The Band

In my magazine the band that I am going to use is a band called 'Marshall Park' a 5 piece rock band from Reading. The band consists of lead vocalist Freya, bassist Cole, guitarists Ali and Mark, and drummer Matt.
For the double page spread of my magazine I will be interviewing the band about recent tours, their new album and just general information about the band.

My own pictures of the band that may be used:

Band photos inspiration

I'd like to take the inspiration of having a child on the front of the album cover as I like the contrasting affect that it gives off. For the photos of the band, a common band photo is a one of them whilst playing a gig, often with the lead singer being the main focus of the shot as the lead singer is usually the most iconic in the band.  

 

Colour Testing

Purple - the colour purple is a very rich colour, it makes me think of royalty and strength. It is also a colour used to symbolize magic and mystery. It is a colour that would be good in stories as it is a very strong and powerful colour yet warm and friendly. Purple is also a colour usually associated with girls. I would expect to see this this colour in a home, historic or girls magazine.

Grey - the colour grey is a very dark and gloomy colour. When i see the colour i would associate it with bad weather and misery. It is not the kind of colour that would make you feel happy. But grey can also be a fairly fashionable colour and is often used in homes and clothing. I would expect to see this colour in either a fashion, home, heavy metal or rock magazine. I would like to use this colour in my magazine as i am doing a rock magazine i think it would be appropriate to the style of the magazine.
Black - the colour black is usually associated with darkness, death and the absorbtion of light. But as time has gone on, it is often seen as a fahionable colour with items such as the little black dress. i think this colour would be appropriate for my magazine as it is a rock magazine, rock music is often associated with death and darkness. Black is also quite an eyecathing colour as it is a contrast to all other colours, which would be good in making my magazine stand out infront of all the others.

White - the colour white is a very fresh and clean colour. It often symbolizes purity and innocence with angels usually wearing white, it is also a huge contrast to the colour black so it is a good colour to use against a white background. White is a fairly statement colour as it is a colour that can often be ruined, but it gives a light and airy feel whether is it placed. i would like to use this colour in my magazine as it is a rock magazine i would like to use black, and white contrasts with it well. 

Pink - the colour pink is strongly associated with femininity. Being used mainly for girls, and blue being used for boys. The colour pink is also sometime associated with love being used on valentines day and easter. i would like to use this colour in my magazine as the band that is going to be on the front cover and on the double page spread has a female lead singer. The band is also very well loved so using pink would represent the audiences love for the band. 

Blue - the colour blue is a very masculine colour and is usually used to represent boys. Bright blue is also a very sinthetic colour. Often in food it is seen as bad as it has artificial colouring in it. I am going to use blue in my magazine so it also appeals to men aswell as women, also as my music magazine is going to be called Lithium which is a dangerous and very reactive metal, so the sinthetic representation of blue would go along nicely with it.

Green - green is often associated with nature and the enviroment in its calmer tones. But in its very bright tones it can also be associated with acid, poison, envy and jelously. i would like to use this colour in my magazine for that reason, becasue my magazine is called lithium it would go along with that chemical effect and also as my magazine is a rock magazine i think that envy and jelousy are associated with that style of music.

Font Testing

BlairMdICT  TT – This font is very bold and clear. It uses all capital letters, and the ones that are supposed to be capitals are just made bigger This font had a very edgy feel to it, it also feels quite dangerous, like the kind of font that you would see on an acid bottle warning you not to touch it. I think this font would be appropriate for my magazine for that reason, as it is going to be called ‘Lithium’ and it is a rock magazine, I think that fits in well with the theme. I wouldn’t use this font in a large paragraph as a lot of it is quite hard to read but as the title for my magazine I think it would be appropriate.

Impact – this is a very bold and edgy font, it is quite futuristic writing aswell and you wouldn’t be surprised to see it in some sort of sci-fi magazine. I don’t think this font would be easy to read if there was lots of it so I wouldn’t use it in a whole paragraph, but for quick and short headings I think it would be appropriate as it stands out. I think this font would be appropriate for my magazine as it had a fairly edgy feel to it which would fit in with the rock genre of my magazine. Also as my magazine is going to be called lithium the sci-fi effect of this font fits in well with it.

InaiMathi – this font is very easy to read and clear. It also has quite a fun and happy feel to it. If you saw something in this font you would be quite attracted to read it, as it gives off the impression that what you are about to read is fairly easy reading. I think this font would be appropriate for the interview on my double page spread for that reason. I wouldn’t use it for a heading as it is not very eye-catching.

