Double Page Spread Analysis (4)

This double page spread from DJ magazine has some conventional and unconventional techniques used throughout. The article has a small photo just before it starts and this is getting more and more used by editors because it shows the person getting interviewed at work or a reaction to a question, this causes the consumer to look at it and see that the person is like everyone else and it shows that they are no different. The quote on the picture is something that has been used for years now as it shows a bit of information that tries to make the consumer read the article instead of just skipping over it like what some people seem to do when they see an article that is a lot of writing.

Some unconventional techniques used in the title going over the two pages but the photo isn't. This is usually the other way around as it the picture should be the main attraction so that should be overlapping the middle of the page and the title of the article should just be on one as it should be just over the article. This is unconventional and may lose me marks so I want be using this technique.

I plan on taking the idea of the image before the article but change its position to show a reaction from one of questions I will ask. The quote is something I will definitely use because it makes the double page spread look a lot more professional and it will improve my marks.

Contents analysis (4)

This contents page from Mixmag conventional as it includes a block type contents with a main image to attract the eye of the consumer. They also include big number to attract people to read what is inside the magazine. They have included along the bottom some information about the free item they are giving away which is seen in a lot of magazines now a days. They have included a smaller picture as well to let the consumer see who else is going to be in the magazine to show that they don't only have one big article in this edition.

I plan on taking the idea of the free item information at the bottom because it seems to appeal to me as I would like to see that in a magazine. I like the block type contents but i prefer the image dominated lay out because I think there is more for the consumer to consume and get information from. The smaller image convention is one I might use as well because it will make it look that the magazine has more to offer if it was real therefore making it look more professional and inevitably improving my mark.

Survey Results

These are the much anticipated answers to the survey I sent around. Sadly, only 9 people answered the survey but this is enough information for me to base my magazine around. I'm also going to do a focus group or asking individual people the same kind of questions that I included in the survey. The answers here for "How old are you?" gave me the majority answers of 16 - 25 so I'm gonna make this age my target audience.

 The answers to my question, "What makes you buy a magazine?", shows quite a spread of answers but the majority answered that they buy magazines for articles so I'm going to need to make my article very interesting and then need to get good images as well because that is the second most wanted convention.

 The answers to my question "What colour scheme do you like to see in magazines?" is massively dominated by the answer of contrasts. This means I will need to use contrasting colours for my magazine like black, white and gold.

The answers to my question "What information do you prefer about an artist in the article?"  is personal life tied with role models and why they got into music and in close second is musical intentions. Lucky for me, these were the three  things I wanted to include in my article so this was an easy decision about this.

The answers to my question "How often do you buy magazines?" is monthly so I will most likely put somewhere in my magazine that it is a monthly magazine like I might include that with the subscription advertisement.

The answer to my question "What price would you pay for a new magazine?" was £2-3 so with this information so I'm gonna go for a nice number of £2.20 so it doesn't seem too much money for a brand new magazine on the market.

Font decision!

I have decided what font I'm gonna have on my front cover and it will be....

I decided Gunship because I think it is a generic font for a dance magazine. It is perfect for my magazine in my eyes!

Font Test - Further Information

These three fonts were the three I decided to use but I will make my decision tomorrow to wish one I want to use on my front cover. I have a lot of thinking to do!

Colour Scheme

Double Page Spread design

This is my design for my double page spread. I have included the big picture that attracts the readers eye and hopefully gives them the feeling like they want to read the article if they like the photo used. I'm going to even include a question and answer format because I prefer this kind of format as I find it easier to read and not think it looks like an essay. I will even include quotes if I need to but I will include one over the photo I think because I think it makes the magazine look more appealing. The title will include a quote and some information about him then I will leave on a cliffhanger so it makes people want to read my magazine even more.

Contents Page Design!

This is my first design of my contents page. This design includes everything I want to include from my analysis  as I have included the image dominated background and have combined it with the article genre and I think it will look good when I have completed it. I have included some information about the free item because I wouldn't want to waste a page on the free item if I was created the full thing so it makes my magazine look more professional.

Font tests

I'm thinking about what fonts I should use for my magazine and I'm undecided about a few fonts. I'm thinking between these and I will probably make my decision based on what I think photos I chose to use because I like the top font but it has to be used with the same context of photos I'm choosing but because the title of magazines don't vary very much, I may not use it if I want to create a follow up magazine.

First front cover design!

This is the first design idea I have for my magazine as it includes everything I want to have. I have included the large photo with the large title as well. I think I have even included  the main articles and many other articles and I think I have made the most of the space I had and when I have confirmed what other articles I will include on the front cover, I will take up a bit more space meaning that their won't be big spaces on the front cover so it will look more professional.

