EVALUATION

Click here to view Evaluation Process

Final Drafts

For all of my final drafts i have added bleed lines so that all of the content for the pages will definitely be printed. For my double page spread i have left an empty space in the middle, this is so that the crease in the middle of the page does not cover or distort any of the content. On my contents page there is quite large gaps between page numbers, this is because my magazine is a free magazine and will need a lot of advertising inside and i did not put the adverts on the contents page. I also have quite a low number of pages, that is because my magazine is a monthly magazine and so it does not have as much content as a quarterly magazine.

Double Page Spread 1st Draft

Here is the first draft of my Double Page Spread:

Editing Photos for Double Page spread

For the exterior shots and the working i made sure that the lighting was all correct by picking the right time of day and using an artificial light so there was no editing needed:

Photo above: This photo is good as it portrays the hard work and effort that goes in behind the scenes of making music.

Photo Above: I chose this photo for my main photo as it adds to the mystery behind the artist. The lighting also shows the connotations of underground and the artist is coming into the light and is upcoming.

Photo Above: This photo was good as i thought it was very powerful in showing how the artist is dark and this represents his style of music. It also shows he is upcoming as he is walking towards the camera.

However for one of the closeups i wanted to edit it slightly as the lighting was poor and there was clutter in the background which i wanted to remove.  I wanted to remove the clutter as it  was very distracting to the eye, and without it audiences focus on the artist. Below are the originals and the edited version:



Second Photoshoot for Double Page Spread

Here is evidence of my second photoshoot:

This photoshoot i wanted to get some pictures for the smaller strip of images which i want to feature on my Double Page Spread. I wanted to get a picture of the artist working on music to show it is not all relaxing and fun, i also wanted to use the product placement of Apple, who are a featured advertiser.

Photoshoot for Double Page Spread

Here is some evidence of my first photoshoot for my double page spread:

I found a good location for my shoot. I wanted to make sure that the location was urban and dirty as it fits with the style of dubstep. I found a good tunnel which showed all of the features i was looking for. At the location i tried lots of different poses and scenarios, to make sure i had a wide variety of shots to choose from. I also made sure that you can clearly see the sponser of the artist in the image, Converse, this is product placement.

Pros:

- Shows the darker side of dubstep

- Stone walls and lighting shows underground

- The light to the left shows the artist is coming to light/ becoming popular

- Hoodie shows the artist is unknown

- Rule of thirds

Cons:

- Can not see the artist very clearly

- The model is small so not so eye catching

Pros:

- Rule of thirds

- Artist wearing hoodie representing unknown artist

- industrial area shows the urban style dubstep

- Striking image as breaks conventions of facing towards camera

Cons:

- Not much representation of underground

- Not a very dark image so does not show the dark side of the music and genre

Pros:

- Rule of thirds

- the industrial setting portrays the urban genre

- the hoodie shows it is an unknown artist

- the walking shows the artist is on a journey to success

- the model is reasonably large in the image

Cons:

- The image is quite bright so does not portray the darkness of the genre

- There are no semiotics suggesting underground

Contents Page 1st Draft

Here is my first draft of my contents page:

In my contents page i have used conventions in my research, such as having the list on one side of the page. I have also made it very artistic by creating my own style. I have made sure it links in with the house style and colour scheme i created on my cover, using the glowing red bar. I have also made sure that it links with the cover by using the same model and i made sure that it is an urban image. I added the colour yellow to the scheme as i wanted to make sure that the featured story stood out from the rest, and the audience know who the model is.

Photo Editing for Contents Page

I know that i want half a face on one side of my contents page and the other half of the page being the list of contents. I took a whole face shot so i can decide where to cut it later. To do this i needed to make sure that i had an image which was striking. I wanted the photo to be urban, and show dirty. I know that in a magazine the cover, contents and double page must link together by showing the same model. The facial expression i wanted was something that portrayed dark. Dark is a word commonly related to dubstep and artists want to get as dark as possible, so in my photo i made sure that i portrayed this. I edited the photo to give it a dirty green shade and made it faded. The facial expression is also very serious to emphasise the darkness of the image.

