Research
Before I begin the main task of creating my music magazine, I will need to carry out research, which will allow me to become familiar with the various layouts and text used in indie/pop
music magazines.
1 - Spin Magazine Front Cover
SPIN music magazine covers a wide range of genres, but the majority of the issues emphasis on the artists of indie/rock music; therefore it provides me with some ideas when producing my pop/indie magazine. SPIN is suggested to be aimed at the younger generations of society due to the image of the popular artist used in the centre of the magazine as many teenagers listen to the music the group produces; therefore they would be more interested in what was in the magazine and what they had to say in their article.
The cropped close up of the lead singer of 'Florence + The Machine' is the focus of the front page implying that the main article of the magazine is going to be about the them, which also magnifies the genre as 'Florence + The Machine' produce music that are in the indie/rock genre. The image of Florence Walsh portrays her face and hands with little background being shown; therefore the audience is not distracted by the activities of the background. Also, the secretive way in which Walsh is posing suggests that the articles contain unknown information; therefore enticing the target audience even more. Also, just above the image a pug has been used to advertise free tracks from SPIN's top 40 albums, which entices the audience even more.
The black and red colours, used in the image match the colour scheme of the magazine's front page; therefore portraying the consistency of the magazine. However, the sparkle of the sequins on Florence's clothes, magnify her star quality, making her more glamorous. Also, the red colour of the artist's hair is also emphasised as it is one of the qualities that is most prominent with the singer as well as showing a contrast with the rest of her costume and the background of the magazine.
In addition, the colours used in the image also match the house style of the magazine, which is white, black and red. The red used in the background of the masthead stands out from the rest of the cover, implying it's importance as well as indicating that it is the main title of the magazine. This is constant throughout the other issues of the magazine, allowing the audience to be familiar with the layout, increasing sales as more people would buy it.
The text style used in the magazine is simple, but sharp; giving SPIN a sense of professionalism. Words have also been emphasised in the straplines and main title as they are formatted in bold, which also portrays the difference in the masthead and the other articles. The size of the text is also appropriate as it is just big enough for the audience to read, but not too big, so it becomes overpowering, hiding the image and other pieces of text on the cover.
2- Rolling Stone Magazine Front Cover
Rolling Stone magazine is a very popular music magazine that also features articles of politics and movies, nevertheless the majority of the magazine is based around music and diverse genres such as; pop, indie and rock. However, unlike SPIN, Rolling Stone is suggested to be aimed at a wide range of audiences from teenagers to adults due to the variety of music they portray from different years through the use of the main image. However, this addition of Rolling Stone is aimed at a younger audience due to the medium shot of Darren Criss, who plays Blaine in the popular American school drama, Glee, which is mainly aimed at teenagers. Therefore, the use of Darren increases the popularity of the magazine with the younger generation.
This image is the focus of the magazine, implying that the main article is going to be about the Glee star. However, as he has not been given the name of his Glee character, it suggests that he is going to be talking about his own music, not just the music he produces with Glee. His own music genre of soul/indie is slightly diverse to the mainstream songs in Glee, which is highlighted by the toned down look of the image as he is sitting with his guitar. This also magnifies the genre of the magazine in general.
The black and red colours, used in the image match the colour scheme of the magazine's front page; therefore portraying the consistency of the magazine. This is constant throughout the other issues of the magazine, allowing the audience to be familiar with the layout, increasing sales as more people would buy it. However, the bold colours of the house style are contrasted by the blue clothes that the artist is wearing, which allows him to stand out and not blend into the background. Also,the simple white background prevents the reader from being distracted; therefore focusing on the straplines and the images used on the front cover. The text style used in the magazine has been given depth, which allows the title to stand out from the rest of the text on the page. Words have also been emphasised in the straplines as they are formatted in bold, which also portrays the difference in the masthead and the other articles, even though they are shown in the same colour. The size of the text is also appropriate as it is big enough for the audience to read, but it does not hide the image and other pieces of text on the cover, even though it overlaps the image.
Many language techniques are used in the straplines of the front cover.'Gaga over Lady Gaga' is a play on words, giving the magazine a humorous edge, implying that it is not a deadly serious; therefore opening it up to a wider audience. The strapline of '...this year's biggest band' is presented as a fact, even though it is an opinion; therefore influencing the readers to believe the same, which increases the popularity of the band they were referring too. Also, the article on 'The Freelance Whales' relates to the main image of the magazine as one of the band members is the brother of Darren Criss, implying that the all articles connect within the magazine. Significant quotes from the main article have been located on the front cover, to entice the reader to buy the magazine to find out what the subject of the article was talking about. A puff is also used to display the article of 'Eygpt on lockdown', which separates the article from the rest of the straplines, advertising other articles.
3- Q Contents Page
The contents page in Q Magazine is dominated by an image of artist, which, in this case, implies that the band are a prominent part of the magazine, highlighting that the main article may be about them. Therefore, by displaying the low angled, long shot of 'The Courteeners', the popularity of the magazine increases with the young target audience as they are a a band that have a majority of young supporters.
