Research and Planning: Audience Profile

The audience for my magazine will be mainly interested in pop/chart music. They would listen to a range of artists such as Olly Murs, Ed Sheeran & Taylor Swift and bands like The Wanted & Lawson, however they would also listen to more mainstream artists such as Rihanna and Beyonce. In terms of psychographics they would most likely be achievers, and would like to achieve their goals in life. They also would not take themselves too seriously and would take each day as it comes, however they try their hardest at everything they do. They would fall into B-C on the jicnar scale. The gender of my audience would mostly be women and would be aged 16-19 or are teens.

They have a good fashion sense, and they shop in places such as New Look, H&M, River Island and Topshop, as they tend to follow the latest fashion trends however they try not to follow the crowd too much. They enjoy socialising with their friends by going to parties, going shopping or just going out, however they would also be more than happy to sit down and watch a film or sit and read a book. They would choose to wear make-up however this would be a minimal amount to keep their look natural.

They like to go on trips to big cities such as London, or Birmingham. This would be for shopping or just general site seeing. They like getting out of town every now and again as they like to go somewhere different for a change. Even though they like to go shopping they would try and save as much of their money as possible as they feel that it is important too. They try to keep fit and healthy by eating fruits such as apples and strawberries however every now and again they indulge themselves with a takeaway or some chocolate. They may also take part in dance classes, or enjoy going swimming regularly.

They would attend about 4-5 concerts each year, and enjoy watching things like iTunes festival and T4 on the beach on the TV. Their favourite films would include Bridget Jones Diary and The Inbetweeners Movie. They enjoy watching soaps like Eastenders and music channels like MTV and Capital TV. They would read magazines such as OK Magazine or Heat Magazine as they are interested in the latest celebrity gossip and would also spend a lot of time on social networking sites such as twitter and tumblr as they like to find out what their favourite celebrities are up too.

Qualitative Research

To do this I asked a group of people in my target audience, to look at my ideas by using the social networking site Twitter. Through this they have said that my ideas for my magazine look clear, professional, simple and relative to what my magazine should be about (genre etc.) They also said that I have planned to include everything on the cover that they would like in a magazine, therefore it would definitely appeal to them.

Things they said I could improve:

• Maybe advertise some poster pages on the front cover, as a lot of people buy magazines for posters of their favourite artists, therefore it would appeal to my target audience more. 
• Include a message from the writer/editor of the magazine on my contents page.

Therefore on my front cover I will advertise some posters to appeal to my audience and include a message on the contents page, as this seems to be a good convention of a music magazine. 

Ideas for cover stories, the title of my magazine and the DPS

Front Cover:
For my magazine I have a few ideas of what to call it:
- Music City; as I want it to have something for everyone in it, but mainly things based on pop music.
- ML magazine (standing for Music Life)

For the cover story (splash) I would like it to be of a female solo artist, perhaps promoting an interview inside. For this I would use a pull quote on the front cover to interest the audience.
Possible cover lines to feature on the front cover:

• Album of the month! 
• Interview with......
• What do you know about ....? (10 facts about a new artist)
• Live! Review from......
• Poll: Who do you prefer ........... or ................?

I don't want a lot of cover lines on my front cover as I want to look quite simple and professional and not chaotic. Therefore I will only use about 3/4. I want my front cover to have a set colour scheme of preferably red, black and white, as these seem to work out well, and through researching magazines I have discovered these are the best colours to use. 

Contents:

For this I am going to include 3/4 different sections, including cover stories, a music section, news section, and perhaps a 10 ten albums of the month section. I will also include pictures as through my research I have discovered that most contents pages include pictures linked to the stories inside their magazine. 

Double Page Spread Ideas:

I would like my double page spread to be based on the story that will be on the front cover. This means that it will either be an album review, 10 facts about an artist, or an interview. I will also use images that I have taken on the double page spread.

Typefaces

Throughout my magazine I would like to try and use a serif font to make it look upmarket and professional, however in small amounts I may also use sans serif font as this will fit in more with my target audience. I will also make use of bold font on the cover lines, and masthead. I will also use up to 2 typefaces to also keep it looking upmarket. 

"Don't use too many typefaces. Too much variation will end up looking a mess. It's best to limit yourself to one font, and variations of it." - Chris Frost.

Rough Ideas: Layout

How will my research influence my planning?

