Responses to my final magazine

Georgia Bird- "I really like the link between the front page, contents page and double page spread. It is clear that you have tried to keep a persistent brand which really compliments the success of the magazine. I think the colours of the magazine have been well thought out therefore giving the magazine a proffessional outcome. I also feel that you have been able to make it obvious that the genre of music is R&B."

Tuesday Bramley- "The final magazine had consitent brand and the colours that have been used reflect the fun vibe the magazine gives off. I really like the layout of all three pages."

Oli Insall-Jones- "The magazine has had a great outcome. The layout, colours and pictures all contribute towards making the genre clear. I think that the magazine defies but also agrees with the typical conventions of the magazine."

Target Audience Questionnaire results

My questionnaire had a lot of positive responses including the fact that many people believed that my genre was easy to tell. I think that I have effectively created the magazine to reflect the R&B style music, but I wouldn't of been able to do this as well if I didn't do the format research. This was a substansial aspect of me being able to reflect my genre in order to create a brand.

The results I have got from this questionnaire was a way of me assessing if the target audience I have chosen suits my magazine. By asking peers and a range of people has meant that I can see  their own perceptions of my magazine, which have helped me judge whether my magazine is targeted at the right people. Almost everyone who answered the question said that this magazine would appeal to people between their 15-35's which means that I assumed correctly. In addition to this I had a range of comments suggesting that my brand has kept consistent. Many people thought that the colours really complimented each other and worked well with the genre, however said that pink initially makes the magazine more girly, but I still believe that some boys would read this magazine due to the genre and the fun vibe.

When making the magazine I always new that R&B was something the younger generation was more into, which instantly lead me to targeting the younger audience, I knew I needed to make the magazine fun through the previous format research. So that was why I did my first questionnairre asking what colour it should be etc. This essentially determined what my magazine would be like. Now I have produced the magazine I did this questionnaire as a way of seeing if I suited my target audience, because then it would mean my magazine was a success. I am happy with these responses because they all seem to be positive. I now feel that the decisions I made regarding the colours and the layout of my magazine were effective because it suits the audience I was aiming, I purposely went with conventions when making the masthead because I wanted it to be centred in the top of the page, which would mean that it is the focal point.

In addition to this all the small attributes of my magazine has meant that my magazine is consistent because there is a clear link between each page I have created, even though pink is initially seen as a girly colour I think that the variation of articles alongside the contrasting artists means that the magazine can appeal to both genders. I also think the pink my magazine individual and stand out from the crowd, allowing me to build my own brand. The brand I created is fun and edgy, reflecting the genre. I purposely intended to make the brand like this because it would make it regconisable in the future. If I were to have gone with all the typical conventions then the magazine wouldn't have individuality and therefore wouldn't be effective. 

Questionnaire

Target audience Questionnaire

One thing I had to ensure my magazine had was individuality, which would allow it to create a brand. Before creating my magazine I was aware that my magazine would appeal to the younger generation the most due to the genre of R&B, so when doing a questionnaire I asked younger people to answer questions so I knew what they would want on my magazine. Some of the aspects I got out of the first questionnaire were how they would prefer to see bright colours and how the main image is one of the key drawing attention factors. By doing this questionnaire I was able to understand my target audience, and take back their feedback when beginning the design colours. One key thing I considered was the consistency of my magazine so keeping the same colour panel, I chose Pink because it is a bright fun colour which would appeal to the audience, with grey black and white as assisting factors that contrasted but complimented the pink. I think after looking back at my magazine and analysing it, it is clear that my target audience are towards the younger generation, mixed gender. Even though pink is typically seen as a girly colour, I think that the bright vibe it gives off the R&B vibe while the other colours tone it down and attract both males and females from the younger generation. This age group would be between 15-35. 

I am going to create a new survey on survey monkey and show people my finished magazine, asking them questions to see if I have identified the correct audience and whether my genre has been fulfilled.

Below is a link to the questionnaire I have made in terms of target audience:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B6RV22R

Double page spread outcome

This is my final outcome of my double page spread which has turned out to be effective. This is because I have gone with the norms of a double page spread, keeping the article in columns and ensuring there is multiple pull quotes. I have stuck with keeping one main image but have also defied conventions by using a strip of smaller images which I think lead your eyes through the page. In addition to this I have used the same colour scheme as a way of creating a consistent brand.

Masthead for double page spread

These are my 5 masthead choices that I need to pick between for my double page spread. I asked 15 peers on their own opinion and the votes were:

Masthead:
1=  2 votes
2=  1 vote
3=  No votes
4=  7 votes
5=  6 votes

From these votes I now am going to use masthead four because I think it is the most effective for my double page spread. The peers contributed towards this decision and this will help me appeal to my audience.

