Looking back at your preliminary task (the college magazine task), what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to full product?

I feel that my knowledge and skill in using photoshop has developed since working on the preliminary task of the college magazine and since moving on to the music magazine. I have used a wide range of photoshop tools while making my music magazine, these include:

The brush tool:

I have used a variety of brushes to create a grunge feel to the feature article. This is also a theme associated with the music genres included in the magazine so I therefore wanted my magazine to have an overall grunge theme. The advantages of using brushes is that it gives me more of a chance to change the overall design but a disadvantage is that most brushes appear blurred which can ruin the overall image.

Blending Options:

I have also used blending options to create shadows for some of my fonts; some of my fonts didn’t really standout from the background so a drop shadow helped make the font standout from the background. This can make the font easier to read but it doesn’t always make the font standout from the background enough.

Layers:

When creating my images I used multiple layers to make it easier to change the layout of my magazine. Having certain fonts and images on different layers made it easy for me to move things around the page and I was also able to hide certain layers so I could see how my magazine would look without a certain font of image.

Colour Selection:

The colour selecton tool is very simple to use, I found it very helpful when creating my magazine as I was able to use different tones for my text. When i originally went to pick the font for "Rock Star" I wanted to use green as it would standout from the background, when I was playing around with the colour selection tool I was able to find an appropriate tone to go with my magazine cover, contents page and feature article.

Progression from College magazine to Music magazine:

I feel that I have improved my photoshop techniques since working on the college magazine. The design for my college magazine was very basic compared to my music magazine. The image on the right doesn't really appear to be a magazine whereas the image on the left looks like a proper magazine product as it follow the cconventions when it comes down to layout. My target audience has been addressed more effectively in the main task then they were in the preliminary task, my college magazine was aimed at students so therefore only students would read my magazine, for the main task I focused on certain music genres but my target audience is much more diverse. I have researched different publishers and exsisting magazines to help me develop my own ideas for my magazine, this also helped me develop more of a proffessional style when it came down to my magazine layout. I learnt how to use different images and effects to attract a certain type of audience and how clothing is important as fans will recognise the music style of the band through their clothing. My teacher was very supportive during the project as he gave me advice and criticism when it came down to improving each section of my magazine. Below is a photograph showing my first draft (left) of my front cover, it appears to be more of a poster than a magazine cover and my teacher gave me advice on how I could improve the layout. It was important for me to research different written article to improve my journalism to make my article sound like something you would see in a real magazine.

Original Images For My Music Magazine

Here are a selection of images I have included when creating my music magazine.

I have also shown how my ideas have developed when creating the front cover for my music magazine.

Location and Props for Music Magazine

One idea I have for my magazine location is at an abandoned weather station located near Scratby in Norfolk. My magazine will focus on heavy metal and rock music so the theme I had in mind for my magazine is to have a grunge theme that continues throughout the pages of my magazine. I was thinking about having my shoot at an abandoned weather station for my feature article as the rough textures of the weather station will appeal to my readers. The location of the weather station is very isolated and the run down feel of the station will fit in perfectly for the theme of my magazine. My second idea is to photography my model at the riverside in Norwich; the area and bridge surrounding the river would provide an interesting backdrop for my photographs and this is an area that I feel would also fit in with the theme of my magazine.

My feature article will focus on a one-on-one interview with a lead vocalist of a band. I’m not planning on having many props for my shoot, as I feel that the run down and abandoned feel of the location chosen will help set the atmosphere for my interview. Using too many props in my images will make the photographs appear to be too cluttered and busy, this is something that I want to avoid as I would like my desired magazine to have a more casual feel to it, and photographs that appear too busy will ruin the dynamic of the magazine.

I plan on having my model wearing casual clothing such as jeans and a t-shirt. I want my magazine to have an underground and edgy feel to it, so I will have my model wearing dark coloured clothing to fit in with the consistent theme running throughout of my magazine. The image of heavy metal music is normally distinguished by the use of black t-shirts which normally have prints of logos of other visual representations of metal bands. Once my images have been taken I will then edit them accordingly on photoshop to give my photographs a more edgy feel to them. I will also make a few adjustments to my model to make him appear more of a “metal head” by adding things such as tattoos that are also associated with the heavy metal scene. I have also had the ideas of making my model appear part of the "post hardcore" genre to make my model appear to fit in with this scene I will have him wear dark coloured jeans and with a checkered shirt and wearing a hood.

Font Board

I have come up with a font board to help me plan my magazine; these are a selection of fonts that I felt would be appropriate for my desired magazine based around the rock genre. The bottom two fonts don't necessarily fit in with the others but I thought they would be more suitable for other pages of the magazine such as "your thoughts" or for the interviews with each band. As my magazine is going to be based on heavy metal and rock music I want my magazine to have an edgy and raw feel to it as this would resemble the music genre as a whole. I also want to use fonts that will appeal to my readers as these fonts are modern and have an up-to-date feel to them and will therefore mimic the readers lifestyle.

Initial Ideas For Music Magazine.

