Experimenting With Photographs...

Recently I have been looking at the different photographs included in magazines, especially the photographs featured on the front page, contents and double page spreads. What I have noticed is that they are edited; some photos are in black and white, some only have things like lipstick and hair in colour etc. Because I want my magazine to look professional and realistic I have decided to practice editing photographs. This will help me for when I come to create my actual, final magazine cover, contents and double page spread. I have practised editing the photograph below using Paint.Net which will be the programme I create my magazine with.

This was the first, original photograph taken.
This photograph was not edited in any way:

I doubled the image by flipping it 360 degrees. I then turned the brightness down. This made the features look darker; especially the hair, eyelashes, t-shirt and lipstick. This would be beneficial when on a white background as the picture will look vivid, bright and very clear.

I then decided to change the colour into black and white. I think this looks very chic and classy, I think it would look very effective on maybe a very busy background, this is because it would have such a contrast. Black and white is quite old fashioned and vintage. However it can also look edgy and rocky.

It turned out very useful in practising different editing techniques on Paint.Net, I am happy with these edits. I will carry on exploring the different effects after completing some more research.
I think the last magazine post I uploaded (MRW); the photograph could of been a lot better, that;s mainly why i made the decision to experiment here. This will mean that the next draft magazine I create, the photograph will look a lot more professional and realistic.

A First Attempt At A Music Magazine...

From the ideas and research i have developed so far, I decided to try and create the front page of a Pop Magazine. This is how it turned out:

I have created this as part of my planning and I am very pleased with it. I used the Q magazine below featuring Cheryl Cole as my inspiration, I have stuck to the colours red, white and black which I think are classy and not to bias in the sense that they wouldn't just appeal to either boys or girl. because I thought that "Kirstin" would mainly attract male attention, I included a pull out poster of Justin Bieber to appeal to the girls. I have tried to make the font classy, yet informal and I think it has worked out well. There aren't too many sub headings which would make the magazine cover look crowded and take away the attention of the star who is supposed to be the main focus. I have used the left third to my advantage and I think it has paid off. Although I could improve the photograph in regards to editing I am pleased.

I have also created this Contents page. I have tried to keep the same colour scheme as the front page to keep it realistic although I have used a spot of yellow too to attract the attention of the readers and a matte grey background to make everything on it stand out and look almost 3D. I think it looks quite realistic although I could do more in regards to to the quality of the images, I could try next time to crop around the edges rather than keeping them rectangular. Overall I am pleased with the end result but I understand that there is a lot still to be done to make it look better and professional.

I have also created a double page spread as this is what i will be creating when i have finished all of my planning etc. I am happy with this double page spread. First of all, it relates to everything on the cover and contents so it is realistic in that sense. I have used the colours pink and blue for two reasons. Number one is because: pink mainly attracts the attention of girls and blue the boys. I also used these colours because the pink matched Kirstin's lipstick and the blue matched her top. I think this made the spread look more professional and thought about. Although there is no red on this page like on the front cover and contents i have still used black. I think this gave the magazine a bit of change, because looking at the same thing over and over again can become boring and uninteresting and my aim is to keep the readers attention. There are things i could do to improve such as crop the photo around the actual outline of the model and work on the background so it doesn't look so matte but over all i am pleased with my first draft.

My Music Magazine Development...

As i am developing my ideas for my magazine further, i have been doing some research on the type of people big in music in today's society. The first result which came up on the internet was YouTube sensation Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber became famous in 2004 when his home made music videos went global. Justin Bieber is 19 and appeals to teenaged boys and girls - especially the girls. I think a character like Justin Bieber would look effective on the front of my magazine. He is young, stylish yet smart and good looking; he is cleanly shaven and looks sophisticated. I will use Justin Bieber as inspiration for my modelling shoot, in making said model look similar. 

According to Google, and my personal opinion, Lady Gaga is the biggest female Pop artist this year. Because my magazine will be based around the "Pop" genre, i think it's beneficial for me to use Lady GaGa as inspiration. Not only does her music pretty much always top the charts, she has a unique style that appeals to teenagers. As well as that, she is very beautiful which attracts the attention of boys. Lady GaGa is one of a kind and i like her style. I will keep this in mind when i use my female model for the front of my magazine cover. The black she is wearing above looks seductive - this has been done on purpose. I especially like the eye make up used just under her actual eyes. I will keep this in mind also when using my model. I think it is something different which would look effective on the front of a music magazine.

