This is my analysis of my chosen target audience.

This is Stu Harrison, he is an 18 year old male and he represents the typical group of people that my magazine will be aimed towards. Stewart lives in Bournemouth in an apartment with his two friends, Steve and John and together they formed a band of which he is the guitarist, who perform covers of songs to small audiences in their area. The genre of songs they perform are the same as the genre that my magazine is based on which is indie (alternative) rock, a style performed by bands like Razorlight, Snow Patrol and The Fratellis. He plays a variety of instruments like drums and piano but mainly guitar which he has been learning since the age of 11 however like most unlabelled bands these gigs are not his main source of income. He has a job at Topshop and buys a lot of his clothes from here with his staff discount. The clothes he wears don't really stand out like those of other stereotypes. He usually wears faded blue or grey jeans with his favourite pair of white converse, which are now a dirty brown colour after years of abuse from the elements. He sometimes wears pullovers on top of t-shirts with big pictures or designs on the front but he dislikes cardigans how old they make him look. His favourite band at the moment is Keane and spends a lot of his free time walking along Bournemouth beach listening to their music. He likes to keep up to date with current music by reading magazines like NME and finding out what's new in the world of song and rather than having a TV on all the time in his flat, him and his flatmates usually have the radio on full blast while having a drink with some mates. He says "it sounds better than the TV and you don't have to put up with crappy actors and Big Brother being forced at you all the time." He is quite a sentimental person and still remains close with his family yet still makes time for drinking and partying most weekends when he's not working. His favourite quote is "Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up," by Thomas Edison and reminds himself of this constantly when he's feeling down which helps motivate him to continue following his dream of one day being a successful recording artist.

This is Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

This image shows a common interpretation of Maslow's hierarchy of need. It is often portrayed like this pyramid with the most essential and important needs at the bottom and built up getting smaller with the smallest area at the top which shows the needs for self actualisation. The idea is that, like a pyramid each layer cannot exist without the support of the layer before. So before people can consider purchasing luxuries like magazines, they must achieve a sense of safety, love and belonging to reach the next level of needs. Magazines are categorised between Esteem and Self-Actualization because some people need magazines to feel good about themselves but they are considered a luxury which is not essential to survival.

This is my analysis of two double page spreads.

NME Magazine

This double page spread can be found on page 32 and 33 of NME magazine and is part of the list of Albums of 2010. We know this because of the ‘Albums of 2010’ logo that is situated at the top right corner of the page. We have seen this logo a few times before and the font and circle motif has been used frequently on this page with the band names. The colour scheme for this particular page is black and white which contrasts greatly with the full page photo on the left side of the spread. The vivid oranges and greens stand out and are splashed across the page with the use of a green circle on the ‘H’ for HOLE and a red/deep orange circle for the ‘B’ in Babyshambles. It would seem that the photo was taken to tie in with the logo for the Albums of 2010 because this colour co-ordination seems to happen a lot throughout the following and preceding pages. These are the only colours used on the spread; the rest is in black and white and makes the headings and photos stand out without the need for borders or shadows. Before New Music Express became a magazine it used to be a non glossy newspaper and I think that a sense of nostalgia is gained here with the clever layout of text, headings and subheadings. The first noticeable point is the fact that this page is not slanted or brightly coloured or covered in different shaped boxes full of text. It has a very linear appearance which looks sophisticated and organised. This is a theme that I have noticed throughout this magazine. The way that the writing is arranged in columns which cover the page instantly makes me think of a newspaper, as does the big bold heading which is like a headline of a newspaper. The plain font and bold capital letters stand out and catch the reader’s eye and immediately tell them what this page is about as a headline of a newspaper would do. Below which is a subheading giving more detail about what can be found on the page. I don’t think that these consistent similarities with a newspaper are coincidental. I think that there was an intentional contrast between the new modern bands of 2010 and the evocative style in which this magazine and spread has been laid out. Darker grey boxes indicate separate pieces of text and helps break the page up to stop it looking like one giant mass of words. The layout of the page is easy to follow; the longest piece of text begins on the left page and covers a small section of the picture to show that this is what it the text is corresponding to. At the bottom of the right hand page is a quote from the interview written in larger bold letters and the name of the artist below in a different colour. This has been put here so readers will see it and think, “Oh this interests me I want to read it.” Three pictures have been used on this page, one for each interview. The main interview has the biggest picture which takes up the whole page and is probably the most detailed with props and a background etc. The other two are much smaller and only contain the band members standing next to each other. The Interpol photo is a different shape to the others which might suggest a different style of music; it is also the smallest which probably means this band is the least known out of the three. The sizes of the photo correspond to the popularity of the band and the size and/or detail of the interview. Sometimes it can be easy to distinguish what style of songs the artists have from the photo and the clothes they wear and how the picture looks however in today’s modern society where every different style merges into one and changes to often it is hard to tell. None of the photos seem airbrushed and photoshopped even though they probably are and the posture of all the artists is friendly and relaxed which implies that the interview is more personal and informal. The overall impression I get from this page is that it will be informative and insightful and will go into detail about the artists. It looks organised and sophisticated and would appeal to a market that is genuinely interested in the bands and doesn’t have to be impressed by stunning photos and writing effects etc.

