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Diary entry week three

This week i made my pie charts for my market research i also developed on this by analysis where I wrote why people had chosen what they had and why they hadn't. After i had done this i had to put all of my 15 Analysis' onto my blog, this was to show all the research i had done before making my magazine myself. Finally this week I also learnt the small things that made up the pages which made the magazine look professional but were really easy to miss out. E.g. barcode, date, headline, page number, colour scheme etc.

Who is your favourite artist at the moment?

From the research I have done on who peoples favourites band/artist is they seem to be a wide range of music varying from pop, r ‘n’ b, rap, indie, hip hop. This indicates that today people like a wide range of music it is normally not just one specific genre that they listen too. All of these people which have came up are well known main stream band/artists apart from Mumford and sons as these are really not known of. All of the above minus this band are always seen in the charts with their latest songs making a lot of money. Not only do they have a good voice their appearance gives them a good audience also as normally men want to see them rather than hear them. So I think this is something I need to impact into my magazine to make it more appealing and gain more consumers.

What do you want to read about in a magazine?

This question is one of the main features in the magazine as if I wrote something that was not what something my audience wanted to read then it wouldn’t work well and wouldn’t sell as it would not be what they wanted. So having something they want to read about will be one of the main factors because it will make them want to read the magazine. From this question I have learnt that people want to read interviews in my music magazine I think this is because interviews in music magazines tend to be exclusive where they get the first information from that artist, I will be taking on board this idea as I think this is appealing to a reader because if it is exclusive they wont have heard it before and they are always interesting to read. I think latest music was not that necessary due to the fact people mostly know it all anyways. And with gossip I don’t think this is appropriate in a music magazine however a little bit could be involved but it is not the main focus of the magazine as it is mostly all about bands. And normally the band will talk about their album in the interview so this is incorporating two things in one so I don’t think a single page for it would be necessary.

What genre do you want to read about?

This is another main factor in my making my magazine as I want my audience to enjoy and be to their taste what they are reading about, because if it is not what they suggested then they probably wouldn’t even buy the magazine. I think this has a big impact when buying a magazine as you can normally tell from the stance and image of the artist/band on the front cover what genre it is going to be; even from the clothes that they are photographed wearing. And it will turn people away if it is not who they want to see, as normally the person pictured on the front cover are people who are featured throughout the magazine so this would be a draw back to them. It would also seem that if it looked a specific genre on the front that it would be the same genre throughout the magazine. From this question 52% of people voted pop which means I couldn’t have an indie/rock style for the front cover of my magazine as this wouldn’t be what my audience would want and appreciate. This fits in well with my question of ‘who would you like to see on the front cover’ as the Saturdays were chose and they fit in with the genre that was chose, so both of these choices work well together as they don’t contrast with each other since they are both in the same genre.

Do you prefer the blocky style or image heavy style?

68% of people prefer the blocky style I think this is because it is plain and simple and easy to read, whereas the image dominant is busy with images  and can sometimes look too much when surrounded by text. I would prefer my contents page to be approachable and easy to read so I will use the blocky style because as well as this, this is what my audience want to see which means they would prefer it too. I think this is an important feature because if the information on the contents looked unappealing then people would not read it, and this is bad as this is where you find the information out about what you want to read. And i think an advantage of this style is that it is easy to quickly find what you want to read about as nothing else is taking your attention

Would items such as free cds and posters make you buy a magazine?

Often on music magazines cd’s and posters are included to give more of a reason to buy the magazine, as it seems you are getting more for what you are paying when freebies are added. It is normally taking up the cover of the magazine so it is more out there instead of something else on the cover gaining your attention. Even though people would probably not use the product as it will normally be cheap and tacky people today still buy a magazine if it has a freebie in it even though it will end up in the bin. Especially since people don’t really go out and buy cd’s anymore, because if they want some new music they will just go and download which they can do for free instead of wasting money on importing a CD onto their play list then never using it again. However I will definitely still put it on my front cover that there will be freebies inside as 76% of people said this would make them buy it and I also think it would be a good feature to include, but I will not put the freebie as a free CD I will use something where they have to save up vouchers and win something over £30 so it is more cost effective and gives people more of a reason to buy the next issue as well as the good stories.

