Foundation Production

The second magazine I analysed was called 'Rock Sound'. Rock sound is a British Magazine which focuses more on alternative music. The magazine aims to be less commercial whilst still featuring big and well known artists. The magazine aims at the younger age group who are 15-24 years old, and are passionate for music. The magazine also attracts both male and female music enthusiasts.

This 'Rock Sound' magazine features a medium shot of the two models form the band 'the Automatic', who are an American boy band. They have been chosen to be put on the front of the magazine because they are popular with alternative music of the magazine. The band isn’t very well known but then again neither is the magazine. The two men on the front of the magazine are looking off the page at the reader which draws your attention. According to the theory of Marjorie Ferguson, this is a common convention of magazines.

This magazine cover has at least five different fonts which is a rare convention for a magazine which normally has no more then three fonts. There are four different colours used for text, these are; red, white, yellow and black. I think that the use of many fonts and more four colours makes the magazine look cheap, common and amateur.

The main title of the magazine is bold and attractive with a backdrop to make it appear 3D. The main title is also on top of the models which implies it is not a very well known magazine because the whole title is visible so people know what it is. The title 'The Automatic' is very difficult to read because of the text it is in. The writing down the bottom left is very easy to read because it has been put onto a white background before being placed on the cover. The photo and writing in the bottom right of the photo is a hook to attract people and try to get them to read the magazine.

In the bottom right of the magazine is the price, issue date, barcode and also a website of the magazine. They are all easy to read but do not effect the overall image of the cover by obstructing anything severely.

Foundation Production

The first magazine i decided to analyse was 'VIBE' a very popular music magazine. by analysing this magazine i am hoping to gain a greater knowledge of the basic conventions of magazines.

This VIBE magazine features a medium shot of Eminem, a very famous American rap artist. He has been chosen to appear on the front of this magazine because he is arguably the most famous rapper in the world. He is well known across the world and very popular with the younger audience, in which this magazine is aimed at. The main and only figure on this magazine is looking straight at the audience in a very serious pose, making you ask the question 'why does he look so serious?’ This look straight into the camera at the audience is a common convention of magazines, according to Marjorie Ferguson’s theory. Lots of young people look up to Eminem because after all he is a rich, famous musician, loved by millions which makes him the perfect model for a magazine.

This cover only has two fonts which is less than other magazines which normally have about three. The magazine has four different colours; red, white, black and grey. The use of four basic colours and only two fonts makes the cover look very professional and classy.

The titles are very bold and clear which makes then easy to read. Also there is a small number of titles and stories which makes the cover neat and tidy and not to clutter which may turn potential buyers away from the magazine. The main title 'VIBE' is also very catchy. It is two colours fading into each other and it is behind the model. The convention of putting the title behind the model is very common especially for magazines which are already popular because the title is already known by the buyer.

The rare thing about this magazine is the barcode. There is none. This may be because the magazine came in a bundle pack but this is probably not the reason because a copy is made monthly. The reason I believe there no barcode is because it may simply be on the back of the magazine.

The titles on the cover are small and catchy and are easy to read. They also draw attention to themselves by their size, the bigger the title the more important it seems to be.

Foundation Production

The following pie charts represent the data i was given from my questionnaire. Each chart is out of 100 people.

When making my magazine, i will design it around the results i received in my questionaiire.

Foundation Production

For our foundation production we were given the task to design and make a: front cover, contents and article for a music magazine. Firstly i decided to ask people what they thought about magazines and general information before going on to analyse existing products.

Questionnaire

Do you ever buy music magazine? (Please circle)
Yes No

What attracts you to a magazine? (Please circle)
Ø Bold and attractive title
Ø Model
Ø Stories
Ø Style
Ø Colour scheme

What genre of music do you prefer? (Please circle)
Ø Dance
Ø Pop
Ø Rock
Ø Indie
Ø Heavy
Ø Country
Ø R&B
Other ……………………………………………………………

How much would you pay for a music magazine? (Please circle)
Ø Less then £1.50
Ø £1.50
Ø £2.00
Ø £3.00
Ø £4.00 or over

Do you prefer articles from real people or celebrities? (Please circle)
Ø Real people
Ø Celebrities

What title would you prefer for a magazine title (Please circle)
Ø ANTHEM
Ø DIVERSE
Ø RIFF