Cover 1st Draft

Here is my 1st draft of the cover:

On my cover i have used the conventions which i chose in my research. I decided to make it a free magazine so i did not need to include a barcode, making it seem more artistic.
Although in the article about free magazines it says they can be like posters, i wanted my free magazine to look like a paid one so when people see it they will think that its a good deal that they are getting it for free.
I created a colour scheme and style on the cover, this was to make it seem professional and it targets my audience as i found that a lot of my audience are males.

Editing and Choosing a Photo for the cover

From my photoshoot I narrowed down to 2 photos. These are the 2 shown below:

 

 

I chose these 2 photos to test out both of my ideas for the cover. The one on the left i feel portrays all of the emotions I wanted to be shown on my cover, these are determination, seriousness and dubstep related. I did this by adding headphones and making sure that the facial expression shows these. The image is also quite striking however to increase the impact i would need to edit it.

 

The second image (the right image) was to use my idea of a mystery artist inside the magazine and this goes against a lot of conventions but i feel it would add to the mystery of the magazine aking people want to open it to find out who is inside. This image portrays the mystery behind who it could be but i made sure that you could clearly see the link to music using the clear outline of headphones. However this image could also need editing to change the backround colour to make it seem like more dubstep and night club lighting.

 

Here are my 2 photos again after editing:

 

 

On the left photo i have added some effects to create a more striking image. I have increased the brightness to make it catch the eye more, i have also added a shine on to the headphones, this makes it more obvious to you and adds to the musical ideology. the shine on the headphones also represents how it is new and the genre is new too. I have faded a lot of the body so it focuses you more on the face.

The image on the right i have changed the backround lighting to a light blue this is more of the colour you would see in a nightclub and i have made the shadow a lot more sharper so that it stands out a lot more.

 

 

Overall i think i will choose the image on the left. I think this is a very striking image and will catch the audience it also has a lot of connotations to music and dubstep. It is very explicit too, as it clearly shows what the magazine is about, whereas although a mystery would make people curious it may not make them curious enough to get the magazine and it may also make people have questions over what kind of magazine it is.

 

Photo shoot for cover

In my photo shoot i knew that i wanted to use a striking close-up as seen in my market research. I found this was the most effective way to attract the eye. To make sure that it attracts the eye the facial expression is very important and as i found in the podcast the model on the front must represent what the magazine is about and what the person is about. In my photo shoot i wanted to feature 'Charz', the new upcoming artist who is featured in my magazine. The pose i wanted the model to have is serious, to show that they are a serious dubstep artist, i also wanted to show determination and the focus on the music. To make the model seem focused on music i made the model wear headphones, headphones is a good representation of music and dubstep, as dubstep is created not by an instrument but on a computer therefore featuring an instrument wouldn't be very effective.
A second idea in the photo shoot i had was to play with the conventions, by showing an artist on the front however show it as a silhouette so that no one knows who the artist is and they have to open to find out.
I tried various different shots, here are some of the photos i took in my photo shoot below:

Pros:

- Striking image through facial expression, shows the seriousness of the artist

- Black background shows the darkness of the genre

- Shine of headphones representing the music

- Camera looking upwards shows the power 

Cons:

- does not show the determination of the artist

- does not portray the artist as likeable

Pros:

- Shine of headphones to show the music side of the artist

Camera is in line with the eyes, shows they are an equal to the audience

- Facial expression is striking as looks at the audience and shows determination

- The editing puts light on the face which contests the dark background to show the upcoming talent with the dark genre

Cons:

- Editing is obvious and can sometimes stir controversy

Pros:

- creates a mystery about who the artist is

- clear outline of headphones to show music semiotics

- Breaks all conventions of having a clear image of an artist on the front - so is striking

Cons:

- Audiences may not want to look inside as do not care who the artist is

- colours are very plain and dull

Target Audience opinion

I have been posting links to my blog and posts on various different forums, in the hope that i will get my target audience's opinion and i will be able to find out more information on what it is that they are interested in and they look for in a magazine.

