Friday, 12 March 2010


Q Analysis
Front cover
Masthead - Name of magazine displayed. Wrote in a unique style. Q's use of mast head is a Bold red square, with a bold capital white Q in the centre. The Q may represent 'Que the music' as in the word 'cue' they use a play on word affect.Date Line - Month and year of publication, for furture references. Q's dateline is situated on the right hand side below the coverlines. noramally situated underneath the masthead or at the bottom of the page.
Main Image - In the case of this cover there is just one single image of the artist Madonna. The Shot fills the whole magazine front, with the artist making full eye contact with whoever looks at it.With Q you usually refer it to bands and indie artists, we start to see more pop groups within these issues.
Model Credit - This Says : 'Madonna: "Stupid question! Next!" It is not unusual to have a credit like this on such a bold music magazine. The cover line shows Part of the interview puplished. Grabs the reader with this tiny bit of text.Cover lines - Q uses a many cover lines, which are spaced out around the main image. Making sure it does not draw its attention from the main shot. The cover lines are in either white or red, the same as the colour of the mast head. The colours stand out to give it a fresh bold look as the back ground is very dark.
The main cover line - Covers up to a quarter of the cover area, the font used is mainly in three sizes and or colours.Q uses two font sizes to create there main coverlines, using the largest for the Artists name(most important). In the second to largest font they use speach, large bold writing with one of the words in italics, this line is in white font witch contrasts the black background colour to capture the artist shown staring at the reader. The size in which they use there main cover line attracts the audience because they are bold and attract the audience, the main coverline appeals to the audience through the use of sans serif, it creates a proffesional look to the writting. Left third - the left third of the cover is the part shown when up on magazine stands, containing most of the cover lines and the main line. the title must be recognisable in a dozen of other competitors. Q uses a big bold font with the use of reds blacks and whites to create there main title to stand out, all the writting is large enough to see, the use of colours gives it a crisp fresh look, which is easy for the eyes to read. Its important the mast head is viable here.
Bar code - a standard bar code used by all retailers, contains the price of the magazine once scanned. Q's bar code is situtuated in the top right hand corner, which is easy to find and not stuck down in the bottom right like other magazines normally place them.
Selling lines - Short, sharp description of the title's main marketing point. Q('Britains Biggest Music Magazine') or perhaps setting out its editorial philosophy.


Contents page
The contents, again features all of the basic, such as a mast head of the magazine (Q magazine), This much like the splash, allows us to identify the intuition of the magazine. In this case Q magazine. At the left hand-side of the magazine, there is a index of what the magazine contains. The colour are quite bold e.g, red black and white. The also are colours which quite commonly go together. The red heading stands out and gives the impression (much like the contents of NME) of been new and up to date, i.e been red hot information given straight to the readers. Below the index there is text box giving the reader information on a special feature within the magazine, the colours of black and silver give us the impression of the article been special and important. We also can see a date in the far right side of the magazine on the masthead. The are two images on the contents page, the first of which is a image of the featured band in the magazine (The Courteeners). The image is placed directly in the centre of the magazine and shows all the band members is an dominant position as the camera is looking up at them. The text box in he lower left corner of the image, gives the reader more information on the band and shows us the page number of the article. Again the main colour if the text is black, which allows it to stand out to the reader. The second image is another artist, however instead of being a article its a small review at the bottom of the page. Here that artist is seen as laid back as he is using the pedestal to support himself, this also makes him seen more relaxed. The text is again black which works well with the grey colour of the text box. At the far bottom of the left side of the page there is a small text box, showing the different aspects of how the reader can get in touch with the magazine, such as; e-mail, letter and subscription. This again shows the institution of the magazine. Within this section we also get a list of things which are always in the magazine such as crosswords and competitions.



