My Music Magazine Proposal Prezi

Photography Call Sheet

Masthead Tryout

Today in class, we were learning how to use Adobe Illustrator and we were messing around with the tools. So far, I created this but I know there can be further improvements made. I might change the masthead name and the style.

Distribution Of Magazines

There are several ways magazines, any type of magazines,can be distributed. Some are popular methods but some aren't as popular.

Publishers: Publishers are the places that produce the magazines before they are even distributed. For example, in the UK we have 4 large publishers - Conde Nast, EMAP Bauer, IPC and NatMag. But in America there could be much more publishers since that is mainly where all the music is created. A publisher's role is to be in charge of the way a magazine is designed and the content from the editors. They are in charge of advertisement as well and what sort of adverts will be included. They come up with ideas on how certain magazines should be distributed and how many issues there will be. Hence, if it will be a monthly issue or a weekly issue. It is up to them.

Distribution Networks: This is an extension on the publishers role. They manage the magazine from the beginning to the end. From the idea of the magazine to the newsstand where the magazine is showcased, which is distributed by lorries all over the area. Magazines are mainly sold in supermarkets like Sainsburys and newsagents; even WHSmith.

Sale or Return: This is the policy that if copies of magazines are not sold, they would have to be returned to the publisher and the shop owner will not be charged. Therefore, it is an advantage for the shop owner as they won't be charged, although it is an disadvantage to the distributor as they see it as wasteful, especially to the environment since a lot of paper is used.

Direct Distribution: This is the method where magazines are just given out for free. They are mainly given to you directly in busy areas like train stations. Another word for Direct Distribution is 'Freemiums' ,as the customer is receiving it for free however the magazine is paid for by advertisements.

Subscriptions: In magazines, there could be a subscription slip where you can get discounts on the magazine. This is mostly aimed at regular customers who are interested in the magazine. They receive the magazines in the post or an electronic device before the issue actually comes out in shops.

E-Mags (Online Magazines): E-Mags are electronic versions of a hard-copy magazine. These can be used on tablets as an app or a website. They include the same thing a normal magazine would have like page numbers, you can turn the page by sliding and includes adverts too. Most E-Mags are free.

Apps: Since hard-copy magazines aren't that popular anymore; most magazines have created an app for smartphones and tablets which include all the content a normal, physical magazine would have. Most of these apps are free.

Electronic Brand Extension; This means that they have social media networks like Facebook and Instagram. This shows all the information and can help to notify readers what is going on regularly since majority of the population uses social media.

Magazine Newsstand Task

The other day I went to a small WHSmith and I saw these magazine newsstands. 

Looking at the pictures, I can see that here is no music magazine shown on the newsstand however I can see a variety of gossip magazines, kids magazines, wedding & TV magazines along with word searches. This can show that music magazines are not that popular, therefore they don't need to be displayed. Also you can read magazines online since technology has become advanced now which can cause the music magazine business to decrease.

In many shops, there is a section for magazines and they are placed in different categories which makes it much easier and conventional for the buyer to find what they want and purchase it. The buyer is able to find the magazine they want since magazines are placed in a certain way so that the masthead can be shown. Generally, the masthead is in the top left corner of a magazine cover and this is evident in the pictures that I have taken from the newsstand. 

Mastheads are always shown since most magazines are popular therefore they have to stand out and be shown so it can be found and they have to appeal to the audience and make you want pick it up and read it. 

Initial Magazine Proposal

Today in lesson, we were planning our magazine proposal and what is going to be included in my magazine. So far I have planned 2 titles that I could use, the genre and my target audience. But I need to plan the context - like the artists and what cover lines and what articles I will be writing. I will be continuing my magazine proposal outside of class.

Ideas From My Case Studies

There were many parts of the magazines, that I analysed for the case studies, that I liked, which were suitable for my genre. Hopefully, from the ideas of both Mixmag and XXL, I can be able to include the things I like from their magazines, into mine.