Market Research: Model Representation on Magazine covers podcast

I listened to a podcast on the representation of women on magazine covers, due to the recent controversy on the Lena Dunham - Vogue cover (as seen below)

The controversy around the magazine is that it is clearly photoshopped and it does not represent reality. The editors of other magazines say that they found in their research that people want to see and read things that are reality and are not patronising, for example women's magazines showing real un-photoshopped women. Also this magazine had controversy over why they did not show the models entire body as she is famous for being so open with it and they did not show it, this depletes the point of the cover. However one argument for this was that high end magazines audience expect to see perfection and therefore perfect women. 

From the podcast i managed to gather a lot of good notes on what it is that a magazine should have and should do, here is what i found:

- The model on the cover should represent what the magazine is about and what the model stands for

- The model can also effect what audience pick up the magazine as if it is something they can relate to they will more likely be interested in what it has to say

- Viewers like the magazine to be ethical as it gives the magazine respect, that way people will appreciate it more and like it

- A key quote in the podcast was "speak to the audience how they want to be spoke to" this means that i should make sure in my communication i am not patronising and i make sure that i don't give off any bad signals

- Lastly i found that i should make sure the magazine is inspiring, interesting, enjoyable and educational, these re the main aims for a magazine to make sure that a reader goes away happy and wants to get another issue.

Market Research: Free Music Magazines Making a Big Noise

The Guardian Article - Free Music Magazines

Above is a link to an article in the guardian talking about the upcoming of the free magazines. Looking at the article it talks about why the free magazines were started and what they tried to do.

In the article it says "money is not motivation", "they are filled with beautiful designs and unique features that cater to a niche but committed market of underground music obsessives.". This quote tells me that these free magazines are very popular in the underground scene and are not about making money but attracting the audience for the genre.
As Dubstep is a new genre and is still very underground, the audience are all very committed to the genre as it is very different to anything else. This means that a free magazine would be a very good option for me. Especially as the article says: a"a wave of free music magazines that are getting paid-for publications a run for their money", this means that it would be a good time to publish a free magazine as they are growing very popular at the minute.

However if i decided to make my magazine a free magazine then it means that it would have to be funded by advertising as advertising is what keeps them going. This means that my magazine would have to contain a lot of adverts, however in my research I had a few free magazines these were: Fly and DIY.

I have concluded that to attract my audience and as many people as possible it would be best to make it a free magazine as it means that lots of people will pick it up and my audience are Dubstep fans which is an underground genre, meaning to hear the music you often have to go to gigs and therefore they will want to save as much money as possible and they will easily be able to pick it up at the gigs that they go to.

Initial Ideas for Double Page Spread

Above are my initial ideas for my double page spread.
The creases down the middle of the page are to represent the actual divide between the two pages in a real magazine.
When designing my double page spread i used the research i had discovered from looking at real media examples. From my research i discovered that it was very similar to the contents page in the way that it did not have many trends and conventions however it did have a few vital ones which i have ensured are included on my designs. This is because the magazines dont ever want to have the same designs appear twice so they need to make sure that each article is different and has its own unique style. I have made sure that my designs have their own individuality's so they are not the same as anything else.
The vital conventions i did include however are:
- A large photograph of an artist, often taking up a whole page
- A large title font
- Small blocks of text in a smaller font below the title
- A quote from the article in a larger font
- Various smaller photographs of what the article is about
- The first letter of the article is often larger than usual and in bold

Contents Page Initial Ideas

Above are my initial ideas for my contents page.
From my researched I discovered that there were little conventions that were used, but the ones I found were vital ones to include. Therefore I have created these flat plans taking the conventions I chose into consideration and I then tried to make it as original and artistic as possible.
The vital conventions were:
- Always have a photograph of an artist
- The cover story stands out from the rest
- The title is always at the top of the page
- The list of pages is never directly centred
- pop ups of extra information of offers or the magazine company