Double page spread
In this magazine I think that the audience will be middle aged because the band in the picture are middle aged and they look quite boring, so teenagers wont be interested. They are also a rock band so it will attract readers who listen to rock and metal so this might attract teenagers who like that music because they want to know what they sound like. The language that the article is using is English this is because it is an English magazine. The colours that are used are white, red and grey; I think this makes the magazine look quite serious and dull. These colours will not attract the readers as well as other double page spreads; this is a disadvantage to the magazine. The red is used for the writing to stand out because it’s the brightest and boldest colour of the three; I think this works because I more focus on the red writing.The white writing is used for explaining things like the picture, as you can see on the page it is underneath the writing it does stand out because the pictures background is not white. The grey writing is used for the text this does not stand out because there is loads of grey writing and it is small so it does not appeal to the audience well. The writing style that is used is small but bold. The title is just bold because it is the main text on the page and I think the designers of the magazine did this well, as for the other text I think they should of made it clearer by making it bold and a bit bigger so that the text in red really stands out. The double page spread is laid out very neatly, I think this because the image is taking the whole of one page and on the other page it is telling the audience who they are and what they are doing. I think this is a good idea because the audience will concentrate on the image first and then move on to the text and this is what I think the designers of the magazine wanted. I think the magazine is getting wants a personal relationship with the audience because the people in the image are looking straight forward towards the reader, I think the tone they are using is trying to get the reader to be more a fan than a close friend because in the article they are talking about how the band is going on tour and they want their fans to go, but I also think they want their fans to be their close friends because they also talk about their hometown being bad for example it says ‘wife beaters’.
NME Analysis

Front cover
The front cover of this NME magazine is very striking. It is set up in a memorial way, like a grave stone type. It is all in black with white and gold royalty, the gold represents royalty indicating that although these artists are dead they are still loved, remembered and respected like royalty figures are. They have also used these colours as they are the ones which stand out the most on a plain black background, it also fits with the typical colours of NME which are black, red and white.

The font along the sides of the cover, looks like someone has written all the writing onto the front cover itself, this is a very good effect as it makes the cover seem more authentic than fake if it had just been written in a serif or sans serif text. However, in comparison to the main headline text 'Special tribute issue', this text is written in a serif font to make it look more professional and official like a real grave stone.
The image on the cover is of rock legend Kurt Cobain. His image is a very similar size to those which are seen at funerals. It is placed dead centre of the cover with writing around it in the gold and white, again giving the authentic feel of a grave stone/plaque. The photo itself is taken in a sepia mode which gives it an old yet authentic theme but again linking back our minds to images of funerals. The way the model looks can be seen in different ways, had he been alive and presented as someones boyfriend or partner, then friends may turn their noses up or look down on that person because he upholds a very masculine, rugged look with stuble on his upper lip and chin indicating to the reader that he hasnt shaved in days prior to this photo. With bags under his eyes it also looks like he hasnt slept in days too, with old news of Kurt Cobain and peoples knowledge of his life many would have said he was probably 'off his head' which is why he looks like he does.
However, because this man is not alive any more we see the image in a different light. The look of the unshaven stubble gives a strong, manly appearance in contrast to looking like a 'druggy'. The bags under the eyes show a man that was in love with his music and was probably at a studio writing new material or at a club performing. Finally the idea of him being 'off his head' is dismissed as ludacrous.


Contents Page
The use of the ‘NME’ logo in big bold red text gives it a center piece in the page. The gives the reader constant reminders of the company leading the magazine and the resource to research the company on the internet,
The font, colours and house style are all the same type which gives the magazine a bold, but effective way of presenting their pieces. The layout is also very similar which gives the magazine structure and the reader’s a clear understanding of where to find what article or piece.
The use of sub-headings puts each piece of content into easier and clearer categories, making the magazine make sense and clearer. The images used on the contents page feature two big stars making the magazine an even greater prospect as the audience will feel more engaged and want to read the magazine more with music bands like Oasis on the contents.
The audience targeted for this magazine is very clear and obviously doesn’t relate to social groups who like gardening or ‘UK garage’ for example. It has specifically targeted people who enjoy rock and indie music through the use of an Oasis member and features on bands, such as, Arctic Monkeys.
The basic magazine structure consists of a ‘taster article’ on the contents page giving prospective buyers an insight into the content on the magazine. The pronounced use of ‘subscribe today’ is a sly way of persuading and easily showing people how you can get the magazine on a regular occasion. The sub-headings are clear and precise and show you very easily where you can access that content in the magazine. The band index gives the reader and precise showing of what bands will be in the magazine. This may give the readers more purpose to buy the magazine as maybe there could be a feature on their favourite band.



