Representation of Main Artist

As part of planning, I have looked into the sort of character I will be using on my front cover and possibly my two page spread. I have created a mood board which shows this:

• My mood board shows that I am going to use my main character from a indie/indie-pop background. 
• I haven't fully decided to whether I am using a band or a single artist. So my mood board shows a combination of both as I can use ideas from both.
• A main theme is sung glasses and an instrument (i.e. a guitar), so I may consider using these in my magazine.
• Most of the artists are also wearing coats and some are wearing denim. This indicates that this is a a part of mise-en-scene that I could use to represent the genre within my magazine. 
• The hair styles are quite consistent through all of the mood board - mainly 'quiff' style hair. 
• All of the images contain people that look quite smart, so therefore I need to make sure my characters look smart. 

Double Page Spread Layout Drafts

As part of my planning for my music magazine I have made a layout draft for my double page spread. This layout draft will allow me to get a good idea of where each section will go on the DPS, so when I am constructing my music magazine in the production stage I can follow this draft as it'll make it a lot easier. 

Below is the contents page layout draft that I made on InDesign:

To make my layout draft of my DPS easier to visualise, I have created a drawn-out version as this is easier to see where everything will go on my DPS:

I have annotated this to show which part is which:

Contents Page Layout Draft

As part of my planning for my music magazine I have made a layout draft for my contents page. This layout draft will allow me to get a good idea of where each section will go on the contents page, so when I am constructing my music magazine in the production stage I can follow this draft as it'll make it a lot easier. 

Below is the contents page layout draft that I made on InDesign:

To make this layout draft more visual, I have made a drawn-out version of the contents page which will give me a good idea to how it will look:

I have also annotated it to show that I have followed my layout draft:

Front Cover Layout Draft

As part of my planning for my music magazine I have made a layout draft for my front cover. This layout draft will allow me to get a good idea of where each part will go on the front cover, so when I am constructing my music magazine in the production stage I can follow this draft as it'll make it a lot easier. 

Below is the front cover layout draft that I made on InDesign:

From this I have created a drawn out version using this layout. This allows me to see what my cover will visually look like:

I've also annotated this to indicate where each section of front cover is, so I can compare it with my layout draft: 

Audience Feedback on Typography

To assist me with picking the typography of my masthead (and for the main typography of my music magazine), I have conducted audience feedback on 8 different typography styles. This will allow me to understand what my audience prefers, which is extremely useful as they will be the people viewing(/buying - in the real world) my music magazine.

Below is my completed audience feedback chart:

I asked my audience to pick 3 of their preferred typography styles. 

The most votes was cast on the 7th choice with 11 votes. I am going to go ahead with the typography style that my audience chose.

This typography is bold and easy to read - this makes it perfect for my masthead as this will be the first thing that the reader will see so it needs to be eye-catching. 

This font was downloaded from www.1001fonts.com and it is called 'Movavi Grotesque'. 

Brand Name Typography - Audience Feedback

Using http://www.1001fonts.com/ I have found 8 fonts that I am possibly going to use for my masthead of my music magazine. These fonts all have my music magazine name 'FUSE' so when I conduct my audience feedback, the audience will get an idea of what it will look like on my music magazine front cover. 

All of the fonts I have selected are all fairly simplistic and quite sophisticated/mature. I have done this as:

• my demographic is 16-22 years old - more mature;
• the magazine is for the multiple genres so keeping it simplistic will appeal to a wide range of people who like different genres;
• my music magazine is targeted at both genres so therefore keeping it simple and non-genre specific (i.e. frilly - girly).

All of them are also fairly eye-catching (they will be more when I add a specific colour), which is important as it will be placed in the centre of my front cover. 

I will now conduct audience feedback on these styles (the same way I did the brand name audience feedback). This will allow me to make my decision when choosing which typography style to use. I will get my audience to pick 3 of their preferred fonts, so I can get a wider range of results to compare - helping me to decide which font to pick.

Confirmed Brand Name and Slogan

My magazine name will be FUSE. I have come to this come conclusion as it was the most preferred name when conducting my audience feedback and it is also my favourite name as it goes well with the concept of 'fusing' popular/mainstream music genres together. 

