Making my front cover

Here i started with a plain photo as a base layer. I made a duplicate layer and then deleted the original layer to allow me to do anything i wanted with it because the original layer was locked.

I then added the masthead in, but previously I had sad that I wanted to overlap the mast head.





Here is where i overlapped her head over te mast head. I used the magnetic lasso tool to cut a section out of her head and create a new layer on top of the masthead.

Here is the base layer of my magazine with the added text. Now i have to add in my advertisement puff and barcode.

This is the magazine in large with a vinyl disk as my advertisement puff. I took a photo of my model holding a vinyl disk and then cut the disk out with a circular selection too and then pasted it into this front cover, adding text over the top.

Slogan name ideas

With my slogan on my magazine I would like one which is short, snappy and to the point. I would also like to use a clever slogan to drawer in new readers.
Ideas

• Music is life
• Read, like , share...V
• Music to YOUR taste
• The place to V 
• The best V around

My favourite out of thes is ''The place to V'' I have chosen to use this as the slogan on my magazine because it is short, catchy and replacing the V instead of be has a play on words and it draws the customers in.

Layout of front cover, contents and double page spread

With my layouts i have opted for a simple but effective layout. I want my magazine to look sophisticated and not too cluttered. I have chosen this style because its easier to read allowing you to create a primary focus.

House colour choice

This is the blue version of my mast head. I like this idea because its sophisticated and the headphones contrast against the background.

This is the red background version of my masthead. I like the red because it will stand out of the page more, making it more eye catching.

I cant decide which masthead to use so I am going to do a survey.

Making my masthead

Here I am using the Magnetic Lasso tool to remove background from the headphones. I had to make a duplicate image of this image and then deleted the original layer. I then made a plain chequered background layer so when i delete the background, I can put another one in after (block coloured back ground).

Here are my headphones after I removed the background. Some parts didn't come out to smooth so i had to re-try some parts.

This is the final masthead design. I am going to trial different house colours and will be talking about those in the next post.

Here is my other idea of calling my magazine Pause. This was before i decided on my name but i thought i would upload them to show that i have tried other names and methods. I like these ideas but they do not fit into my target audience and style of my magazine.



Target audience

When deciding my target audience I have thought of many factors, for example- whether its aimed at a mass or niche audience, what gender/s, age range, social group etc.
I am aiming my magazine at a niche audience. The genre I am aiming my music at is a retro style- reflecting bands like the Beetles and Rolling stones but with a modern day twist. I have chosen the retro feel because retro is always going to be a fashionable aspect. And as the years go by things that are classed as retro change, this allows the magazine to change so it is not the same all the time.
I will try to appeal to both the male and female gender. I will do this by using colours that appeal to both, such as red. This would not work if I used pink because it is a more specific colour which is aimed at young girls.
The class I am aiming my magazine at is middle class. This is because the majority of people today are middle class citizens, allowing there to be a lot more people who are into that genre of music. This also branches out into upper class citizens and retro and vintage is known to be quite expensive sometimes. The price of my magazine will be £3.00.
The age range of my magazine will be between 16 and 25 because this is the age that people are more concious about fashion. Also this age they start to get jobs so they will be able to afford this magazine.

Video of masthead idea

Magazine analysis number 2

This magazine front cover is for MOJO. The individual is over the mast head, this gives it a 3D feel, this provides an up to date feel which contrasts the theme of the magazine. The overlapping on the Mast head suggests that its a well established magazine so there is no need to show the whole mast head, this allows the readership to feel as if they know the magazine.
This magazine uses a lot of advertisement puffs like 'Plus!' and 'Free' this lures new customers in and keeps current customers. These words grabs their attention and makes them want to buy the magazine and read on creating a loyal audience.
The house colours are black red an white, these appeal to both genders and are very contrasting, allowing each word to stand out against each other. This is a good marketing technique, and I will use similar house colours in my magazine front cover.
There is a Skyline on the top of the front cover, This catches the readers eye because it runs across the top of the image, almost like a headline. This is effective because if it is worded right it could be what persuades the customer to buy the magazine.
The average price of a MOJO magazine is around £4 this shows that it is aimed at middle to upper class people, also the content holds quite old subject matter which could also prove that its aimed at an older audience (30+). Although I have stated that it is for an older audience there is also a chance of it appealing to a younger audience (16-25) because younger people are into fashion, and retro is a big part of fashion today. By the use of men in this front cover it is obvious that it is aimed at males, there is also a factor that females will be interested in it because of the attraction.

Typical features

Here are the typical features of a media magazine.

Music magazine name ideas

When thinking of name ideas I would like to create a unique and edgy name which has a modern feel. Maybe using a foreign language for an English musical term? or maybe something that has nothing to do with musical terms to make it different?