Double page spread
This double page spread is very much like the one on the Artic Moneky's band member. It has the main image at the left side, which dominates the whole page.The right page then has, again like in the other, a main title, which is big, bold and themed. The text is columned, and also has the brief sypnosis of the full article.The title is also catchy and easily recognisable to a fan of the band. The main image is also trying to attract you and grab your attention.
It seems to me that even within the double page spread, the magazine wants you to read the article and will put a lot of effort into making you want to.The theme is also important in the double page spread. Graphically, it has to look good and cool. Too many colours and it will look stupid, and too little will look boring. In this, they have used the simple black and white but revived it, to look retro and hip.

Tuesday, 9 March 2010

NME Analysis
Front cover

The front cover of this NME magazine is very striking. It is set up in a memorial way, like a grave stone type. It is all in black with white and gold royalty, the gold represents royalty indicating that although these artists are dead they are still loved, remembered and respected like royalty figures are. They have also used these colours as they are the ones which stand out the most on a plain black background, it also fits with the typical colours of NME which are black, red and white.

The font along the sides of the cover, looks like someone has written all the writing onto the front cover itself, this is a very good effect as it makes the cover seem more authentic than fake if it had just been written in a serif or sans serif text. However, in comparison to the main headline text 'Special tribute issue', this text is written in a serif font to make it look more professional and official like a real grave stone.
The image on the cover is of rock legend Kurt Cobain. His image is a very similar size to those which are seen at funerals. It is placed dead centre of the cover with writing around it in the gold and white, again giving the authentic feel of a grave stone/plaque. The photo itself is taken in a sepia mode which gives it an old yet authentic theme but again linking back our minds to images of funerals. The way the model looks can be seen in different ways, had he been alive and presented as someones boyfriend or partner, then friends may turn their noses up or look down on that person because he upholds a very masculine, rugged look with stuble on his upper lip and chin indicating to the reader that he hasnt shaved in days prior to this photo. With bags under his eyes it also looks like he hasnt slept in days too, with old news of Kurt Cobain and peoples knowledge of his life many would have said he was probably 'off his head' which is why he looks like he does.

However, because this man is not alive any more we see the image in a different light. The look of the unshaven stubble gives a strong, manly appearance in contrast to looking like a 'druggy'. The bags under the eyes show a man that was in love with his music and was probably at a studio writing new material or at a club performing. Finally the idea of him being 'off his head' is dismissed as ludacrous.



Contents Page

The use of the ‘NME’ logo in big bold red text gives it a center piece in the page. The gives the reader constant reminders of the company leading the magazine and the resource to research the company on the internet.

The font, colours and house style are all the same type which gives the magazine a bold, but effective way of presenting their pieces. The layout is also very similar which gives the magazine structure and the reader’s a clear understanding of where to find what article or piece.
The use of sub-headings puts each piece of content into easier and clearer categories, making the magazine make sense and clearer. The images used on the contents page feature two big stars making the magazine an even greater prospect as the audience will feel more engaged and want to read the magazine more with music bands like Oasis on the contents.

The audience targeted for this magazine is very clear and obviously doesn’t relate to social groups who like gardening or ‘UK garage’ for example. It has specifically targeted people who enjoy rock and indie music through the use of an Oasis member and features on bands, such as, Arctic Monkeys.

The basic magazine structure consists of a ‘taster article’ on the contents page giving prospective buyers an insight into the content on the magazine. The pronounced use of ‘subscribe today’ is a sly way of persuading and easily showing people how you can get the magazine on a regular occasion. The sub-headings are clear and precise and show you very easily where you can access that content in the magazine. The band index gives the reader and precise showing of what bands will be in the magazine. This may give the readers more purpose to buy the magazine as maybe there could be a feature on their favourite band.

