AS MEDIA STUDIES

FOUNDATION PORTFOLIO

RESEARCH & PLANNING

By Ramon Agu-Bello

Ramon Agu-Bello

Candidate Number: 1089

Preliminary Project - Research & PlanningHow did you think about target audience?:

.Who it would appeal to the most

. Sfx Students

. Aged 16-19 Predominantly

. A College magazine

When researching, I thought about my target audience through who the content would relate to. Which was of course college students, especially those within SFX college, which is where the magazine would be published. Aged 16-19 predominantly as that is the age of most college students.

How did awareness of that audience impact upon your visual design and choice of language?:

- How it would attract their attention

- Bold colours & Fonts

- Interesting features on the cover

- Relatable topics

Since my target audience are of a reasonably young age, my awareness of this impacted heavily on my visual design. As I purposefully used bold, primary colours. Which were captivating and drew attention instantly. Aswell as, colloquial and modern language e.g. slang when appropriate. Also, I featured topics and contents which the readers would be able to relate to. Which I felt would make enhance both the overall effect of the magazine and its readership.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 – What I learnt: Is a graphics editing program, which I used within this exercise. To manipulate images in many different ways. For example: extracting certain things from an image that I didn’t. Aswell airbrushing the faces of people, within the images that I took on my camera. This allows my magazine to appear more professional and high quality overall. As it shows the level of effort and skill that I have put into creating it. Aswell as demonstrating my image editing software skills, to the examiners. Which I wasn’t able to do before the preliminary exercise and was only comfortable with Photoshop's basic functions.

Adobe In-Design- What I learnt: Is a software application, that can be used to create designs such as: Posters, flyers, magazines and books. I used it in order too; create the structure and layout of my preliminary music magazine. After I had edited my images within Photoshop and imported them into in-design. Where I then went on to design the overall magazine cover and contents pages. All of which, I was not able to do before the preliminary project and was not familiar with in-design at all.

Preliminary ProjectMasthead

Barcode

Images

Cover lines (By-lines) Competitions & prizes: Key magazine features which entice the reader.

Title (Masthead)

Cover Stars

College Cover College Contents

Reflections & FeedbackWhat would you do differently next time?

My feedback from the preliminary project, consistently conveyed the ideas that I should:

- Make the front cover a medium/long shot

- Use better photographs, of higher resolution & clarity

- Add more details & key media features. E.g. cover price and issue number

Of which I have taken into serious consideration, when constructing the main project – music magazine, and will focus on these issues of feedback very closely. In order to enhance my progress.

What kind of feedback did you get that might influence you?

Although I received a large amount of constructive feedback and criticism, these points influenced me and the progress of my production process the most:

- Use more unisex colours- Incorporate more images, especially on the front cover

As they made me realise what I needed to improve and correct, in order to gain higher marks and appeal to my target audience more effectively. Aswell as convey my magazine in a strong, effective manner.

What aspects of your understanding of Adobe Photoshop & InDesign do you need to improve?

I need to improve on learning the advanced functions of Photoshop. In order to manipulate images effectively and construct sophisticated, professional magazines within InDesign. As I am not familiar with the application at all, and therefore need to watch some YouTube tutorials to learn the functions . In order to execute the main task strongly.

The music genre of my music magazine is:

Genre: R ‘n’ B

.The Title of my magazine is ‘Listen Up’, an R ‘n’ B, music magazine. Which revolves around both established, popular artists within the industry. Featuring interviews, articles and reviews on new releases from r ‘n’ b stars. Aswell as information on various other aspects of the entertainment industry and forms of media communication. For example, blogs and websites of potential stars, giving them positive exposure.

So I researched this genre of music publication and studied:

Model 1: Vibe Magazine- Genre: R ‘n’ B/Hip Hop- Frequency: Monthly- Cover Price: $5.00/ £3.50- Target Audience: Urban followers of R‘n’B/Hip Hop culture. Males, 18-35 (Mass

appeal), Black ethnicities predominantly, working/middle class, C1-D.- Production of a major publisher or a small independent: Major- Vibe media group. - Unique Selling Point: Features a broad range of interests, that its closest competitors

( XXL & The source). Has a circulation of over 800,000.

Model 2: Complex Magazine- Genre: R ‘n’ B- Frequency: Monthly- Cover Price: $4.00/£2.50- Target Audience: Young Men, Urban music enthusiasts, Aged 16-30, Ethnicity-

Black predominantly (although no discrimination or specific target), working/middle class.