What kind of magazines do you buy?

I asked people this question to find out the variety of types of magazines they buy that they are interested in 45% of people that I asked said they bought gossip magazines, which meant they liked to read about what celebrities/artists were up to and the latest information about them. Even though this is not normally a main feature in a music magazine, I will incorporate this in with the music magazine style anyways and have a page on latest gossip about artists/bands today that are most talked about as I think this would make my magazine unique to others as this is not normally included. Since music got 42% I will still make sure this is the main feature that I talk about considering it is an actual music magazine but as well incorporate what I stated above.

Why do you buy thew magazines you are interested in?

Stories was the most popular reason why people buy magazines, after people have been drawn in by the image present on the front people normally read further into the magazine to see what stories are included especially on the contents. Since a huge 60% of people said this was why they bought the magazine I will make sure that all my stories that I include are relevant to the genre which I am doing and include new and up to date stories about mainstream people who people know well of. But I also feel that the image on the front cover is also important and I think this is one of the main reason someone actually picks up the magazine if the image is dominant and approaching the reader. So even though stories got a higher percentage I will also make sure my image of my band is standing out on the page and it has the effect I stated before on the reader.

What features of a magazine are most appealing?

Images got 48% of the vote of what is most appealing, so I need to make sure the  images that are on my front cover are striking so it gets drawn to the reader. I also agree with this statement as if the picture on the front cover wasn’t out there and wasn’t almost as if it was looking at you then it wouldn’t sell. Because this is the first thing you look at when you buy a magazine as it is normally the main focus and usually tends to be very dominant. Bold text only scored 4% I think this is because it is normally featured on all magazines and is not the first thing you look at when looking at a magazine It is normally the image which I have stated above. Musicians also scored a high percentage of 32%, I also feel this is a main feature in a magazine so I will incorporate this also as well as having striking images. As I think that if you didn’t know the artist featured in the magazine it would be unlikely that you would buy it. However if it was someone in mainstream music for instance you would definitely be more inclined to purchase it. 

Who would you like to see on the front cover?

This question is the most important out of all that I have done, as it will be the image on my front cover, so they will have to be popular and well known for it to work well. From this research it has come to my attention that people prefer main stream music instead of alternative bands that are not really heard of that much as they are more in the know so you can refer to the artists from what you already know which I think is a main factor.. Most of the above are all solo artists and they seem to be more popular amongst the people I have asked. However the Saturdays were the most popular I think this is because they are appealing to both audiences- male and female. Female being that they enjoy their music but male also as they probably find all the girls attractive as they are all beautiful. Along with this they are always in the chart when they bring out a new song, and this is because their songs are catchy and you can listen to them a number of times. However just so it could appeal to a wider audience I could incorporate stories on the front cover about the people who were less popular so it is not just focusing on one main artist. I could use the image of the Saturdays on my front cover and my double page spread as I think it looks good when the theme Is running throughout the magazine, as most magazines take on this idea. Whilst doing my market research I think when bands are the dominate image on the front cover it works well as it gives you more people to focus on instead of just one, and you learn more about the whole band. As I feel that when it is just talking about one artist- such as a solo artist, it can get boring as there is no differentiation.

What Colours do you think look best?

Black, white and red. Black, white and yellow. Black, white and purple. All scored 28%, I can understand why black white and grey only scored 16% because compared to the other colours this is very boring and not at all striking. And I think the colour on the front of the magazine is one of the main impacts in why people are drawn to it. Since the three above colours scored all the same I will have to make a decision myself to which colour I will pick, this choice has to be thought through though as it will be a running theme throughout my magazine so it has to work well and look striking.