Double page spread content

After planning the format of my double page spread I then had to write the article ensuring that the lexis suited the genre, this was something that started off hard to do because I wanted to make sure that I was suiting the R&B genre. Through looking back at my format research as well as looking at music magazines I had at home meant I was able to pick up the language quite quickly which was beneficial to the article I wrote:

Many people believe that the music industry is full of the same common artists. Artists that show no interest in following a different path or in standing out from the crowd; this definitely does not apply to Georgia B. An artist often described as the ‘feisty fighter’ for sticking to individuality. Her determination has paid off, combatting all the negativity from the general public and focussing on all the fans that she describes as her ‘stimulation’.

Alongside her singing career, Georgia has also set up her own charity called ‘Sing it don’t wing it’ encouraging young people to get involved in music by setting up clubs all over England. This splash of energy is something that proves her love for singing. But who’s in her love life? We’ll find out!

Within the last year, Georgia B has held over 100 concerts, gone to the B festival and grown in popularity worldwide. She has pushed herself to her limits and described this year as the ‘ultimate challenge’. Pulse talks this music sensation exclusively…

What has kept you going in the music industry?

Honestly, I believe that my fans have got me where I am today. Without them I don’t know where I would be. At times, in my career so far, I have felt like giving up, like hanging up my boots and saying this isn’t right for me. But my fans have really proved that music is what I was born to do. They have truly been my stimulation, my motivation to push on and ignore anyone who does not support me. I am so thankful to them! |I wouldn’t have made it without them!

What has this year been like for you?

One of the best of my life, no exaggeration! After 3 years of being in this industry, I feel like I have finally found my space and myself. I now know who I want to be, and I want to inspire anyone who has a passion for music to carry it out, I couldn’t be happier! I’m loving every minute of my career! I don’t want it to stop! I am so lucky to be in this industry!

There have been rumours that you are now with Skylar, is this true?

Rumours, rumours, rumours. Me and Skylar have always had a bond but that bond is a friendship. No more!

Could you see yourself together in the future?

[Hesitates] Pass! We have such a great friendship!

So is there any news about your love life?

The love of my life is music! [Laughs]

.

You have recently released a new song ‘Fight or fall’ that is already becoming a hit, what’s the meaning behind it?

Well, this song really sums me up; 2 years ago I had a choice, to fight the music industry or to give up. The song is really about my battle and my success, and I dedicate it to my fans.

If you could go back in time, is there anything you would change in your career?

Everyone makes mistakes, and of course, I have done, I’m not perfect. But if I didn’t make those mistakes, then I wouldn’t be who I am. So no, I wouldn’t change anything.

So tell us, what does the future hold for you?

Well, I want to go on tour all around the world. This time three years ago I wouldn’t be able to manage being in this position now, so aim to keep doing what I am doing, the fan support is as great as ever, They really are a substantial part of my career.

Georgia B has started from the bottom and has built up her career step by step. Her admiration for the industry has got her where she is today, alongside her fans (you!) who have been an on-going support! Pulse will definitely be keeping in touch with this phenomenon

Double page spread further planning

Even though I have already done my mock ups, I wasn't fully happy with them after comparing the pictures I have picked to use. Because of this I have recreated a mock up to ensure that the pictures compliment the page and draw the eye to the text.

This is a basic outline of what my double page spread layout will be like. This is something I will follow to ensure that branding will be kept constant. 

Double page spread final images

The images below are the images that I will be using on my double page spread which I have edited on photoshop to matcht the branding I have begun to form.

This will be my main image that will dominate the double page spread, the reason I chose this image was because the model is clearly posed but looks relaxed. This is the sort of pose you would see in an r&b magazine and I have edited it to suit the colours of  my magazine and compliment the style I have been creating.

These are the smaller imaged that will run along the bottom of my double page spread I think that this is something that will really be effective and will compliment my brand. The reason I decided to do this was due to my format research where the vibe magazine did this kind of effect. I purposely wanted these images in black and white to ensure that the main image dominated the page.

Double page spread planning

Before starting my double page spread I had to pick the pictures I would use, I wanted to stick to the norms and use one main image but also do smaller images along the bottom. This would mean that my magazine stands out from other magazines and draws your eyes around the page. to do this the images I selected are shown below: 

I will edit these images over the next couple of lessons to ensure that they really suit the branding, I will have to do simple things like changing the models lips to pink but also more drastic edits to ensure the edit goes with my double page spread.

Double page spread

Before beginning to write the content of my double page spread, I have read through a few music magazines, mainly focussing on the interviews to understand the style of writing used in R&B magazines. This has helped me gain further understanding as to what I should write, and I have also taken a look back at my format research to study the content of the double page spread.

