Hand Drawn Final Draft

This is my final draft for my new music magazine. When designing my front cover I ensured I used similar conventions taken from other music magazines which I have researched into.

This particular issue of my magazine is a new year special which is shown at the top of the magazine. The CD design next to this is aims to look like fireworks sparks coming from the center. This is to represent the new year celebrations. Also in the top right hand corner it reads 'see in 2009 with a bang When a magazine is a special edition issue there is usually a free gift or something featured which is different or a one off. I have opted to feature a free CD, if potential buyers see a free gift it is more likely to persuade them to buy it which is what I am aiming to achieve. All the articles which are related to the new theme are situated down the right hand side underneath the arrow so that readers can see exactly what is on offer.

I have chosen the masthead 'TNT' as I did like the idea of using letters as a title because the simplicity of using just letters is overall very effective as it is more of a statement masthead. Therefore the magazine title is likely to be more memorable and in the long run very recognisable. TNT stands for a type of dynamite/explosive. If something is of this nature it is undoubtedly going to be of a very big impact. I definitely want my magazine to have a good and big impact on the reader which is why I therefore think this is a very suitable masthead in more ways than one.

This is reinforced in the accompanying slogan which reads 'Most explosive pop music magazine'. Not only does it support the masthead by including the word explosive but it also serves it's purpose to persuade in the sense that it says 'Most' indicating that it is the biggest and best pop music magazine. It uses catchy language features such as alliteration 'music magazine', so that it rolls off the tongue making it more memorable. I do have other ideas for my slogan along the lines, 'music to blow your mind'.

Although I have drawn the four figures (this will be the main featured band) very small and together towards the top of the page, realistically the bodies will fill the full length of the cover to make them more dominating. The bands title will be written across their bodies in the centre so that the audience immediately know the featured band. The font I will use for this will be slightly more fancy in the way that it is slightly curly and different to the conventional font style of other magazines. I have chosen to use this font to represent the bands nature and appearance.

The main headline is positioned slightly tilted to the right. I have done this so that it stands out from the other articles so that it can be easily associated as being the main headline. It reads 'why the pop princesses are not all sugar and spice'', this gives an indication that the main article is going to reveal some juicy gossip about the new girl band, which is what people like.I could have just simply something along the lines of 'not so nice' instead I opted for more sensational language which is a convention of magazines. Sugar & spice relates back to the bands title and represents the band at large being sweet and innocent with a hint of something hot.

Readers also have the opportunity to take part in a competition to win i-tunes vouchers. I have put this inside the I-pod logo to make it more recognisable to music lovers. There is also a plus section, this promotes extra content and people like to know they are getting more for there money which is likely to attract more readership.

First Front Cover Draft and Ideas

Masthead: I am aiming to come up with a creative masthead which represents my chosen music genre of pop. After researching other music magazines I have found that the mastheads all reflect the music genre in one way or another. For example 'Kerrang' is onomatopoeic of a guitar being smashed and 'Rave' is a common term used to describe a type of dance. Therefore I have come up with the following masthead ideas which represent the pop music genre;

The most obvious name would be 'POP' this straight up represents the genre with no connotations or another title could be 'SIMPLY POP' this re-enforces that the magazine is focused on one music genre.

I like the idea of the mastheads which are made up of letters as this makes the magazine stand out and more individualised. TNT is an abbreviation of a type of explosive. If something is explosive you think of big impact which is what I hope my magazine will have on people.

I think the masthead Alive indicates that the magazine is full of life and bursting with excitement which would be more influential to whether people decide to buy it. Alive suggests a fresh outlook and with my magazine being new to the market this is the message I would want to be portraying to potential readers.

The name, Bop connotates as a type of dance move for example when you 'bop' your head to the beat of a song, which immediately relates its to music. And also the fact that it rhymes with the word 'pop' shows it is connected with music.

I feel that the title, Flow is a good representation of music as the key to good song is for it to have flow and rhythm. By using this as my masthead it will portray to the potential readers that my magazine only features successful and well put together music.


Slogan: After extensive research i found that many magazines have a supporting slogan to their magazine to put it out there and make it more recognisable. The slogan must be catchy using language techniques such as alliteration. For example Kerrang's slogan 'Life is Loud'.
These slogans are used to persuade the potential buyer that they have made the right choice in the sense that the particular magazine they have picked up is the best. For example Mojo's slogan 'The music magazine' suggesting this is the one and only top music magazine.


Main Image: As I'm designing my magazine based on the pop music industry, ideally I want my main image to be a pictorial of an artist or band which are popular to this genre. I have had an idea to feature a new band, consisting of four girls who go by the band name of; 'The Sweetest Thing'. The band name has given me many different thoughts of how my photo could be posed. I would like to use a sweet theme with chocolate, lollipops etc. I think this would reflect the band and their title in the sense that it connotates them as been sweet, innocent, tastefully and fun.


