Magazine Front Cover Draft Analysis

Production schedule

This is a production schedule I produced, I will use it to make sure I keep on track of the tasks I need to complete, while also trying to create a music magazine front cover. If I am able to complete the assigned target within the deadlines provided i should keep on top of my work and finish it promptly.

Task	Start date	End date
Drafting
Photo shoot one
Photo editing
Photo shoot two
Photo editing
Photo shoot three
Photo editing
Uploading chosen photos to blog
Producing designs for front cover
Inputting photos
Inputting text
Merging all elements together

Mood board - photo shoot ideas

Mood board - layout ideas

Contents Page Mind Map

Double Page Spread Mind Map

Front Cover Mind Map

Questionnaire analysis

1) How old are you?

From this graph we see that half of the people I asked about a music magazine were between 11 and 16 years old. This may be biased but it is helpful as I will be aiming my magazine at this age group anyway and their opinion is valid to me.

2) What gender are you? 

For this questionnaire I made sure I asked the same amount of males and females so my own magazine is not gender biased. 

3) What is your favorite genre of music? 

I gave my friends and family the option of seven different genres to chose from so that I get an idea of what they enjoy reading about. 

4) How often do you read music magazines?

Over half of the people I asked do not read music magazines which may have heavily influenced their responses and they may have not thought about their answers much because they hadn't any comparisons to make from what they had previously read.

5) What do you consider the most suitable price for a music magazine?

I can clearly see here that my audience wouldn't be willing to pay too much money for a music magazine so when I create mine, I will keep the price between £1-£2. 

6) What would you be most interested in for a double page spread? 

For my double page spread I will most likely do an interview of an artist or band as that is what people want to read about the most.

8)For a magazine cover, what would you prefer?

When creating the front cover of my music magazine, I will keep the colour scheme differentiated as people seem to prefer a mix of colours. 

9) What do you consider the most important thing about a front cover to be? 

The people I asked to fill in my questionnaire seemed to think that all of these elements were rather important, I would agree in saying that the main image/model and the cover lines are the two most important things.



10) Out of these magazine front covers, which do you prefer?

I can see in this pie chart that people most prefer the second layout in my questionnaire, which is quite simple. I will be sure not to overload my own front cover with text when I have to create it because from this question, I can tell people don't like too much text.

Music Magazine Questionnaire

Music Magazine Questionnaire

11.    What age are you? (please circle)

0-10  11-15  16-20  21-30  31-40  40+

22.    Please select your gender?

Male   Female

33.    What is your favorite genre of music? (please circle)

Pop     Rock   Emo    Punk  Heavy Metal  Indie   Jazz    Country

44.    How often do you read music magazines?  (please circle)

1-2 a week     1-2 a month  less than once a month     never

55.    What do you consider the most suitable price for a music magazine?

(please circle)

Less than £1              £1-£2             £3-£4             £5       more than £5

66.    What would you be most interested in for a double page spread?

 (Please circle)

Celebrities personal life      Fan page       Information on upcoming artists  

Interviews with artists          Other:...................................................

77.    Who is your favourite artist or band?

______________________________________________________

88.    For a magazine cover, would you prefer? (please circle)

Dark colours             bright colours            a mixture

99.    What do you consider the most important thing about a front cover?

(Please circle)

Masthead      Tag line          Images           Cover lines    Colour scheme

Other:...........................................     

110.  Out of these magazines front covers what is your favorite? (please circle)

Textual Analysis - Contents Page 3

Textual Analysis - Contents Page 2

Codes and Conventions

Codes and Conventions of Magazines

The common codes and conventions of a magazine front cover are;

-        A masthead (the name of the magazine)

-        Cover lines of the magazine

-        The main image (this is usually an image of the celebrity from the main cover line)

-        Barcode

-        Price

-        A form of advertisement

The masthead is often positioned at the top of the page, and usually stands out the most. The cover lines are positioned around the front page, sometimes on overlapping the main image. The main image is often the largest part of the front cover and takes up a large percentage of the page. Forms of advertisement and offers normally are positioned near the boarders of the magazine.