Double page spread

This double page spread is very much like the one on the Artic Moneky's band member. It has the main image at the left side, which domiates the whole page.The right page then has, again like in the other, a main title, which is big, bold and themed. The text is columned, and also has the brief sypnosis of the full article.The title is also catchy and easily recognisable to a fan of the band. The main image is also trying to attract you and grab your attention.

It seems to me that even within the double page spread, the magazine wants you to read the article and will put a lot of effort into making you want to.The theme is also important in the double page spread. Graphically, it has to look good and cool. Too many colours and it will look stupid, and too little will look boring. In this, they have used the simple black and white but revived it, to look retro and hip.
Contents

The contents page for 'mixmag' has 3 images which are linked to stories inside, these are the most dominant pictures of the page. This is to make the page look attractive by filling up much of the page, while providing useful information with the page numbers. All the written main information of a contents page is in the left third of the magazine, the font on this page is attractive but nothing to fancy, it is still readable. The page title is small but stands out as it is yellow on a black background. The section title on the left is in pink which separates it from the page title and subtitles.

I think this magazine targets both male and female readers, this is due to the balance of masculine and feminine features on the magazine. The images look like they could be aimed more at men as they are quite dull and one is displaying alcohol, however the font is feminine as it is a curly attractive shape and there is pink text included, which is seen as a feminine colour. I believe the images are representing the 'indie' and 'pop, genre so therefore the audience would be of modern music.

I believe the images on this page represent the young 'indie and pop' genre, these are two of the most popular genres in todays society and I believe these images are representing the modern genres artists.
Mixmag analysis

Double page spread

The layout of the magazine is on a doublePage spread, it uses images and writing.The title is found on the right page whileThe article is on the left.Many pictures Are used mostly of people who would Go to clubs of and people that are dancing, This gives a clear indication of what the Magazine is about.

Black is used on the background to give Dark club style feeling to the reader,
And the pictures used are bright and have neon lights that make them stand out against the black. The font used is white this is so the reader can read the writing on the black background. In this article there is no featured band, but the information it give us, Connotes the idea that the article is for people who like to go clubbing.

The magazine uses informal language in this article as it uses words like ‘shit’ And phrases like chewing the fat. The words are not blocked out so it connotes the idea that the target audience for this magazine would be 17- 25 year olds as they are the typical ages that would be likely to go clubbing, and also use the phrases and words found in this article.

The magazine article is very easy to read it is as though it wants a close relationship with the reader. The images used are of people dancing, this connotes that the article is about clubbing. They use a picture of the world; this is because the title is ‘rave the planet’. Also the picture of a smiley face with two recycling eyes these two images contradict each other.

The front cover does match the article as both uses lively bright colours and pictures that are very eye catching, and words used on the front cover relates to the article like ‘party or die’.
Double page spread-Rolling stone

The article has a lot of text that is contained in an odd shaped box that has an outline of red and yellow. These three colours don’t “go” together because they only really give the impression of brightness that isn’t what you necessarily associate with Rolling Stones. Also there is no where in sight any sign of a logo or anything stereotypically Rolling Stones other than the sharpness of the box that has a gap or two for images of people. I also don’t like how the back ground is green with a odd gridded pattern. Personally, I think this double page spread is too chaotic to be successful. I believe the key to a successful double page spread is to have a specific focus point instead of having lots going on. Also, I don’t like the red writing on the green background.
Rolling stone analysis

Front cover

This magazine mainly focuses on music, politics and popular culture. From the front cover, you can tell that there the main feature is going to be an interview with Zac Efron. This is clear because the main cover line reads “THE NEW AMERICAN HEART THROB ZAC EFRON”. He is also featured on the main image of the front cover. There are also going to be articles about “Clapton’s guitar goes festival” and “Punk rock fight club”.

The target audience for this magazine is probably younger people, between 16-27 years of age. They enjoy reading about the latest music gossip, yet they are still interested in what is happening in the world. The target audience for this magazine in particular is female and probably between 16-20 years. This is due to the person that is on the front.

