What genre will my magazine be?

My magazine will relate more to the theme and genre of NME than Smash Hits or We Love Pop. This means that I will include articles on up and coming artists that may not be as widely reconised as in the other more pop-like magazines which feature people who are already very famous. So my magazine will have articles regarding these new artists, also of the same type of genre as the artists featured in NME. So it will be of an alternative rock type genre with an occasional use of pop and fairly famous artists. I think I may want to use a question and answer structure to an article because they have proven very effective in NME and the other magazines. I also think that doing it like this mean that I get real questions from people about the artist so the correct target audience of my magazine. This is because I will ask people of my age group about what they will want to ask a specific artist because people my age group and above to about 21 will be my target audience.

Smash Hits and We Love Pop Magazines

Smash Hits

Basic Facts

Pop genre magazine

·      Ran from 1978 to 2006

·      Founded by Nick Logan who previously edited NME.

·      Was originally monthly starting in November 1978 but switched to fortnightly after 3 issues.

·      The USP of the original magazines were that they featured the Top 20 song lyrics in each issue.

·      Owned by Egmont.

The magazine hit its peak in the 80’s when it started the careers of many journalists including Mark Frith who now edits Heat. In the 1990’s magazines like Big! took most of Smash Hits readers because they featured more about other celebrities as well as TV shows not just music. This made it more of a general entertainment magazine, which offered more than just a music magazine. It has a TV and website spin off which has survived the demise of the magazine.

We Love Pop

Basic Facts

·      Launched on 20^th July 2011 costing £1 (Usual price £2.99)

·      Main target audience of 13-15 year old girls

·      Edited by Malcolm Mackenzie, former editor of free newspaper TheLondonPaper.

·      Includes a rolling news blog on it’s website, a Twitter page, a Facebook page and YouTube channel.

·      Also owned by Egmont.

With pop music being the dominant genre of music for the present teen girl Egmont saw a gap for a new magazine which features all the aspects of teenage life for a girl with all the new technological breakthroughs added making the magazine more accessible because of the online aspects. Publisher Siobhan Galvin said ‘The focus that We Love Pop placed on launching a brand that utilises multi-platforms, along with our in-depth research, allows us to give the readers a truly integrated experience’ Strong traffic has been recorded since the launch of We Love Pop on their Twitter and Facebook pages as well as their YouTube channel. 

Different aspects of NME

Different aspects of NME

View more presentations from AdamParks94

Case Study: NME

Basic Facts

·      First Published 14 November 1952

·      Published the first UK singles chart

·      Aimed at a much youthful audience than other magazines of that period.

·      Always seemed to be aimed at Indie/ Rock ‘n’ Roll type genres.

·      Published weekly giving the latest news and newest bands every single week.

·      Stands for New Musical Express.

History:

Started on 14^th November 1952 taking on the idea of the US Billboard magazine and published the singles chart for the UK based on 52 stores. It started as a newspaper format in the size and the paper it was made from and was not until the 1980’s it changed to the glossy style we know today. In the 1960’s NME magazine followed up and coming artists such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.  Between 1963 and 1972 artists like these appeared in NME Poll Winners Concerts where the bands or artists who were most popular with the readers would perform and collect prizes or rewards. These were filmed by the BBC. During this time another music magazine appeared on the scene, Melody Maker. But it didn’t really affect the sales of NME which still reached 200,000 sales a week.

In the early 70’s NME found itself loosing readers to Melody Maker and nearly got shut down by it’s owner IPC Media. They changed the editors and sold 300,000 copies a week in 1973.

            In 1981 released the C81 cassette tape, which was available to buy through the magazine. It featured up and coming bands and was very influential in the selling of the magazine. The second cassette tape was released 5 years later in 1986.  The writers now seemed to write about artists unrelated to music as well as war and politics and the magazine was the verge of closure again.  Three high-end members of staff were fired and a new editor was brought in to keep the magazine going.

            1993 was the year that saw the magazine sponsor the ‘NME Stage’ at Glastonbury Festival. In 1994 the magazines sales increased because of the popularity of Brit Pop which was included in the magazines at that time. The NME website was launched in 1996. The website very regularly offered free music downloads and made the first live webcast in 1999. From 1998 the magazine started to print on tabloid size not the size of newspapers.

            In the year 2000 NME’s main rival Melody Maker closed down but instead of falling completely out of the picture instead they joined with NME to create the magazine we have today.  In the next 5 years the magazine tried out different types of genres for articles dipping into hip-hop, R&B and electronic music but these were found to be unpopular and were dropped.  In October 2006 NME Ireland was launched but proved very unpopular and was dropped in November of that year. That same year club NME was opened in Dublin which also proved unpopular. The first Club NME was opened in 2004 in London and there are now seven open across Europe.

            In 2008 the magazine wend through a redesign and targeted an older audience with a less poppy feel which has since decreased sales. In 2010 the figure was 33,875, which is 53% down on 2003 when the figure was 72,442. 