The slogan of my music magazine will be:

• "Great Music - FUSED!"

I have picked this particular slogan as it basically sums up the aim of the magazine i.e. to combine all the popular music genres. Additionally, it is only 3 words allowing it to be catchy and memorable to the readers. It also uses the magazine name within the slogan which will reinforce the brand identity. The use of punctuation also makes the slogan memorable, more exciting and harder hitting. 

Audience Feedback on Brand Names

I conducted the Audience Feedback by going around my class and other people and getting them to pick 2 of their favourite/preferred brand name (with slogans). This allows me to understand which brand names are most favourable from my target audience and therefore allow me to pick a name easier.

Below is the completed audience feedback sheet:

This is the finished audience feedback which indicates the most popular names:

• Boom and Mix had no votes so I will definitely not use either of those names.
• ONE! and Express only got 1 vote each so I will not be using those either.
• Non-Stop got 2 votes and XPress got 3 votes, so I most likely will not be using those.
• LOUDER got 7 votes which is considerably high and I will consider using this brand name.
• Fuse acquired the most votes with 11 so, out of al of them, I will most likely use this one. Fuse is also my personal favourite. 

Target Audience

Previously, I have outlined the reasons to go with the 'mainstream/popular' music magazine - including the genres of pop, rock/indie and R&B. 

Now, I need to pick and outline the specific target audience that I am going to pick for my music magazine. 

Below is a PowerPoint which outlines my chosen target audience:

Chosen Target Audience from Dylan0akes

Brand Names with Slogans - Audience Feedback Charts

Finding the name and slogan is an important part of my music magazine as it shows my brand's values and ideologies which is important for targeting my audience. The name and slogan allow people to recognise the genre of the magazine too. By finding these, I can now tailor my planning more as I will have confirmed the genre, the name and the slogan. 

As part of my planning I have made a chart with the possible brand names (from my previous post) and also possible slogans that could match up with each brand name. I have also included a tally column so I can print this of and gain audience feedback from it, and I've also included a brief sentence which shows what my magazine is. Gaining this audience feedback is vital as it will allow me to evaluate the best choices and it'll allow me to pick the name easier, as I will know my audience's preferences and which ones they prefer. 

Below is the table containing brand names, slogans and a tally which I'm going to use in my audience feedback. Each person will pick 2 of their favourite names.

Possible Brand Names

I have chosen some possible names for my music magazine. To help me to pick one of the following names I will carry out audience feedback, which will allow me to see which names my audience would prefer. 

Below is a mind-map of 7 possible names:

• 'LOUDER' - linking to the volume of music.
• 'ONE!' - linking to the 'Number ONE!' for popular music information etc...
• 'FUSE' - show how the 'mainstream' genres have been fused and they're all present in this magazine.
• 'BOOM!' - relating to volume and 'Boom Box' and 'Booming music'.
• 'Non-Stop' - showing how the information and music news in this magazine is Non-Stop.
• 'Mix' - relating to the mixing of genres.
• 'Express' - for express news i.e. quick music news - maybe not as relating to music as much. 
• 'XPress' - same as above but abbreviated, more modern approach. 

Genre of Music Magazine

The genre of my music magazine is going to follow a mainstream style - including pop, R&B and rock/indie. 

Music magazines that follow this sort of genre style are magazines like 'Q' and 'Rolling Stone'. 

This is present in this example of Q:

This contents page shows that Q magazine has artists such as 'The Vaccines and Biffy Clyro' these artists are all part of the rock/indie genre. Additionally there is also 'Nicki Minaj' who is typically a rap/hip-hop artist. Furthermore 'Chase and Status' are also featured on this contents page, this group is part of the drum and base/dub-step genre.

This all indicates that Q has multiple genres but they're all 'mainstream' artists who are quite popular and well-known. 

Therefore, I am going to follow this sort of mainstream music style for my music magazine. I am going to try and use multiple genres but to make sure I do have a target audience, I will make sure the artists will be 'well-known' artists as a music magazine with no particular style of music are quite risky as most music magazines have a specific target audience to guarantee profits. 

Additionally, my questionnaire has helped me to decide this. Many people said that they liked these types of genres - pop, R&B and rock/indie.