- Unique Selling Point: each issue features a different cover on each side (one male, one female), creating two distinct sections. The half of the magazine that follows the male celebrity is geared towards lifestyles, the latest films, music and other forms of media. Whereas, the half of the magazine that followers the female celebrity cover, offers a breakdown on new technology, items, sneakers and apparel on the market.

All of which led me to understand the key features and stereotypical components that a vast majority of r ‘n’ b magazines include. Which has helped me in the construction of my own music magazine.

What I learned from this was…

Cover Design:- Consistent colour theme throughout,

from the cover stars clothing to the cover lines etc.

- Key media features, such as barcodes, date & cover price.

- Not a lot of free space, a lot of space dedicated to cover lines and text

- Medium shots used mostly, for the cover shot

- Bold, eye-catching lettering styles & fonts. Especially on the Mastheads.

- Structured layout, with text positioned in various places, neatly.

Cover Lines:-Consistently bold & eye-catching.-Follow the colour theme of the overall magazine & images.-Placed in various spaces on the cover, minimizing the amount of free space on the magazine.-Conveys the idea that the magazines feature a large amount of information and entertainment, as there’s a lot of different cover lines.-Main cover line about the cover star, is larger than others and bold. Which aids the image in instantly conveying the importance of the cover star within that particular issue of the magazine.

Genre:

- R ‘n’ B

Target Audience:

- My target audience consists of urban music enthusiasts, aged 16-35 (mass appeal). Predominantly from a black descent, although it is not completely targeted at a specific race. Mostly males, of working class. Demographic – C/D.

(Here is a photo of my typical reader):

Frequency:

- Monthly

Cover price:

- £2.99

Publisher

- Vibe media group/ IPC Media

Unique Selling Point:

- Offers exclusive, up to date information and exciting gossip on all of your favorite R ‘n’ B artists in the industry. Aswell as one off give away’s to the latest tours & shows.

For My Music Magazine…

This is the face of the magazine

Front cover This is how it works- Main cover image of cover star, in the conventional format of medium/long shot.

- Consistent theme throughout the text style, colour & size.

- Key media features used. Such as: barcode, cover price & date.

- The front cover, flags up the rest of the magazine, via the cover lines which briefly state what can be found within this issue.

- The cover star, is presented with significance, high status and importance within the magazine. Through the use of a bold cover line to present him. Flagging him up as the main star within this issue of the magazine. Similar to most other established magazines. Especially music ones.

Masthead (Title)

Cover image ( Of cover star)

Key media features ) Barcode, cover price etc)

Cover lines (Text)

Here are the 4 original photographs I shot for the project…

I modified each photograph; here is the original next to the final version:

Raw 1:

Here is how I changed the photograph and why: Firstly, I rotated the image 180 degrees, as I felt that the image was more effective

in this angle and created more space for me to neatly slot in my cover lines.

I then airbrushed the left side of the model’s face as it was the only side clearly visible. Correcting and editing out any skin blemishes or in-perfections. Which may have created negative attention. As I wanted the model to instantly, convey a sense of star quality and importance. Especially as R ‘n’ B, conveys the ideology that glamour and style is everything

Final 1:

And the second one:Raw 2

Final 2

Here is how I changed the photograph and why:I edited this image by increasing the contrast of the photograph. In order to create a

higher resolution and highlight the clothing specifically. In an attempt to draw attention away from the flash light reflection at the bottom of the page, although I didn’t want to completely extract it from the photograph. As I felt that it gave it a unique, original flare.

I also expanded the image, as I intended to use it as my man image on the contents page, and therefore needed the actual photograph to be larger. In order for it to a key component within the contents page. As there is not a lot of images used on the contents.

And the third one:

Raw 3Final 3

Here is how I changed the photograph and why:I enhanced the contrast on this image, in order to create a more textured

and bright photograph. Which highlights and enhances the colours of the specific pieces of clothing. Such as the green peak on the models hat and his blue waistcoat. Which were originally quite bland and dull in colour. Although the edited version shows that this has been drastically edited and is now easily noticeable.

And the last one:

Raw 4 Final 4

Here is how I changed the photograph and why:I felt that this picture was clear and effective enough to be featured within my

music magazine, without requiring a large amount of editing.

Although, the one thing I did change was the size of the image by cropping it and extracting certain details and images from the photograph. Such as- the female students legs on the left hand corner. Apart from that, I haven’t manipulated this image a great deal.