Vibe Front Cover

The image on this magazine is covered partly by ‘Nicki Minaj’s’ head, this highlights the fact that this magazine is already established and well know so doesn’t need to be fully out there to be known as it already has that factor and its fan base. The image is taking up the centre of the page and with the obvious editing on photo shop so it looks striking with the perfect skin and shimmering in her clothes especially with all the matching colours of pink, blue, white and black. The page is made up of those 4 colours and since they are only used frequently and for the right things it works well and definitely stands out the most from all the magazines I have looked at. From this image of Nicki Minaj you can tell that she doesn’t care about what people think about her especially with what she is wearing, her hands on her hips back up this point and her open mouth as it seems she thinks she can do what she wants when she wants and does not care what people have to say. She is pictured in front of a cloud of flowers, this illustrates that she just wants to have fun and we can tell this by what she is having its almost like she doesn’t want to grow up. The colouring of the background is aesthetically pleasing even though there is a lot of white it still looks very out there. The ‘Vibe’ title is taking up the top section of the page and wrote in big capital bold font, with the white matching everything else on the page e.g. the dress and cloud. Stories are positioned on either side of the page ‘Nicki Minaj’ is in the same size font as the rest which is different to the rest of the front covers I have looked at as usually they are the main focus of the front cover since they are pictured on it. The pink and white combination which matches the boots she is wearing is used for the stories nothing stands out on this page apart from the black writing which is used for ‘Michael Jackson’ And ‘World cup’ mania, even though they don’t stand I still think it looks extremely effective since it is so matching. The barcode is placed on the left hand side vertically on the front cover along with the website above it, this is again in matching colours so works well with the rest of the page.

Vibe Contents Page

This page takes on board three main colours- grey, black and white. I think these colours usually look boring and masculine, however I think this page looks very attractive and appealing to read. The women taking up the majority of the page is wearing matching colours to the background, it is almost like she is trying to blend in with the background. But she does not due to her skin tone and dark hair, and especially the way she is positioned on the floor with her legs kicking high, it is a very unique picture therefore I think it would make readers want to read more. The title ‘Contents’ has been broken down into 3 lines which I think is very different and it is like the model is holding it up with her foot even though she is not. Everyone knows what a contents entails and this magazine knows that so they feel they can do what they like with the title and positioning and people will still know what it is. This is the only white thing on the page and since it is in bold it stands out for all the right reasons.

Vibe Double Page Spread

The colour scheme on this page is very subtle with the black and white images on the background, along with the grey writing, blue is used twice to emphasise her name and to make it stand out amongst the grey simple text- this may be cause she is not well known of, so that would be the first thing that stands out whilst you are scanning the page. The black and white theme is what makes the image so striking as this is the only thing in colour, especially since she is wearing a vibrant red dress, so instantly your attention is drawn to her which is what she wants as she probably wants to stand out from her sister ‘Beyonce Knowles’. As well there is nothing taking the attention off her as there is no text positioned around her it is all just white. Black writing is used once on this page to highlight a quote she has said from the article, this is a typical code and convention of a magazine and many do this. The smaller images behind her contrast with the main image because the background pictures tell a different story- of her just having a good time and being herself, this is sectioned off with 5 black stripes this goes well with the images since they are bold and black and cuts it off well. Whereas the main dominant image looks vulnerable as if what she is going to say is going to be emotional but I think this technique has been used wisely as I think it could gain her audience, because people will look at her facial expression and what to find out more. I think this image would be directed at women and women only, as the whole page looks feminine especially with what she is wearing, I can’t see a man being drawn to this page unless they found her attractive. Also ‘Solange Knowles’ type of music isn’t very masculine so I don’t even think they would even know who she was. Four columns are used for the writing in simple sans serif font, with an image placed in the middle this makes it easier to read as it makes the text deceiving as there doesn’t seem as much. The writing above the columns above this is in capital letters and bold font even though the colour does not stand out much it still works well with the theme that is being portrayed.

