Friday 13 May 2011
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Friday 6 May 2011
Double Page Spread Layout
Page 1
Page 2
These pictures show an initial idea of how I would like my double page spread to be laid out, with the generic conventions of a double page spread featured, such as images of the artist featured, page numbers, pull quotes etc. This may change as I look at more magazine spreads, and also depending on how the pictures look in the spread.
Contents Page Layout
Here is a screenshot of the contents page layout that I'm thinking of using, which I think will work with advertising other artists and articles featured in the magazine through both image and text, with the images displayed on the left-hand side and text on the right. The use of a main image at the head of the contents page is also going to help further promote that article.
Front Cover Layout
Here is a general layout of how I would like my magazine front cover to look, with the generic conventions that would be placed on the cover, such as main coverlines, the masthead, the puffs and things like the barcode, price/date etc.
Full Analysis of a Music Magazine Cover
Structure/Layout
Rolling Stone magazine always holds a similar structure on their covers, where the main coverlines will be on one side of the cover with about three other coverlines on the opposite side of the cover, separated by graphic features of bold lines. This layout is very similar to the layout of the Q magazine that I have re-made, insinuating that some music magazines follow similar layouts. The fonts for the main coverline are obviously a lot larger, as to attract attention to the main feature of the magazine, there is also a black and blue colour scheme to the cover which is incorporated in the fonts, segregating pieces of text such as ‘She Kissed A Girl” and “Katy Perry” being in blue and white to stand out from the cover. The cover follows a generic structure for a magazine, with the masthead, main coverlines, barcode, date, seal of approval etc, the one thing that is different on this magazine is the fact that a coverline goes over the hair of the main image, and while it is a general rule not have text over the main image’s face, the coverline over her hair it isn’t so distracting.
Representation
On the cover of this magazine, Katy Perry is the main feature. The shot type is a medium long shot to show more of Perry’s outfit, which also links with the overall colour scheme of the cover with her blue top, light blue belt and pale pink shorts. This outfit is very reminiscent of summer attire; however this magazine is an October issue so perhaps Perry was in this outfit to show her playful and retro-kitsch style of that time. She is using a parasol as a prop which again adds to her kitsch look. Perry is giving the camera a direct mode of address, and she isn’t smiling, instead she could look slightly suggestive to the audience, especially considering that with her outfit there is a tiny bit of cleavage showing, suggesting that while she looks innocent she could actually be slightly promiscuous. Her make-up is very light and her hair isn’t overtly done, her look is very simply but she still looks nice while keeping her individual style.
Branding
Rolling Stone differs its colour scheme depending on the person on the cover, so the one thing that stays the same is their recognisable logo and the font styles that they use. For this cover, they have gone for an unconventional look for Rolling Stone, as they are usually considered as a rock magazine though they do feature other genres as well, as this cover shows. The cover, while featuring mainly light blues which are associated with males, the tone that they are in makes it seem quite feminine and they compliment the pale pink gradient on the background as well as Perry’s outfit and shows that Rolling Stone can be different and they do branch out to different music genres. As is expected on a magazine cover, the masthead of the magazine is placed behind the main image where necessary, which means that the viewer/consumer will see the main image first rather than the brand of magazine. Some could say that the magazine ‘name-drops’ a lot on the cover to both show the range of interests they cover from music (Amy Winehouse, Jeff Buckley), films (Robert Downey Jr.) and sport (Skatopia).
Language Features
To fit with the pop genre being portrayed through Katy Perry being on the cover, the language used is quite light and playful, but still relating to the subjects on the cover. For example, a caption of “Pop’s Sexiest New Talent” is used to describe Perry which could attract readers to buy the magazine if they feel that they are buying something new, fresh and promising. They also use positive and emphasised adjectives to entice readers such as ‘triumphant’ but in the same way use negative adjectives to heighten the drama in a story they are featuring with ‘tragic’ and ‘anarchy’. The main coverline uses a question of “So how far will Katy Perry really go?” which intrigues the reader and makes them think about the answer which would be written in the magazine, therefore encouraging them to buy it.
Target Audience
Due to Katy Perry being on the cover, and the colours being very light and playful, I would say that the target audience for this issue of Rolling Stone would be both male and females, aged between 16-25 whereas other issues could be more for older audiences too. The fact that Perry is very youthful accounts to the young target audience – males will be interested in her and females would be interested in the type of music she produces.
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