So my target audience, genre-wise, will be 'mainstream' audiences who like popular music, chart music and music that is well-known which covers a few 'mainstream' genres. 

Industry Regulations

For my research I have decided to look at regulations of the magazine industry.
I have used this website to acquire the information: https://www.ipso.co.uk/IPSO/index.html
I have done this as it allows me to acknowledge certain regulations that are in place when creating my magazine so I don't break any of the regulations.

What is the 'IPSO'?

• 'IPSO' stands for 'Independent Press Standards Organisation'.
• They regulate the magazine and newspaper industry. 
• They support the public where they think that 'the editors code of practice' has been breached. 
• They also believe in professional journalism. 
• They handle complaints from the magazine and newspaper industry as well as carrying out their own investigations. 

'Editor's Code of Practice'

• This states that all press need to follow this code, or risk punishments. 
• The clauses are copied from the website:

• This all indicates that complaints can come under different clauses and there is a clause which covers everything. 
• E.g. accuracy, children, privacy, harassment etc...

Examples of Complaints:

• The IPSO receive complaints about many things, quite a lot of them don't get 'upheld'.
• Underneath is a list of recent complaints that are mentioned on their website:

• Most of the complaints are from newspapers rather than magazines.
• They all refer to a relevant code of practice. 

MOJO Case Study

As part of my research I have done a case study into the music magazine 'Mojo'. This will help to identify how they're typically run, what they include and what sort of things they follow. 

I have presented this on a SlideShare: 

MOJO Case Study from Dylan0akes

Reception Theory

I have decided to research Stuart Hall's Reception Theory as part of my research. This will help me to allow myself to learn about how different audiences could view my music magazine in a different way to what I'd like it be viewed as. This will let me take this into consideration when creating my music magazine. 

What is it?

• "Reception theory is a version of reader response literary theory that emphasises each particular reader's reception or interpretation in making meaning from a literary text. Reception theory is generally referred to as audience reception in the analysis of communications models." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reception_theory

Preferred/Dominant Reading:

• This part of the theory suggests that the audience views the media content exactly how the producer wanted it to be viewed. This will lead to the acceptance of the dominant features of the text as the full intentions of the producer is fully accepted by the audience. 

Negotiated Reading:

• This section of the theory suggests that the audience chose whether or not they accept the dominant readings as their own. They may accept some/all of the dominant values in the media content. As well as this they will still have their own opinions or values which will come into play when they read the content. Therefore it being 'negotiated' as they mix their own readings with the preferred meanings. 

Oppositional Reading:

• This part of the theory suggests that the audience will completely reject the preferred meanings of the text. They will reject the dominate code and the social values that surround it. Usually the audience will recognise the dominant reading but accept it due to an opinion and you will no longer be able to get the message across to them as they will have already made their mind up about the reading. 

Applying it to a Music Magazine:

• This 'Rolling Stones' music magazine can indicate how the audience may follow the reception theory when viewing this front cover.
• 'Rolling Stone's' preferred meaning of this cover was most likely to have a bit of fun with the play of words of 'smokin' christmas' and the picture of snoop dogg smoking a candy cane. A teenager may agree with this preferred reading that 'Rolling Stone' is just having a little bit of fun. 
• The oppositional reading of this could be viewed from a parent. The parent may class this as a bad role model to children as they're technically promoting smoking. They will recognise the dominant value is to have fun with it, however they will completely reject it as they will think it is offensive as promoting a bad lifestyle.
• The negotiated reading could be of someone who doesn't agree with smoking. They will accept the dominant reading of the cover to be funny. However, they won't agree with smoking so they may have their own opinion of it being slightly bad. However, they won't totally disregard the dominant value as it can be seen as funny and a play on words. 

The sources I used were:
- http://image.slidesharecdn.com/theorytheorists-130909144713-/95/theory-and-theorist-for-media-studies-a2-17-638.jpg?cb=1378738333
- https://mediafort.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/reception-theory/

Desensitisation Theory

I have done some research into the Desensitisation theory. This is relevant as it allows me to explore how the audiences of music magazines see things and what is acceptable and what is not acceptable when creating my music magazine. 