XXL Front Cover

The front cover presents one main centre dominant image, this is of 50 cent and he is staring directly at the person reading the magazine. I feel this is very effective way to grab the readers attention because the image is so striking, and this will make it stand out on a shelf, as when it is surrounded by others it could blend in, however this has the opposite effect. The image is so striking due to the expression 50 cent has on his face, he has one raised eye brow which portrays his arrogance and this is backed up by the perfection of his hairline which Is poker straight. The bio colour method is used on the title of the magazine which is ‘XXL’, this is in 2 colours of white and red, this is placed on the far left which is typically where most magazines place the name. Even though it is not taking up such a large space like others do it still works well in the structure of the front cover, and since it is bold it still stands out. This front cover does not have a busy page of stories on the front, it has one main story of  ‘the power of 50’, I think this works well as it makes the reader intrigued to want to know what else is in the magazine which makes them flick through. This is wrote in simple bubble writing with a white outline, this works well as you can still see the background behind it, and since it is the only story it is wrote quite big which highlights the image again because the way 50 Cent is looking its as if this whole magazine is about him, when it is not. On the far right of the front cover there is a list of well known rappers in black and white writing and edited in bold, they are also in capitals which makes it stand out against the background which is a blue shading. Since the rappers are well known this will gain the audience of the magazine as if you were interested in any of them you would want to know what was inside the magazine about them since there is not a line which is telling you about it. There is three main colours of on the front of the magazine which is black, white and red, I feel this works well as I think if there was too many colours used it would be too busy and this makes it look simple yet striking and I think on my magazine I will take on this effect as I think it works well. The barcode is positioned vertically on the bottom right along with the date and price.

XXL Contents page

Along with the front cover the contents page again has one main dominant image taking up the page, this is of 50 Cent again trying to portray his cool/gangster style. The picture reflects his style as if he was pictured smiling he would look feminine and with the emotionless look on his face it illustrates his type of music since it is rap heavy. The picture is also covering up the first two letters The contents follows through the style of the front cover with the blue shading, this is reflecting off 50 cent’s jacket which I think looks good against the photo as it makes it more of the main focus like as if a light was shining off him. The contents colour scheme is white and yellow, this works well with the colour of the background, as they stand out above it and since yellow is so vibrant it makes the words stand out better. Slang words are used to express the stories e.g. ‘The Chiper, Dog Years’. This illustrates the style of the magazine as these are the type of words rappers use as they never really speak in proper English due to the words they use in the songs. ‘Top Billin’ is on a slant at the top left vertically, this could be classed as slang for top news?, which leads to the fact that only 4 stories are included on the page this only covers the main well known people in the magazine, which will get the readers attention more cause normally when reading a magazine you only really want to read about people you are a fan of or who are well known to you. So this might reflect ‘Top Billin’ which may mean top news and that is definitely illustrated. The main story is in a bigger font compared to these stories, this will be because it is the main story in the magazine therefore they want people to make sure they read it and with the big font it is almost in your face and makes you want to read it especially since 50 Cent is such a big name and well known by mostly everybody. On the bottom of the page there is a black strip which cuts off the page this includes writing in small white print of who the barber is, the clothes brand, and photographer on the bottom right. It is almost as if 50 Cent is such a big style icon that people can achieve this look by doing and wearing exactly what he is, this is also something that people would be interested in especially 50 cent has many fans.

XXL Double page Spread

This page does not reflect the front cover and contents like they did, this is because it is a totally different rapper and colour theme so the theme does not run throughout the magazine. The colours included on this page are grey and black, these are very masculine colours however this makes the page look edgy and even though it would seem that it was directed at only the male audience. I think anyone that was interested in rap, rnb would not feel this way and would feel comfortable reading it because it was about someone they liked listening to. These two colours work well also as the image on the right of the page of Lil Wayne is in black and white so they colours go with the image. The image works well with the type of magazine it is with the way Lil Wayne is pictured, he is positioned with his arms stretched high and his face is in a gaze. It is almost like he is recognising his fans and the focus of the picture is very personal as he may be creating link between himself and the fans and I think this is simple yet effective as you can read into the image. This image is not gender specific as women could find him attractive which would make them want to read about him as well as liking his music as well as men. However the image would not appeal to all audiences as rap music is a specific type so it would just be whether the reader enjoyed that type of music. The image and the text is evened out equally by having a page each, I think this looks simple but works well as sometimes when the text is over the image it is less of a dominant image and does not stand out as well. The headline on this page takes up one third of the page so it stands out well, especially with the pixelated black font which contrasts with the three columns of writing which is in a simple and basic font. With the headline taking up so much room it lets the reader know exactly what he is going to be reading about especially with the dominant image, so its almost all in your face.