Main Headline: The headline must be bold and entertaining. If the audience must find the main headline if interest as this could determine whether they choose to purchase the magazine or not. I have not come up with a definite headline as of yet but I have being jotting down various ideas that I think could have potential depending on what I decide to use for my double page spread as the main headline has to support this. The following are a few ideas which I have come up with so far; Not all sugar and spice ... The pop princesses talk songs, scandals and success ... From make belief to mainstream.


Other Cover Articles: The other magazine articles will also be about other artists, general news that is currently happening in the pop music industry. These will include such things like the latest reviews, the best and worst music video's, play lists etc. Also plugs that will offer chances of winning prizes, these would be music related, an i-pod for example. As well as my original image I will feature other supporting images to articles such as a CD cover a picture of another artist.

My chosen Music Genre

After researching such magazines as Rolling Stone, NME and Blender which are all guides to music and more, I found that they are all very controversial in the sense that they don’t focus on one particular music genre, but rather has coverage on popular music in all areas. Although the Rolling Stone magazine is noted for its pop culture reference it focuses on all different types of pop including rock/pop and has been known to be criticised for delving too deep into the fashion world. These magazines feature reviews of albums and music-related topics, as well as current download lists, great interviews and coverage of key events in the music history. Although I have not thoroughly researched the Q magazine after a brief overview I have also found this is another magazine of similar nature.

I Personally take interest in the pop music culture, which is a music genre that features a noticeable rhythmic element, with catchy melodies. It is a mainstream style with a conventional structure. Artists of this genre include; Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jenifer Lopez, Justin Timberlake, Enrique Iglesias and these are just to name a few. Bands that fall into this category are; Girls Aloud, The Pussycat Dolls, Westlife, Boyzone and many more. The foundation portfolio main task requires me to design a new music magazine and as I have found no magazine yet that focuses purely on the pop music culture, therefore I have chosen to design a music magazine whose focal point is mainstream pop artists and bands. I like the idea that the magazines I analyzed also include content of general news, music history, interviews and reviews. My magazine will also contain all this information but not on such a wide scale of music genres.

I understand that the pop culture is often criticized for not being individual, for not writing their own songs and for looking 'plastic', but nevertheless not all artists and bands are like this. Along with a main coverage on my own band that I choose to feature, I will include coverage of inspirational pop artists such as Girls Aloud and Christina Aguilera. I am looking to feature a new girl band that are fresh into the music industry who have made it big so that the audience are likely to recognise and appeal to them. It will be an article that gets deep down and personal and gives a detailed insight into their journey to fame. All the while I will make the article light, fun and entertaining, using informal language to make it a more enjoyable read.

I have researched into various magazine publishers including; IPC Media, Emap and Future. If i was to eliminate an institution which i think unsuitable for my magazine would be Future. As this publisher focuses on representing classical rock magazines. Emap however publishes a range of different music magazines catering for a range of different music genres. I think this would be a suitable institution for the type of magazine I intend to create.

My target population is simply for those who like and take an interest in the mainstream pop culture of the music industry, however the content will cater more for young adults. It will give the reader someone to be able to relate to and all the young hopefuls someone to inspire them. The magazine will do this by displaying articles of full reviews which tells the ins and outs of the pop music genre and personal interviews with music artists so the reader feels they know them more and therefore relate to them more. By including all this into my own creation I will hopefully be able to design a successful music magazine that caters for my desired music genre and the audience that will enjoy it the most.

Contents Page

This example is taken from the NME music magazine which is shown by the logo in the left hand corner. This is to keep a similar layout style of the front cover. Moreover the conventional colours that are displayed on the cover and fonts are also kept the same to keep a familiar feel throughout the magazine. In some magazines this page is simply title 'contents' however this one in particular is titled, This Week'. This is a more informative title as it lets us know that it is a weekly published magazine.

The contents have separated into different categories which are listed down the right hand side. This way it makes it easier for the reader if they are searching for an article in particular. In addition to this, cover stories are highlighted by a red arrow as the reader has most likely been drawn in by the content featured on the cover. There is also a 'Plus' section at the bottom right hand side to show the extra content, this appeals to the reader as they like to feel they have got more than their moneys worth. Underneath this is a boxed piece of text representing the 'UK's no.1 gig guide' this piece of information would be excellent for music lovers which i why it has been emphasized in this way. On the opposite side is a 'Band Index' this is helpful for the reader for example if they wanted to read about a specific band they would be able to look at this and go straight to the correct page instead of wasting time skipping through. This is boxed in a similar way to the gig guide advertisement as a link can be made here, if you are interested in a particular band you would be likely to be interested in the details of their gig.