In my flat plans I tried using various different title fonts, the ones that are more original are good as it gives the magazine something to be recognised by.
I used banners along the edges of the page to create a house style and this will also add to the recognisability of the magazine.
I wanted to try and make all of the headlines stand out, from my research I found that some magazines used different ways to show the pages on the same contents page, I found this wasnt very effective as it lost my attention on the ones that didnt stand out very much. Therefore I used the same style across all pages. I wanted to advertise the artist and other things on the contents page as this was a convention and trend, so I want to make sure there is space for all of the images i want to include.

Initial ideas for cover

Above are some drawings of initial ideas I had for my cover. I have tried to stick with the conventions that I chose in my earlier post, however i have also tried to give it some individuality. From my research i concluded that close ups were very effective on covers so i have tried a couple with close ups. I also tired one without a close up to challenge the convention.

From my research I also found that simple bold text was used often, i tried that on 2 ideas and i challenged this convention on my 3rd idea. I can see that the bolder simple font does stand out more.

On all covers i had to stick with the convention of subheadings as it can be used to lure readers. However to give my magazine individuality i will use a small amoun of subheadings so it is enough to get people interested but keep them curious.

I also wanted to use the idea of having black space so from these ideas I tried to leave a lot of black spaces as this blank space often attracts the eye.

One other convention sometimes used in real magazines are banners at the top or bottom of the cover. I want to use this idea to explicitly say who my magazine is for, as you can see from my initial flat plans.

Double Page Spread Conventions

Here is a list of conventions i found on the double page spreads:
- A large photograph of an artist, often taking up a whole page
- A large title font
- Small blocks of text in a smaller font below the title
- A quote from the article in a larger font
- Various smaller photographs of what the article is about
- The first letter of the article is often larger than usual and in bold

There are not many conventions for a double page spread as it must be unique and creative to stand out from thr rest of the other articles. Therefore the conventions that i have found are ones which are must haves. The aim of the double page spread is to get the audience to be able to see what the article is about withiut reading and then enticing them to read. In my double page spread i will use these primary conventions but i will have a creative design which will make it stand out from other articles and give it its individuality.

Double Page Spread Comparisons

 

 

 

Here is a selection of double page spreads in music magazines. The pages that stand out the most are the ones with the large close ups as they are more attractive to the eye than blocks of text.

 

The ones that are the best alsodisguise the text so that it does not look like a lot to read but actually is a lot of information.

 

The Lorde double page spread is effective because it has the artist name a different colour to the rest of the page so it stands out from everything else, so if you are going to get anything from the page it is the most important information.

 

 The pages which use colour effectively work the best especiallythe ones which have the black backgrounds on the pages, this is because using bright colours on a black background stands out more.

 

Having small blocks of text surrounded by space makes it seem like less so the page is more attractive to read, and it also makes the page look more creative and artistic.

 

Conventions of a Contents Page

Here is a list of conventions on contents pages:
- Always have a photograph of an artist
- The cover story stands out from the rest
- The title is always at the top of the page
- The list of pages is never directly centred
- pop ups of extra information of offers or the magazine company

Overall i found that there are not many conventions of the contents pages and most magazines have their own styles which they like to use. The conventions that i did find are ones that must be used and are seen on all of the pages i looked at but there is still lots of things you can change. I will ensure that i use all of the vital conventions but other than that i will create my own style for a contents page.

Choosing a magazine name

I have tried to come up with lots of names for a music magazine. I want my name to be related to the music industry but also represent the new genre of dubstep. Here is a list of ideas:

DubCity
Pitch_Black
CityDub
StreetDub
BassDrop
Darkstep
Wobble Bass

All of these names are related to dubstep but the one i like the most is Pitch_Black, it represents the new genre as dubstep is all about getting darker and making the darkest music so this has connotations to that. Pitch_Black also has connotations to night, this links in with the night club and underground culture of dubstep. Pitch is also another common word associated with music making it obvious that it is something to do with music. The "_" also represents the modern genre and is used as a space on computers, this shows that it is new and has connotations to technology which is what is needed for dubstep to be created.