1. Rytmus- This is Czech for rhythm
2. Musiikki- This is Finnish for Music
3. Bacio-  This is Italian for kiss
4. MBS- Abbreviation for music, bands, song
5. Musica-  This is Italian for music
6. EDGE- This is quite an individual and quirky name
7. Unplugged- I like this name because it has a link to music but it is quite unique
8. Download-  This is a modern way of life, hence reflecting my modern idea
9. Pause- This is related to a musical term
10. Acoustic- This is a form of non electronic music, this name is a very simple name
11. Another idea i could do is making the shape of the mast head out of headphones

Out of these my favourit is Pause because it has a link to music, but also it reflects of the idea of the buyer stopping to read the magazine.

First few image ideas

Here are my first few images of my front cover, the quality of the images are not the best because I had to remove as much of the back ground detail as I possibly could. I really like the long exposure i have done on these images. Here I have slowed the shutter speed down to 2 seconds, when it opens i moved the light around which when the final image came out it caused a really interesting light aspect on the individual. When taking my final photos i will use this long exposure idea, but i will try to find a plain background. 

Collection of music magazine front covers

Here is a compilation of a variety of music magazines so I can get an idea of what sort of music magazine I would like to do. So far the magazine I would prefer to link mine to is VIBE because it has a really up to date, modern feel.

Music magazine

This is a magazine front cover for Q magazine.The layering of the script gives the front cover a chaotic feel maybe signifying its aimed at a younger audience ages between 18 and 35 because it attracts their eye. They have also layered Madonna over the masthead this is done on many magazines, showing that they are so well known that the masthead does not need to be fully shown. I will incoorperate this into my magazine to show that it is a professional and well known product.
The use of different colours, sizes and styles of fonts draws the eye to specific words, MADONNA stands out because it is in capitals, its red and it is bold. This shows they have interviewed Madonna and this is quite important for the public view of the magazine because she is a very famous individual.
In the image Madonna is wearing dark colours which contrasts against the bright colours of the font and also against her skin which could signify an almost saintly woman with a dark side which can be said to reflect Madonna's life.
The company logo 'Q' stands out from the page because it is the only serif writing on the page the rest is all sans-serif.
By looking at the page you can tell the company colours is red, white and black. These colours are not swayed to each gender, they appeal to both. This shows that the magazine is aimed at both genders. Although these colours may appeal to both genders, there are only women on the front cover of this magazine which may show that this edition of the magazine is for women. Men could also be attracted to this magazine because of Madonna's sex appeal. You can also see that the magazine is aimed at a middle class audience because Madonna came from a middle class family, also the price- £3.90, reflects the audience because it is too much for a lower class individual.

Prelim task

Here is the front cover of my preliminary front cover task. Personally I like my front cover because the rich colours (blue, purple and gold) represent sophistication and wealth which is what i aimed to do. I like the images i have chosen and the medium close up on the front cover is really effective because it is a low angle shot which also shows the grandness of the school in the background. The type font I used is Embassy BT. This is a traditional style font and it look well established, hence reflecting my school. It also looks like handwriting making it more personal to the reader. The writing looks like royal, as if the school is very important and well thought of.
I also used a long distance shot at the bottom of the front cover, I used the rule of thirds and put the student to the right third of the photo. I did this so it gives a perspective of how big the school hence giving it a posh and wealthy look. There are a few things on this front cover that i would change, for example the points of the triangle do not meet in the center and there are blue borders showing around the images. I would also put the latin somewhere else because the typeface clashes with the background, making it hard to read.
I feel that this magazine reflects the target audience. My audience is the parents of the children who go to this school. The simple layout with plain colours appeals to an older, whereas a chaotic bright layout attracts a younger audience because its more playful and they can see it easier.

Here is my contents page for my schools contents page.
 I have used an image of the individual in the foreground. The person is giving indirect address as if she is intellectual and well educated, this reflects the school and shows that it is a good school. The image in the background is pastel colours. This allows the mid shot in front of it stand out. It also allows the words to be seen on top, but at the same time you can still see the image.
I again used Embassy BT as my typefont. This looks very sophisticated which was one of my aims to make my magazine look like. It is in blue, this is one of my house colours so you can tell it is from the same magazine.
I like the white bacground because it looks simple. The contents page only needs to be simple so i did not clutter it.

School magazine analysis

This is a magazine cover for St Mary's School. The house colours of the school are clearly green and gold. these two colours are very sophisticated whcih reflects the schools manner. The use of gold in the magazine connotes wealth, this could show that the school is a wealthy and well established school. Also they use the school emblem on their front page with the latin. Emblems with latin scripts are stereotypically linked to privates schools which could show this is a private school. Princess Anne is included on the front page, this shows the importance of the school within society. The simple layout reflects the schools elegance and sophistication. The images are layed out neatly and they contrast against deep green colour emphasising the importance of the photos. These images reflect the schools key aims, these are Drama, Sports and Education. The name St Mary's is a very patriotic name which could signify this school is a well established and religious school. Overall there is a clear feel that this school is a private individual school due to the sophisticated layout and the colours.

Photos pre-editing