Peer and Self Assessment...

Assessor: Myself:

At the moment, i have completed all tasks that have been asked of me and i will keep on top of everything else i am asked to do in the near future. i am really enjoying uploading relevant things on to my blog. I think the tasks I've done so far look realistic though they are not 100% there yet but this is reasonable because i haven't really had all the practice. I especially like my magazine covers i created a week ago. I had a lot of fun making up the headlines and putting different pictures of bands and famous icons.On the other hand i think they could of been better. A target for me for next time will to be add more sub headings as i don't think there were many and i had noticed i hadn't included date lines on 3 of them - datelines are crucial to a magazine else without them they won't look realistic. I plan to use these in the future as a template of my own magazine which i will create.

Peer Assessor: Molly McDonald:

I think this blog is full of different research and tasks. It looks organized and well structured - it's also very enjoyable to look at and read. i can see that all of the tasks have been completed to a very high standard although the magazine covers created a week ago could be improved slightly just to make them look more realistic - though i think they look effective too! i think all of the tasks completed by you look great, you have done some good work so far keep so keep it up! 

An Inspiration Post...

As I have been doing research into my music magazine, looking for ideas and inspiration; I'm creating a "Pop" music magazine intended to attract teenagers both boys and girls, I have been looking at different music magazine covers which could potentially inspire me, so I could use some of their ideas and copy them or make them better if possible. I have come across these music magazines which really caught my attention for different reasons:

Here is another analysis of a complete different genre. Kerrang! Live life loud is a rock magazine. I analysed the codes and conventions to see if they were similar to the Q magazine.

Target Audience Research...

Because i am now starting to really gather my ideas and develop an overall idea about my music magazine I'm going to create, I've started collecting a lot of different information. One of the most important aspects of a magazine is the target audience you are aiming the magazine at. I have researched a lot about my decided target audience which is teenage boys and girls. Here is the information i have found out from different websites on the internet:

Through research i have found out that statistically in general the most popular genre of music liked by both (teenager) boys and girls is pop music (popular music) i.e: music in the carts, UK top 40 etc. Pop music is usually played on different radio stations like Capital, Radio 1, Radio 1Xtra etc. Being a teenager myself i think it will be beneficial for me to do a magazine targeted at teenagers too. I have decided that the genre of my music magazine will be Pop. From this, I have also found out that: 

"Pop music (or "pop") is a sub-genre of contemporary popular music that typically has a dance-along rhythm or beat, simple melodies and a repeating structure. Pop song lyrics are often emotional, commonly relating to love, loss, emotion, or dancing. The term does not refer to a single genre or sound, and its meaning is different depending on the time and place. Pop music is distinguished from classical (or art music) and from folk music. Pop songs are often written by songwriters, unlike other popular music genres, such as rock and hip hop, where singers often write their own songs."

Another important aspect of a music magazine is colour. Colour is usually the most influential factor on the front of a magazine cover to attract the target audience. I have done some research to find out more on colour:

Colour:

Males: 

• Prefer the color blue to red, and orange to yellow. 
• Baby boys traditionally tend to be dressed in blue, except in Belgium where pink is used for baby boys. 
• In the western world many men are color blind so you need to be aware of the red/green visual problems if this is your target market and choose other colors that are not as affected.

Females: 

• Prefer the color red to blue, and yellow to orange. 
• Baby girls traditionally tend to be dressed in pink except in Belgium where blue is used for baby girls. 
• Tend to have a broader range of color preferences to men and are more open to trying new colors.

Both Genders: 

• Blue, turquoise, green, red, yellow, black, white, gray and silver are colors that are the most suitable for use in a business marketing to both males and females. 
• Pinks and purples are now becoming more acceptable to males, with pale pink business shirts and purple casual shirts commonly seen on men.

• Respond best to high contrast visuals.

Adolescents/Teenagers: 

• More open to experimenting with more sophisticated and complex colors due to their exposure to computer graphics programs such as Photoshop. 
• More influenced by cultural influences due to multiculturalism and greater access to world markets through the Internet. 
• Many younger teenager girls love varying shades of purple and pink. 
• As they reach their late teens they often show a preference for black - this relates to a psychological need for black during the transition stage from the innocence of childhood to the sophistication of adulthood - it signifies the ending of one part of their life and the beginning of another, allowing them to hide from the world while they discover their own unique identity.

Independent Research...