For example, in my analysis of Mixmag, I liked:

• The boldness of the masthead and how it stood out from the text. It was a different size and font from the rest. This shows the importance that the masthead holds.  
• The colour scheme: all the colours linked well and matched with each other.
• How the front cover was neat and aligned correctly by using a gutter. This makes it easier to read and is more professional and organized. 
• The way everything was visible and you could read everything clearly. The font wasn't too small or too big - it was easy to read.
• How their was a lot of images being used in the contents page. This makes it look interesting as you can see what they're going to be talking about and it catches the readers eye. There wasn't too much words and the colours on the contents page worked out well. I liked how the contents page was black with a double page spread; this makes it less squashed and spaced out but it also uses a lot of images that are laid out properly.

In my analysis of XXL, I liked:

• How the masthead was behind all the artists, this makes the artists stand out since they're the main focus.
• How the name of the magazine is quite short and is abbreviated.
• The uniqueness of the cover page, it used a graffiti style to link with the genre of music - Hip Hop - which makes it urban.
• The cover page and the contents page had a clear link, the pages consisted of the same colour scheme and had similar images. The contents page was also a double page spread.
• They produced well written articles and analysed well. The writer made the readers feel included and they used popular artists, in this case ,NWA, to drag their attention and read the article. Also, during the article they used all terminology and included images to keep the readers engaged. 

I would like my magazine to have a well thought out cover page that has a unique style and have a clear house style. I would like the pages to link together and have a clear format.

College Magazine - Audience Feedback and Evaluation

Audience Feedback: What went well? - From the comments on my previous blog post, I received some positive feedback from a few of my classmates. One of them mentioned how they liked the cover photo as it looked professional and it was good quality and mentioned that the font went well with the cover photo. Another classmate said that my front cover included all the main requirements needed and that the style and mise en scene of the front cover works well. I mainly got positive comments on the photography and the cover page.

Self-Evaluation: What went well? - For me, what went well was the photography, even though I took the pictures on my phone it still came out good since the models look natural and you can see everything clearly. I created a skyline accurately and the skyline is linked to the college theme. I have included a barcode, cover lines, a masthead, a puff, the price and the date of the issue. These are main requirements in any magazine not just music and I think I did them effectively however there could be improvements. I made the masthead stand out by using effects and tools on PhotoShop; this shows the importance that the masthead has.  The spaces on the cover page were used effectively and I didn't leave it blank apart from a few places as I didn't know what to place there. I like how the cover lines are bold which contrasts against the photo.  Personally, I think that the cover page is better than the contents page.

The contents page is alright looking since I have included a few pictures that all link to education and sports and I have included page numbers alongside the titles of the page. A classmate commented that the contents page has an interesting layout but I could have included more. The contents page is simple and straightforward unlike most magazine.

Audience Feedback: What do I need to improve on? - From the comments on my blog post, I have received some constructive criticism on what I should have done by my classmates.  For example, one of them said that I should have spaced out the cover lines and have more college related cover lines but they also said that for the contents page, I should have spaced the photos out neatly so that there wouldn't be any empty space and use different colours instead of black and white. Although, another classmate said I should have linked the content page to the front cover. 

Self-Evaluation: What do I need to improve on? -I agree with the feedback from the classmates and I need to improve on how to make a better looking contents page since that was my weak point. I didn't know how to structure it and what to add. I could have used different colours instead of black and white. I could have used pull quotes, drop caps and columns to make it look realistic and be effective. I have a lot to improve on.

Key points for development - One thing that could have been developed was the photographs. Even though, I created some good quality photos on my phone camera, it would have looked more professional and better quality if I used a professional camera. Another thing that could have been developed is the structure of my contents page, this is because It looks too simple and nothing like a music magazine contents page, as it wasn't lively at all. Last thing that could have been developed was the cover page. Personally, I think that the cover page was good , however the cover liens were a bit squashed and I didn't create an effective looking puff. Overall, the college magazine practise has helped me improve a bit of my skills but has notified me on what I need to do to improve when I make my real music magazine cover.

Finished College Magazine Cover & Contents Page

My finished pages.. but there is room for improvement.

Work In Progress: College Magazine

Today in class, I was working on my cover page and my contents page. So far, I have made a start on my contents page and almost completed my cover page. I have used both InDesign and PhotoShop to make both of these pages. Later on in lessons and outside of lessons, I will continue to create my pages and improve them further.