Kerrang! Magazine

I chose to analyse this double page spread in Kerrang! magazine for a few reasons. Firstly this is the interview that was advertised on the front page with the main photo so I decided to see if there were any similarities between this page and the front page. Also, this page has a purple and black colour theme which is the colour scheme I would like to use in my magazine so I was interested to see how it worked inside a magazine and not just on a computer screen. This interview spreads over 5 pages and the pages I have chosen to analyse are in the middle because I thought this page had the most detail whereas the first page is a large picture with the interview title and the last page of the interview covers only one page and the other half of the spread is an advert. I apologize because I said 'page' 11 times in the last paragraph.

On page 24 and 25 of this issue of Kerrang! magazine there is an interview with HIM's front-man, Ville Valo. The two pages are mainly filled with a large photo in the middle and two columns of text on either side of the photo. The colour scheme of the page is very dark. There is a great contrast from the front cover of the magazine which uses bright pink and blue to this page which is predominantly black and white. White writing on a black background makes it stand out and the long columns of writing are occasionally broken up by the starts of new paragraphs where the first two words are written in BOLD, PURPLE CAPITALS. These words don't really tell the reader what the following paragraph will be about but signifies the start of 'a new chapter' of the interview, giving a storybook effect to this double page spread. Not a lot has really been put into this text like quirky text boxes or slanted pictures and writing to draw the reader in so it suggests that this interview will be read by HIM's hardcore fans rather than someone who is just flicking through the magazine in search of something interesting. However, like the interview in NME magazine, a quote from within the text has been written again somewhere on the page and made to stand out by changing the size and colour of the writing. This particular quote has been written in purple to tie in with the colour scheme and the background is HIM's heartagram logo. This quote is one way to draw readers in because they see the quote and want to know more about it like why it was said. There are two styles of photographs on this page. Firstly is the large photo in the middle which is the first thing that catches the readers attention. It is clear and looks like Ville Valo has posed for it, however his eyes don't look at the camera which gives the effect that he is thinking or he doesn't know the camera is there. The other style is the kind that are situated on the far right of the page. These are less clear and some are blurry which suggests they were taken in a hurry or the person in the photo was moving around frantically. This gives the photo and the interview in general a more personal feel as though they are his own private snapshots like on the contents page of NME. Also the arrangement of these photos is similar to that you might find on a photo booth where you go with friends and take photos as a souvenir. Both these styles of photos give the feeling that we are getting a sneak peek of what the life of Ville Valo is like. It almost feels like we are intruding. The photos are black and white, not only to tie in with the colour scheme but also it makes the photos seem old fashioned. This old fashioned, almost reminiscent feel is reinforced by the filigree metalwork on the headboard of the bed and floral patterns on the curtains both of which are similar to Ville's tattoo sleeve, and the fact that he is using paper to write on as opposed to a high-tech computer or laptop. I think they have used this style to show that Ville Valo is an independent person who moves at his own pace and won't follow the crowd and succumb to the temptation of modern society. At the end of the text a small arrow has been used to show the reader that the interview continues on the next page. The overall feel of this page is simplistic and old fashioned.