Here are a couple of research models for my contents page…

TitleInstantly tells the reader what this page is and what it’s dedicated to doing. As it’s the contents page, which lists all of the content featured within the magazine.

ImagesImages convey the overall theme and content which will be featured within the magazine. The main images within the contents, show the main sections of the magazine, aiding the text.

Layout (Text)

The layout usually conveys the overall ideology and genre of the magazine by showing its level of sophistication, clarity and organization which sometimes conveys the same thoughts about a genre. These magazines, have clear, organized layouts where all content is collected together in the same place.

Background (Colour)The use of background colour, continues the colour scheme featured on the front cover. To create a sophisticated and professional theme throughout.

This is my contents page

Contents Page These are key features…

- Consistent Theme, following on from the front cover. In terms of font size, colour & style.

- Good use of images. Of the cover star, who is also presented on the front cover of the magazine.

- Frequent feature of text, presented in a structured layout.

- Grey background, the same as the front cover

- Bold, eye-catching title ‘contents’ at the top of the page. Instantly tells the reader what this page is and what it is dedicated to.

Title (Masthead)

Images (Photographs)

Background (Colour/Theme)

Text (Layout)

How does the contents page link back to the cover page?

- Cover lines on the front page are explored within the contents page

- The same type of photographs and images are used

- The trademark masthead logo remains on both the front cover and contents page- identical with no alterations.

- The background colour remains the same

- The cover star, is presented as the main topic of the magazine, with a large significance of importance. On both the front cover and the contents page.

The contents page links back to the cover page. Through the use of features which are continued from the cover page. Such as: Layout structure, font size, style & colour and the model used within a large majority of the images used.

Additionally, the same cover star is used consistently throughout both the contents and cover page. Which links his importance and impact within the entire issue of this magazine. The contents page also managed to link back to the cover page, through the use of the same grey coloured background. Which furthermore, creates a more consistent colour theme.

Although there are a lot of reasons, which justify how the contents page links to the cover page. I feel that the ones listed above, are the most important and noticeable ones. Which instantly convey the link between both pages.

Key points of contents page

How have you made the reader want to read on?

- Interesting, exclusive cover stories which can’t be found in any other urban music magazines. ( My unique selling point).

- Bold, eye-catching colours and fonts.

- Interviews, articles and reviews on the readers favourite artists within the urban music industry. All presented on the cover page & contents page.

What are the links between images and words?

- The words & cover lines in particular, re-enforce the importance and impact of the images. E.g. the use of text conveys to the reader, how important the cover star is and how much of an impact he will have on this specific issue.

What determines the dominant stories?- Who they focus on and that persons importance within both the magazine and the music industry itself. Aswell as the following/fan base that person may have and their past successes within urban music.

- Cover stars are likely to dominate the magazine, as they are constantly presented as having a high status and level of importance.

How have you gone about ordering the information on the page?- The layout is well structured. Each cover story, cover line and separate key features such as the barcode, have been strategically placed in specific, placed areas for readers clarity.

How does the contents page flag up your double page spread?

- The contents page flags up my double page spread by, devoting a large area of the page itself, to explaining the details of the double page spread and what can be found within it.

- The contents page continuously reminds the readers that, the next few pages feature a double page spread, committed to the cover star and is the most important section of this issue.

- Through the use of: Language, lexis & selective vocabulary ( to build up a climax and excitement within the reader to explore the double page spread). Aswell as, present the double page spread as the centre-fold of the entire magazine, and the most important section for the reader to focus on.

- The use of images, most of which feature the double page spread’s cover star. Which therefore, stresses her importance and the importance of reading the double page spread about over the next couple of pages.

Here’s an example of an inspiring double page spread…

This headline is bold and instantly captivating. Through the use of bold colours (red & white) which are consistent throughout the double page spread, creating a theme. Also, the font size, shows the importance of the title, Aswell as conveying the idea of boldness. Which connotates the genre of rock music.

Images (Photography)The use of four different images of different sizes, context and scenery. Gives the double page spread dynamics and interest as it makes it more exciting and enjoyable for the reader.

Cover lineThe cover line continues the colour theme which is consistent throughout the entire magazine, (red, black & white). It’s effective in captivating the readers attention and drawing importance of the double page spread itself.

Text

The text content within this double page spread, is placed entirely on the right hand side which is different to most double page spreads which features texts on both sides of double page. Although, there is a large amount of text within this double page spread, which elaborates on the information already stated within the contents page and masthead of the double page spread originally, about the band. Focusing on information about them, their music, progress and upcoming tour dates & releases.