I have carried out some research of my own and edited a photograph. I'm thinking ahead for my own music magazine and the main convention of a music magazine is to have a main image. I have attempted to create my own magazine style photograph. I think this photograph would suit a more classy, pop magazine rather than a rock, grunge type magazine. This is because of things like the red lipstick, the big curly hair, the subtle eye make up and the general effect. I have edited this photograph on a programme called "Paint.Net" which i will be using when i come to create my music magazine. I thought i would practice myself and gain a few more skills. I have used different features of Paint.Net like cropping, color edits, double photo effect, lighting adjustments and put it on a white background which brings the main picture more vivid. I have enjoyed doing this task on my own and after it i feel a lot more confident with the software programme i will be using to create my assessed music magazine in the near future.

Improved Magazine Cover and Contents...

I have created a new magazine cover and contents page after doing some more research on things like: codes and conventions, good and bad features and typeface. This has helped me in the sense that i know a bit more about the front covers of magazines and contents pages. I think this cover and contents is better than my first attempt because: I've used red, black and white which are the school colours (which were preferred by the people who filled out my questionnaire), i have made the text smart and sophisticated which suits the genre of the magazine being about school but made it stylish at the same time which would appeal to my target audience of pupils and teachers. I have used many more photographs from around school and added more subtitles; the subject of them being something to attract the reader. I am pleased with these two pages i have produced however i am looking forward to learning more and improving upon this again. Watch this space!

Magazine Cover Designing Task...

Here i have uploaded 5 magazine covers. I've added the appropriate codes and conventions tot he five templates including things like font and language techniques. This has been great preparation and practice for when i start making my own music magazine.

M - Drake: I have tried my best to make the front cover of this magazine look quite Hip Hop and Ghetto like. Drake is a rap sensation and mainly appeals to teenage boys/men. To appeal to this target audience i have included a picture of Rihanna who would appeal to the boys/men especially a free "pull out poster" would attract them to buy it because she is a big sensation and very beautiful too. The font on the front cover looks very informal. It is also easy to read. 

M - The Rocky Roaders: I have based this magazine around the 90's. To fulfill this theme have used a lot of different colours such as red, pink, green and blue i think this stands out and would attract the readers in. The font is bubbly and fun like the 90's. The fact it is a limited edition would attract the readers attention so they would know its a "one off" copy. 

Music_X - Bjork: I have kept this music magazine front cover very plain. I have only really used the colour of white on this cover. This is because i think the person on the front cover looks quite mysterious and the white is connotative of things like ghosts.

Pitch - Marilyn Manson: I have used a Gothic  blood like font in the colour red as the colour red connotation is death, blood and gore. I think this suited the magazine theme because the artist on the front cover is a Gothic artist. This would appeal to the people who liked that sort of music.

Sound - Kings Of Leon: I have kept the font quite edgy and rocky but not too much rocky and edgy because of the type of band Kings Of Leon are. I've mainly the used the colours white and red because the connotation of them is pureness and passion, like how the bad are they passion about their music.

Photography Skills Analysis...

This is a photograph took at Whitley Court. I have analysed this photograph to show my skill and knowledge on photographs. I think this photograph looks very professional and something you would see; with a little editing, on the front of a music magazine (maybe a Rock or Alternative magazine). This task has helped me become more visual in the sense of I know now what makes a good and a bad photograph.

Magazine Font (Headline) Analysis Task...

In lesson we were looking at how different fonts are crucial to the designing of a magazine. As you can see, these are all the same magazine but with different fonts. I have been analyzing which fonts suit the style of the magazine and the main headline. These were my results of my top three:

I think the best font for the headline is E. This is because the headline "Christina Aguilera: Machine Mutha!" suits the font. The font looks almost like it is mechanical in the sense it looks bold and machine printed. Machine printed relates the word "Machine" in the headline. Whilst looking bold, i think it looks very classy and chic. It's a plain font which is easy to read. This is effective because when you produce fonts that are very curly and look handwritten (like font D) it can be difficult to read. 

The second best font for this magazine cover in my opinion is F. This is because it looks quite similar to type E. It is bold yet classy and chic just like the genre of the magazine. I think that customers would be easily be influenced to buy the magazine from things like font, this is because the customers want to know what sort of font they're going to be reading etc. as I've said sometimes it can be difficult to read - which would put you off buying the magazine. 

The third best font for this particular magazine is A. This is because of the reasons I've listed above. The rest of the fonts, especially D, do not relate to the headline of the magazine nor the genre.