Thursday, 16 December 2010

19)

Ideas for magazine title
*Rancid
*Strings and Skins (Chosen name)
*Music Weekly
*Sound Wave
*Total Music

*LMW (Local Music Weekly)


Computer generated version of the masthead design

Computer generated version of the masthead design






Design of first masthead design









Computer generated version of the masthead design






Design of first masthead design











Computer generated version of the masthead design





Design of first masthead design





As you can see i have chosen 4 different masthead designs, my personal favorite that i have designed then created, is the second design, i feel this represents the punk rock and roll style that my magazine will have, as it is in bold black text, and it has shattered effects across it, looking like broken glass within the text. I feel this would fit the theme of the magazine perfectly, hence why i have chosen it as my final masthead.

Photoshoots of bands etc
I have a plan to photo shoot a band called 'No Shelter' then advertise them on the front cover as a side story, im also planning to photo shoot a band named 'Tell it to the marines', and place them as my main image of the magazine, as they are going to be the subject of the double page spread, so in short the main focus point of the magazine. My front cover will be brief but with many photos of bands and individuals who are musicians. These musicians will be friends who record music, i will photograph them, and write snappy text under there photos, about how there making it big, or back on the scene etc. I will post photos from the shoot, and possibilities for my main image of the front cover, contents page, and double page spread as soon as they have been taken, this will give an outline of what my magazine will look like, and the content/style etc.




Examples of early photo shop work












As you can see i have messed around with the layers here, made the entire photo black and white, then unlocked the layer, elected the rubber tool, and colored in the guitar with a soft edged brush. making the guitar bright and colorful, and i have made the rest of the photo black and white, a useful effect im sure i will be using for music magazine. Using this effect makes the guitar the main focus point of the photo.



Gaussian Blur
 






This photo, i have used the layer tool again, and i have used Gaussian blur to blur the whole photo, then with the magnetic lasso tool, i have cut round my model of the photo, and rubbed him out, bring him into focus, making the photo have a shallow depth of field. I will be using this very frequently in my magazine. It is a very useful effect to use when it comes to making something the stand out point on, or the focus point of a photograph.







Promotional Leaflet






































This is a leaflet tha ti created for  a local music gig i will be putting on with my friend, we are called hit the floor promotions. this leaflet was a basic design, but it was to show that i can use layering, add text to images etc, plus this leaflet shows more skills i have in Photoshop.





















20) Pre Production Mood Boards



DPS Mood Board
 






















Contents Page Mood Board























Photoshoot Mood Board

Interview that has inspired me, as well as the layout of the DPS, its inspirational to what i am aiming to do
 This interview is perect, it is in a friendly manner, asking general questions about the band, i will be doing the same with the band i interview, its a happy interview, telling the journalist all about there lives and there fame etc. Mine will be different to this, as that interview is mainstream, mine will be local, and will not be famous bands, it will be locally famouos bands, which will be a totally different lifestyle, thats why i think my readers will be drawn to reading it.



Flat Plans of Magazine

Front cover flat plan:
Design of first masthead design











































Here as you can see is my first flat plan of my front cover. As you can see i have kept the background simple and white, very similar to the mojo magazine. I have used a band photo with a simple pose, similar to kerrang, i havent made my front cover that similar to metal hammer though, although my  slogan states a quote the band could have said, "were here to make an impact"... this is identical to how metal hammer laid it out, and it stands out strongly on the fornt page. As you can see i have involved more images then text, i havent added images to the poster section, but that will be added when i begin designing my front cover in photoshop. So finally, i would say that my front cover, is in keeping with my results rfom my audience research, simple, many images, blunt and involves bansd of the correct genre.

Contents Page Flat Plan:

This is my contents page flat plan for my magazine, as you can see i have kept with the house style od the DPS and the front page. Which is white red and basic colours. I have decided to section my ocntents page into 4 sections, and add a thin photgraph above the list of page numbers etc. I think this thin photograph above the contents list adds to the style of my contents page, its veyr simple, yet very effective, theres a small title above the photograph explaning briefly whats in this small section, and the photo is relative to that title. The text is read as i mentioned, and the titles are black, and the title that states 'This Week' is in red text also. This contents page was souly inspired by 'Whos Jack' magazine, its such an incredible design, and it has helped me to design my page.