This is my analysis of two contents pages.

NME Magazine

When we look at the contents page of this magazine the first thing we notice is the large photo in the middle of the page which takes up a vast percentage of the space. The page is arranged in a very linear fashion which contrasts with the front cover which is slightly more 'wonky' and layered. However the contents and front page are tied together with use of the red, white and black colour scheme we saw on the cover which we now know will run throughout the whole magazine which is a good use of house style to reinforce the company image in the readers mind. Down the left hand side of the page is a very narrow column with a long list of everything in the magazine. This contents, however, does not tell the reader what stories are inside or where the puzzles are, it merely lists the names of all the bands that are featured in the magazine. They are arranged in alphabetical order rather than what order they appear in the magazine which is very useful for someone who is looking for a specific band or artist. Regular readers will know that competitions and 'Gig Guide' are at the back of the magazine and new readers will be able to find these easily. This list shows a vast coverage of many bands and artists and the page numbers are clearly visible in black directly next to the names. This ease of use could appeal to customers and attract more readers. This narrow column draws our attention downwards where there is an advert to subscribe to the magazine for a cheaper price than usual. In large, black block capitals it says ‘EARLY JANUARY SALE ON NME’ which appeals to customers not only because it says sale but because people think that the best sales are the January sales straight after Christmas. Information about the sale is written below in smaller red writing then even smaller black writing explains how to find out more then in writing smaller still it says when the offer ends and where to find terms and conditions. The large first line of writing is to draw in the attention of the reader and shows them something exciting is happening then less exciting details are written below in smaller print. A small picture of an NME cover is put next to the advert using a drop shadow to make it give the page depth. The large picture in the middle of the page is of The Klaxons in Los Angelis. A small red box telling the reader this, is situated at the top of the page underneath a heading saying ‘SNAPSHOT.’ This picture does not look professional or perfect quality. It just shows the band being normal and gives the reader a more personal insight into the life of the band which would suggest that overall this magazine goes into detail when interviewing everyone and gives a more personal overview of the interviewee rather than a fake, put on impression that one might get from a photo which has been airbrushed and photo shopped like something found in a movie magazine of A list celebrities. Part of the photo overlaps the Snapshot heading which also gives this page a feeling of depth and layers which can be found on this magazine front cover as well as many other magazines. Because of the dull tones of the photo our attention is drawn to the white box of text which stands out over the photo. More than half of the box is taken up by ‘Albums of 2010’ which suggests importance and prominence in the magazine and the other small section of the box is filled with a small caption about the photo and what you can find out about in this list of Albums of 2010, it also has a page reference. This page is laid out in a way that it directs the readers attention around rather than letting the page just be scanned which could result in a reader missing important information.

Kerrang! Magazine

When looking at the contents page I noticed the lack of bright contrasting colours like those that have been used on the front cover. The colours used here are black white and grey. However standing out from everything else are the headings and subheadings which are written in yellow in the same font as the one used on the cover. It is bold and very similar to the font used for the magazine logo. This helps the reader easily find the section they are looking for and what’s in it. It also helps break up the page and stops it being a mass of writing and numbers. Lot’s of picture thumbnails are used to give the reader a preview of what is inside and are bordered in either black or white to stand out. The contents page is split into two halves, at the top of the page the images are given a drop shadow for depth and to make it seem like there isn’t enough space for everything like the magazine is full of information. These pictures are labelled with the band/artist name and corresponding page number for easy reference. The bottom half of the page is split off with a banner that might usually be found at the top of the page. When the reader turns to this page their attention is drawn to this section of the page. Especially because the large picture of ‘Soundgarden’ is in greyscale and doesn’t stand out from the background a lot. Below this banner the page is set out in columns. Some of the components of the contents overlap other columns which again gives the impression the magazine is bursting with information however most of the writing conforms to the columns which provides an easy to read list of everything in the magazine. On the far left hand side of the page there is a medium close up of a woman with a friendly smile whose eyes look directly at the reader which catches their attention. This picture overlaps the black background of the banner signifying importance. Below the picture reads an informal letter from the editor which connects to the reader and informs them of what they can find in the magazine. The language used builds a sense of community and the friendly atmosphere might make people want to buy the magazine again, however, this can sometimes have the opposite effect on first time buyers who feel that this is a community and they are an outsider. The rest of the contents page is made up of subheadings for each section of the magazine. Below which are lists of the bands or artists which can be found. Under some of these there is a small description of what you can find in the interview or what has been going on in the life of the band or artist. On the final column the regulars are listed like the ‘Gig Guide’ and quizzes. Some stories have a small image with ‘Cover Story’ written on top telling the reader where they can find the stories that they saw on the cover. Down in the bottom corner like NME magazine there is an advertisement to subscribe to Kerrang to get it delivered for a cheap price. The same technique of using big fonts first to catch the attention of the reader then using progressively smaller fonts to give more information like phone number then a key telling the reader what the star next to £6 means. This is usually written small because it’s a catch or a loophole that stops the offer sounding so good. The overall theme of this page is busy and full of information.

