Sunday 20 February 2011

Music magazine cover planning


Draft of Front Cover

This image is a draft mock up of what the front cover of my magazine would look like. I am going to comment on what I like and dislike about the covers and see which one I have decided to make. The page has been split up into quarters and there is one draft cover per section on the page.


The image in the top left corner of the page is the first draft I am going to analyse. The mast head has been placed at the top of the page in the centre of it. This has been done so that it stands out on all of the page as it is clear and of a large size.
I have decided to place the volume number of the magazine underneath the mast head on the left hand side because I think that it looks good being placed there. The Date that the magazine was issued is also placed underneath this. I think that these two being placed here make it look quite professional. However, a down side to this is the fact that I think that it would look better being placed on the right.
The main image of the magazine takes up the whole page and has been placed slightly off centre on the right. I decided to do this because I think if it was directly in the centre, the cover lines would go over the image and be hard to see. I quite like the fact that the main image is off centre as I think that it adds a bit of individuality to the page, as it isn't in the stereotypical position of straight down the middle.
The cover lines that have been used are placed down the left hand side of the page. This has been down because as the middle is placed slightly off to the right, it makes it look well laid out. Also, the fact that they are all different sizes has been done so that the lower down the page they get, the more they come inwards. This is because the image will be of a person and will have his head at the top of the image box, so if all of the cover lines were the same size, it could cut over it. There are two more cover lines in the bottom right corner of the page which have been placed on it to make there be more stories on show.
Across the bottom on the left hand side is the web address of the magazine. This has been done as a form of contact details on the magazine.


The image of the top right corner is an alternative option to have as the front cover.The mast head has been placed at the top of the page in the centre of it. This has been done so that it stands out on all of the page as it is clear and of a large size. 
I have chosen to place the volume number and date on the right hand side of the page. This has been done because the main image on the cover would be placed on the far left of the page, so there shouldn't be anything on the left side of the page which could cover it up.
The cover lines that have been used on the page go down the right hand side of it. This has been done because of the fact that they shouldn't be going over the image and taking some of the focus off it, as that is the thing that makes it stand out on the shelf. The reason that they aren't the same size as the draft to the left of this, is because the image is placed on the far left, so they aren't going to take up some of the image space.
The bar code has been placed in the bottom left corner of the page. This has been put in so that the customer can see that it is actually for sale. However, I don't think that the front cover is the correct space to put it as it makes the overall look of the magazine decrease.
Out of all of the drafts created, this is the one that I like the least.


The bottom left image is another alternative draft to the front cover. The mast head has been placed on the top left hand corner of the page. I have decided to place this here so that the name is one of the first things on the page that is seen after the image. This fits with the stereotypical idea with the mast head being placed at the top.
I have decided to place the sell line underneath the mast head stretched across the whole page. I have chosen to do this because I think that it looks quite good going across it. The reasoning for putting it underneath the mast head is because it generally goes there on a magazine. 
The volume number and date have been placed on the right hand side of the page underneath the sell line. I have done this because I think that there is quite a going on down the left hand, so by placing these down the right hand side would help even it out. 
The main image that is on the page goes down the page just off centre to the right. This has been done because of the fact that the cover lines get larger the further down the page you go. As the image is going to be of a person, and take up the majority of a page, it means that their head is going to be at the top of the page. So there would be no point in putting an image on the page that is going to be covered up by cover lines.
However, I don't like the fact that there is a space above the volume number and date. I think that this could be used more effectively as it is a portion of space that could be used. I also think that the image should so all the way along the page because it looks stupid with a gap down the right hand side of it.


This is the final alternative to the drafts of the front cover. The mast head has been placed across the whole top of the page. This has been done because it allows it to be seen clearly on the page and allows the name of the magazine to stand out more.
The sell line I have used stretches across the whole page underneath the mast head. This has been done so that it can be seen subtly on the page when people look at the mast head.
The main image has been placed on the far left of the page. This has been done because it allows it to be seen clearly on the page, as it takes up the majority of the page. I think that this is quite good because it allows the selling factor of the magazine to be shown the most.
The cover lines that have been used have been placed down the right hand side of the page. I have chosen to do this because I think that it looks more professional and well laid out. This is due to the fact that the image is far over to the left so by having the cover lines far on the right, it means that they aren't going to be going over the image.

                                                                                                                                   

Thought shower

This is a thought shower of what my magazine could look like. I have used and A4 sheet and folded it in half. I have then on the left hand side came up with ideas that I like, and on the right side of it, put the ones that I like onto the page as if it was my real magazine.



The names that I came up with for the magazine are at the top of the image. I am going to comment on the name of the magazine, sell line, and cover lines that I have came up with and see which ones I want to incorporate into my magazine.