DPS Flat Plan:

DPS Flat Plan
 This Dps the same as my contents was inspiured by 'Whos Jack', the layout was so simple yet so effective.  had to design my similar, so i decided to include my photographs along the top of the pages, have one big band photo on one page, and diffreent pictures of members on the right hand page. Under neath would be my interview, with the question in bold red text, and my answer in black text underneath it. On the left hand side i have the paragraph in red text, which explains what the content of the interview. As you can see ihave kept with the house style, and kept my DPS simple, but very unique, making it another selling point.


22)
Unique Selling Point
My unique selling point is that i will not be working with mainstream bands, that magazines such as kerrang or metal hammer or mojo publish, so i wont be working with mainstream music. I will be covering a local music scene, which is not commonly heard of, i will be working with bands that have a small fan base, and boosting there views, so that people will not focus on mainstream music, but look at smaller bands, who are trying to work there way to the top. The only part of my magazine that wont be local, is when i mention about festivals, as they contain mainly mainstream music.

5 Lines on what makes my magazine unique
My magazine will appeal to my target audience for many precise reasons, mainly as i have just mentioned, it will not be mainstream, it is all local bands and artists, which is not regularly seen in magazines. 2 i will be involving lots of photographs, which was what my target audience requested over lots of text and slogans etc. 3 i will be doing an interview with a band, which is what my target audience also requested, this means i will be hosting an interview with a local band of s genre my audience chose to read about, this means i have stuck to all of my objectives set, and this is why my magazine will appeal to my audience.
- My house style will be consistent through out, it will consist of white, red and black, very bold simple colors, very similar to MOJO, but i will adopt them and make them different in my own style. I will also have many photos scattered around the pages, as my target audience request that this attracts them to reading a magazine.

Changes in my magazine.
As you can see from the screenshots below, i have completely changed some of the layouts and plans to my magazine, if you compare them to my flat plans an original ideas, most are very different. First of all my contents page has completely changed! I have decided to change the house style ever so slighty, as i have changed my house style, to red, white and teal blue, rather then my original chosen colours. So my contents is no longer little photos with text underneath it. I have changed to it to a more indie style, and put a big photo of a tattooed man performing at a show, shouting at the top of his voice, and a pull quote overlaying it stating, "I shat my pants on stage"... this is a strong quote, as people will wonder what it means and wonder what the story behind it is. I have also changed my interview and my front cover, i have changed my interview so that its not with a band, i have changed it so that its with a solo artist from norwich, no longer with the band for technical reasons, so now my DPS contaitns a solo artist interview, and my front cover a solo artist photo, not a band photo. So as an overview, i have changed my house style from its original colour to white teal and red, and i have changed the layout of my contents page in a big way, this is to improve presentation. Lastly i have changed a lot about my front cover also, as i am removing the part about free posters, and keeping it more simple, again to make it look a great deal more professional.



 

23) Planning a photoshoot and doing the shoot.

I have planned a photoshoot with local acoustic musician 'Matt Northcott'. We are going to a local garden in norwich to take some photographs of him with his guitar, i aim to get an old style theme from this photoshot. Aiming on making him look like a young Bob Dylan or John Lennon. I will upload 3 photographs of the shoot to give an idea of what i photographed.

One of the shots that will be used for my DPS interview.

Another one of my shots that will be used on my DPS interview.












Possible shot for front cover.



































 24) Organise an interview for your DPS.
 I have organised an interview with Matt Northcott (who is on my front cover and in the photographs above) where i will ask him a series of questions about his musical life and what has inspired him and much more, this interview is below unanswered but when its on my final DPS it will be completed.