Contents Page Research

Here is an arrangement of the magazines showing the contents pages, from this i can compare them all on the impact they have. The contents pages which i find are the most effective and why are mentioned below:

Top Middle - This one is effective as it uses a very large photograph of a musician and this large image creates a very big impact on the reader, this is a good technique however is very dependent on the quality of image, to pull of this technique the image must be a very striking image making it high risk

Left side Middle - This contents page is effective as it uses colour very well, the large block of colour makes it stand out from the page. It also uses an interesting style on the title which stands out a lot on the page. This technique is very good as it is simply done and works very well.

Centre - This stands out as it disobeys the obvious convention which is of using a white background. it also stands out by using a reasonably large photograph which is very colourful. This technique is very effective as you see a relevant image which represents the themes of the magazine and it also has individuality.

Bottom left - This page is very effective as it uses a lot of smaller images, this is good because they do not take over the page and stop you from reading the contents but they give you a good insight into what the magazine is about.

Problems with the rest - One problem with the other contents pages it that they do not have one thing which catches the readers eye, there must be something on the page which is either big enough or colourful enough to attract the readers eye, otherwise the reader will just skim past the page. This issue can be resolved by using a larger image or larger subheadings or blocks of colour. Another issue is that they have too much on the contents page, when there is so much it confuses the reader and makes it so you are not sure what it is you are to focus on, therefore it is best to have a little less and keep it simple but attractive.-

Who are my Audience??

My magazine is aimed at all of the people who listen to any kind of dubstep, i wanted to find out more in depth information about who these people are, here is my research:

I started off by conducting website analytics for sites i thought people who listen to dubstep would visit, i searched in on google 'dubstep', the first site that came up was www.dubstep.net, i then got an analytics of the site ( http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/dubstep.net ), From the analytics of this site i could see that: The majority of people were male, most were viewing from the USA, Most people went to college, most were between the ages of 15-25, most were on Facebook, youtube, twitter or sound cloud and recent search criterias were dubstep songs.

From this information i could get a general idea of what my audience was, i then decided to use their search criteria and see what came up and analyse that website. The first website was www.djz.com from the analytics of this website it was very similar to the dubstep.net, with most at college, most male, most from the USA and UK, and most in the similar age range. These were common statistics on dubstep related sites.

I now have a clear understanding of my audience:
- Male
- Aged 15-25
- Goes to College or in education
- Often on Social networks
- Live in the UK or USA
- Listen to music on Youtube

After getting all of this information i decided to find out what kind of things these people like. I started with looking at the average income for ages 15-25.
The average income for this age group is £7800 a year and ranges between £3600 and £12,000 a year. This shows that the age group is not very rich and therefore will not be able to afford much luxuries.

From visiting various dubstep related websites i looked at the advertisements on their sites, things shown were often priced below £250, the common products were headphones and speakers. From this i can see that in my magazine i should try to advertise these types of products for no more than a price of £250 and try to get exclusive offers on these products to help get readers.

Choice of Cover Conventions

From the list of conventions there are some which i would like to use on my magazine however, i want to change some of them so that my magazine is unique and has some individuality. The conventions i would like to use are:
- Heading of magazine at the top of the page - this is a must use convention as it is viewable on a stand

- Barcode on cover - for ease to find price

- Having subheadings on the left and right sides of the cover - However not many as i want minimal amounts of text to stop it looking trashy

- Having a musician on the cover - This convention is very important as the expression of the artist can decide whether people buy it or not, For my magazine i will want to advertise the new upcoming artist on which the double page spread is about as the cover links to a double page. I will want the featured artist to show an expression which portrays the new genre but is also very striking. I also want to use the minimalistic approach similar to what i found in my research to also make it stand out on the shelf

- The cover image links to a double page spread - this will be done with the main image being of the new upcoming artist

- The font styles are clear and bold - so that it is obvious and can compete on the stands for attention

- One artist name is featured in bold on the cover - this will be the name of the new upcoming artist.

