DJ contents analysis

Initially the most noticeable element of DJ magazine's contents page is the variety of colours used, it is usually more typical for the combinations to match rather than clash. Although in this case the particular shades used create a modern tone which reflects a very current genre. This chaotic mixture could exhibit the wild lifestyle that the magazine seems to promote, several examples include images 038, 094 and 096.  It is conventional for electronic/dance music magazines to emphasise the nightlife angle as it is a big part of what the genre is based on, plus it creates opportunities regarding prizes etc that entice the reader. DJ magazine covers a wide range of upcoming music events that will successfully appeal to the reader as they want to be informed. Another conspicuous theme would be technology - the contents even include a 'tech' section, implying that the magazine is definitely targeted at a young and on trend group. Pictures of apple products increase the overall disorganisation of the page as well. Short and spaced out sub categories are fitting considering the teenage target audience, they are worded in a catchy manner and often include alliteration and plosives, such as 'Down and dirty' and 'The perfect pitch'. This provides a memorable gratification.

Classic pop contents analysis

The contents page as well as the front cover of Classic Pop focuses on creating feelings of nostalgia within the reader, this is a consistent theme in each issue and is achieved through the use of colours, photos and fonts used. In this edition the range of fonts present a retro appearance, in particular the bold style used in 'Contents' which looks like it would have been popular several decades ago. Also the prominent sepia tones seen in the top right hand image of David Bowie demonstrate a flashback type atmosphere. The contents page is a visually effective continuation of a sentimental and evocative ambience. In contrast, Classic Pop's twitter and Facebook pages are advertised besides the sub categories and sub lines, encouraging fans to interact with the magazine through various forms of social networking media. This in a way could be considered as convergent media. Bowie's red jacket coordinates with the music magazine's logo, indicating that his article is featured and therefore significant. As a reader you are automatically drawn to that page due to the way it has been shown on the contents page. The sub categories seem to be tightly crowded and consist of very small writing, because Classic Pop is aimed at an older audience this is acceptable and ceases from taking away its appeal, possibly unlike a teenage audience who demand shorter, punchier sub lines.

Country people cover analysis

This cover of Country People conveys an image of simplicity due to it's limited cover/tag lines and lack of pugs, freebies and prizes. It's as though its appeal is almost effortless because they are targeting such a specific audience that the magazine sells itself. Country People even identifies locations that conform to themes of the country music genre - 'From Austin to Nashville and beyond'. This addresses their audience directly yet welcomes and unites country music fans from all over the world. The clothes, poses and overall appearance of the two men on the cover emulate the type of person Country People would aim to sell their product to, they give the impression of your typical red blooded, Southern American male. They have chosen white, American models as other ethnicities may not present the same 'cowboy' look.  The car in the background of this medium shot provides another appealing and relatable aspect for the target group. The way the pose conveys confidence and masculinity, also they appear to be around 30 - 40 years old which signifies the intended age demographic. Their age definitely emphasises the stereotype the magazine denotes. The small amount of language used creates a level of sophistication, 'Authenticity in country music', this is a music magazine produced for dedicated and serious fans.

Kerrang cover analysis

Although Kerrang revolves around a similar genre to Q it appears to be aimed at a younger, teenage audience. This is evident because of several factors - firstly the magazine cover is marketed to come across as rebellious and chaotic, therefore appealing to your stereotypical teenager. Paramore's Hayley Williams poses with what would be considered inappropriate body language which exaggerates the magazines shocking and outrageous image. Plus it is apparent that Kerrang is classed in the punk rock hybrid genre ('Pop-punk's brightest young rebels') rather than just rock. We know this because of the reputations of some of the artists that are featured, such as My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco and Paramore. The image looks slightly desaturated and the cover maintains a persistent colour scheme consisting of different shades of brown, white and grey, this conforms to themes of darkness that can be perceived in the punk genre. One cover line asks rhetorically: 'What's your favourite rock star got to hide?', involving and maintaing the audiences concentration. The masthead looks as though it is supposed to be made up of smashed glass - vocally, 'Kerrang' almost creates a crashing sound. This use of onomatopoeia is effective as it has connotations of  aggressiveness that match themes of rebellion in the genre. Iconic signs are shown in the bottom left hand corner in order to establish that the magazine includes free posters, underlining the obvious appeal to teenagers as they tend to have a lot of posters in their bedroom.

Q cover analysis

Q magazine have chosen the Arctic Monkeys to be the main focus of this recent cover mainly because they appeal to Q's target audience through being categorised under the rock/alternative genre. The composition (tight framing, dominant position of the band members) convey the Arctic Monkeys as professional  and serious artists whilst promoting their new image. The band have also recently released a new album, this combined with being branded in a very different way sparks up increased interest, publicity and popularity from a wide audience. The pug advertises a 17 page special on The Manic Street Preachers - the tag line states '25 years of triumph and tragedy', this alliterative phrase seems to depict an exciting, roller coaster ride type article. This is conventional of music magazines as readers expect an intimate insight in to the lives and experiences of their favourite artists, usually through interviews. The pug uses colours that juxtapose with the overall appearance of the cover thus directing and then persuading the audiences view. The language used presents a formal register, Q provides detailed, precise wording and avoids colloquialism, this suggests that their target demographic are generally sophisticated and intelligent. 'Beards, booze and baking cakes for Muse' is a cover line that somehow manages to successfully incorporate rhyme, plosives and alliteration, these symbolic signs are catchy and definitely capture the audiences attention.