This is why I think that double spread works

Firstly, the use of a consistent colour theme, creates a sense of sophistication and professionalism about the double page spread. The use of a consistent and frequent colour theme, allows the double page spread to work effectively. As it also conveys a sense of sophistication and planning. Through the use of the colours (red, black & white) throughout the background, font colours, images and text boxes etc.

Also, the use of various images in different settings. Present the reader with interest images of the band, and a sense of variety. Which allows the reader to remain interested and entertained throughout reading the double page spread. Aswell as making them eager, to continue reading on. In order to learn more about the cover stars.

Also, the title & subheading, instantly captivate the reader. As the subheading ‘ We’re being the best MRC we can be’ makes the reader want to read on and discover more about the band and exactly what they’re talking about. Whereas other double page spread which don’t feature any title’s or subheadings, leave all the information embedded within the text and the reader’s imagination. Which can lead to the reader’s losing interest.

Additionally, the use of media features such as text boxes, banners & shapes. Allow the double page spread to feature various different sections of text and information. Instead of the stereotypical, conventional double page spread. In which all text is gathered within a specific area. Therefore resulting in a more interesting, entertaining experience for the reader.

This is my double page spread

This is how my double page spread works

My double page spread works, as it links to the main cover story presented on both the cover page and contents page. Elaborating in depth, the story initially stated within both of these pages. Focusing exclusively on the cover story. Dedicating a two page spread to an interview and overview of the star.

Aswell as the fact that the same colour and font themes, are used throughout. Continuing on from both the cover and contents page.

My double page spread also works, as it sticks to the conventions of a typical double page spread. By featuring a lengthy amount of text on both sides of the spread. Aswell as using the usual amount of images within a double page spread ( 3-4). Of which are varied, creating interest and entertainment for the reader.

Aswell as various other media features, which allow my double page spread to work effectively.

This is how all three components are linked together…

All three magazine components are linked together, in many ways:- Firstly, there’s a consistent theme of color throughout all three pages. Which creates

fluidity and sophistication. Aswell as the strong use imagery throughout all three components. Which effectively aid in conveying the genre of R ‘n’ B.

Additionally, all three components have a simple layout structure and are therefore, easy for the reader to understand and read with clarity. Which furthermore, creates a similar theme throughout all three components.

In terms of photographs and imagery, I’ve conducted three photo shoots in various different locations. Of which I extracted the images for my front cover, contents page & double page spread to create consistency. Therefore, the images used within all three components are similar as they obviously feature the same cover star throughout. Aswell as the fact that, they are all from the same settings.

This is my re-drafted cover page

Cover Page Key modifications from feedback:-Change of cover star from ‘Curtis’ to female singer, ‘sharday’ to convey the genre of R ‘N’ B, more effectively.

-Less free space on the cover, stronger feature of cover lines which take up a lot of space.-Visible Key media features ( cover price & barcode) etc.

- Change of colour theme. Although blue & yellow are still featured, black and white colours are more prominent on the cover. For a ore sophisticated, professional appeal.

- Change of background colour

Masthead

Images (Photographs)

Cover lines (Main cover story)

Background (Theme)

Barcode

This is my re-drafted contents page

Contents page

Title (Main Header)

Cover lines

Images (Photography)

Background

Key Modifications from feedback:-Changed gradient, contrast and brightness on the grey background to make it more bold and eye-catching instead of dull.- New font styles & colour scheme- Large, bold title of ‘contents’ now positioned on the left hand side of the page, for instant attention- Images, which aid the cover lines and main stories on the contents- Prize give away’s to entice the reader and their attention- More sophisticated layout

This is my re-drafted double page spread

Cover image

Text (Content)

Main cover story

Background

Key modifications to double page spread feedback

I changed the background colour gradient and contrast, for a more sophisticated, professional look and over glow.

I decided to change the size of my main image, and make it large and bold. In order to stand out.

The layout now features a large amount of text

Less free space on the page

Bold heading & cover line, which is eye-catching for the reader

Consistent colour theme throughout the fonts, images and background etc

Change of cover star, from ‘Curtis’ To singer ‘Sharday’

Evaluation

You can find my blog here: http://musicmagazineanalysis.blogspot.com/

And You can find my evaluation with responses to the 7

questions here: http://musicmagazineanalysis.blogspot.com/