Consistent branding

As you can see my contents page and my front cover both have the same branding. I have made sure that the fonts I use are consistent, and have also kept the colours the same.  I have used Grey, black, white and pink to ensure the colours are the constant throughout every page of my magazine, this allows me to create a brand that would be regconsied in the future. I want the audience I am appealing to instantly see the magazine and know what it is, I have tried to incorporate the R&B genre by using the layout, which is fun and structured, but also edgy!

FInal contents page

This is my completeted contents page which I experimented with to get to my final outcome. I wanted to change the layout because I wasn't fully happy with my first design, and neither were peers who I asked. One thing I did purposely to suit the genre was keeping the layout neat and simple, this is something I learned that was constantly done in my format research. This is something I wanted to do in my magazine to make sure I had the branding correct. I made sure that I kept the colours the same as the front page because it would add consistency. 

I think that this design is fun but structured. The pictures organise the page but lead you down the page through the content of the writing. The reason I put the small flashers in were to draw attention to some of the interesting stories, which would engage the reader further. I feel that the grey subtitles really compliment the layout and mean that the page is split successfully, complimenting the layout of the magazine. In addition to this the reason I changed the masthead to horizontal rather than vertical was because I wanted to go with the norms of a typical convention of an R&B magazine, after looking back at my format research it became clear that the masthead would usually be horizontal.

First Contents page

I asked peers for there opinion on this and their responses include: 

"I really like how the colour scheme has been kept constant throughout the magazine as this allows you to create a brand. However I think that this layout needs a bit more structure because there is a lot of blank space which could be used more efficiently."

"I really like how you have used the colours to organise the page, but I think more experimentation is needed in order to create a professional outcome"

After getting this response it has given me ideas on how to change the design, I  want to experiment further in order to create the best outcome possible.

Final front cover

My final front cover has been enhanced with some small aspects. These included small aspects like the face book and twitter icon, a second picture which makes the page a little more engaging for the reader. I think that these changes I have made will be beneficial to the magazine because it has meant that it has a professional outcome, all the improvements I made were advised by peers so more importantly, my audience, this means that their advice is really useful because it will attract the younger generation target audience even further.

Masthead choices and reason behind the title

First of all, the reason behind my title of my magazine being pulse was because I wanted a name that would reflect the upbeat genre of R&B. I felt that pulse is very lively lexical choice, because when you think of pulse you think of beat which relates to music. Furthermore I also believe that the title will make my brand regconisable because it's very unique. I did research on this title and no one had previously done a professional magazine with this name. Below are the masthead style choices that I had to pick To pick my main font that would be my masthead I picked my top 5 choices and then asked peers for their opinion. This meant I got a wider perspective which would appeal to the audience in the long run.

Feedback from front cover

After asking peers to look at my first front cover outcomes some of the points made included:

• ‘I really like the positioning of the masthead and the picture but I think the writing could 
  be placed in different places.’
• ‘There is nothing I dislike about this design, but adding in face book and twitter icons would be beneficial to draw in your particular audience’
• ‘I love the colour scheme! And all the contents of the writing is relevant to the genre of music you have chosen. Maybe try adding in a smaller picture.’

Asking for feedback was really crucial for me to be able to move on from what I had previously created. Now I am going to go back to the front cover to see what improvements can be made.

Front cover first outcome

This is one of the edits I have done for my magazine where I have incorporated two pictures and overlapped them. This is something typically used on an album cover so I will add text on the picture and use this on my contents page which will make people want to read on.

This is my final outcome for my contents page which I will use to appeal to my target audience, I may also use a pull quote in order to entice the audience further.

Second Photo-shoot

Before moving on to creating my contents page, I had to do another photo-shoot with a different model to show variation within my magazine. To to this I used a male model representing a male solo artist which I think was a good choice as my previous pictures were of a female model. The print screen above shows you all the pictures I took during the photo-shoto. These pictures were taking from different angles and viewpoints in order to create the best outcomes possible, which are shown below in the second collage I made:

These are my best outcomes which I display a range of different shots which I will go on to edit in order to keep the identity and brand of my magazine consistent.

Double page spread mock ups

My double page spread mock ups all have contrasting layouts which is something that I will experiment with when it comes to designing my double page spreads. The top design is quite a simple typical double page spread, with the second and third double page spread defying the norms. The second two include multiple images which may make my double page spread more engaging drawing the audience in.

Contents page mock ups

These are my mock ups for my contents page which again all have contrasting layouts. On the layout below I chose to use 3 images drawing attention in, these images will be labelled with numbers so if people are interested in the image they can easily navigate their way to find the page. In addition to this I also want to use pull quotes as a way of creating a connection between the reader and the celebrity. I wanted to keep my contents pages simple but effective, keeping the audience engaged.

