Graphic Software Programme...

This has been created today, it's the front of an NME magazine cover. I know it's very simple. I have created this by using Graphic Software such as PAINT.NET and Microsoft Publisher. I have cropped and manipulated the image of Reznor and exported the whole image to Publisher to add a simple headline "Reznor Is Back". This task has really helped me in the sense that it will help me in the future when I'm creating my final piece.

An Analyzed Magazine Cover...

"Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Music Group. It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off supplement in the sounds newspaper."

I have analyzed this magazine cover to show the codes and conventions of magazine covers. I have explained what the codes and conventions are and why they are important.This magazine cover and all of it's features will give me a lot of inspiration for my own magazine cover and when i come to design my own. This magazine cover has a lot going on in it and there are a lot of things to take note of. 

My First Magazine Attempt...





This is my first attempt at a Magazine Contents Page. I have used the school badge in the background of this page because it suits the purpose of the magazine. Again, i have used the colours red and black. I have chose to keep the theme throughout the cover and the contents. I have underlined the page numbers so it's easy for the reader to navigate around the page to find out where they would like to look in the magazine. I have chose to keep the contents page simple because i thought when there is a lot of writing, it's important for the readers to be able to see the writing clearly. I am not too pleased with my contents page, i think it could be a lot better however this is only my first try.

My First Magazine Attempt...

This is my first attempt at a Magazine cover. As you can see, i have based my magazine around my school. I have used a header, sub headings and a bar code on my front cover because without them it wouldn't look like a magazine. I have kept a theme of red and black running through my front cover. This is because it looks professional and it suits the genre of my magazine. The picture is of three young, year 11 girl in lesson  They are wearing their school uniform; i thought i would use this photo as it also matches the magazine genre. Their happy faces represent the school in a good way too. The sub heading "5Oth Jubilee!" is just as big as the heading, if not, just a bit smaller. I have done this on purpose because it shows that it's the main story inside. Even though this is my first attempt and there are many things i could do to improve it, i am genuinely pleased with it.

Billboard Music Magazine...

                  

"Billboard is an international news magazine devoted to music and the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world."

These magazine covers really stood out to me because they all have synergy in common.  Synergy is a state in which two or more things work together in a particularly fruitful way that produces an effect greater the sum of their individual effects. The two things working together here are the big, international, famous artists (Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus) and the popular Billboard magazine. 

Personally, i like the fact that the pop singers cover the majority of the front page. If i saw this on a shop self i would be drawn in straight away - it's almost as if the celebrities are looking at you directly. I also like the different vibrant colours used on the various covers as they stand out and look as if they're jumping out at you from the plain background. It's clever how the producers of these magazines use "Bold" and "Italic" to show the customers/audience which parts of the text is more significant than others. The masthead's are generally the same, with a few slight variations. I think it's important to keep a theme running through magazines otherwise it doesn't look as professional and the magazine might not be able to be recognized as easy. 

Ben Howard...

http://www.benhowardmusic.co.uk/

 

Ben Howard is my favorite artist. I find Ben Howard's Music website appealing because the background is a simple white/cream colour whilst the foreground is a moving image of Ben Howard himself moving underwater. The aqua colour really stands out above the background and so draws my attention in. Cleverly, on top of this GIF are sentences about his upcoming tours and events. This is effective because you can't really get away from reading it. The website is appealing as well because there is a theme running through it. The only font colours that have been used are White, Black and Yellow. This prevents confusion and maintains a professional look. It's easy to navigate around the website and there is always something relevant and interesting to look at. Personally, I like the "Gallery" and "Live" pages because the "Gallery" provides lots of different photo's of Ben Howard and his tours whilst "Live" provides lots of information about upcoming events and how to buy tickets etc.

The Cropping Technique...

I have uploaded the cropping exercise I did today to demonstrate IT skills and using a magazine masthead. This will be useful for my preliminary task.

My First Blog...

Hello everyone! 

I'm Francesca Blagg. 

I'm studying Media Studies at A level. 

I attend St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School.

Welcome!