I have presented this information on a PowerPoint which I have uploaded to SlideShare:

Desensitisation theory from Dylan0akes

I acquired this information from these sources:
- http://www.slideshare.net/05lewis/desensitisation-theory
- http://michaelwaltersalevelmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/soap-theories-desensitisation-theory.html

Genres and Sub-Genres

As part of my research, I've researched different genres and sub-genres. This will allow me to acquire broader knowledge about different genres and will also allow me to select a possible different genre depending on whether I wanted to pick a mass or a niche genre. 

To acquire this information I have used this website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popular_music_genres

I have presented this information on a Mindmeister mind map.

The information I have presented is just a few of many genres and sub-genres. There a thousands of more genres and sub-genres, I have just picked these genres to demonstrate.  This mind map shows that they're main genre such as pop, rock and hip-hop. Within those genres there a sub-genres and within some of the sub-genre there are also some sub-genres. 

Click on the image to enlarge and read clearer. 

Questionnaire Results & Analysis

I have taken a photo of some of my completed questionnaires...

Using meta-chart.com, I have created 8 pie charts which show what results I gained from my questionnaire. 

Most of the people that took part in my questionnaire was 0-17 year olds (mainly 16 year olds) as they are a likely target audience for me and I wanted to find out their habits. 

This indicates that there is no real correlation to whether people use celebrities as icons. Some people do and some people don't. 

This helps me a lot for creating my magazine. This shows that people expect to see (mainly) interviews with artists, an incentive and a fairly simple layout. People want to see other things too but these are the most common. 

This just indicates that I gave a questionnaire to 10 males and 10 females to attempt to get an equal and fair response. 

This can definitely help me a lot for picking my target audience. This pie chart shows that most people like the Indie/Alternative genre. This means that I could use this as my genre as many people like it. 

When creating my music magazine, I will need to include a price on the front cover as it is a conventional feature. This indicates that most people will expect to see a music magazine around the price range of £2.51-£3.

Another conventional feature to include on my music magazine will be the frequency of the release of the music magazine. This pie chart indicates that most people will expect to see a music magazine to be released every month, with quite a few expect it every week. 

This can help to identify what my aim of music magazine is so I can apply it throughout the magazine. This indicates that music magazines are used for a wide range of reasons. Most people use it for entertainment, information or 'just for fun' with a few people using it for escapism. 

All of this information which I have gathered extremely helps for my music magazine. Doing this questionnaire will allow me to apply my knowledge from this questionnaire to my own music magazine. 

Action Plan Completion So Far

Looking back at my action plan, I can see what I have completed and what I still need to complete. Reinforcing this will allow me to know what else I need to do and it'll also make me complete the things I have not yet completed. 

The crosses on my action plan mind map mark the things I have done. 

Archetypes

I have decided to research different archetypes. This helps in my research as I can now incorporate this into my music magazine by either aiming my target audience as a certain archetype or using characters that fulfil a certain archetype.  

I have created a video using PowToon and uploaded it to YouTube. 

Questionnaire

As part of my research, I have decided to do a questionnaire to find out some information about what the audiences expect from a typical music magazine. These questions can help me to form an effective music magazine which will suit all the needs of my selected audience. 

This will help me to apply my findings to my own magazine. For example if I know the most popular genre, I could consider doing my magazine of that genre. 

Research & Planning Feedback

I have received feedback from myself and my teacher about my research and planning so far. As I have not yet completed my R&P the feedback is feedback relevant to the posts which I have posted so far only.

This feedback is extremely helpful for me. I can now improve my previous research and also take on-board this feedback for my future posts. 

History of Music Magazines

Below is a PowerPoint which is about the History of Music Magazines. This gives me an insight to how the music magazine industry use to be and how it is nowadays. 

History of music magazines from Dylan0akes

Uses & Gratifications Theory

As part of my research, I have decided to research Blumler & Katz' Uses and Gratifications theory. This research into this particular theory will help me to understand why audiences consume and use different types of media (including magazines).

I have presented my findings on a Prezi Presentation. 

Audience Expectations

When making my music magazine, I need to consider what the audience expects when it comes to viewing the magazine.