Front cover Mock ups

I have made three contrasting mock ups for my front cover which will guide me when designing my magazine. By varying and changing these mock ups I will be able to experiment with different designs when it comes to it. All three of my magazines contain similar attributes but in different positions, I want to be able to engage the audience and intrigue them which is why the main image takes up the majority of the page on all three mock ups. I have used aspects like flashers as a way to catch the readers attention.

 

Before and after front cover image

This is the image I took during the photoshoot which I have chosen to use as the front cover due to it being in taken mid shot, which is a good balance for the front cover. However to give my magazine more edge and to create my own brand I had to edit it, this meant I had to use previous photoshop skills to improve the picture substantially and make it look professional.

To create a brand for my R&B magazine, I wanted to first of all ensure that colour was a consistency throughout; to make this effect on the front cover I made the models lip pink as well as her nails, this is something that I have purposely done in advance in order to match it to the colour of the masthead. Even though pink can be interpreted as quite a girly I chose this colour as it is fun and energetic, similar to the genre I have chosen. 

In addition to this I also edited the background to make it white at the top which resulted in the picture having a professional outcome.

Possible final outcome

I chose this photo to be one of my final otucomes because I believe that the models pose, facial expression and body language all contribute to its success. After taking the pictures during half term I made moodboards of the pictures, previously displayed on the blog, and am now going through them to find the possible final outcomes. The photo above being one of my favourite successes.

I got some feedback for the picture shown in the screen print below, allowing me to reflect on what I have done well on and what I could improve.

Best outcomes

After going through all the pictures, I chose the best outcomes from my photo shoot.

After careful consideration I picked out the pictures that would compliment my genre of music the most. One of the key aspects I made sure I considered was the outfit choice of the model, if I went for something too bright then it would mean I would of had to use that colour as the colour scheme, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to keep a consistent brand. This is something that I have learned from the format research because it was clear each institute had carefully considered every attribute of the magazine.

Photoshoot

Before going ahead with my photo shoot, I had to decide on the genre I would be focusing on. To do this I did further research on my top two genres from form research, which were Rock and R&B. I looked at the sort of images needed and decided to try out R&B, to see what the pictures turned out like. After doing the photo shoot I was pleased with the professional outcomes as they really slotted in with the genre I had chosen. The pictures I took are shown below: 

The pictures above are all the pictures I have taken so far, I aim to go through this pictures and pick the best outcomes to suit my magazine.

Results from my survey

I wanted to ensure that my survey was filled out by a wide range of people, which is why I put it on social media like twitter, Facebook and Instagram. To get more attention to the link I asked friends to retweet my post which meant more and more people answered the survey, in total 26. The questions I asked varied but all will essentially guide me when creating my magazine.

The first question I asked was 'Do you read music magazines?' which allowed me to work out how many of the people answering my questions read magazines, even though there was 26.92% who said they didn't the majority did. 

I then asked a question in connection to the first one to determine how often the audience read a music magazine which left two answers being moderately often and occasionally both being 34%. This statistic suggests that these readers are ones that buy magazines weekly and monthly.

Then to see the audiences favourite genre, the top answers were R&B with 76%. This is something that has reassured me to pick R&B for my genre because it is something the audience enjoy meaning I will have a keen audience. Other comments included some people liking all types of genres. The survey allowing people to comment was really helpful because it meant they could give their own opinions instead of just ticking a box.

To help me with the context of my magazine I wanted to ask questions like this that found out what people like to see, the majority, 57%, agreed that prizes and competitions were an appealing aspect of a magazine. This is something I will plan to include in my own magazine to draw the audience in. 

In addition to this I wanted to find out what draws the audience to the front cover, the audiences top answers were main image and masthead, both visual aspects of the magazine.

A price is something that can straight away put someone off buying a magazine, so this question was crucial for me to see what my audience would be prepared to pay for my magazine, 52% said 1-2 pounds would be a reasonable price for a music magazine. This is something I will consider when pricing my magazine.

Colour is something that pays a crucial role in a any magazine, which is why I used this question to determine what colours I should used. Many people agreed that a bright colour would make the magazine fun and eye-catching.

My survey has allowed me and reassured me on what genre to pick, R&B. It also will contribute to what decisions to make when designing my magazine and I can now refer back to it when I am stuck. A lot of the answers I got varied but this was because the audience all had different opinions on their taste

This questionnaire will help me to plan my magazine because it has allowed me to understand what my target audience like and dislike. I will know what to incorporate in my magazine because my target audience have guided me. For example I know that they prefer the bright fun colours, so I now that my colour scheme will have to reflect this decision that they have helped me make. I therefore think that this questionaire has and will be beneficial to my planning because it has guided me on small attributes of the magazine that will allow me to make a successful ending product.