Initial ideas and changes

I have decided to base my magazine on the Dubstep music style. The magazine will be called “The Drop”. I’ve called it this because it’s a term used in Dubstep, so people will instantly recognize it if they like Dubstep.  The title will droop down so it looks like it’s dropping to tie in with the name. The magazine will be targeted at teenagers so the features will need to connect with them. The colour scheme will be blue and black to give it an electronic look. The cover will feature a photo of a Dubstep artist along with tag lines stating what features will be in the magazine. For my double page spread I will do an interview with a popular artist. The issue will be an Autumn edition. My contents page will look busy and will be packed with features and a variety of pictures. It will follow the house style, having the title in the top corner with the same blue and black colour scheme.

Survey and survey analysis

Survey

Gender;

Male [ ]

Female [ ]

Age;

12-14 [ ]

15-18 [ ]

18-20 [ ]

20+ [ ]

Favourite music genre;

Rock [ ]

Dance [ ]

Dubstep [ ]

R&B [ ]

Indie [ ]

Preferred colour scheme;

Blue & Black [ ]

Red & Black [ ]

Blue & Red [ ]

Green & Yellow [ ]

Purple & Blue [ ]

How regular should the magazine be;

Weekly [ ]

Fortnight [ ]

Monthly [ ]

Seasonally [ ]

How often do you buy magazines

Regularly [ ]

Every now and then [ ]

Rarely [ ]

Never [ ]

How much do you spend on magazines;

£1.00-£2.00 [ ]

£2.00-£3.00 [ ]

£3.00-£4.00 [ ]

£4.00-£5.00 [ ]

£5.00+ [ ]

What would you like for the double page spread;

Interview with popular artist [ ]

Interview with upcoming artist [ ]

Reviews [ ]

Games/Puzzles [ ]

Would you rather buy a cheaper magazine with no extras e.g CD, or more expensive with extras;

Without extras [ ]

With extras [ ]


The results of the survey show that most of the of the people that that took part in it were between 15 and 18 and the most popular music choices were rock and dubstep. Most people don't buy magazines that often and when they do, they normally go for cheaper ones without extras. The double page spread that people wanted to see most was the interview with a popluar artist and their preferred edition would be a christmas one.

Institutions Research

Bauer Media

Bauer Media is a division of the Bauer Media Group, Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide media empire offering over 300 magazines in 15 countries, as well as online, TV and radio stations. Bauer Media joined the Bauer Media Group in January 2008.Bauer Media is a multi-platform UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions – Magazines and Radio - widely recognised and rewarded as being industry innovators. The business is built on influential media brands with millions of personal relationships with engaged readers and listeners. The strategy is to connect audiences with excellent content through their broad multi-touch point brand platforms, wherever and whenever and however they want. The wide portfolio of influential brands gives them advantages over pure play magazine or radio competitors. The magazine heritage stretches back to 1953 with the launch of Angling Times and the acquisition in 1956 of Motor Cycle News, both still iconic brands within their portfolio. The seeds of the company’s radio business were planted in 1990 with the acquisition of London dance station Kiss FM (now called Kiss 100), followed by the acquisition of Liverpool's Radio City and later by TWC and the Metro Group. Then came the acquisition of Melody FM which was transformed into the market-leading Magic 105.4. In 1994, the company bought a small magazine called For Him Magazine which is now the core of the best-selling international multi-platform brand FHM.In 1996, they acquired digital music TV channel The Box, as a route into the small screen business, which has grown into Box Television, a seven channel joint venture TV business with Channel 4.Continuing its history of magazine launches, Closer was launched in 2002 and Britain’s first weekly glossy, GRAZIA, was launched in 2005.Today, Bauer Media spans over 80 influential brand names covering a diverse range of interests including heat – the must have weekly celebrity title, Parkers, MATCH!, CAR and Yours.

I would not pick this publishing company because they focus on an older audience and they don't really focus on Dubstep music. Instead they focus on more popular genres like pop music and glamour magazines. I would chose Development Hell instead because they focus more on dance and club music like with their magazine Mixmag, and at the moment they only have 2 magazines so they will be looking to expand their range.

Similar Product research contents page analysis "Kerrang"

On this “Kerrang” contents page it has a similar colour scheme as the front cover with the white, black and yellow. This contents page is in a different magazine to the front cover but it shows the house style as it has the same colours. The page is packed with pictures and text to leave as little white space as possible. The page lists twenty-four features of what’s in the magazine so my contents page will have to have a lot of features for it to look professional. The black writing on the white background makes it clear to read and the yellow headlines make them stand out so they draw your attention. The page has five different pictures of different bands so my page will need a variety of pictures too. The pictures are set out with a bigger picture which is most the likely the main article with smaller pictures around it. Up in the top right corner it says “contents” in the house style colours again with the issue number and date, this is repeated through each issue of the magazine. Under this is a quote from a famous artist, which makes the reader want to read on to see what else he says. This contents page is very well presented as it looks busy and is packed with information but it’s not too overwhelming.

Similar Product research front cover analysis "Kerrang"

On this “Kerrang” magazine cover the title has lines through it to look like broken glass, this helps promote the idea of rock music. The white writing on the blue background makes it really clear and eye catching. Also because these colours are quite subdued the yellow boxes stand out and draw the readers attention straight away. Also because there are only three colours on the page it's not too busy and does't overwhelm the reader. The magazine is directed at a certain audience as it has colloquialisms like “WTF” and “booty”. These words are connected to teenagers and the inside features are about things teenagers like such as “Harry Potter” and bands they like. The magazine has a strap line that gives information about upcoming gigs and tells you about whats in the magazine “8-page pull-out”. This is a good idea as it may make readers want to buy the magazine more, so I may use this idea on my magazine. At the bottom it says what else is in the magazine so people might like them bands and so buy the magazine. The photo of Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day shows him in black clothes which are usually associated with rock music. Also the way he looks off camera, almost uninterested, makes him look cool so people will want to be like him and so buy the magazine to see how to be like him. The price and issue are in the bottom corner in a white box so they're clear to see, also there is the website address so people can go to the website and learn more about the magazine.

Evaluation of what I have learnt so far

I have learnt how to use the macs correctly, being able to save my work properly and use the different software such as NeoOffice and Adobe. Before I learnt how to save my work properly I tried to upload my picture onto the blog but it was in the wrong format, but now I can upload pictures without problems. I have also learnt how to use adobe and be able to edit photos and change things, like being able to blur backgrounds and select certain parts of the photo. I can now use the cameras properly and take pictures correctly and know key terms and things to look for when doing photography, such as rule of thirds and the type of background to choose and what shot types to pick. 

Preliminary task front cover analysis

For my front cover I have done the writing yellow because it stands out against the black and brick background also it helps draw the attention of the reader. I have done the title in capitals so that it stands out and again helps draw attention, I also made it look interesting by making the “the” bigger than the rest of the title. The background is plain so it doesn't distract people from the subject. The different tag lines are underlined so they stand out. A problem with the photo however is that it is more of a profile shot than a portrait shot. If I did this task again I would choose a different photo so it was tighter to remove some of the background and have the person stood more portrait.