25) Write interview with Matt Northcott for DPS.
Me: Matthew it is an honour to be able to chat with you about the life you lead and what inspires you!
Matt:

Me: So Matt, at what age was you introduced to a guitar, were you keen when you first started??
Matt:

Me: Awesome man, and at the point did you think that it would lead to what you do today, I mean the talent and the popularity?
Matt:

Me: So once you had learnt to play guitar, did you have any artists that particularly inspired you? Such as the finger picking skills of Bob Dylan, or the originality of John Lennon!
Matt:

Me: Who has believed in you and encouraged you the most to succeed in music, and who has helped realise your goal in life?
Matt:

Me: Aw truly inspiring man! So whilst scanning your online page, on a photo you quoted, “This photo is everything I stand for friends, sun, guitar, and smiles”… would you say this quote is accurate?? as it is clear that your friends area a big part of your success.
Matt:

Me: Good to see that your friends have helped you and encouraged you! So before your solo acoustic work, you appeared in the hardcore scene with bands, what was life like with them bands? Did you get to play many shows?
Matt:

Me: What made you stop working with hardcore bands?? and change your genre preferences and start playing acoustic, and mellow music.
Matt:

Me: When you were working with the hardcore bands did you get to play many shows??
Matt:
Me: Have you got many shows lined up with your new acoustic project then dude? Or are you just taking it as it comes?
Matt:

Me: So matt you got many plans to release an EP or an album soon? Or are you just writing more material to add to a CD??
Matt:

Me: I would like to thank you Matthew for taking the time to talk to me, and I wish you all the success with your music and projects you will be involved with in the future!!
Matt:

26) Draw flat plans and organise original images for your contents page.
Here are some of the images i would like to use on my contents page, some will be used, and some i wont, but this is to get an idea of what you will see on my contents page.They were taken at a local show of one 3 of the bands featured in my contents list, so they all link well and are not random, they were well set up and organised, heres a preview of what they look like.

This photo relates strongly with the magazine style.

This image will tie in as its at a local show.


This image is loud and will fit the shouse style brilliantly.

















27) Screenshots.

Front Cover Screenshots.

As you can see i have my main image, title and barcode, now for more text.

I have added sub titles and main article text, plus used the magnetic lasso tool to select his head and place his head over the title.


Now i have selected the layer so its at the front, meaning that its now infront of my title.



























Contents Screenshots.

a




DPS Screenshots.






28) Upload your Final work to your blog.

Heres my final front cover.

Heres my final contents page.
Final DPS part 1.

Final DPS Part 2.






Thursday, 18 November 2010

Results of Music Magazine Questionaire.

-Questionnaire 

Total number of people who took the survey: 25

1) Gender?
Male= 68% (17 People)
Female= 32% (8 People)
- As you can see, i will be writing for more of a male audience, then a female audience. This means i will have to think carefully about the content added in my magazine.

2) What is your age?
13-16= 60% (15 people)
17-19= 32% (8 people)
20-22= 0% (0 people)
23+= 8% (2 people)
As you can see the target audience is going to be around 16-19, as these are the highest percentages. This means i will have to think carefully about what content will appeal to this age group, and what will make them want to read or buy my magazine. If my content is inapropriate, they will not buy it.

3) What is your favorite genre of music?
Punk Rock= 24% (6 people)
Pop Rock= 12% (3 people)
Heavy Metal= 36% (9 people)
R&B= 12% (3 people)
Dance= 4% (1 person) 
Pop= 4% (1 person)
Rock= 36%(9 people)
As you can see Punk rock, Heavy metal and Rock are the 3 most popular choices. All three of these genres are closely related, so this will make it easy to design a magazine on these genres, as there all closely connected.

4) Do you dress in relation with your favorite music genre?
Yes= 52% (13 people)
No= 48% (12 people) 
As you can see, this will be difficult, as only one person more voted that they dress the same as the genre of music they prefer. So this means i will be adding music fashion to my magazine, but only slightly, e.g. an advertisement of a bands new t shirt brand etc.


5) How much do you spend on music magazines per month??
£0-£5= 76% (19 people)
£5-£10= 24% (6 people)
£10-£15= 4% (1 person)
£15+= 0%
As you can see from these results the most popular result was £0-£5 a month, this is meaning that people may not want to spend a lot of money on magazines, either as they think music magazines are over priced, or they cant afford it. So taking this into account, i will be making my magazine of low budget and cheap, so it gives people musical knowledge, but at a cheap price.


6) How much do you spend on music either in CD form or downloaded?
£0-£5= 52% (13 people)
£5-£10= 12% (3 people)
£10-£15= 16% (4 people)
£15+= 28% (7 people) 
From these results again it will be tricky, as there are mixed answers, but the overall most popular was £0-£5, so this means i will be adding little music download or CD adverts, but as there are a fair few who spend a lot on them, i will add some advertisements for CD's etc. Or a free gift etc. 