Platinum - I really like this name. The way that people in the music business can achieve a  platinum selling album reflected the name platinum. I think that this is good because as it is a music magazine, by associating something that is to do with music would help people recognise it as a music magazine. Also, the name platinum makes it seem more expensive and high quality as it is an expensive metal which would help make the magazine more appealing to people, and help it stand out amongst its competitors. 
Live - This name I like as well. I think that this also reflects the music industry as people can be judged on how good they are depending on if they are good when they perform live. The name would also help it stand out as well as Live is quite catchy and sounds good when it is said out loud.
Alive - I am not to sure about this name. I think that this name would give the magazine characteristics of a human and make it seem alive. But, I think that this name would make it seem like it is a nature magazine rather than a music magazine. This is why I am not to sure about this name.
Lime - I don't think I am a fan of this name. This is because I think that Lime makes it sound like a cookery magazine as Lime is a fruit. I also don't think that Lime would fit with the colour scheme of blue pink and white that I have chosen. I do think that it is a catchy name which would stand out amongst music magazine, but lime would most probably have to be green as this is what you associate with Lime.
Sublime - I think that the name Sublime makes the magazine sound really good. This is because people see Sublime and realise that it means amazing and fantastic. This would give people the idea that it is a high standard music magazine. The only downside to this name is that it doesn't sound very musical or have anything to do with it.
Fiasco - This name I don't really like. I think that people will look at the name of it and see that a fiasco is a dilemma or problem. So if my magazine was to be called this, it would make people think that the magazine is a problem. The link to music this has is with the artist Lupe Fiasco, but having the name of a magazine based on one artist could turn a lot of people off from it.
Kick - The name Kick I think is quite good. It shows off quite a bit of power because kick is something that you do in football or fighting. So by making it seem like a powerful statement, it would help people recognise it. However, the name kick could be seen as a rock magazine because it is something that rockers do, kick and thrash out.
Grind - I think this name is quite good because it makes it seem more like a music magazine. This is because when people go to a club and dance to music, the type of dance that can be done is a bump and grind. So I have incorporated this type of music dance into the name because it allows people to make a connection between them both. 
Out of all of the names that I have chosen, I think that I like Platinum the most. I think that it makes it seem quite expensive and by making it priced quite reasonably, would make people think that they are getting a bargain out of it. I also think that the link with that and music is to good not to include.

You know you've made it - This sell line I created because I think that it links quite well with the name Platinum. This is because an artist is well aware that they have hit the big time when their album goes platinum. So the sell line, "You know you've made it" fits with it perfectly.
The shine to your music - I don't really like this sell line. I don't think that it is very good at selling the magazine as the word shine doesn't have a very good selling point to it.
Let the beat run through you - I think that this is a good sell line. I like the way that the word beat has a link to music as it is part of the rhythm of a track. It allows people to think that when they read the magazine they will feel the beat running through them.
What you want - This sell line is quite basic. It gives the audience the impression that should they read the magazine, it will have inside of the magazine "What they want". Although I think that it is good, I don't think that it has much to do with music. But I do think it would help entice people to go and by it.
The magazine with oomph - This sell line I don't think is very good at all. I cant see it drawing people in to buy it as it sounds quite rubbish. I don't like the term oomph as for one, it isn't really a word, and too it looks quite chav, which is what I don't want my magazine to be like.
Well worth it's weight in gold - I quite like this sell line. It makes the magazine sound really good and important, The fact that it is well worth its weight in gold will make people think that they are getting their moneys worth.
Out of all of the sell lines that I have made, the one that I am going to make is "You know you've made it". I think that it makes the magazine sound really good and those who are in it are going to be of the highest standard. It was close between this and the "Well worth it's weight in gold", but I think that because the magazine is called Platinum, it wouldn't be as good as there would be two different types of metal mentioned. 

Kanye hits Platinum! - I think that this is a good Cover line because it shows two things. One, it could mean  that Kanye West has featuring in the magazine, and two he has a Platinum selling Album. This could be used to encourage people to buy it because they would want to look in the magazine to see what the music artist is up to.
Ciara Dropped! - I think that this is a good cover line to use. I think that this is the case because the artist Ciara is a R&B artist and she fits into the genre of the magazine. Also, the fact that she has recently been dropped from her record label would be a good feature to include because people would want to read it to find out why.
Who's headlining Glastonbury? - This would be a good cover line to include into the magazine because this is the next coming up big music event. So if it was to include who was going to be featuring in it, it would no doubt draw people into buying it.
Eminem needs a doctor - This cover line is an up to date one. This reflects Eminem's new song that has come out called "I need a doctor". So the cover line is a play on words which would make the audience wonder why he needs a doctor, which would make them think that it he is ill. This would sell some issues off of the shelf.
Who's that chick? - This cover line is another play on words. I think that this technique is quite good as it talks about Rihanna's new song that has come out with David Guetta.
2010 round up - This cover line is about the number ones that have came out in 2010. I think it is quite good as because it is early on in the year, people would still be interested in what the magazines thought of the songs, and find out what they think will happen to those artists in the coming year. I think that this is a good cover line to include.
Is Black the new White - I don't think that this cover line would be the most sensible to put onto my front cover of a magazine. This is because I think that it could be taken the wrong way by people and they think that it could be a racist comment. For that reason, I am not going to use it.
Who's the tw*t on Twitter - I think that this cover line is really good. This is because there are so many celebrities who currently use Twitter and have so many followers. So by doing some research into what the celebrities are saying about each other, such as the fight between Ciara and Rihanna on the social networking site, would help sell issues.
Out of the all of the cover lines that I have made, the one which is going to be my main cover line is "Kanye hits Platinum". I think that because it has the magazine name incorporated into it, would help show it as the main one. I have also chosen to use the cover line "Ciara Dropped", "Who's heading Glastonbury?", "2010 round up" and "Who's the tw*t on twitter", because I think they promote the genre of music that I am using and also would bring in the most people.

                                                                                                                  

Mock Magazine Cover


This is the mock up of what my front cover would like if I was to follow the design template that I created. I think that it does look good because the colours that are around the image allow it to stand out. However, I think that the cover lines should be the same colour of the clothing because it will allow there to be a link between the character and the magazine colour scheme. I like the differentiation between the colours blue and pink as they allow each other to stand out.
However, the downside of this is that there are two many cover lines down the side, I think that they need to be moved around the page to improve it.

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