four images are required for this coursework
- Screen print your cover and annotate it
- Screen print your contents page and annotate it

My main task:

For my main task I will be creating the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine.

I will need to structure this in the same way as i did my preliminary task, so there should be three district sections:

- Planning and Research
- Construction
- Evaluation