Front Cover Analysis (4)

This front cover from DJ magazine is very similar to the last front cover I analysed and this shows that the front cover for many magazines don't vary that much meaning that If I want to make another magazine, I should keep the same kind of layout. Once again the magazine hasn't advertised the freebie it contains as much as other magazines has but this magazine has a much bigger title compared to others.

I plan on using the bigger title because I don't like advertising the free item because people may only buy the magazine for the free item so I prefer using the big title so the magazine will be more known for the name and not the free items that are available with the magazine.

Double Page Spread Analysis (3)

This double page spread from Mixmag magazine is kinda like the second double page spread I analysed. The only two main differences is the larger picture and the smaller amount of text due to the larger image. The smaller text doesn't include the same type of format but this is because of the reduced space. The larger image shows that the magazine wants the people to focus more on the photo then the text.

I would like to develop the idea of having a large picture but I don't think I will have enough space as shown in this example that a large photo doesn't leave much space for the main article so it won't be the best idea for me to include but I hope to make my article like my last analysis.

Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6NZV37W Please do my survey to help me out with my research into what people want in music magazines :)

Contents Analysis (3)

This contents from DJ magazine is completely different to the other contents pages I have been analysing. Instead of a big photo that dominates most of the page, this has many small photos to go with the genre if articles they have been placed with like the music genre article has a man with a keyboard showing that he is artist. This is the strong example of the block type contents page because it includes many seperate blacks of information has minimal space available for pictures.

I prefer this contents because I like the way it has been laid out, I prefer the genre of the article to be all together because it lets people read about certain areas like just the music articles without having to go through other articles that are about technology. I will include this into my magazine but i will have a more image dominated background because I think that will attract eyes of the consumer.

Front Cover Analysis (3)

This front cover from DJ mag is sort of like Mixmag but it doesn't have all the same coventions. It has its original title to the magazine and the image take up most of the front cover. One big difference between this and the Mixmag magazine is that this magazine doesn't contain half the information or advertise half the amount of articles that Mixmag does. The free item that is included isn't as advertised as many other magazines as well.

I will include the image that takes up most of the page because I believe that the image on the front cover is one of the most important conventions of a front cover because it will be the main feature that attracts the eye of the audience because it is the first thing the consumer will see so if it isn't an interesting photo, no one will want to buy the magazine because they will think it won't be worth the money that I could potentially sell it for.

Contents Page Analysis (2)

This contents once again from Mixmag is one of the best contents I have seen. It has changed it writing compared to the last one but all the conventions are in the same place meaning that the contents page doesn't really change from issue to issue. The main image is for the main article and it shows that is the most important part of the magazine. The numbers again are only in two fashions, different for the actually contents and the one on the image.

I like this set out of a contents page and i'm thinking that this is the style I want to include in my project. I want to include the information next to the image because I believe this will attract people's eye to the image and then look to the side and see the information of the rest of the magazine and hopefully make them read the rest of it.

Double Page Spread Analysis (2)

This double page spread is something I want mine to look like. The main image doesn't massively go over the middle of the page but it slightly goes over so it. The drop down to start the text is something that attracts the eye and makes the consumer want to read the article that is there. The article is split up by the article done in the question and answer type format. This format makes it easier on the consumer  to read because it gives them the opportunity to miss out part of the interview and not feel like they have missed the most important part of the interview. The title in bold makes it seem much more important as it makes it seem like it is the one thing you should read. The title has the overview of the whole interview and gives the page a cliffhanger.

I want to include many of these conventions like the image over the two pages, the drop down, the cliffhanger title and the question and answer format. These conventions will make my magazine look much more professional.

Front Cover Analysis (2)

This front cover again from Mixmag includes many features that I plan to use in my magazine. The three colour scheme they use is something I hope to exploit because it means the magazine looks more professional as it doesn't have too many colours that distract the consumers eye. The original title is used again and this is important as it makes the magazine look more unique and it also lets frequent consumers of the dance mag know that it is back again. Once again, Mixmag has let the main article cover up most of the page because this is what attracts the reader to buy the magazine. The picture being put in the top right corner gives the feel that he on stage and this puts you in the feeling that you are at this performers show. They have included many other articles on the front cover and this is too make sure that their isn't much blank space and it makes the consumer feel that they are getting a lot for their money.

I plan on taking the other article convention but developing it into making the main article get most of the attention because this is the only other part of the magazine I will be making as well as having a contents page. This convention does make me feel like there is a lot of information within and this makes the consumer buy the magazine because they don't want to be spending their money on something they don't believe they will enjoy. This convention is obviously gonna be important for me to include as well having a unique title as it shows people that it isn't going to be like other magazines.