Treatment

The following presentation shows a brainstorm of my ideas for this project:

The Treatment: Ideas by Cherie Herman

Prelim Evaluation

The Evaluation of my Preliminary task -using the web 2.0 tool screencast omatic.

For High Definition: 
On the bottom right corner click setting, then click 720 HD.

Preliminary Task

To launch my planning, I started with a quick preliminary task. Here, we were given the following brief:

Produce the front page and contents of a new school/college magazine.

It must feature:

- a photograph of a student in medium close-up

-some appropriately laid-out text

-a masthead

While the task does not have to be polished, or 'the finished article'. The competition of its worth 15 of the 60 marks available for construction.

This needs to be completed on photoshop and must be finished within the one week period. 

The purpose of this task is so I gain a broad understanding of how to construct a magazine front cover and contents page, ensuring I make minimal-if any mistakes, in my final product.

Planning: Introduction

After successfully finishing my magazine research, I will now go continue onto the stage of planning my product. During this process I will get audience feedback, create various drafts, plan schedules and more. All leading up to the development of my final product.

Conclusion of Research

What I've gained and how it will help throughout my final research and production process:

Having finished my initial research, I have gained much insight into not only the magazine industry as a whole, but specifically into the area of EDM magazines. I've become familiar with the publishers and the production process of magazines- clearly being able to define the difference between a low vs high quality magazine. I am confident in the varied conventions of an EDM front cover, contents page and double page spread. I've gained a clear insight on my specific target audience, understanding what makes them fit into their specific niche, consequently what makes them tick. I've learnt the most effective ways to do this through my research into the uses and gratifications theory. All of which are skills I've only gained into creating the highest quality magazine and conducting the best possible research for this.

Target Audience Profiling

Application of Uses and Graticiations- Hard Copy

Uses and Gratifications Theory

Cherie Herman- Uses and Grats by Media Studies on GoAnimate

Double Page Spread- Detailed Analysis

Double Page 1- DJ Magazine

Audience:

Young Adults- EDM fans who are particularly into festival culture, large socials and are fans of the DJteisto.

Purpose:
To inform on Teisto's life and advertise the Las Vegas event.

Analysis

Content:
Discussing how tiesto got to where he is music-wise (the styles of music), and how this is going to develop in the near future. It also discusses the Hakkasan night club, describing it as a 'jam-packed party', with a 'lush interrior', having a 'peacefully splashing waterfall' and 'private bottle service'. All of which are positive notes which would be considered persuasive factors.

Written Form:
 Formal language 'dedicated Tiesto fans know his roots are planted far outside the realm of EDM' yet discusses a more informal topic (Raves, late-night clubbing, sexual attraction 'bikini babes') , this show's it's aimed at an audience who take EDM seriously.

Lexis:
Quotations=trust, direct language=personal-talking to them,'we're smacked with bass so hard'= personification- emphasises the strength of the sound, this allows a reader to have sense of what it feels like to be there.

Visual Elements

Title:
The title is placed just above the middle of the left page. It firstly states 'VIVA LAS VEGAS:' before 'TIESTO HITS HAKKASAN'. The placement of a well known phrase first, creates a sense of reliability. The use of a celebreties name only grabs the reader's attention, as well as the alliteration on 'HITS HAKKASAN'. Both lines consist of three words, this is long enough to make sense, yet short enough to keep the reader focused. It also evens out the overall look as the worlds almost mirror each other when they overlap. The black and white colours create contrast, allowing the title to be read clearly. The font is thin, overlapping bold. Both in captials and in a plain san-serif. The font is kept simple due to the use of a busy image behind.

Layout:
Around two fifths of the first page is taken up by an image. Beneath it is first a title, and then a bold intro paragraph which extends along the page. Under that is a structured article- fragmented through columns and starting with a large capita 'L'. This creates a well-organised layout which is easy for the eye. This traditional layout follows to the next page, where the small written text is bordered by many medium-sized pictures; one image is split in between both pages, as it's placed in the bottom centre. This however, allows fluidity- the same theme continues on the other side.