7) Would you be interested in going to a music festival, if so which one would you prefer to go to?
None they don't interest me= 0% (0 people)
Download Festival= 28% (7 people)
V Festival= 28% (7 people)
Reading Festival= 40% (10 people)
Slam Dunk Festival= 16% (4 people)
Sonisphere Festival= 16% (4 people)
As you can see not one person voted for not wanting to go a music festival, so this means i will be writing or adding in bits about music festivals. As every festival got a high vote i will be adding snippets about each to satisfy readers. But i will be mainly advertising and analyzing Reading festival, as it received the highest amount of votes.

8)  What would catch your eye most when you see the front cover of a magazine?
High Quantity of images= 68% (17 people)
Free Gifts= 28% (7 people)
Lots of text= 0% (0 people)
Snappy Slogans= 16% (4 people)
Simple Layout= 16% (4 people)
As you can see high quantity of images was the most popular option, which means i will be adding many images to my front cover, contents page and double page spread, this is what most people want to see, so i will take there advice. No one voted for lots of text, so this means i will balance the amount of text out with the images etc, and keep it brief and snappy. I will also have to promote a free gift of some sort, as this was also a popular choice.

9) If you were classed into a category, which would you say best suits you? 
Punk=16% (4 people)
Indie= 52% (13 people)
Gothic= 12% (3 people)
Emo= 8% (2 people)
Rock n Roll= 16% (4 people)
Designer= 28% (7 people)
From these results i can determine that i am going to be writing for an audience that do not dress as punk or rock and roll themed as i thought they would. So from these results this means i will be adding a lot of indie styled clothing adds or photographs, plus punk, designer and rock n roll, as they also scored high results. 

10) Would you rather read an interview with a band, or an article by a journalist on a band? 
Interview of a band= 92% (22 people)
Article on Band= 8% (3 people) 
From these results i have gathered that i will be writing an interview with a band, rather then stating facts or stories about them, this means i will have to set up an interview with a band, and record my results. As this is what got the minority of the votes.


-My Reader Profile




-Brainstorming


Title Ideas
*Rancid
*Strings and Skins
*Music Weekly
*Sound Wave
*Total Music
*LMW (Local Music Weekly)


Slogo Ideas
*Giving you music as it happens
*Your weekly burst of sound!
*Whats new with music?
*Whos top of the scene this week!


House Style
*Smart, little colour, neat text boxes, tidy layout.
*Punk style, bright, patterns surrounding text and images, laid out in a scruffy yet effective way.
*Metal Hammer Style, dark, rock and roll, random images, not laid out in any particular way, just thrown onto the page.
*Mojo style, keeping simple colours, lots of images (which supports what my readers wanted), text in columns under images etc.
*Kerrang style is very similar to the punk style mentioned above, except no bright colors, simple plain colors, greys, whites blacks etc.
 

Tuesday, 5 October 2010

PHOTOSHOP.

PHOTOSHOP.

This hear is the image i created of a singer named Ville Valo, who is the lead singer of HIM, here i have tried different techniques in photoshop.

i learnt to first of all open an A4 working space in photoshop, i learnt then to add my image, and resize it to a suitable size, and then add it to the workspace. the next stage was to manipulate the image, i did so by adding a watercolour effect to the singer, and then slightly sharpened it to make it more visible, i then added text which said clearly, H.I.M, and i sharpened the whole imkage as a whole again, then finally i added one more image, which is the odd shaped heart in the bottom corner, which is there logo, which added the final touch, then i added a watercolour to that also, to give it a ripple, then i finally saved it as a jpeg format, and decided to blog what i had learnt. I have previous expirience with photoshop, but this small activity has refreshed my brain to the basics of the program.

Monday, 13 September 2010

Analysis of a front cover

                                                                          Metal Hammer Magazine
Genre - Music mainly around heavy metal.
Audience - 15 onwards (rock/metal fans)
Colour - mainly dark colours e.g red black and some white,
Styling - gothic, old metal, and the front cover symbolises that the band are angry and agression.
Text + Writing - the skyline is 2 logos of bands in red, and 3 standard bands in white, the masthead is a black and white logo, and has gunshots and shattered glass etc, showing that the magazine is rock and roll.



Magazine Cover we used