I have continued editing my front cover, and it is almost finished. I plan to create my contents page and double page spread, then go back and do any final touches of editing.

 

I have put some text in circles to draw attention it, as this is a typical magazine convention to attract readers.

I like the lay out of my front cover, but I think I might change some of the colours slightly to make them more powerful.

 

I have tried to keep all the colours related to the picture- for example all the blues were taken (using the 'eye drop' wand tool on Photoshop) from the girls shirt, and all the reds were taken from her hat. There are a few small final changed I'd like to make, but I will make them once everything is completed, so I can see what it all looks like together (what the front cover, contents page and double page spread look like together).

 

 

I have been working on my front cover for a few days now. I am happy with what I have so far. The colours for the text I have used are going to change so they fit with the background colour/other colours, but for the time being I’m trying to sort out text positioning. The colour of the banner at bottom of the page is the exact colour of the girls hat, as I used the Magic Wand tool to select the colour, then fill in the box. I plan to have some more writing, more exciting colours and some boxes/circles possibly on the front cover.

Here are a selection of pictures I have taken that I am going to use in my magazine.

Design ideas- Masterhead fonts

Title Ideas.

 

 

Focus

étape (French for stage)

Punk, Rock and Pain

Punk-Rock and Pain

Punk, Rock and Punches

Punk-Rock and Punches

 

I have decided the magazine title should be 'Punk, Rock and Punches'

I like this title as it flows nicely, fits in with my genre, and obeys the rule of three, which is usually used in advertising and stories. (Saying things in groups of three so you remember them, for example Goldilocks and the 3 bears, 3 blind mice, 3 little pigs, etc). The first two words tell you what sort of music you will see in the magazine (punk, rock, punk rock). 'Punches' refers to gigs- oftenat shows of this genre there are moth pits (agressive dancing) where people will often get hit.

 

 

 

 

Flat Plans

The first image is my flat plan for my contents page, I'd like it to have columns of text laid out in a way that is easy to read and clear. There will also be a picture and text underneath.

 

The Second sketch is of the double page spread- the whole right side is going to be an image with a quote, and the left page will be an interview or article layed out in columns.

 

Finally, the last sketch is the front cover, consisting of one main image and some other smaller images, a bar code on the bottom right of the page, the title of the magazine at the top, with the date and issue number just underneath to the right. I have tried to keep as many magazine conventions as possible to make my magazine a success.

 

I have also tried out some colours out to see what goes well together, but I haven't come to a final decision yet.

What I found out from my survey.

 From my survey I found out many things that I think will help me to create a good music magazine that is priced right, and appeals to my target audience.

1. How often do you buy music magazines?

Once a week Once every two weeks Once a month Rarely Never

 As a whole, most people said 'Once a month' or 'Rarely'. Based on this, I would release my magazine monthly, as I think it would get more sales than if I released it too often, or not often enough. People like to keep up with magazine issues, and do not like to fall behind, so monthly is a good choice.

 

2. How much are you willing to pay for a music magazine?

£1-£2 £2.50-£3.50 £4+

Most people said either £1-£2, or £2.50-£3.50. I would aim to have my magazine in these price ranges, as if it was to expensive people wouldn't bother buying it, but if it was too cheap I would have top have not so good quality printing and free things.

 

 

3. Would free things, such as posters or objects, influence your decision on buying a magazine?

On this responce I found out that it depends what the free thing is. A random, un-useful, or cheap/badly made object wouldn't attract customers, where as something appealing and/or related to the magazine and genre would. For example, I would plan to give away posters of big bands, or bands included in that issue, or things like plectrums (small guitar instruments, good quality but in bulk are not that expensive) that could possibly band ones (bands release plectrums with the band name or faces on). I think things like this would attract customers of the target audience.

 

 

4. What sort of music do you listen to?

Chart Music Rock Music Punk Music Alternative Rap Music Classical Music

Other

 

Most people said Alternative, Rock, or Punk, with an exception of a few who said Rap. Because of this I plan to have my music magazine as rock/punk genre, similar to Kerrang! Magazine. There are many chart music magazines out so there would be a lot of compitition, where as there are less ones of rock/punk genre. I also like this sort of music, which means I can include bands that are popular, and I'll know a lot about the music, and what people want to see.

 

 

5. Do you enjoy reading interviews with band members in music magazines?

Almost everyone said yes, so I plan to include an interview for my double page spread.

 

 

6. On a front cover, would you rather see more pictures or more text?

Again, most people said pictures, which is what I expected as pictures draw in the eye more that big bodies of text. I will have one main image and possibly a few smaller images, along with text.

 

 

7. Do you attend music gigs?

Out of the 10 replies, seven of them said yes. This means gigs are still popular, and people will still be interested in things about them.

 

 

8. Would a Gig Guide appeal to you? (Up and coming gigs that are happening in England and near where you live)

The people who attended gigs said that a gig guide would be a good thing to have and they'd like to see one. For this reason, I will include one.

 

 

9. Is music an important part of your life?

100% of people said yes.

 

 

Thank you.

This is a print screen of some of the answers I recieved. In total I recieved ten back.