Music Magazine History

Brief history of first few magazines:

Billboard

The first ever music magazine was Billboard magazine, which is still going today. 

·      It started in 1894 but only really became famous in 1936.

·      It was and still is aimed at music professionals but still available to the general public

Melody Maker

·      Began in 1926

·      Jazz genre, which was popular then.

New Musical Express (NME)

·      14 November 1952

·      Published the first UK singles chart

·      Aimed at a much youthful audience than the other two.

Music Magazine general aspects

·      The genres of the music magazines have changed throughout the years.

·      They always tended to go with the most common genre of music of that time period.

·      An example of this is in the 90’s the ‘club scene’ brought out magazines like Mixmag, Ministry and Muzik but when the ‘scene’ seemed to fall in popularity in 2003 it took out two of these magazines.

·      Nowadays there are a variety of different genres of music magazines ranging from pop (Top of the Pops) to heavy metal (Blistering), jazz (Downbeat) and hip-hop (VIBE).

·      Generally consist of articles about musical professionals, new singles, tours and sometimes even their private lives if something particularly interesting happens.

 

Contents Page

Even though I did not have to create a contents page, I did one anyways because I had finished my front cover so quickly.

This shows my contents page. I used a variety of different techniques to get the effect I wanted. First I created the background. To do this I had to transfer an image from my phone to the mac mini by blue tooth. I had to click on the blue tooth symbol and click my phone then I had to search through to find the image I wanted, I then saved it in my images folder. I then placed the image into my InDesign document. Then I made the image slightly faded. To do this I had to decrease the opacity of the image. I reduced it to 49% because then it gave the effect I wanted. I then copied the masthead from my front cover. I then put it the text of 'What's happening this month...' I made the font colour white and the outline black and increased the weight to make it stand out. Next I created the fist article short 'Get Ready For Winter!' I downloaded a font to get the snowy effect. I then added a bit of information using the font Tahoma to match my front cover. Then I added two images both from my phone in the same way as before and gave the one of a lamppost a slight angle of tilt to add interest, I then did this to the article title as well. I then made the page numbers in two separate rectangles which make it more interesting then a normal square, I made it yellow to draw peoples eyes to it. The next two articles I used fonts that related to the text because it made it more interesting. To make the triangle I had to insert a rectangle than manipulate the sides to make the shape of a triangle. I kept all of the other page numbers with a background of yellow so it stood out and so where the articles are would be instantly reconisable. I also chose to make the word 'more' in yellow so it seems like the reader is getting a lot more for their money because even though this is not the cover the contents page should sell the magazine as well. 

Final Magazine Cover

This shows my final magazine cover. I have changed and developed various things since my last post. I have added the word 'Plus' before the second cover line which suggests that someone who reads this would be getting even more. Also I did decide to change the colour of the word 'Bus' to white because it  is a lot easier to read against the dark background than the black.  Then I edited the triangles in the two corners of the cover because I felt that they would look better if the were partially transparent. I also added a Puff to my work. To do this I inserted a circle into InDesign, I then made the circle bright yellow to match the words 'New' and 'Plus'. I then added text to the circle with the text tool. The text just read 'Now over pages!!!' I then edited the circle until I got it how I liked it. I put a slight shadow glow of a light blue to match the blue of the top left hand corner. I then made the outside slightly hazy to add more interest. To add the '80' I used the text tool drawing a box next to the circle. I then typed the numbers in and increased the text size so that it would be eye catching even from afar. I then edited the colour so that it would stand out against the yellow background. I then gave the text a slight angle of tilt to give interest and to again be eye catching. Next I made another cover line, which was just a very short piece of text to draw people in. I then added a photo of the Eiffel tower because it relates to the text. After placing the photo in a rectangle box I then manipulated it so that the top side matched the edge of the triangle so that it would not go over the main image to take away from the impact of it. I then thought that the text needed to stand out more so I also gave this a slight tilt/ italic so that it would be more interesting, I also decided to increase the weight of the black outline to make it stand out from the background and still retain the black and white text to not draw away from the main cover line. I added a month and year because then the reader would know whether they do or do not have the most current and up to date magazine. A tag line is what I created last, I made it small but still visible because it is still important. People would want to know what the magazine is about so if they cannot get it from the cover lines or the masthead than they should be able to understand by reading the tag line. 

Magazine Cover Development

This shows a development in my work so far. I have kept the title and the two colours in the corners the same as before. I have added in the image that I have spoken about previously and added a couple of cover lines. The main cover line 'New Singing sensation hits SDC! Interview after first concert!' is to do with the main image. I had to change the colours of the text for the main cover line so that it stood out in the way that I wanted it to. I used a bright yellow for the word 'New' because I thought this word would be the most important one that needed to stand out. I also made it larger for the same reason. The next line 'singing sensation hits SDC!' is in white because it is clear to read against the background, I also made this text fairly large so it would also stand out. I made the next line 'Interview after first concert!' a light blue because this also stands out against the background and keeps with the blue South Downs theme. I also made it italic because it made it interesting and unusual keeping the interest of the reader. 