Q Front Cover

This cover has one main image of three people however it is not a group photo or a band, they have all been taken separately and then put together. By Q doing this it highlights the difference in each of their music, as Lady gaga is pop music, Jay z is rap and Dave Grohl is rock. This is what Q magazine wants to portray as that is the point of the magazine it includes a wide range of music it is not one specific genre. I think since they have used a white background it makes the image more effective and works well with the genre of magazine. Even though they are all obviously the main focus in the magazine due to the, Big orange bold font with their names listed on the left hand side of the page, Jay Z stands out the most and seems the most dominant figure out of the three people. By this the audience will know that he will come up a lot throughout the magazine with his stance. The writing underneath the Artist’s name is in a smaller black bold font, I think the orange is used to grab the attention of the reader and for the reader to want to read into more about the artist if it was someone they liked, once they have grabbed the readers attention they don’t need to put the writing in a such striking font as they will already have gained their attention. Lady gaga is taking up some of the Q letter, she can get away with doing that as Q is already an established magazine so everyone already knows its name and what its about so even if it was partly covered this wouldn’t take away that fact. There are 4 main colours used in the cover of this magazine; orange, black, white and red. Orange is used to highlight the most important points on the page, it is used well in the ‘Exciting people’ in ‘The 10 most exciting people in music now’. By them doing this it emphasises the point they are trying to make and makes this more in your face so you want to read into it. Everything on the page is wrote in capitals I think this looks good, however I would want to use capitals and lower case on my front cover as I want only certain things to stand out. The title of the magazine ‘Q’ is positioned in the typical place every magazine places their title- on the top left of the page at the top, this is a typical code and convention of a front cover so is a definite must to put it here. Circles and an oblong shape have been used to make information stand out instead of just writing a list of what is in the magazine, I think this effect is good as it makes it less unappealing to read, because it is standing out and only in small words.  

Q Contents page

The contents page is set out on a double page spread, this is unusual for a magazine as normally a code and convention of a contents page is on just a single page. The page is image dominated with many images spread out across the two pages, on one side there is an image of fifty cent in sunglasses and looks striking with the read light shining on one half of his face, this works well as the main colour on this page is red and is very effective that this is taking up part of the photo. All the main stories have a picture for them and a big bold number of the page number, I think this way is a good way of doing it instead of doing it in a typical bold text and is more appealing to the reader as if they wanted to read about their favourite artist they would just have to look out for the photo. The left page includes all images of all the people on the front cover so the theme is carried throughout; they have took images of lady gaga and Dave Grohls double page spread this is a different way to portray the information and I think it looks good and different. There is 3 main colours on this page red, black and white, this theme is followed through from the front page minus the orange colour, I think this is as they already have the readers attention. Red stripes are used to section off each story, which makes the stories more approachable and easy to read as well as the capital writing of each Artist, instead of having a block of writing which is unappealing to the eye. San serif font is used which is simple text, underneath the capital block writing to tell a little bit about what is going to come up. This is a typical code and convention of a contents page as readers want to know what they are going to read about. There is also an image of the front cover on the page, I think this is good as it highlights the theme that is running throughout both pages especially with the thick red stripe going across the top.

Q Magazine double page spread

The picture and writing is both split evenly on this page, giving each a half and half divide. On the right the picture is used again of Jay Z which is the same as the one featured on the contents page. Again the picture has red shading on one side of the picture and the other is white which gives a different edit to the image of 50 cent. This reflects that the theme is running throughout the entire magazine which is appropriate. This image of Jay Z illustrates his personality as he is pictured wearing big black sunglasses, plain black t-shirt and a chain, his genre of songs is rap which makes him come across as a gangster and this image definitely portrays that. With him wearing sunglasses this emphasises his arrogance and shows he can do what he likes. By him doing this it also reflects how he doesn’t need to have his face on full show to be recognised by his fans he can still have his face a partly covered for them still to recognise him since he has such a wide fan bace. The page of writing is writing heavy and takes up the full page, it is wrote in a simple font, however to make it more striking a big red bold J is placed in the centre of the page, this is effective as not only Is this the first letter of his name but it is also the first letter of the first word in the article. A bold T Is also used at the start of a new section in the article even though these two features are the main thing on this page I think it is effective.