This is my analysis of three front pages.

NME Magazine

The predominant colours of this magazine are red, white and black. All of the writing is in black except the heading which says "The Albums of..." in white writing on a red background which makes it stand out. These colours tie in with the NME logo which is big, bold and red but is located in the top left hand corner which stands out but is not too imposing upon the main image. The single main image is a collage of artists which overlap one another and the title of the main feature. One person is 'resting' on the main title. This imagery tells the reader that these artists are in this list of "Albums in 2010" Because the whole front cover is covered by this we can assume that the inside will predominantly be about new albums of 2010. Even the banner at the top says "The ultimate guide Albums of 2010" tying the whole thing together. There is a pug is the top right corner which advertises festival line ups inside. It is bright yellow which clearly stands out from everything else because there is no yellow used in the rest of the cover. Not even the photo. At the very bottom of the page there is a list of some of the artists that can be found inside the magazine. These are just listed separated by red bullet points drawing the attention of the reader downwards to the bottom of the page so they can see if there is anyone they like in the magazine. The bar code is kept out of the way on the white background so it does not draw attention away from the main focus of the magazine.

Kerrang! Magazine

At first glance the first thing that catches our eye is the pale face staring at us which contrasts greatly with the pink background. This immediately catches the readers attention which is then drawn outwards to the surrounding headings. The main colour scheme for this issue of Kerrang magazine is pink, blue, black and white. Other photos on the page are made to stand out with a blue colored border that contrasts with the black jacket the person in the photo is wearing. Bold straight lined letters are used to alert the reader of something inside the magazine, and exclamation marks are used after some headings to tie in with the Kerrang! logo and to inform the reader that it's exciting or important. The placement of the logo is at the top of the page stretching across the whole width of the page. This is a very bold logo and would take up a lot of space however there are components overlapping the logo like a masthead with information about bands that are featured inside and a small medium close up photo of a music artist. Overlapping features like this give the front cover a feeling of depth which is further emphasized by some of the subheadings having a drop shadow making them stand out from the page and seem as though they are just sitting on top or floating slightly above the page surface. The left hand side of the magazine would draw the buyers attention the most, firstly with the K from the magazine logo featuring a shattered effect which already causes the reader to focus on this side of the page but also, a pug is used also to advertise a 'Mega' Competition which overlaps everything as if it has been stuck on post production. However unlike other pugs this one is not designed in a colour that stands out massively from the background, however the unnatural star shape and white outline helps the competition advertisement stand out to the reader. Further down the page just below the pug there are pictures which advertise features of the magazine for example artists that can be found inside and posters that are included. Further use of the logo familiarizes the reader with the magazine so it sticks in their head and lets the reader know what magazine they are reading. Constant use of the logo throughout the magazine will help a reader spot the magazine from a distance and draw their attention straight to it. The bar code is situated at the bottom right of the page and is hardly noticeable with the readers attention being drawn by more dramatic and interesting components of the page.