The research that I have collected shows me the different conventions that are used in a typical music magazine. They show me a lot of the things that I should include and the way I should lay out my pages. After researching the genre of magazines that I would like to create I am now aware of the kind of images, and stories that I can include on the cover, contents page and double page spread of my magazine. Due to my research I am now aware of the kind of layout I should have on my pages aswell.

Time Plan

1. How will my research influence planning? Write about how they have helped show me the different conventions needed for my magazine, and how I intend to use them.  -  Deadline: 25/10/12
2. Rough sketches of how I intend my magazine to look (the front cover, contents page, and double page spread) Also think about what I would like to call my magazine, and possible features to put on the cover and contents page, and think about ideas for the double page spread. Also sketch rough ideas for the layout. These will then need to be scanned into my blog. - Deadline: 28/10/12
3. Research Target Audience: to do this I will use social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. I will also need to create an audience profile of the audience I wish to target. I intend to create a focus group of people in my target audience and discuss with them the kind of magazine they would like, what features they like the most and discuss features of the magazine I would like to make. - Deadline: 5/11/12
4. Performers and Casting: Decide who the models for my magazine are going to be, think about reliability, who is suitable for the genre, and who is available. Take photos of the potential models, and write how I intend to use them and why I think they are suitable. - Deadline: 5/11/12
5. List of costumes and props: Think about ways to make the clothing and props suitable to the genre I would like to create, and make sure it suits the models. Upload a table to my blog stating the costume/prop, source of the item, potential cost, and the person in charge. - Deadline: 5/11/12
6. Locations + health and safety: Get permission to photograph in the location I intend to. Complete a detailed risk assessment prior to the photoshoot. Include written permission or details of phone calls used to gain permission. Include photographs of the group in the location doing a 'recce' and risk assessment. Take photos of the key dangers and key details. Upload this to my blog. - Deadline: 5/11/12
7. Arrangements for the photoshoot: Arrange a suitable time and place for my models, make sure I have given them to correct clothing and any props they will need for the shoot. - Deadline: 6/11/12
8. Photographs for my magazine: Take the photographs for the cover, contents and double page spread of my magazine, in the location I have chosen, and on the date I arranged for my shoot. - Deadline: 12/11/12
9. Chose the images that I would like to include in my magazine. Use photoshop to airbrush photos that need to be edited. - Deadline: 12/11/12
10. Use photoshop to create the front cover of my magazine. First of all crop the main image so that it is the size of a normal magazine. Put in the masthead and banner. - Deadline: 13/11/12
11. Sort out the cover lines, using a set colour scheme of red white and black and a mixture of a sans serif and serif font. - Deadline: 14/11/12
12. Put on the headline, and subhead, and also the barcode and price. - Deadline: 15/11/12
13. Use InDesign and photoshop to create my contents page. To do this I must use a sensible layout, making the page look professional. I should explain how I have developed it, using printscreens, and commenting on how my skills are developing. - Deadline: 23/11/12
14. Use InDesign and photoshop to create my double page spread. I must use a sensible layout, and use my research and planning to help me create my double page spread. I will use images on my pages so I will use photoshop to airbrush them and edit them. Comment on the development of this page and how I am keeping to my time plan. - Deadline: 30/11/11
15. Print my front cover, contents page and double page spread off. - Deadline: 30/11/12
16. Answer the 7 questions set by the exam board, using a range of technologies, and in good detail. - Deadline: 20/12/12

Music Magazine Research: NME Magazine

Music Magazine Research: Billboard Magazine

My Contents Page

Whilst making my student magazine cover, I have learnt:

• how to take good medium close up with a digital SLR
• how to use photoshop effectively, this being airbrushing the image, adding the masthead and cover lines, and how to use a lot of the different features of photoshop 
• a lot of the different aspects of a magazine cover

I have found making my student magazine cover fairly easy, as it was all quite easy to pick up and construct. I have enjoyed making my magazine cover and think I have used all the different conventions used on a normal magazine. 

My Student Magazine Cover

Schedule for Production

• First of all I will take photographs for the main image on my front cover. To do this I will find someone who is willing to be photographed. To take the photographs I will go outside for better light, and will photograph my chosen model to be happy, and looking confident.
• I will then select a few of the best photos to manipulate in photoshop. In photoshop I will airbrush, change the lighting, crop the photo etc. 
• After that I will then choose the appropriate cover lines, masthead and graphics. All of this text will be written in a serif font so that it looks professional. I will make sure that nothing overlaps to also make my magazine look upmarket. 

Difficulties I may face

I think I may find using photoshop difficult as I am not particularly familiar with the software.

My Ideas