Similar to cover pages, contents pages follow a comparable set of codes and conventions;  

-        Columns of text providing information about the contents

-        Page number references

-        The name of the magazine (normally at the top)

-        Images - often a larger image relating to the main article

-        The colour scheme is normally similar to the front cover

Most of the codes and conventions of the front cover are similar to those of the contents page; this is mainly because the magazine wants to keep the same theme through the magazine to appeal to their audience. The codes and conventions are very important as the front cover effectively ‘sells’ the magazine, also certain codes and conventions will appeal to a certain type of people which should be their target market.

There are three types of codes: symbolic, technical and written

Symbolic codes - These are to do with what the objects in the page connate. Such as colour or body language

Technical codes – These are usually to do with the photography of an image, including lighting, depth of field and framing

Textual Analysis - Double Page Spread 5

Textual Analysis - Double Page Spread 4

Textual Analysis - Double Page Spread 3

Textual Analysis - Double Page Spread 2

Textual Analysis - Double page Spread 1

Textual Analysis cover page - rolling stone

Textual Analysis - Rolling Stone

The magazine uses Robert Downey Jr as the model of the front cover. His facial expression is very blank and almost quite distant, he isn’t really showing any emotion, this ties in with the main cover line ‘To Hell and Back With Robert Downey Jr’ because the use of the word ‘hell’ and also his facial expression shows he is not necessarily happy. There for the article in the magazine will most probably look at the worse times of his life which customers would probably be more interested in than all the high points of his life, and consequently sell more magazines.

Also he is wearing just an orange hoody with the hood up. This is not an expected choice of attire for a famous movie star, so there for I think it represents a more personal side to him and also could link back to the main cover line and show the lower times of his life, when he wasn’t so successful and maybe wore hoodies as appose to expensive suits.

Also he is not clean-shaven, which could also imply the harder, worse off times in his life, as he is not looking his best.

The colour scheme is very limited, with all the typography in the black, white or grey and the image of Robert Downey Jr in colour with an orange hoody that stands out a lot. I think the colour pallet is limited because they want the celebrity image to stand out, as he is popular and will appeal to a lot of people, there for increasing sales. I also think there is limited colour because I think the target market is middle aged so they wouldn’t be interested in a lot bright colours.

The cover lines lack a lot of colour and the font is quite basic and dull, there for it wouldn’t appeal to a younger audience, on the other hand I think it appeals to a middle aged audience really well as that is there target market. I think the masthead is also very boring in colour although the grey contrasts the white background and the orange from image.   

One of the cover lines is about politics; I think this definitely highlights the fact that the target audience is quite old as generally a young audience would not be interested in politics. 

Textual Analysis cover page - NME

Textual Analysis

This issue of NME is very basic; it has very little writing and not many colours. There is a large image of Rihanna which would appeal to a lot of customers as she is such a famous artist. I think the layout is effective as It focus’ on Rihanna as she is so popular so you wouldn’t want to cover the image with lots of text.  There is a quote from her on the cover which works really well as it makes people want to read about it and therefor purchase the magazine. Also I think the use of  having  ‘f**cking’ in the cover as well as Rihanna identifies the target audience as teenagers and young adults as it wouldn’t appeal to an older audience and also It isn’t aimed at a younger audience as it includes a swear word.

The colours are very limited although the colours present are quite bold such as the pink/purple used for the masthead and both cover lines. I think the lack of colours work well as it then focuses on the main parts of the cover and also doesn’t distract from the main image. The background itself is silver which contrasts the pink and also the image of Rihanna as she is wearing black so again it doesn’t draw your attention away. The image itself is very abstract as there is a glittery blue bird on her shoulder which seems really random and grabs the reader’s attention, also how she is standing and her body position seem really unnatural which could be to stand out and look interesting.

There is very little text on the cover, although the text that is present is very effective. In the top right hand corner it states that it is ‘4 of 10’ special edition covers, this obviously will attract costumers as special and limited edition items always attract a larger audience, also as it stats there is 10 issues it also advertises the forthcoming issues of the magazine, generating more sales. The masthead is very bright and bold but also basic, it stands out a lot and will appeal to the target market, also on most magazines the images often overlap the masthead whereas on this cover the image is underneath which makes it easier to see and stand out more. 

The target audience is young adults or teenagers as they are most interested in Rihanna and her music, also the lack of writing on the front would appeal to a teenage audience as it is informal and most teenagers would prefer to look at images as appose to reading. Also the use of pink colour and a female artist may appeal to a more female audience as generally pink is associated with girls, although Rihanna obviously can appeal to both genders. 