In the centre is a small story, which is where I imagine the magazine promote a highlight event of that particular week in every issue. This is suggested by the headline, 'The moment that...' after the three dots any story can be placed in that space. It is likely that this will be featured every issue and whatever follows this statement will be different. For example in this particular page Oasis kicking off their world tour is one of the main events of that week. A short article is displayed to interest the reader and give them an insight into the exciting reads they can expect to find in the magazine. It is accompanied by an image of Oasis performing on their tour to support the headline. By using a well recognised and respected artist or band in this space will be more appealing to the audience. By including these small insights it makes the audience want to read on further.

A subscription advertisement is displayed in the centre at the bottom of the page reading, 'Subscribe today save 33%' it is the only piece of yellow text on the page which makes it stand out from the rest of the page. Moreover it is against a black background which makes it appear sharper, brighter and bolder. This is an opportunity for the company to make sales and therefore is essential that the readers know about the subscription offer which is the reason fr the way in which it has been displayed. Also by advertising at discount price the audience is more likely to want to subscribe to the magazine.

This example has given me an insight into how to compose my own contents page and I now know what features and conventions I could use and feature to create my own successful contents page.

NME Front Page and Double Page Spread

The foundation portfolio main task requires me to include a double page spread for my music magazine. Here is an example taken from the NME.

The NME is a British weekly music magazine. Featuring 'agenda setting' news, the UK's most comprehensive gig guide with definitive reviews of the weeks hottest gigs, tours, artists, tracks and albums making it the weeks essential guide to the music industry.

It is Also well known for its content of fiery commentary from the nations most opinionated writers, as seen in this double page spread featuring commentary from Beth Ditto. I have displayed both the front cover and the issues double page spread to show the links made between the two.

Punk band, 'The Gossip' are the main feature in this issue of NME. Beth Ditto dominates the photo over her other band members suggesting she is the main singer. This band is well known for being differnt to the other stereo typical bands that are out there and taking the music industry by storm, this is emphasised by the sub headline, 'How three punks smashed the mainstream' this indicates the content of the article.

In the double page spread, although the group photo of 'The Gossip' is situated on the right hand side and the main body text on the left hand side by expanding the love heart background to overlap onto the other page and like wise with the main headline this brings them together giving it a sense of being all in one instead of two separate articles.

On the cover 'standing in the way of control' is in the main headline and has been used as a play on words as it could be indicating literally but is also the name of one of their well known songs. In the double page spread the first line of the headline reads 'standing in the way of... ' and then instead of simply writing control it is written what the band stand up to. For example 'body fascists' as Beth Ditto is not the stereotypical female band member (thin and attractive) but in actual fact is proud of who she is which is what the headline is getting across. Amongst the text a pull quote is displayed in a love heart of which the main body text is made to wrap around this. Also the big background is a love heart on the next page and therefore a link can be made to make it appear more as all one page. The fact that the love heart appears in black also represents 'The Gossip' is different from the 'norm' as a love heart would be expected to be coloured red or pink.

There is a cd type symbol in the middle of the background love heart which re-enforces the music side of things. In the conventional way it is made up of three dominant colours, black, pink and white. Beth is wearing a pink and black outfit and the men are wearing black with one of them wearing white framed glasses, these choices have been made to tie in with the music genre. Pink is a colour normally associated with girls which is why pink has been used to reinforce the Beth's gender. If you notice a drop cap has been used on the beginning letter of the article. This is a common feature used in all types of articles used to stress where the article begins, this particular one been in pink to emphasize further.

The explicit language used it the headline, 'bullshit' shows the strongly opinionated attitudes of the band and by including this type of language the magazine shows it feels confident its audience will not be offended by this but rather on the same wave length. In both pictorials on the front cover and double page Beth is situated in front of her other band members suggesting she plays the most important role. More effectively on the double page spread she is holding his face with the back of her hand facing the reader, indicating that she is more in control and has more dominance within the group.

After analysing both the front cover and double page spread I was able to make key links between the two. I realise that many of the key conventions are similar between the two and I now know how to create a double page spread without it looking like two separate pages and this will help me when it comes to designing my own.

Analysis of Classical Rock/Metal/Grunge Magazines

The magazines below are representative of the classical rock/ heavy metal type music genre.

Mojo's team had originally been involved in the launch of Q Magazine but MOJO's outlook immediately differed. While Q catered for the contemporary pop-culture scene, fitting music into a world that contained film, television, celebrity. Mojo is a magazine that has always been about music pure and simple. Since its first issue it has focused on music old and new and has always favoured the lost classics and ambitious artists, over the fads, starlets and best-sellers pored over by other magazines.

Kerrang! is one of the biggest selling weekly rock magazines. It was initially published as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper devoted to the current New Wave of British Heavy Metal and the rise of other hard rock acts such as AC/DC, who appeared on Kerrang!’s first cover. During the early days of the magazine placed many thrash and glam metal acts on the cover eg Bon Jovi, but later discarded them when grunge acts rose to fame. Kerrang! features new musical trends that become popular focusing on a current emphasis of emo and metalcore music genre. The title 'Kerrang' is onomatopoeic resembling the sound of a guitar being smashed, this is suggested by the cracks amongst the text as if it had been smashed by something.