The main title of the page is 'CONTENTS', which immediately implies what the page is stating; therefore, making it easier for the reader. The title is capitalised and put in bold, which again emphasises what the page of the magazine is showing. Also, the placement of the logo before the title, highlights the name of the magazine; therefore portraying that the magazine wants to be familiar to most readers, which will occur if the logo is consistently displayed throughout the magazine. This is also visible in the subtitle of the 'Review' section. The subtitles are clearly presented as they have also been capitalised and emphasised with a bold format, however to portray the difference in titles, the font size has been reduced. The subtitles are also placed on a red background, dividing the diverse sections as well as alerting the reader on what topics are being discussed.
However, the colour scheme of red, black and white has been discarded in one section of the contents page. The title of the section, 'Oasis Special' is presented in the colour gold, which implies that they have a high status in the music industry as gold is usually associated with wealth and importance. Too emphasis the significance of the band, the section has been surrounded by a box, which portrays a definite separation from the rest of the topics and articles, suggesting that Oasis are more prominent than any other band included in the magazine.
4- NME Contents Page
The contents page in this NME magazine is a lot more busy than the one in Q magazine, which reflects the main music genre of the magazine, which is rock/indie as songs in this genre conventionally use a lot of instruments, which may be seen as chaotic, even though it works.
However, like Q magazine, this contents page used the colour scheme of red, black and white, which implies a sense of consistency, from the front page, right through to the end articles. Too add to this, the colours also work well together, so they are not overpowering the content of the page, which allows the audience to read the text clearly, adding to the magazines professionalism. The bold and simple colours are also eye catching, as the red alerts the reader and the white contrasts the black, making the text stand out a lot more. Yellow has also been used on the contents page to advertise a subscription to the magazine. The colour change separates the information from the main articles, suggesting that it is not a prominent part of the magazine.
The main images of the contents are placed in the centre of the page, giving the audience a focal point, which draws their attention to the unconventional article, written underneath the two depth of field, long shots. The images are surrounded by two columns of text. On the right hand side, the text describes the articles that are included in the magazine, whereas text on the left hand side is a band index. This makes it a lot more accessible for the reader to find the article about the band they are more interested in. Therefore, also making the whole reading experience a lot more easier than it is.
5- NME Double Page Spread
The double page spread in this NME magazine immediately portrays who the article is about through the use of the long shot image as it dominates the two pages; leaving little space for the text. To accommodate the large image, the text size has been reduced; therefore this may not make it 100% readable, which suggests that the images in magazines are more important than the content of the article.
There is a constant colour theme on the double page spread of black, red and white. The black dress Florence is wearing contrasts the white and red colours used on the cloth that she is sitting on, which is suggested to be the USA flag, allowing her to stand out. Therefore, this relates to the title of the article. However, the fact that Florence is sitting on the USA flag, implies that she is metaphorically on top of the US, suggesting she has broken into the US music industry, which is a huge achievement for a British artist. Therefore, again, illustrating what the article is about.
The title of the article covers both pages and is located above the main image and content, so there is not a lot of empty space on the double spread, however, it does not look too busy, which gives the magazine a sense of professionalism. The emphasis on the 'USA' in the title, implies that it is an important word relating to the article as it is the largest text on the page as well as being in bold. '... got the love' connects to one of the songs the artist, in the articles image, sings. The elegant way in which this is presented, contrasts the boldness of the 'USA', indicating that the article is also light hearted.
6- Kerrang Double Page Spread
The double page spread in this Kerrang magazine is quite busy and chaotic as it implies the music genre of the magazine, which is rock. There are various images on the double page spread, however the most prominent image, which covers one whole page, is a prospective medium shot of the lead singer of 'My Chemical Romance', a popular rock band. Like, NME's article on 'Florence + The Machine',images dominate the articles as there is only a small amount of writing in the article; therefore suggesting that readers of magazines are more interested in images, than the actual content.
The other three images in the article differ between depth of field, medium shots and close ups, portraying the other band members. The close ups used portray the emotions of the band aswell, as it is very clear in the image, located at the bottom right hand corner, that music means a lot to the band.
There is a constant colour theme on the double page spread of black, red and white, which magnifies the music genre as most people that are fans of rock music, stereotypically wear black and do not like to express themselves with really bright colours. The images used are in greyscale, which adds to the dark atmosphere which is associated with rock music; therefore suggesting that they are true rock stars. The use of the greyscale effect in an image, makes the image look older than it actually is, which could implies that 'My Chemical Romance' are a legendary band, even though they have only been on the music scene for about 10 years.
The title of the article mainly covers one page, however it does continue onto the next page; therefore, like the NME magazine, not leaving an empty spaces. Red and white have both been used in the title to contrast the black background, allowing it to stand out. Also, the title has been formatted in bold, which emphasises the words, making it clear that it is the title of the article. The title is also a quote from one of the band members, which gives the reader a bigger connection with 'My Chemical Romance.'
To add, the use of a pug, at the top of the page, highlights that the article is a world exclusive, therefore suggesting that it is a unique article, that other magazines do not have, which again increases the interest of the young target audience, resulting in a increase in sales, making the magazine a lot more popular.