From my textual analysis of 3 front covers, 3 DPS' and 3 contents pages I have learnt about what the audience usually expects to see from the magazine. The first thing is a professional look. This is extremely important as it draws the audience in and also makes them believe that what they're reading is true. To get this professional look, the audience also see to see consistency in house style throughout the entire magazine, this is something I definitely need to concentrate on in production of my magazine. 

Additionally, the audience will expect the magazine to be tailored to the suitable genre of the magazine. For example if the magazine was specifically about the rock genre, they would expect to see rock articles featuring famous musicians from the genre as well as a consistent rock house style. Also, if the magazine is aimed at a certain demographic, this needs to be shown all the way through to keep that certain demographic interested in the content. 

The audience will expect to see an eye-catching front cover. On the front cover they will all expect to see the conventional features - such as masthead, a main image, cover lines, date, price and possibly even an incentive (this is increasingly popular so an incentive will be more increasingly expected). 

During my textual analysis, almost every magazine had the presence of some form of media convergence. The audience will most likely expect to see a form of this as this is also increasingly popular in modern-day society. They'll expect to expand their magazine experience in the form of a website or an app. 

Lastly, the audience will expect to recognise the genre of the magazine or the brand of the magazine (if its a popular magazine that they often buy). 

How Are Media Audiences Categorised?

I have done some research into how media audiences are categorised in the media. Doing this piece of research into audiences will allow me to pick my target audience for my magazine. 

The 'ABC1' and the 'C2DE' are groups of people that are categorised by their income:

A: Upper Middle Class (e.g. high managerial)

B: Middle Class (e.g. intermediate managerial)

C1: Lower Middle Class (e.g. supervisory or clerical)

C2: Skilled working class (e.g. skilled manual workers)

D: Working class (e.g. semi or unskilled manual workers)

E: Those at lowest level of subsistence (e.g. people on state pension)

Audiences can also be categorised by Geographic and Demographic.

Geographic includes:

• Region
• Size and Density (of a place)
• Climate

Demographic includes:

• Age
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Family Size
• Family cycle
• Generation
• Income
• Education
• Occupation 
• Religion
• Social Class

For my magazine, I will focus of the demographic side of audiences rather than the geographic side of audiences. 

Young and Rubicam's Four Consumers:

• Mainstreamers: They like security and belonging to a group.
• Aspirers: Want status and the esteem of others - like status symbols and designer labels. The alos live off credit and cash.
• Succeeders: People who have already gained status an control.
• Reformers: Define themselves by their self-esteem an their self-fulfilment.

LifeMatrix

This is one of the newest approaches to audiences targeting. The 'LifeMatrix' tool (launched by MRI & RoperASW) defines ten audience categories. These categories are centred around values, attitudes, beliefs and demographic audience categories. The 10 categories are:

• Tribe wired - digital, free spirited, creative young singles.
• Fun/Atics - Aspirational, fun-seeking, active young people.
• Dynamic Duos - Hard-driving, high-involvement couples.
• Priority Parents - family values, activities, media strongly dominate.
• Home Soldiers - home-centric, family-oriented, materially ambitious.
• Renaissance Women - active, caring, affluent, influential mums.
• Rugged Traditionalists - traditional male values, love of outdoors.
• Struggling singles - high aspirations, low economic status.
• Settled elders - devout, older, sedentary lifestyles.
• Free birds - vital, active, altruistic seniors.

Textual Analysis of Double Page Spread 3

For my final textual analysis of a DPS, I have chosen this particular DPS (pictured below) from the 'Mojo' magazine. I have chosen this DPS as it is quite different compared to the other 2 DPS' that I have previously analysed. It is quite unique. Analysing a DPS that is different will help me massively when it comes to the production of my own magazine as it can give me different ideas of how to present my DPS and also still comparing the conventional layout techniques that are typically used. 