For the other cover line 'Bus Nightmare' I downloaded a font from the internet, this font was Beurk. Once I had downloaded this font it was instantly put into my font bank from there I could import it into my programs and it is now available on all of my programs where I can use text. I used this font because it depicted what the cover line was about it gave a sense of comedic horror to the cover line making it more interesting to the audience. I used green for the outline of the text to keep with the green of the South Downs theme. I may have to change the text colour for the word 'Bus' because it does not stand out enough. 

Main image for cover

This was my original photo but I wanted to change it to remove the table on the left hand side and the chair on the right hand side. 

This is my newly created image after I had used the clone stamp tool to copy the brickwork from the wall and covered the table with it to look like it is part of the wall. I then cropped the image to remove the chair that was on the right. 

First Practice Magazine Cover

First I started by finishing the design of my masthead. Using the font I had decided to use, Xenophone. I then increased the stroke weight to 8 point to give the spikes on the letters. I then put in a couple of triangles with the South Downs colours of green and blue. Then I went about making my image for the front cover. I decided on an image that was a medium close up but had a lot of background that I did not want. To get rid of this unnecessary background I put the image into photoshop and used the lasso tool to cut around the part of the image that I wanted. After this I had realised that I had left a few bumps of the background on the new image. To remove these I had to use the eraser tool, going round the edge of the image again to make it exactly how I wanted it. I then wanted to create a new background for my new image. I also created this in photoshop. To do this I used the gradient tool and experimented with different colours until I settled on the change from a red to a dark blue. I then dragged my image onto the background then placed it into my InDesign document. Using the white arrow tool I then manipulated the image to make it unusual and not just a plain square.

Proposal

Target Audience

The target audience for my magazine will be teenage boys who are interested in sport and new rock/ alternative music. This means that the magazine will have articles about new music which has a rock/ alternative genre and it will also include sport not only inside the college but local sport.

Typical Content

Just as I said before the magazine will include articles about new rock/alternative music. This will include new and upcoming local bands and singers. These could also include bands that are in college. It will also include articles on sport in college and results from sport in the local community. It could also include events that the target audience would like to go to. It could involve food in the way of cafes inside college and local food. It could also include new local shops and local advertisements and offers.

Cover Lines

                                   

These would all include snippets of articles which will give slight information about the articles. For Example there could be one saying ‘Shock Result for Portsmouth’ or ‘New Band Rocks the South’

Title

I have decided on SDC magazine because it represents South Downs College yet it still keeps the young and modern theme.

Fonts

sdc magazine

 I would like to use this font for my mast head because it stands out and is bold to catch people’s eyes. It also is easy to read so that it can be read easily. The font is Xenophone.

I want to use this font for my magazine contents page and the cover lines because it is simple to read and it is modern. The font is Tahoma.

Times Published

My magazine will be published every month and will change due to the monthly seasonal changes. For example in December it will have a specific Christmas theme and the events will mostly be based on Christmas and New Years. Also in February there will be a specific theme of Valentine’s Day.  These themes will be portrayed in the colours used and the articles that will be included in the magazines for example there would be Christmas music news involved in the magazine and there will also be specific events for the time of year.

Kind of images on cover

There could images of the new band(s) which will be featured in the magazine. There could also be images of food that is new in the cafes or there could be images of sports in the local area. There could also be images of the new events like advertisements and posters.

Colours

The basic colour scheme will be white background but will also include the font colour of black but using blue and green as well. This is to keep to the South Downs theme. But it will also include some other bright colours which will attract peoples’ eyes to the magazine cover.

Size

The magazine will be A5 size so that it can be easily fit into any bag.

 

FlatPlans

Cover

Contents Page

Initial Ideas

Magazine Audience;

Teenage Boys aged 16-18 at college- The magazine will have to give information that this audience would like, so it could be information on music and sports that would also be aimed at this audience.

Teenagers 13-15 not yet at college yet- The magazine could give information about what goes on at the college and why they should come to college. These could be handed out on open evenings.

Topics;

Food- Cafes inside college and nearby.

Music- New music and music that is going around the college.

College Gossip- What’s new in college.

Learning to drive- Tips and Hints

Sports- Notices

Events- Near college

Fashion- NUS Discounts

Titles and Fonts;

College Times        Impact Harlow Solid Italic

Students               Bauhaus 93

sdc Magazine             xenophone

Images:

Of the college- New

Students- Musical/ Sports

Cars- Driving

Events- Adverts

College magazine cover

To make this page I had to place the images in boxes on the page in InDesign. I then could manipulate them by using the black arrow and dragging the sides of the box in different directions so I got the shape that I wanted. I then placed the images on top of each other slightly and experimented what looked better. I then added a title changing the font and colours as well as the stroke weight until it looked suitable for the audience, which in this case is college students.