For my own music magazine I was thinking of basing it around the rock genre as well as heavy metal and post hardcore music. In some ways my magazine will be very similar to Kerrang! in terms of target audience and audience profile. My target Audience will be people aged between 16- 24, this will be the most appropriate age group as it will be easier to appeal my magazine to youth groups by showing the different rock groups that would appeal to my readers. The social class for my target audience will be D-C as the majority of my readers will still be in education so will therefore not have high qualifications that enables them to have a high paying job. I will also aim my magazine's Psychographic profile at Aspirers and Individuals as these people will be interested in reading about the bands personal life and will also be interested in different fashion styles of each band and aspire to be like those mentioned in the magazine.

Kerrang Magazine Full Analysis

Kerrang! magazine was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in The Sounds newspaper. The name Kerrang comes from the onomatopoeic word that derives from the noise when smashing an electric guitar. To start off with Kerrang was devoted to British Heavy Metal and the rising popularity of hard rock acts such as AC/DC who appeared on the first cover of Kerrang. Kerrang was originally launched as a monthly magazine but its high demand meant it could be printed fortnightly which eventually lead to the magazine being printed weekly. In the United Kingdom it is published by Bauer Consumer Media and has become the world’s biggest selling rock magazine.
Kerrang appeals to a specific audience as it highlights topics and themes that are relevant to people who listen to rock music and are interested in its background. Kerrang has identified its audience as “individually minded, independent of thought and musically experienced, an audience defined by attitude, passion and loyalty”. During the period of July 2008 to 31 December 2008 Kerrang’s circulation sales in the UK and Ireland went up to a high of 50,128 insuring that it would keep its lead in the market. These figures show Kerrang’s success despite its audience being from one demographic entity.
Kerrang’s audience is made up of 60% males and 40% females with its demographic profile falling into the social class D-C. The majority ethnicity of the readers is white British and its target population being aged 16-24. The psychographic profile is defined as people who wish to aspire to be respected among other people and wish to have a high paid job. The magazine costs £2.20 making it affordable to its target audience.
Kerrang aims itself at a young audience through the use of graphics, fonts, layouts and presentation. Kerrang is aimed at youths and their lifestyle; this is shown by Kerrang’s contemporary and up to date look by making the use of moder day fonts and graphics. Kerrang even goes as far as advertising certain products to attract their readers further. Kerrang even includes full page advertisements for music companies such as play.com and even HMV. The music magazine also promotes other companies that may appeal to their readers such as; PlayStation, Xbox, alternate clothing and gig ticket lines.
The majority of Kerrang’s readers are males so it will focus more heavily on attracting this gender. Kerrang attract its male audience by using content such a heavy metal and hard rock bands on the front cover of the magazine. These bands are often portrayed to be pulling angry or violent expression further attracting the male audience. The female readers are targeted by the use of male bands on free pull out posters and interviews.
Rock music is normally associated with an edgy, underground and individualist style which is made apparent in Kerrang through the use of dark colours shown in the bands clothing. Kerrang uses a significant colour pallet on every front cover; the main colours they use are white, black, yellow, red and green. These colours allow the front colour to be eye catching which is an important factor as bright colours will draw the readers in and want to read more. These colours are often continued throughout the magazine which helps create Kerrang’s overall feel of having a dark and moody ambiance.
The front cover of the magazine features a different band each week which will appeal to their readers as the rock genre is diverse. The angle of the image used on the front cover is often a close up shot. This is used to attract Kerrang’s readers by causing eye contact to form through the photograph. As mentioned before the bands clothing are normally dark coloured but also casual, this therefore forms the image that the magazine is casual and relaxed. The magazine also has a personal feel to it by the use of giving their readers the chance to write in to the magazine to share their views and opinions on live shows and album reviews. Kerrang also attracts their readers to continuously buy their magazine through the use of “letter of the week” as this will receive feedback from the magazine editor and win a £50 music voucher. Other pages such as competitions, reader’s poll, drawings and photos make the readers feel more involved with the magazine and will therefore want to continue buying the publication.
Nearly half of Kerrang’s profits come from the magazine’s advertisements and circulation revenue. Kerrang feature a system called “fly text”; this is where the magazine sends a text to its subscribers telling them when and where their favourite bands are playing. One survey showed that 83% of Kerrang readers bought an album as a direct effect of seeing and article in their magazine. This shows just how much advertisement plays an influence on the demographic audience.

Mood Board Analysis For Own Music Magazine

My music magazine is going to be based around the rock genre but focusing more heavily on heavy metal and Post Hardcore. To help me construct my magazine i have made a mood board with all the things that are associated with the rock genre such as; musical instruments, game consoles, take away food, metal bands and music festivals. I will not be using these photographs for my music magazine but will help me construct my final product. My target audience will be similar to those who read Kerrang! so my target age group will be ages 16 to 24. The majority of my target audience will still be in education so it is unlikely that they will be in well paid jobs to afford such expensive luxurys so they will be defendant on their parents to buy them products advertised in my magazine. My target audience will fit in the social class C-D due to them still being in education, they will also fit in the Psychographic profile of Aspirers and Individuals who want to have their own unique style and want to have a luxury lifestyle. My magazine will appeal to these groups as they will already be interested in the certain activities associated with the rock genre and will want an insight into the bands life so they will therefor want to read the interviews included.