Front cover layouts (Eight Layouts)

These are my eight layout ideas on my front cover, you need layout plans to be able to construct a good front cover. The best layouts I have made are the 1st and 3rd one because on the first one there is a lot of space for the picture to go and the cover lines will be along side the picture with the headline & pull quote underneath it. The difference between the 1st and 3rd layout is that the headline and pull quote is now under the masthead, the coverlines have moved to the bottom and the barcode has been moved to the middle-bottom.

Potential Names for my Music Magazine.

Potential Names for my Music Magazine.

WRAP

WRaP 

XL

CLASH

BLITZ

MM (Music matters)

CURVE
PULSE

CURVE

BLAST
CRUNCH
TWANG
TUNES
RUSH
SCALE
FRESH

Prezi

Masthead Ideas (Plain & No Colour)

These are my starter masthead ideas. I will be improving them and adding colour. I will edit the best ones.

Write up (Not Finished)

"Representation in the media is concerned with how individual and groups of people, events and ideas are presented to audiences. What we see, hear and read in the media is a re-presentation of a subject it is not a real version of events it is constructed. Even a live broadcast is a representation, because you only see what is filmed by the camera operator. As a media studies student, it is important that you are able to identify and understand these representations in the products and texts that you analyse and that you construct." Mainstream- the ideas, attitudes, or activities that are shared by most people and regarded as normal or conventional.  Appealing to a mass audience.  A magazine catering for all aspects of Pop music would appeal to a mainstream audience.

Niche- is a fraction of a total market or an audience. A segment of the market or the audience with highly specific needs and interests which cannot generally be satisfied by mainstream products.  A magazine focusing upon Dub step would be therefore is for a niche market.

Brand Values and Brand Identity.

The Brand Identity for NME is the same for every magazine, it always uses the same block capital text for the Masthead, the front cover is always dominated by one or a group of people, NME uses very bright, warm colours on their front cover, and the cover is packed with a lot of information and pictured. NME = New Musical Express. They specialised in all new music and artists. This gives the impression that they value new and upcoming bands and artists and try to promote them as much as possible. 

XXL’s brand identity is the same for every magazine, their Masthead’s font and colour is always white with a red background and one image (Maybe two) always dominates the cover, it’s usually a close up or mid shot. XXL is aimed at a black origin as you can see every image on their front cover is a black person. Rap and Hip hop is more-so aimed at black people. 

Questionnaire.

1.     What Gender are you?

·        Male                           [ ]

·        Female                       [ ]

2.     What is your age range?

·        10-20          [ ]

·        20-30          [ ]

·        30-40          [ ] 

·        50+             [ ]

3.     How much would you pay for a music magazine?

• ·         £1 - £1.99 [ ]
• ·         £2 - £2.99 [ ]
• ·         £3 - £3.99 [ ]
• ·         £4 - £4.99 [ ]
• ·         £5+          [ ]

4.     Where about would you put yourself on the Jicnar Scale (socio-economic group)

·        A   (Professional- Doctors, Barristers)                    [ ]

·        B   (Managerial- Teachers, Bank managers)             [ ]

·        C1  (Non-Manual- Office workers)                         [ ]

·        C2  (Manual- Car mechanic                                    [ ]

·        D    (Partly skilled- assembly line worker                 [ ]

·        E    (Unskilled- Student, Unemployed, Benefits)      [ ]

5.     Do you read music magazines currently?

• ·         Yes [ ]
• ·         No  [ ]

6.     Who is your favourite artist in the music industry?

• ·         ________________

7.     What articles or featured would you like to read in a new music magazine?

• ·         Fashion sense                      [ ]
• ·         Quiz                                    [ ]
• ·         Questions and Answers       [ ]
• ·         Concert Information            [ ]
• ·         Interviews                           [ ]
• ·         Reviews                              [ ]
• ·         Top 10 songs                      [ ]
• ·         Other   ____________       [ ]

8.     Write the Artist(s) you would like to be featured on the front cover of a new music magazine and have the main headline.

• ·         ______________________

9.     Pick the one that best suits you. “I would buy a music magazine because ……”

• ·         I like the image on the front cover                            [ ]
• ·         The article of the contents page interests me             [ ]
• ·         It’s a good price                                                     [ ]
• ·         It’s a good name for a magazine                              [ ]
• ·         The headline catches my eye                                   [ ]
• ·         It’s for a Friend/Family member                              [ ]
• ·         Other ___________________________              [ ]

10.                      If we interviewed an Artist which would you prefer?

• ·         Long traditional chat        [ ]                                         
• ·         Q&A From the public     [ ]

11.                       What is your favourite colour scheme (E.G warm colours, cold colours)?

• ·         __________________

12.                       What copy of magazine do you prefer to read?

• ·         Physical copy [ ]
• ·         Virtual copy   [ ]

13.                       How often do you buy a music magazine?

• ·         Once every 1-2 weeks       [ ]
• ·         Once every 4 weeks          [ ]
• ·         Once every 1-3 months     [ ]
• ·         Once a year                      [ ]    
• ·         Never                               [ ]

This is my questionnaire. I think I have asked the most relevant questions to get an idea of my target market, how much I should sell it for, what type of magazine I should publish, when a new issue should come out, HouseStyle of the magazine & advertisements. Once I ask my target market I should be able to determine how to approach making this magazine.

Second Front cover UPDATE.

Second Front Cover Update. I have removed the Headline "Exclusive interview with this student" because there was just no space for it. I could straighten out the text to make it inline with one another for the professional look, possibly remove a cover line to create more space.

FINAL Front Cover UPDATE

Update on my front cover. I have moved the image to the right so the the text can fit in and looks more professional. I have removed the Headline "Exclusive interview with this student" because there was just no space for it. I could still improve this cover for example straightening the text so it's all in line.