- A banner at the top or bottom of the page featuring information on the magazine - This will be used as i can mention my audience explicitly to show exactly who my magazine is for so my audience will know straight away if the magazine is for them

- No more than 3 font styles - so it is not overly complicated on the cover and has a house style laid out

- No more than 3 predominant colours on the cover - to keep it to a common theme and not too confusing.

- A list of artist names - This is a good idea as it helps audiences know if the magazine is for them, for example, when people see the list of names if it is a list of artists they recognise as liking then they may think that this is the magazine for them

List of Cover Conventions

Conventions in magazine covers

Heading of magazine at the top of the page
Barcode on cover
Having subheadings on the left and right sides of the cover
Having a musician on the cover
The cover image links to a double page spread
The font styles are clear and bold
The title text is often behind the cover image
One artist name is featured in bold on the cover
Often has a solid background colour with an image of an artist overlaying
A banner at the top or bottom of the page featuring information on the magazine
No more than 3 font styles
No more than 3 predominant colours on the cover
A list of artist names

Cover trends and inspiration

On the left side are the magazine covers I find are the most eye-catching and intriguing, on the right side are the magazines I find the least eye-catching and interesting. 

The magazines on the right are not very interesting because they all look very similar, they have followed trends.
- As they all have followed the trends so closely they have no individuality and this makes them seem boring.
- They also have put as much sub headings on the page as possible this makes it seem very trashy like a womans gossip magazine. 

The magazines on the left however all have their own individual trends which make them stand out from the rest, for example DJBROADCAST uses a minimalistic cover which is very different and interesting.
- Clash and Mixmag use the same headline convention however they do not fill the page completely with subheadings they leave space this makes the image stand out more and the magazine seem more classy.

In my magazine I like the idea of using a minimalistic approach as it adds mystery and makes you want to read on and find out what is inside, and I would like to give my magazine its own convention which gives it its individuality.
However I would also need to ensure that I stick to the vital conventions of all music magazines, these are: Having the magazine title in large at the top of the page; Featuring a large band name on the front cover; using some kind of subheadings; featuring the barcode and price on the front; using no more than 3 fonts.

Cover Research

Here is a collection of the music magazines I have. I have arranged them so I can see which covers stand out and catch my eye the most. From this the most eye-catching ones are: DIY, NME, Q and DJBROADCAST. 

DIY is very eye-catching as it shows an extreme closeup of 2 people, this technique is used often however not usually a close-up that much. 

NME is eye-catching due to the colour used, it uses lots of different bright colours, and the page is made of the colour wheel. The use of lots of different colour makes it stand out from the rest which do not use as much. 

Q stands out due to the logo. The logo is very large and is the main thing on the cover it is also a very bright red and is the only thing on the cover which uses such a bright colour so it stands out. It also uses colour in a block so it stands out from the rest which do not use so much bright colour in blocks. 

DJBROADCAST stands out due to the strong use of black, there is so much black on the cover with no writing or headlines, this makes it stand out a lot from the rest as it is an eye-catching colour and the huge blocks make it stand out even more. This minimalistic approach makes you curious and study the cover more. However the disadvantage to this is the not sticking to the convention of having a title at the top as on a shelf you would not be able to see it.

Overall it is obvious that colour plays the biggest part in catching the eye. I can see that when colour is put in an empty space in large amounts it attracts the eye. Also the minimalistic approach makes audiences curious and wonder what the magazine is about and what is inside. Using a good image is also important I can see that the ones that stand out are the ones that use close-ups on individuals faces as appose to ones of groups which make the cover seem smaller and therefore not so attractive.