Q Magazine

The main colour scheme used for this cover is is blue white and red. The red is a colour only used for components added by the magazine. This includes any headings and of course the large red Q logo, which like most magazines is situated in the top left corner so it does not take over the whole page but stands out because of the bright, bold red background. This will stand out to any buyers from a distance so if on the shelf with other magazines the readers attention is immediately drawn to it. Other elements of the page overlap the Q like the pug and the harpoon from the drawing which is heading towards the pug. Blue is a very predominant colour on this cover and the large blue wave is probably the first thing that stands out to the reader after the logo, the wave takes up a vast percentage of the page and is filled with a montage of many different artists of all different ages and poses with a blue tint to blend in with the wave. There is no giant headline that explains what the cover is all about which is unusual but the pug below and overlapping the logo explains that 'The Gorillaz & a star studded crew set to sail again.' This sailing pun tells the reader that this pug relates to the cover and also, the harpoon which also stands out because it overlaps the logo is aimed towards the pug which connects the pug directly to the background. On top of the wave is drawn a picture of The Gorillaz in colour sailing a boat which informs the reader that this group will be the most prominent feature of the magazine and the other artists in the wave montage wont have as much focus. Along the bottom of the page there is three headlines which are separated by a line. The three headlines are written in different fonts and sizes to add a sense of variety to the page but because they have been arranged in a straight lines they don't look disorganized or unprofessional.

This is my preliminary task.

These pictures show the front cover and contents page of the Goffs school magazine I was asked to make for the preliminary task. I used Adobe PhotoShop and Corel PaintShop to produce this. This is my evaluation of the final product.

Click here for a full sized picture of the front cover

Good points about my preliminary task front cover include, the purple and green colour scheme which is continued on the contents page, I like the contrast between the artificial purple and fluorescent green with the dull earthy tones of the brickwork and main photo. I am also pleased with how the eyes seem to pop out of the picture catching the readers attention. The slanted angle that everything has been placed appeals to the younger target market and makes it more quirky rather than boring and linear like a newspaper.

However, there are a few bad aspects of my cover that I would change if I done it again. For example, I think that I have used too many fonts on the front page and next time I should limit myself for one or two. Also, I think that to attract the readers attention I need more photos and stories, without them the page looks too empty. This is helped a little by the brickwork background making the page look more busy but looking at it you can see the page is bare and quite bland. Also, several features have been left off this cover which would help make it look more like a magazine, for example a banner at the top and/or bottom with further details of what's inside and a bar code or price should also be added. Finally, if I were to do this again I would have to design a logo for my magazine. Without all these features I feel that my cover ended up looking more like a poster rather than a magazine front page.

Click here for a full sized picture of the contents page
As you can see the purple, green and black colour scheme have been continued from the front page onto here keeping in consistency with the house style. Again I have chosen a background which is a dull colour in comparison with the text to make it stand out. However, because on this page there is a lot more writing than the cover, nothing really seems to pop out at the reader when they turn the page. I think to resolve this problem I could have made the word 'Contents' either a different colour to the rest or give it a different colour border to the rest. On this page I have used only two fonts which looks better than having lots of different typefaces which looks unprofessional and disorganised. These fonts are the same ones I used on the front cover which is another one of the few things linking this page with the first. The photo I have used on this page is very similar but slightly different to the photo on the front page. I avoided having exactly the same photo because it can get boring however I think if I done a task like this again I would use two pictures with more of an obvious difference. On the subject of photos, I again think that there should be more pictures used on this page to fill up any blank spaces and give the reader more of an idea of what's inside. Without a lot of photos my contents looks empty and despite the writing, it gives the reader the impression that there is nothing interesting inside and also with some photos I should put captions underneath so the reader knows which story they correspond to. Finally I have topped the page with a banner containing contact details and the name of the magazine which will help the reader feel that the magazine is interested in what they think.

This is my introduction.

I'm Kris Hanson.

This is my media blog. For my project I have to make a front cover, contents and two page spread of an interview of someone famous in my chosen music genre, in this case it is Indie Rock and I will be analyzing magazines like Kerrang and NME.