This is the DPS I am analysing: 

The Way it is Presented & The Main Image:

• As I have previously mentioned, this DPS is a lot different in comparison to other double page spreads. The most obvious difference is the whole page being covered by a red filter. This will most definitely stand out when the reader is flicking through the magazine, due to the red as it stands out tremendously. 
• The red filter has many connotations. The filter may indicate danger, leadership, courage or passion. These aspects can all be codes for the rock/indie/alternative genres, so this article (or perhaps the entire magazine) may be based on these particular genres. 
• With links to the red theme, the header of the page is also in a dark red colour. It says the word 'vicious' which also connotes the danger aspects of the colour red as well as the genres previously mentioned. 
• The red filter may also possibly highlight the fact that he is performing to a crowd. The red maybe a symbol of the red lights that could be shining on him when performing. This also can connote the genres mentioned as they are quite common lighting colours when at concerts for people representing these genres. 
• Mise-en-scene in this main image can also connote the genre of this article. Firstly, we can see that the man in the image is wearing make-up. This is typically a code for the genre of rock or hard rock, as a lot of people who represent the rock genre do wear make-up as it is part of the 'style' that goes with rock. Additionally, we can see that the man is holding a guitar. The guitar look more like an electric guitar rather than an acoustic guitar. An electric guitar usually is related to the rock genre as these guitars are typically used in the creation of rock music. 
• Also, we can see that the red filter highlights the sweat on his face. The sweat could connote passion and hard work from the man. He may be striving to perform the best he can hence the sweat. 
• Furthermore, the red parts of the page are all placed on the plain black background. This is used to emphasise this red filter, making it more eye-catching and more appealing to the reader. Additionally, it is used as black can also connote danger. The use of red and black is a good combination to use in this rock genre as they both have connotations which are connotation of the rock genre. 
• A low-angle shot is used in the main image. This may be used to connote his power or possibly his celebrity status over the crowd. 

The Typography: 

• The header used is extremely eye-catching, especially when the reader is flicking the magazine. It is certainly eye-catching. The word 'vicious' has many, possibly negative connotation. It has connotations of extreme violence, destructive behaviour, evilness and severe aggression. The font of this particular bit of typography is like it is fragmented into different section. This could also be used as evidence to indicate the connotations of 'vicious'. For example things being broken (just like the font) can be a connotation for violence and aggression, just like the connotations for 'vicious'. This all indicates that the man the article is about may have some of the characteristics, or possibly it might just be relating to the genre of rock as these are, stereotypically, aspects of the genre. 
• Just underneath the header, as small opening to the article is used. This is in a slightly larger and bolder font than the main body of text. This is used to make the reader go to this part of the page, which, hopefully, will draw them in to read the rest of the article. The names of the people who are interviewing and who is being interview are also in white. This makes these names stand out from the text which makes the reader feel like they're are of some sort of significance and important to the article. This feature is very common at the start of a double page spread as gives a slight introduction so the audience can know what to expect in this article. 
• The start of the main body of text begins with a drop cap. Using a drop cap is a very common and conventional way to start of the article. Drop caps are used as a way of grabbing the readers attention so they can proceed with reading the entire article. It also looks better than just a plain 2 columned body of text.

Additional Features: 

• The main image bleeds onto the second page of the DPS. This may be used to provide continuity of the article. As well as this it may be used to indicate that both pages are about the same article. This is conventional in a music magazine DPS as it also shows that it is all connected which makes it a 'spread'.
• Additional images are also used around the main body of text. These images are most likely used to enhance the experience to give the reader a visual of what the article is on about. The two images together at the bottom of the page are both in black and white. They look like fairly old images, this may connote that the article is talking about something nostalgic so therefore providing these images will give the reader an insight on what they're talking about. However the caption tells us that one is before and one is now. They may've used the black and white in this case to highlight the differences and for presentation purposes too. 
• The text around the image on the right page towards the top is moved so it is aligned with where the picture starts and ends. This gives it quite a professional look.
• On the bottom of the page the logo is present and so is a page number. The logo will have been put there to increases continuity throughout the magazine so the magazine is continuously recognised throughout, so it also increases brand recognition due to the repetition of the 'Mojo' logo. The page number is an essential part of the page as they are present throughout the entire magazine. These page numbers allow the reader to navigate through the magazine and locate different articles with ease. Every magazine has page numbers so therefore making it a vital aspect. 
• Furthermore, the actual article is placed on a red section which has a ripped/burnt out effect. This gives the reader a feeling that the article has been ripped from somewhere and stuck on the page, which also connotes a rebellious nature which I believe the article is trying to broadcast. 
• The rebellious look to the whole page (the red, black, ripped look and the typography) all connote the rock genre. Therefore I believe that this particular article (maybe the whole magazine) is targeting a fairly niche audience of people who enjoy the rock/metal genre of music. Also, I think that the main gender that this article is directing towards is the male gender. This is due to dark red and black (more dark colours) are quite often linked to males. With the addition that all of the images are of males. Also the word 'vicious' and all the connotations on the page of aggressiveness are all, stereotypically, male characteristics. However, the article is definitely not limited to the male gender.