Inspiration

Mixmag is the closest thing to the genre of music i want to do. Mixmag has a similar audience to my magazine. This magazine seems to show a lot of common trends on the genre of magazine.
One common trend seems to be the style of having a lot of text on and images surrounding the main image. I think this makes the cover seem very overcrowded and makes me unsure on what it is i need to look at, this issue is attempted to be fixed by making yellow a common colour and then the odd splash of pink on the things they wish to stand out.
However i found that the covers that make more of a impact are the ones which are more minimal, this also does not make the magazine seem very trashy.
This magazine uses only 3 fonts and that is common for a lot of magazines as it has to stick to a house style and that gives the magazine its individualism.
The magazine also has a subheading for the title and this is used to try and attract more people and address the target audience.
This cover uses the rule of thirds too. It has subheadings to the left, an image in the middle and then subheadings to the right.

Genre Research

After researching on the internet and looking in shops I can see that there are magazines for a lot of  genres, however one genre which there is hardly any magazines is Dubstep. Dubstep is a new genre however it is becoming very big and popular, therefore is the perfect time to release a new magazine for the genre with information on new releases, exclusive artist interviews, tour dates etc. I will research lots of different genre music magazines so that I can see common trends and patterns in them.
For those who don't know Dubstep is an underground genre started in london clubs, it is composed on computers using samples and simulation software. It mainly consists of a strong bassline and the rest is sampled on top. However there are 2 types of dubstep, one is the heavy up beat style which is the hardcore dance and rave, then there is the slow downbeat style which is more like trance music. It is an electronic style of music and is becoming a very popular genre in the younger generation internationally.

School Magazine contents page flat plan

Here is a flat plan of my idea for a contents page, if I was to create a contents page for my school magazine.

Final School Magazine

I have made my final school magazine cover. I used some of the trends that i found in my previous market research. In my cover i have used complimentary covers and have given it a winter theme. For my winter theme i have made sure that my model and the weather represents the season and that the theme of the magazine and contents is based on the winter season. From my research i found that sub headings are not needed for a school magazine, especially as my magazine is explicitly for one school so it does not need something to make people know who it is for.

Photoshoot

I have finished my photoshoot for the school magazine cover. I tried using various different locations some inside and some outside. I used a female model as it seemed to be a common trend but i also used a male model a little bit just to compare. I also tried a variety of poses, some to make it seem like a hard working school and some to make it seem like the student enjoys school.

Initial Ideas

I have a few ideas of what i could do for my cover after doing a lot of research. My ideas are based on the trends and patterns i found in my market research. Here are some of my ideas for photographs:

- A female or male student doing some work in a classroom focused on work

- A female or male student doing some work in a classroom looking at the camera smiling

- A female or male student sitting in a classroom reading a book

- A female student outside the school smiling at the camera

When doing my photoshoot i will try all of these different shots and decide which one i think looks best.

Real media research techniques

I have used real life media techniques to research a large amount of school magazines. What i have done is got a wide variety of magazine covers and then i have made options down the side to choose from and i have put a cross if the option is used in the specific magazine. This technique is really good because it can see the trends and patterns in all of the magazines and give you an idea on what things work well and what things dont work well. From my research i found:

Commonly used techniques:
- Female models
- Smart uniform
- Primary Colours

Uncommon Techniques:
- Casual Clothes
- Quotes
- School Logo

In my cover i would like to use a female model, wearing smart clothes or uniform as it represents the school well and as clever. I would like to have the school logo on the cover but discreetly so that it is directly related to marlwood. I will use complimentary and primary colours so that it stands out but i will make sure the colours i use do not have any bad connotations.

School Magazine Market Research

Here are some examples of school magazine front covers. On most of the covers the title of the magazine is at the top of the page, the ones that work best are the larger ones across the whole top of the page. The good ones often use clear fonts and are solid fonts which contrast the rest of the page, they also often have a clear background behind them appose to a lot of varying colours and images. They all have text around the medium close up of the student ad use keywords such as "Exclusive" to attract attention. There is often clear sub headings. Most students on the cover look intellectual and hard working. Common colours are white, yellow, blue, red and green.