MS PGothic – This font is fairly plain and computeristic as the letters are spread apart and linear. I would expect to see this kind of font in some sort of technology magazine. The letters of this font are all pixelated and rigid where there are curves in the letter, I think that it makes this font not as nice to read. I don’t think I will be using this font in my magazine as I think it is boring and plain, and doesn’t fit in with the edgy, rock’n’roll theme of my magazine.

Engravers MT – this font is very gothic, bold and gloomy. It is the type of writing that you would expect to see on a gravestone. So it makes the font quite spooky. I think this font could be appropriate for my magazine because rock music is often associated with death and misery. It is also very bold which would make headings stand out but would not be appropriate for whole paragraphs. But I don’t think I will use this font in my magazine as this font would be more associated with emo and deathcore rock music, whilst the magazine issue that I will be producing will be a more of a lighter and more fun side to rock music.

Euphemia UCAS – this is a very plain and easy to read font. It is the type of font that would be good in long paragraphs as it is not to bold or too fancy. This font has a very mellow feel to it and you wouldn’t use it in something that is trying to excite or thrill someone, so you wouldn’t use it in a heading as it doesn’t draw attention. I may use this font in my magazine for the interview as there will be lots of writing on one page and as this font is eay to read it would be appropriate.

Rock Sound Magazine Analysis

Front Cover

On the front of rock sound the the main heading of the magazine is at the top of the page underneath the strap line and is written in the same font as all of their magazines, this makes it noticeable to all their readers. It is written in block white, thick writing and in capital letters which also makes it stand out. 

The house colours of the magazine are white, yellow, red and black, the have stuck to just using those colours on the front cover. This helps the magazine stand out as there are not to few colours to make it boring but there is not to much to make it look all messy and unorganized. The strap line is at the top of the page, readers usually know that the strap line is going to be, as it is mostly in the same place in every magazine, there so they will look there to see what advertisements there are, this attracts readers to buy the magazine as they would feel as if they are getting more out of it.

All the names of bands on the magazine are in large bold fonts whilst other writing is smaller and less bold. This makes the band names stand out and this attracts readers because they would look to see if they can see a band that they like and it being bold helps them find it, and if they are interested on a band that they see on the front they are more likely to buy it.Around the page explanation marks are put on various headings to make it stand out.

The image on the front is a picture of two very iconic artists in the genre of music magazine that it is and the largest heading on the page is about them, this helps the magazine appeal to a bigger audience as the band is very popular, and they have really promoted it with the large image and heading.

Contents Page

The contents page has stuck with the house theme colours of red, yellow, black and white. This keeps the magazine pages connected to one another. 

The page is split up into separate boxes containing either pictures or text this makes the page easy to read and not all muddled up.

On the pictures of the bands, there are page numbers in bold large writing, this helps the reader find the page that the band that they recognise are on.

The text on the contents page is split into 4 different sections, the noise, exposure, features and reviews. this help split the up the different sections of the magazine making it easier for the reader to read. The different sections are also linked to the pictures on the page with 4 of the pictures having one of the headings on, this helps you see what is in each section and pictures draw peoples attention more than text.

The text is also set out in colomns which is typical for magazines and newspapers, this makes it easier and more appealing to read.

 

Double Page Spread

The image of the band on the double page spread is across the whole two pages. The picture is slightly faded to black in some areas of the magazine where text is put above it, this make the text stand out more than if there was mixed and a brighter colour in the background.

The text on the page sticks with the house theme, using white and yellow text. These colours also stand out against the dark background and make the text easy to read.

There is a pull quote on the top right hand corner of the page, this keeps the reader interested in the page because if they find the quote interecting they would want to read more.

The main text of the spread is in white writing and is put into a black box, this helps the writing to stand out, making it easier to read.

Reader Profile

In my music magazine the genre that is am going to go for is rock because in my results of my questionnaire the most popular genre of music was rock, and it seems that the majority of music magazines on the market are rock magazines. The audience that I will be aiming to direct my magazine towards will be 16-18 year olds, both male and female as the questionnaires I sent out were all to people of that age and gender. I also gathered from this research that this age range listen to music daily and do buy music magazines.

The style of clothing that reader of the magazine would wear would be grundgy, gothic and edgy. The main stereotypes of people that listen to rock music are scene kids. Scene kids usually wear a lot of black clothing along with lots of very bright colours. Their style is a mix of punk, goth and casual styles. They often have died black or bleach blonde hair often with brightly colour streaks. The clothing that they wear is rarely of the highstreet. 