Both magazines employ a colour scheme made up of the three dominant colours, red, black and white to represent the nature of the music genre. By putting these colours together it gives the magazine a more dramatic outlook. The content represented in this magazine is simply music and artists that are popular in the rock/metal genre. For example on the cover of Kerrang is, '25 extreme metal anthems' and on the cover of Mojo reads, ' Rodger Waters the dark side revisited'.

Mojo is magazine that caters for those who have an interest in classic rock. It was first noted for featuring artists such as Bob Dylan and this particular issue has coverage on Bob Dylan. Also Mojo regularly includes a cover mount CD which ties in with a current magazine article or theme, in the issue above this is shown by a CD which inspired Bob Dylan.

The band 'Trivium' is the main image focus of the cover suggesting the main article inside will be about them. The band member third from the left is dominating the photo as he appears the biggest and is placed over the end of the masthead. This indicates he is the lead singer and also shows how popular and well recognised the magazine is. They are all dressed and appear in similar colour to the colour scheme of the rest of the cover to re-enforce the nature of the magazine itself. This is displayed in 'Mojo' magazine also as all men are looking directly at the audience therefore attract the readers attention as they can feel more involved already.

The music represented in these magazines have a big impact and this is emphasized by such features as the bold and strong words used in both headlines, 'Dylan blasts back' and 'new album will blow you away' and in Kerrang's slogan, 'Life is Loud'. Moreover Mojo's slogan is 'The music magazine', by using a definite article 'the' it suggests that Mojo is the best and the only one you need to read. In addition this is also portrayed through the big and bold text which is used throughout the cover.

In conclusion all the above features of these magazines work together to reinforce and represent the particular music genre of rock/heavy metal and grunge.

Analysis of Mainstream Music Magazines

The Rolling Stone magazine is the 'number one pop culture reference point for over 12 million young adults'. In addition to its high status in music, Rolling Stone’s also features in entertainment, movies, television, technology, and national affairs. Rolling Stone covers everything that’s important, trend-setting, and newsworthy to young adults.

Blunder magazine is of similar nature and it sees itself as 'the ultimate guide to music and more'. Also it is known for its sometimes steamy pictorials of female artists. It is a very in depth music review magazine featuring reviews of an artists full body of work, songs, albums and both best and worst playlists.

These magazines represent a range of different music genres to cater for most types of music lovers. They feature general news about the music industry and include all genres and a range of different artists and bands. This is represented by the range of content displayed on the page. For example Rolling Stone represent Slipknot to Christina Aguilera to Eminem, likewise to Blunder who represent Leona Lewis to 'Grunge madness' such as Nirvana. Also general news young readers would be interested in such as Blunder's '165 songs you need to know' and Rolling Stone representing the 'Olympic style'.

Each magazine follows the conventional style of using three dominant colours which are followed through by dressing the people that take place as the main image to match the covers colour scheme. The covers main pictorials are well known music artists, Christina Aguilera (rolling stone) and Leona Lewis (Blunder) this immediately attracts the audience as they will be more likely to want to read the magazine if they feel they know and like the featured artist. The pictorials on each magazine over-lap the masthead, this shows how well known the magazines are.

Christina Aguilera is the main image focus of Rolling Stone magazine. In the earlier days of her career Christina was seen as a young, fresh sex symbol and this is portrayed in the way she is licking her lips in a seductively cheeky way. She is portrayed as stereotypical 'beach babe' with blond hair, blue eyes and a cheeky smile this emphasises the stereotype and ideology of 'blonde's have more fun' . This is also shown in the way she has her top rolled up and her skirt undone to reveal her bikini bottoms, the bikini bottoms reflect on the 'beach scene' location of the blue sea and sky background to create verisimilitude. Also she is holding a Walkman in her hand, this is brought to our attention as the earphone wires fall across her body and our eyes are drawn to wear the wires are leading, this re-enforces that it is a music magazine.

Leona Lewis is a well known new and up-coming artist who is considered as classy, stylish and inspirational, this is reflected in the classy and sophisticated outfit she is wearing and she is posed stylishly seductive rather than trashy. She also fits in to the stereotype of 'the brunette' who is seen to be more down to earth and sexy in a sophisticated way. The colours that she is wearing are matched to the black and white textual colour scheme of the cover. Moreover the way she is posed leaning down to the right with her arm bent and raised to her mouth suggests she is singing with her arm acting as a microphone, also used to re-enforce that it is a music magazine.

Overall these magazine covers give an insight into what is expected of a magazine of this music genre and all the features come together to emphasise and reinforce the dance/club music culture.