Textual Analysis of Double Page Spread 2

The second DPS I am going to analyse is an edition of a 'Q' magazine. Doing this will help me to understand how a DPS is conventionally structured and it will also give me ideas on how to construct my own music magazine. 

I have decided to present this Textual Analysis on a PowerPoint, which I have converted to a PDF and then uploaded it to FlipSnack 

Media Convergence

Media Convergence is a growing aspect of modern day media. On my magazine, I will include aspects (for example website links/an app/QR code etc...) of this to show how my magazine is more up-to-date and show how understanding of why it is used. I am using a from of media convergence on my magazine as my research has indicated that almost every music magazine has some for of convergence, so I need to include it to try and make a conventional music magazine. 

I have made a Prezi Presentation addressing Media Convergence, which has helped me to understand Media convergence more and how to use it. 

Textual Analysis of Double Page Spread 1

For my first textual analysis of a DPS, I have chosen an issue of the 'Kerrang' magazine. 

I have presented this on a PowerPoint which I have uploaded to SlideShare.

Textual Analysis of Double Page Spread 1 from Dylan0akes

House Styles

House style is an extremely important aspect that I need to consider when creating my music magazine. Researching about this will allow me to become aware of the importance and how I can use it when producing my music magazine cover, contents page and double page spread. 

If a house style is used, it will make the 'document' look more professional. A house style is basically a set of 'rules' which all 'documents', from a certain brand/company should follow. This is mainly so continuity is present throughout. 

According to 'http://www.teach-ict.com/as_a2_ict_new/ocr/AS_G061/313_standard_applications/house_styles/miniweb/pg3.htm' a house style will govern things such as:

• the colours that are being used
• the font style and size (the typography)
• where the logo should appear
• whether text should be right, centre of full justified
• also the tone of language can be considered.

When you think of the brand, these types of things (above) should be apparent. This will support 'brand recognition' and continuity throughout the media text. All of the texts related to the brand should follow the same patterns, to ensure this happens.

An example of how house styles are used in music magazines is the music magazine 'Q'.

To find these examples I types in 'Q magazine front covers' into google and I took a screen grab from the results.

This screen grab demonstrates how a house style is used in music magazines. The criteria 

for house styles (mentioned above) says that the logo should appear in the same place. As we can clearly see, each of these 9 'Q' front covers all have the 'Q' logo in the top left hand corner. This indicates continuity in the brand. Additionally all of the main images on the front cover are of one person, typically a medium close-up to long shot. This again supports that there is a house style present. Lastly, another point from the criteria is that the colours used should be the same. Throughout these 9 covers we can see mainly red, white and black being used. This again connotes that a house style is being used. 

Now I know what a house style is, how to use is and I know that music magazines use it, I can put it to use with my own music magazine, when it comes to the production of it. 

Textual Analysis of Contents Page 3

For my final textual analysis of a contents page I have chosen this contents page to analyse:

The Typography:

• In the top left hand corner there is the date and the heading of the page. The date is quite large in size and the black/grey colour stands out on the vibrant orange colour. Just below the date 'contents' is in a large font and the white colour stands out a lot from the background. This is used to tell the reader which page they're on, which is clearly the contents page. As these are placed on a bright orange background, the attention of the reader is immediately drawn to this part of the page. This is extremely useful as it lets the reader know what the page is about. 
• The masthead is also present on the contents page. 'Drummer' is written in a large, capitals, bold and black font. This is very effective as it allows the reader to easily notice it and easily read it, which is what is needed for the brand name. This is used to increase continuity throughout the magazine as well as reinforcing it, so the reader knows which magazine they're reading. This is an essential part of the contents page so therefore making it easy to read and so that it stands out shows the importance of this. The word 'drummer' can also indicate the genre and the target audience of the magazine. Drums are usually linked to the genre of indie or rock music. This indicates that the target audience of the magazine brand, will most likely be people who are interested in these genres of music. 
• The 'features' section down the left hand side of the page is also very effective. This section also follows the house style of the magazine - which is orange, white and black. The 'features' heading is in orange, which stands out from the plain white background. Evidently, making it easy to read and recognise what that bit is referring to. Underneath the page numbers are also in orange, again orange being a bright and vibrant colour allows the reader to easily locate the page number for each article. Next to the page number, in a slightly smaller font, is the article name. This has a bold and black typography which makes it easy to read and easy to locate. A lot of music magazine front covers seem to follow this kind of style of a list of contents, page numbers on the left, the article name just after it and a small description underneath. The article names are short and snappy. This is a common theme in magazines as they're more intriguing and makes the reader want to know more about it. An example of this is 'Santa's Sacked'. This is quite an intriguing name as the reader will think about the title and may want to read into it. Also this name has alliteration which also provides a big effect on the reader as it makes the article name sound more interesting. 
• Just below the 'features' section is the 'regulars' section. This also seems quite conventional on a contents page. The 'regulars' section seems to have a reverted colour scheme compared to the section above. The orange text has now been swapped with white text, the white background has been reversed to an orange background. This gives it the sense that this maybe not be as significant as the 'features' section as this section seems to reoccur every month, hence the heading 'regulars'.This also is conventional for a contents page as most contents pages have two sections which is split up to the features that only occur this edition and the features that occur every edition. The typography used also allows the reader to notice it, which does give it some significance to the page. It should catch the reader's eye so therefore, the reader will go to this part of the page and read it.  
• Next to the article 'Dave Lambardo' there is a label that says 'exclusive'. This is used to draw the reader to this article as it is restricted to this magazine, so therefore making it important to the reader as they will not find this article/interview anywhere else in any other magazine. This could potentially be an incentive to the magazine as this article could draw the reader into buying this particular edition of the magazine. 

The Images:

• In terms of the images used, this contents page is different, possibly unconventional compared to the other contents pages I have analysed. On this contents page there are 5 images. One of the images is a set of drums which is located to the brand name 'drummer'. This may be part of the house style and the masthead, as the heading along with the image may appear on every issue.
• The other images that appear on the page are screen grabs from different articles later on in the magazine. Each image has a page number in the top left as this will be where they can find the article that relates to the image. 
• The size of the image will relate to the most important article in the magazine. The main image with the drummer, will be one of the main article or most significant articles to this edition. This is due to the size of the image being a lot larger than the other images therefore connoting the significance of this article. The smaller images will most likely not be main articles, hence their size. 
• The mise-en-scene in these images connote the genre that the music magazine is. The largest image includes a drum set and a drummer. As previously mentioned, the drums can connote the genre of indie or rock. Two other smaller images also include drums which again connote the genre of indie/rock/alternative.

The Layout:

• The layout of this music magazine front cover can be seen as quite unconventional. Usually the masthead/brand name is at the top of the page. However the brand name is a little bit further down the page. The 'contents' title, however, is at the top on the left, which is also quite unconventional as this is usually located underneath the masthead. 
• Quite often, on a contents page, there is only one main image, maybe 2. However this contents page contains a lot of pictures and takes a different approach in showing what is on different pages (using screen grabs and putting the page number in the corner). Additionally the images are spread across the entire page, and above the masthead/brand name. Which again is quite unconventional compared to the other magazine contents pages I have analysed. 
• What is conventional about the contents page is the contents list. Most contents pages have a list of contents on one side of the page rather than scattered. This follows this style. Also most contents pages split their contents list into two sections, usually the stuff that appears every month and the stuff that is exclusive to this issue. This contents page also follow this style. 
• Another unconventional feature is the date. In most magazines the date is quite a small, in size, and additional aspect of the cover. However the date that is present on this contents page is very large compared to the others I've analysed. The 'contents' typography is also quite small in comparison to the other contents pages.