Size:
The main image and title is the most important, which is why they're bigger. They both are the first thing the reviewer sees when turning to this page, so it's use to give an overview of the whole article- hinting at what's to come.

Columns:
The gutter is extremely narrow- this allows more information  to be more tightly packed together.

Images:
The main image is of Tiesto on the stage, DJing , one image is of balllons in the air and bright lights. they're all taken from the festival- hands in the hair, mostly male. One image however, focuses on a happy female.  This is too appeal to a wider audience. One image is also edited to green-scale, this gives the page a more varied look. 

Quotes:
From a less-known DJ who works and travels with Tiesto. This may be due to the magazine not being able to afford to interview stars as famous as Tiesto, so to get a primary overview of his life they interviewed someone with easier accessability.

Colour scheme: 
The main colours used gravitate towards secondary colours: purple, green and red. This is due to the aim at an older audience-adults. The main colour is, however, purple. This conveys the night-life style of the article-type feature.

Text:
The main text is relatively small to fit a large ammount of text in a small space- if it took up too many pages it would overwhelm the reader. The text is placed with the photos, rather than against it. This balances out the overall look allowing it to be easy for the eye. The font is plain sans serif to add to the overall simplistic look of the doube page spread.

Page number:
To create a symertical feel, the page numbers are placed on the outer ends of both pages. These are in bold, with the magazine's website placed next to them on he inner side. This link results in the viewer sub-consiously being lead to digital form of such a media, which may be convinient to them, therefore they're more likely to become a fan. The page number allows easy navigation throughout the magazine. It's fairly small so it doesn't distract from the main focus, yet is there when needed.

Double Page 2- Mixmag

Audience:

Fans of the genre EDM, specifically fans of the artist ‘Hannah Wants’. Aimed equally at both male and females. Young adults. People who have an interest in Ibizan music and culture.

Purpose:

To inform on Hannah’s life and to persuade people to have a greater interest in her, therefore become her fan.

Analysis

Content:

The article is solely based on the young artist ‘Hannah Wants’. It talks about her journey into the industry- from being a premiere league football player to a full time DJ. The subject of both DJs and football are stereo-typically a masculine topic, attracting the male audience, however she’s female, therefore females can relate. This follows the typical EDM culture of being all-inclusive and up-to-date with the developing world, where woman can take on men’s roles. The article also discusses her travels to Ibiza and her success as ‘junior’ in the industry.

Written Form:

The article is relatively formal as it is written in the third –person ‘For the girl born…’, ‘Hannah has always…’. The article consists mainly of long, descriptive sentences. The words however, aren’t those of a sophistically-high standard- Simple lexis is used so it is easy for a young person to follow.

Lexis:

Several facts are used ‘In 2012 she won(…)’ ‘It wasn’t until she was 16’ ‘he Beatport Top 100’ ‘play in front of 200’, these all contribute to creating a reliable article a reader can trust. They use many questions for a small interview, this results in it feeling more personal. ‘Talk the talk’ vs ‘Walk the walk’. The repetition and rhyme here foregrounds her prosperity.  

Visual Elements

Title:

Surprisingly there is no title on this page. This may be due to the use of the giant picture being so significant it says it all. Instead, the traditional article form has been adapted- The starting letter ‘B’ from ‘Beneath’ is enlarged massively in a curvy, electrical and modern-style font. It’s the only coloured text on the page- gold.

Layout:

There is lots of blank space on the top of the page- directing the viewer’s eye downwards. The main article is in a traditional columned format. There is also an interview which takes u minimal space and is only separated by two thin lines. The second page of the space is taken up entirely of a photograph, with text overlapping it in the bottom centre.

Size:

The photo is extremely important due to the lack of a title. Therefore it takes up a whole page. Another picture is included in the article, which is extremely minisual; it’s clearly less important.