Mixmag cover analysis

Billboard cover analysis

Industry and publishing houses

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Codes and conventions

Codes and Conventions

The masthead of a music magazine - or any magazine for that matter, gives the particular magazine an easily recognisable identity whilst attracting the targeted demographic of readers. It is significant as it is an immediate definition of whatever mood each issue aims to convey. For example, NME uses an extremely bold title in red which is almost iconic looking, it is conventional for music magazines to use eye-catching fonts and colours in order to gain interest. Cover lines are also a convention of magazines, they tend to be short sentences on a front cover depicting what articles the issue includes. In an early 2013 NME (featuring Hurts on the cover) one of the cover lines state "The first great record of 2013?", I find this especially effective  because it's setting up possible music trends for the year. It is also posed as a rhetoric question and this results in the reader almost wanting to challenge such a bold statement: either way it is very compelling.

A successful magazine should contain a lot of varied images throughout, generally colourful photos relating to whatever article are used to keep the reader interested visually as well as on the actual content. This is important within the contents pages as the images are advertising each section in a way, generally even with a multitude of images the contents pages should be organised so that it is a simple process to find whereabouts each topic is located. You often see page numbers placed on top of images in photoshop which helps the reader even further. Basically we are given the impression that the magazine company want to make it as easy as possible to read through in an ordered manner, it is clear that we are encouraged. Due to the recent increase in technology the magazines have to acknowledge a range of different social networking platforms e.g. Twitter, Facebook so that younger audiences can become more involved and interactive with the concept. Information about the web address and other websites can easily be seen on the cover, contents page and throughout the rest of the magazine.

Genre

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Prelim task evaluation

Evaluation 

I began the production of my college magazine front cover and contents page by gathering various images of the college itself and students within the environment. I concentrated mainly on brightly lit medium shots of students, usually holding props such as textbooks and folders. I decided to take this approach as it is conventional - in any type of magazine - to use close up or medium shots in order to capture the persons facial expression, clothing etc. This is significant because the people I have chosen represent the typical college student, therefore making the cover and contents page more appealing to it's target audience. 

I was inspired by the College Style edition of Seventeen magazine, the model comes across as ambitious and is shown to be holding a book bag. I wanted to recreate this aspirational image. I analysed an amateur front cover which contrasted hugely with Seventeen, I found the brickwork in the background interesting and decided to incorporate it in my front cover. It conveys a gritty, urban feel: this possibly makes the front cover look more masculine, simular to the amateur magazine.

Using photoshop enabled be me to increase the brightness of certain images and create more exposure, generally the pictures looked far more bold and eye catching subsequent to the use of photoshop. I also cropped the cover photo so that there was a greater focus on the students rather than the background. I feel as though overall the appearance of my front cover is successful - I like how the colour of the font is varied and vibrant yet coordinates with the Farnham College logo. This was influenced by Seventeen and is typical among a wide variety of magazines but mostly within the fashion/beauty genre. The same applies to a range of different fonts, bullet points and the use of capital letters. On the other hand a weakness of my cover would be lack of imagination regarding tag lines, I could have improved this by using puns or thinking of more exciting phrases. The cover should compel and encourage the reader, a stereotypical college magazine should require this technique especially as it is aimed towards adolescents.

I have made sure to use the same font and colour scheme in my contents page so that the magazine is consistent and thus realistic, this also gives it a memorable identity. Seemingly small elements such as website details and the college logo also contribute to the realism. I took inspiration from how the two contents page examples were laid out, however the appearance of my front cover seems bland in comparison. To improve next time I would have included some kind of background (perhaps a wide shot of the college landscape).

Prelim task: college magazine front cover and contents page

College magazine cover and contents analysis

Both combinations of front covers and contents pages are contrasting in style within the use of colours, font, images etc. They provide different approaches to the simple college magazine and are effective examples of how the design targets particular demographics. 

In my opinion the first magazine is successful as it uses bold feminine colours which clearly contribute to its appeal towards teenage girls. It could be described as a more fashion and beauty orientated magazine although the headline states that it is suitable for college students. It seems to offer the reader constructive advice and addresses common issues among college students which is likely to keep the reader interested. The model, captured in the center by a casual mid shot is an example of the type of person a girl aged 16 - 18 might aspire to. Attractive and smart judging by her book bag and ambitious environment, she conveys qualities that any college magazine would aim to promote.

There is a large contrast in the production of the two magazine front covers, one is portrayed as fairly amateur however the other has an air of professionalism. 'Switch' may not be the perfect example of an accomplished magazine cover, I find it inspiring in regards to my magazine cover due to the image that has been used. It has a gritty feel and I find the brickwork in the background visually interesting. Again the cover is not perfect but illustrates a distinct sense of realism which is more appealing to the typical college student as there is a level of relatability, I plan to cary out a similar approach.  The reader immediately gets the impression that the character presented on the cover is the typical college student because of clothing, hair and age - despite coming across as a very masculine cover it manages to appeal to the student target group, its amateur and unpretentious.  

The contents pages are fairly simple, the structure and clear organisation is vital. The first contents page especially does this effectively, it even splits the pages in to categories such as money and exams - guiding the reader to whichever desired page. The layout is efficient yet not your average straight up and down plan. It appears to be unisex despite its prominent use of the colour pink, the colours have been carefully coordinated, possibly relating to the particular representative signature colours of that college. The second has a more chaotic tone, the images and colours may not be suitable for a college magazine however the misaligned text is aesthetically pleasing and unique.