Textual Analysis cover page - Q

Textual analysis - Q

The cover of this issue of ‘Q’ is quite basic; it lacks quite a lot of colour and also there is a limited amount of text. Although there is a large, close up, picture of Adele which draws the customer’s attention and also will appeal to hats inside a large audience as she is extremely well known around the world. The image of Adele is quite different to the common perception of her as she is a very good vocalist and doesn’t tend to pose in this manner as the picture is highlighting her appearance as appose to her voice. This will therefor appeal to a different audience than if the image of her was quite natural and focused more on her singing. Also there is quote from Adele saying “If you’ve got it, flaunt it..” this is a very clever quote and works with the picture and also the main cover line which reads “Adele blows us away”  ,  these there for identify the target market as mainly male.

The cover lines are really effective, ’Liam Gallagher’s last request’, ‘Keith Richard’s secret stash’, ‘Bono’s bum deal’, they all hook the reader in and make them want to read on and find out more so they there for buy the magazine. Although there is quite a limited amount of text compared to some music magazines, there is still enough to provide the reader with information about what is inside and predominantly sell the magazine.

The colour scheme is really limited although I actually think it works well as it highlights the image of Adele which I think is the key selling point of the magazine. Also the basic colours and fonts make the text easy to read and clear to see which means people will be more willing to buy it. 

There is selling line underneath the masthead that reads ‘discover great music’ this is effective as it will appeal to their target audience who will be interested in music so it works well. Also they are promoting the magazine by showing that it is the 300^th issue, this shows that it has been out a while and is a good quality magazine.

Overall I think it is a really good cover, especially the image of Adele as it appeals to a wide audience and also as it shows her in a different light so it will appeal to a different type of audience as well. I like the basic colour scheme as it is clear to see and easy to read and doesn’t distract from the image.   

Textual Analysis cover page - TOTP

Top of the pops is a music magazine that is very much targeted at a young audience. The masthead is bright pink therefor it stands out a lot and also indicates that the magazine is predominantly aimed at females, also on the on the masthead are stars which connote fame and stardom.

The main cover line reads ‘Oh Boy, Its Bieber!’ this links with the main image of Justin Bieber. The use of Justin Bieber on the cover is extremely effective as it will appeal to the target audience of teenage girls. In the image he is wearing casual clothes that suggest that the magazine is a ‘casual’ read as appose to a really informative, overwhelming text. Also he is facing towards the camera and is almost smiling, this connotes that the magazine is light hearted, also the text; ‘the secret side of the superstar who just wants a cuddle’ will definitely attract the target audience as lots of girls are interested in his personal life.

There is also lots of images of famous celebrities surrounding the main photo, this is appealing as it shows that there are multiple things to read inside the magazine as appose to just one article. Some of the celebrities include Harry from 1Direction, Jay from ‘the Wanted’ and Tulisa. The male celebrities used will attract the target audience and also female celebrities will appeal because most teenage girls aspire to be like them.

The layout is quite random and scattered, this gives the impression that the magazine is informal and quite casual this is because it is aimed at a younger audience as appose to an adult audience who would be more interested in a formal, structured layout. The layout links with the colour scheme as the colours are very bright, bold and contrasting. The main colours are pink and blue which work quite together as they both stand out and contrast, also the blue links with the colour of the clothing Justin is wearing. The use of pink and blue is quite effective as the pink generally associates with girls whereas blue is commonly associated with boys, this could broaden their market as boys are less likely to buy something that is completely pink. On the other hand the main audience is girls so the use of pink and other more female orientated colours such as yellow is valid and will appeal to the target market. The text is mainly black and white so it is legible against the bright colours on the magazine.

The cover seems to work as a contents page as it has a lot of information on it about what is in the magazine, this works well in some aspects as it advertises the contents of the magazine to the customer without them opening it. On the other hand I think it makes the cover extremely clustered and compromises the visual aesthetics.

Overall I think the cover will appeal to the target audience very well and communicates the contents of the magazine effectively even though it looks really clustered and Informal. I think the colour scheme is really bold and will stand out to the consumer, and also appeal to the target market. I think the images used are really effective, as the use of famous celebrities will appeal to the target audience.