Columns:

There is an extremely narrow gutter in between the columns, yet a larger gutter when separating the main body of one article to an interview. Columns are used to reflect a simplistic, classic style, as the photograph is black and white.

Images:

The main image is of the main subject of the article- Hannah Wants. She’s facing and looking directly into the camera, resulting in an almost symmetrical look. Her hair is messy, she has a fair bit of makeup on and she’s wearing plain clothes. Again, this fits with the overall simplistic design of the spread, as well as presenting the model as confident. Relating to ow the article describes her ‘She had an ability’.

Main Image details:

The model’s name, although written plenty in the article, is included in small writing on the top right-hand corner of the page. This only adds emphasis to the focus on the artist.

Quotes:

Several quotes are woven in to the text. These aren’t in an interview format, but simply help tell her story and make it feel like it’s coming directly from her. E.g. “My mum was the one who taught me not to settle”.

Colour scheme:

Black, white and gold. This represents class and maturity- contradictory to the typical EDM style.

Text:

Sans Serif font- this goes against the classy look, sticking the the magazine’s overall modern theme. The writing is small and dense, similar to the previous magazine.

Date + Page Number:

The date is in the bottom left corner, next to the page number. This is so you can navigate your way through the magazine and insure you have the latest issue. The number is bold and the date is in capitals, this is to spate it from the main article as they’re both the same size.

Conclusion:

I’ve found that a double-page spread is much more complex than the previous contents page and front cover. This is due to them being many pages within the magazine, so they’re all extremely different layout to create diversity within. I’ve also gained many design and content ideas for the future production of my double-page spread. 

Contents page- Detailed Analysis

Conents from CheriesProjects

Magazine Front Cover- Case Study

Sub Gernes and Angles

Competitor Research

On the bottom right corner, click on settings and click 'HD' to  ensure highest quality.

Genre Reasearch

Genre Video Moodboard- EDM

Mass vs Niche Publications

Press 'HD' in settings for High Definition.
-Created using PowToons

Quick Summery: What I've learnt so far

Throughout my research, I have developed a much greater understanding of the magazine industry.

I now understand the key concepts of music magazines, how they deal with competition in a developing world, the key factors of a magazine's success and the differences between music magazines and their genres.

I will now take this background information and context I've gained to help me during my further research into the research a specific music genre.

Music Iconography

Presented below is a mind map for the music iconography of the main genres. 
I downloaded the app 'SimpleMind' to create it.

These main genres were Hip-hop, Jazz,
Indie, Rock, Classical and EDM (Electric
Dance Music).

I later added images to the mind map to easier visualise the iconic imagery from the words stated.


Iconography means the visual images, symbols or modes of representation, which together are associated with a person, cult or movement. 






For example, when you think of the music genre Jazz, many picture saxophones and silhouettes. This is due to these being that genre's 'Iconic' images.

From exploring existing music's iconic images I've gained a broad understanding of the music industry as a whole. I have, however, developed a deeper understanding of what makes these specific genre's unique.

Being unique allows them to seperate themselves from the other music genres. This is essential when aiming to target a specific audience, as it gives the viewer clarity when deciding to buy a product- they know what they're getting.

The images above and below are close-ups of the mind map; each is focused on a separate genre.

1. 
   

Music Magazine Publishers: Web pages

Magazine Names- Wordle

Above, are words presented from all the magazie names in the UK.
The largest words are the most frequent word that occur within the magazine industry.

To compose the piece above, I used the site 'Wordle' and simply typed in the name of every British Music Magazine. I'd repeat the name several time, depending on how successful the magazine was.

Through the creation of this Worldle I've come across some surprising findings- all of which can be largely beneficial towards this project.
The fact that 'Mojo' and 'Magazine' are the two largest words, connotes that Mojo is an extremely popular magazine today. It also reflects the frequency of the use of the word 'Magazine', clearly showing that many magazine's include this word as part of their masthead. In contrast, words such as 'Zero' are barely visible within this Wordle; such a magazine is seen as unpopular and not doing so well- they go unnoticed among us. 