The people that would read this magazine would probably follow and support a few specific bands and would like them for over a long period of time father than like them as a fad. They would go to see the it favourite bands play often and would also support new and upcoming bands by watching them in smaller venues.

People that listen to rock are often associated with rebelling against society and teenage angst.

The types of hobbies that readers would have could be pretty much anything but the main hobbies would be; art, blogging and going to concerts.

Kerrang Music Magazine Analysis

Front Cover

The main header of the magazine is at the top of the page, and the font of the title 'Kerrang' is in the same iconic font as in all of their magazines, so it is easily recognizable to readers, especially as the type of magazine it is there will be fans that buy the magazine almost every week. The font is in white and it has a black background which makes it stand out. The name Kerrang appeals to the genre of the magazine, rock and roll, as the name is depicted from the sound of a guitar when it drops on the floor through an amp.

The background of the magazine is black, this fits in with the dark genre of the magazine.

In the main central image, the lead singer of the band is at the front. His head is covering part of the title but as it is so iconic, it can be. He has his finger held to his lips signifying that he has a secret, this draws people in as they would think that the secret would be revealed in the magazine. He is also wearing a white T-shirt which signifies purity and it is then splatted in blood which then stands out against the white. The blood make the magazine seem like a bit of a horror, which would also drag readers in and appeals to the genre. There is also a heading that says 'reign in blood' that links to the picture.

The main heading 'bring me the horizon' which is the name of the band, is written in red, which works well with the blood on the T-shirt. The font of it is also looks quite battered and broken making it look quite spooky fitting in with the genre of the magazine. It is in the center of the page and us bigger than any of the other headings on the page. Just before the heading there is another one that says exclusive, this shows the reader that the content of the magazine holds something that us new and never heard before.

The skyline at the the top is quite important as it usually holds important information and draws in the audience. The use of two different colors separates then writing making it more reader friendly.

The use of explanation marks after the main headings makes them seem more important and worth reading, that drags the reader in.

At the bottom of the page there are cover lines, theses are stories arnt as big or important as the main story but they still drag the reader in as they don't want to think they are only getting one story. All the images of the people the bottom are very rock and roll so fit in with the genre of the magazine.

Contents Page

The page is split in half with one half writing the other a picture. to make it a bit more reader friendly and not daunting to see a whole page of writing.

Next to each picture or piece of writing there is a page number, they are all in the colour red which is a contrast to the colour of the writing next them which is black.

The names of the bands in the magazine are all in bold, this makes them more eye catching so readers can pick out their favorite bands.

Different articles in the magazine are put into different sections, each section is put on the contents page in different headings.
They are all in yellow with a black background around them, they are then on a white background which make it really contrast and stand out.

The cover stories are carried through onto the contents page, and next the headings of them on the contents page is a star with 'cover story' in the middle. This makes it easier for the reader to find the page that they are looking for.

There are copies of pages shrunken down on the contents page to grab the attention of the reader to look at that page, and to make it easier for us to find the stories that we want to read.

The advertisement at the bottom of the page for bookings of Kerrang magazine monthly through your door is in white writing against a red background and contrasts against any of the other writing on the page to catch the readers eye. This helps to sell more issues to people.

The contents page heading is bold at the top of the page with yellow writing against a black background. It also has the issue number and cover date underneath it in white writing which makes it stand out.

A message from the editor makes the reader feel as if the editor is talking to you, and as the editor makes sure all of the magazine is up to scratch, seeing what their favorite parts are makes you want to read it.

Double Page Spread

The image of 'Pete Wentz' is on the right hand page of the spread and it takes up the whole page and would drag the reader in as it is so large. The colours used on the page are quite dull and grey but this fits in with the storyline as it is about depression so the colour reflects the story.
The main heading takes up almost half the page of the left hand side, in the title of it 'I was at rock bottom' is a quotation of what Pete Wentz has said. the word 'rock' is in a darker colour and is larger than the rest of the words, this makes this word more emphasized so the reader can be more intouch and have more feeling for the story. It also helps split up the page so it is not as much of a block.
Then under then main heading is a subheading explaining what the article is going to be about, grabbing the reader even more.
The actual article only takes up the bottom half of the left page and is split up into 3 columns, this makes it more reader friendly than one huge block of writing.
There is also an advert at the top of the page to g to their website, it is in the traditional Kerrang colours of black, red and white, that is seen on the front cover and contents page. This makes it eye catching compared to the rest of the page.