This magazine does not need to attract attention from the audience that much, as it is an extremely well known magazine that has been successful for many years. However, the close-up image and bright red colours of the text accompanying the main image makes the front cover stand out slightly.
Contents page
In the magazine I chose, the contents page follows a structured layout which enables the reader to get a clear view of what the magazine contains. The page is divided into sections, with images covering the majority of the page, with the information displayed around it. This format means the reader is immediately drawn to the images, enabling them to feel more involved within the magazine, and be more entertained. Similar colours are used on the front cover; yellow, black and dark blue. This gives the magazine a colour scheme, and the repeated use of colours means the magazine sustains its appearance, continuing the same genre and feeling. Two images stand out in particular, a large dark image, and a large dark yellow image. These colours contrast against the white background, meaning the images stand out and catch the reader’s attention. In the text, the use of exclamation marks represents heavy music and attitude, which connotes the style of the magazine. Also, the language used in the text is a representation of the style of magazine. ‘Your chance to win hot signed shit!’ is a very informal and slightly rude caption, which denotes to the genre of magazine.
Despite all belonging to the same style of music, each image displayed is targeted at a different aspect of music. For harder rock fans, there are slightly scary images, whereas for lighter rock fans there are images of their bands performing and smiling at the camera. Therefore, the different types of image used appeals to different areas of rock music, thus appealing to a broader market.
Double page spread

The band is a rock group who seem to be fairly new and upcoming, their audience would be people looking for a new band or people interested in rock (the people who read the magazine). Their style of clothes also appeals to teens and so do the colours used. This tells us who their target audience will be.

The colours used are black white and orange. The black is used as it is one of kerrang!’s house colours. It is also an appealing colour to their target audience. The orange is used to make the text stand out. This s used for the interview questions. White is used for their answers which also stand out from the black background. Both white and orange contrast well with black and also contrast well with each other, thus why they are used.

This double page spread is laid out in a series of text boxes, each one linking up to a different member from the band like quotation marks. Each text box has the same questions in it with the band giving their own each individual answer. The image takes up the whole page with the text overlaying it. The audience value the look of the band and their image as much as they value the text because they both are shown and both giving equal priority.
Kerrang analysis

Front cover

Kerrang! is a hard rock and metal music magazine. The front cover shows Ville Valo on the front cover with the cover line saying “The Amazing Resurrection Of Ville Valo” so the magazine will feature something about him inside. It also lists more bands down the side, this shows there may be interviews or reviews or something about them inside the magazine as well.
The target audience for this magazine would primarily be teenagers (mainly those 16+) and also those in their 20’s. Some of its audience would be around their 30’s (the same age as the people featured in the magazine). You can tell that the target audience is mainly teenagers because the bands featured in this magazine have got mainly teenage fans, and also the title itself appeals to teenagers and people in their late 20’s (the design of it is edgy which appeals to them). From the front cover we can only see that their interests are mainstream rock groups. The front cover has a header listing some mainstream bands; the main image on the front cover is of the lead singer of a mainstream rock group, and on the side they list other mainstream rock groups that are going to be in the magazine and also are advertising that they have posters of yet more mainstream rock groups. If we wanted to find out any more of their interests we would have to look inside the magazine at the table of contents.
In what ways does your media products use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

With my magazine I tried to follow the normal conventions to a school magazine and felt that my magazine was a success with in this. The language I used was simple and easy to read making the contents of the rest of the magazine clear for all readers that pick up the magazine also it make it easy for all students to read.

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My media product represents mainly teenage education social groups as the front cover is of a male teenager standing in a school classroom solving a equation. It also appeals to parents as they can engage in the child’s life.

What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Media institutions that would distribute my media product would be schools or possibly the government as this is where you would find your targeted audience also these would be the cheapest sources.

Who would be the audience for your media product?

My media product is solely aimed at students and parents of students as these are the only audience that would have concern for this type of magazine.

How did you attract/address your audience?

I attracted my target audience by including stories on the front cover that would initially involve my target audience and I addressed them by showing that what the magazine would include

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

I have learnt a lot as I was constantly using photoshop. It showed me the difficulties that you can have when constructing this type of product, such as the amount of layers used and I also learnt how detailed you can be with in a photo.