The words 'Rock', 'Classic', 'Blues' 'Record' and 'Jazz' being the second-largest, highlights the decline of the magazine industry. This is due to these words belonging to the semantic field of 'Old Music'. To summerise this, the magazines aimed at a more mature audience are more successful due to them being the last demographic to have grown up whilst the industry was mainstream (they're more used to, therefor would rather read from paper than a mobile/computer screen).

Also, instead of focusing on the words presented, I can gain a different understanding by finding the words that aren't there. For example, words such as 'Dance' and 'Electric' aren't shown. This potrays a gap in the music industry which could be used as marketing opportunity. 

Comparing 6 Magazines

Magazines from CheriesProjects

The Magazine Industry-Case Study

The magazine industry is an extremely competitive and complicated area, so to simplify it, I'm going to use the famous music magazine 'Mojo' to represent and reflect the industry as a whole.

Money Making

Magazines are all about getting as much money from an audience as possible. Magazines get much money from sales, however get most their income from advertisements. 
As I couldn't find the specific price to advertise in Mojo online, I decided to email them:

1: Contact
2: Email
3:Response
This shows me, that just one page, such as this one with four advertisments, makes £2,800 alone from advertisements! If you multiply that by the amount of pages, 130 they'd get £364,000 per week based solely on advertisements- A huge income.

From this I can learn that, if you're successful in the magazine industry-money making won't be a problem.

Also- referring to the attachment emailed above, the information does not apply to this as they were simply stating the dates to make payments by.

Competition

You could state that Mojo avoids competition, as it in itself is extremely unique- It's of older taste as it's quite a retro style. Also, the same company that owns Mojo also own 'Q' , another well-known music magazine. This company is called 'Bauer Media'. As they own both, they highlight their differences to avoid competition- consequently, they have two contrasting audiences allowing them to build upon them rather than loose them. Many other magazines are, however loosing in this competition as they aren't adapting their use of media, as explained  below.

Adapting with a Developing World

To adapt, many-if not all magazines, have a website, as you can see in the screenshot to the right:

Mojo also has online subscriptions and has created an app. 

So what's caused this sturdy source of media to suddenly splinter? To answer that with one word: Technology.

Technology, e.g. mobiles, has developed from just for calling, to messaging, listening to music, watching movies, playing games, internet use and much more- A central part of most first-world people's lives. With all these busy schedules, people simply prefer to keep something less bulky, time-saving and constantly updating, with them. This results in many magazine industries that chose not to adapt,going bust. To avoid situations such as these and keep the traditional form, my version of Mojo also included the following:

-It came in a package (This draws attention to it as it sits on the shelves, it makes it bigger, brighter and the consumer will feel as if they bought themselves a present)

-A CD (A unique item which is free with the magazine- adds to the present effect)

-A Poster (Refer to above^)

-Shows timeless celebrities on the front cover- the Beatles (Being timeless results in them always being relevant, even with in developing world)

-Has a unique, matt cover (Looks more high-class as its better quality)

The success rate of a magazine can be measured through the readership and circulation count. This allows them too keep track of their buyers and the estimated amount of people who read it- if these numbers falls, they may further investigate to prevent an overall fall in their brand.

Overall, Mojo are a perfect example of a magazine doing well in this chaotic industry- they remain a classic.

Music Magazine- Key Concepts

For the following project, I've been asked to research, plan and create the front page, contents page and double page spread of a new music magazine. This can be of any genre and must have a clear and specific target audience. Afterwards I will evaluate my work.- as the brief has asked.

To launch my research, I've done an overview of the theme 'Music Magazines', by looking at their key concepts:

And the Journey Begins: Introduction Video

 Press play to view