Making a practice Masthead

After studying various mastheads from other magazines in the genre that i have decided to take upon; I created my own masthead as practice for my front cover.. However as I am yet to decide on a graphic style for my front cover I cannot create the final design. This process will hopefully provide me with ideas and new skills for when I create my final piece.


Initial Banner


Here is the banner i used for my masthead, it is an ocean blue colour, i used this colour as it wasn't too eye catching, so the viewer would be more attracted to other areas of the magazine such as the promotional offers i will later add to the masthead.


Added Logo


Here I added the logo of the magazine to the top right corner; i used this logo as the colours blended well with the ocean banner i had originally decided to use. The butterfly has sharper edges to it, this is a semiotic as it is used to represent a darker side to the butterfly, also my magazine is post-hardcore - The butterfly would not have been fitting without these sharper features.


Promotional Offer


This is where I added a promotional ofer to the masthead of my magazine; the picture is of the bands available merchandise, it is a woman wearing a 'Death of an Artist' T-Shirt, this gives the viewer an insight as to the certain merchandise they can purchase through this magazine.


Promotional Offer Text


Here i used text in the masthead to give the viewer more of an insight to what is in the magazine - a free DOAA T-Shirt. The red text in the top left, overlapping the picture also attracts a lot of the reader's attention as the colour stands out from the rest of the upper part of the magazine. The text i used was a block text, putting it aside from the other fonts i had used in the rest of the magazine; however i maintained the black colour scheme, linking it to the title and the bands name. This gives the reader the impression that the promotional offer relates to the band itself, however differing from the rest of the magazine as the font is completely different. The second line of text is also a different font to that of the promotional text above it and to the right. This is to give variety to the promo; so the reader does not get bored of reading.


I used the information i earlier gathered in a quantitative survey; as to what i should include in my masthead. The amount of information i put in my masthead was limited, however lots of promotional offers and a variety of colours were implemented. I also put a logo in the top right, this will be maintained throughout the magazine; as a semiotic it drives the reader to read through the rest of the magazine.

This masthead turned out fantastically, and I hope to use either this masthead, or a similarly delivering one in quality when making my front cover!

Research into making my Masthead

"Some mastheads also include information such as the publication's founding date, slogan, logo and contact information." - Taken from Wikipedia, this provides me with an insight as to what I should include on my masthead, and what the market of the music magazine like in their mastheads.

When making my masthead i studied a various amount of existing banners - looking mainly at magazines focused on the genre of music my magazine is based upon;

These are a few of the magazines i looked at when studying mastheads, i took some notes and researched into what attracts people about mastheads. I did another survey on my target audience, asking them these specific questions;

1. Do you like free offers in a magazine masthead? - I did this to find out whether a large offer of a cheap/free addon with the magazine was an attraction to the target audience, this will provide me with information as to whether i should insert this technique into my masthead.
2. Do you like pictures in a masthead? - I did this to find out whether smaller pictures along the masthead get the attention of potential buyers of the magazine. I could also incoorperate this with the first question.
3. Does information as to what is inside the magazine on a masthead; attract you to buying said magazine? - This was to find out whether buyers enjoy a smaller insight to what is in the magazine right from when they start reading.

The findings showed me that 90% of interviewees prefer it when a masthead contains both promotional offers; along with smaller pictures to give an insight to what is in the magazine. However only 30% said they enjoy smaller text, telling them what is in the magazine. I used this information when creating my masthead, an incoorperated both questions 1 and 2 into the same thing. Giving a promotional offer including a picture, and also;using the feedback from question 3, I left out any extent of information in the masthead as to what is in the magazine.

Creating a Name for my Magazine

Before creating my banner; I am going to research into a name for my magazine. I believe this is crucial as i can then use certain styles and colors to fit the name of the magazine. I have been studying many magazines from the genre of music that I am basing my magazine upon, and through this i have found many interesting ideas for names. From my research I gathered a number of names that i believe would be fitting for my magazine; however i believe 'ORIGIN' would be most fitting. It suits the style and genre of music that i have chosen, it also has impact; a short, distinct word that would easily catch a reader's attention.

I asked 25 people from my target audience about the name 'ORIGIN' for my magazine, and 100% agreed that it was fitting and would suite the genre!

Magazine Moodboard/Analysing magazine covers

There are soo many different music magazines on the shelves in retail stores; how will any consumer be able to differ between them, to decide which they want?! I used this moodboard to look at a variety of different magazines, and discuss differences between them to find out which would be to most relevant to the genre of music magazine I am working with, and also which would have the most popular shelf response from the reader population.

The NME magazine (top right) uses various of methods to attract readers, a large range of vibrant colours. Pictures of various artists, all staring down the eyes of the consumer to get their attention and also the '100' has two 0's which use the same colour scheme as that of a dart board or wacky mind trick - this is a selling method used by the magazine to get the reader to open up to magazine; as that is a front cover's job. Similar to the other NME magazine (centre) there is a head and shoulders shot of 'Morrissey' a well known artist in the indie, post rock genre. He is starring out of the magazine, catching eye contact with the viewer; drawing their attention to the magazine and making them want to read it, however this version of the NME magazine does not possess as many vibrant colours, and as you can see is less effective.

The 'Blender' magazine, is known for its front covers in that it usually has very revealing pictures of half naked women; this is a selling method used to attract a very wide audience in, well, men. This technique is used widely throughout the magazine market, as you can see with 'Vibe' and also 'King' magazines. All three of the magazines shown above do not have very attractive front covers, aside from the main picture. This is so the readers attention is not drawn away from the picture by anything else on the front cover which may lead them to another magazine. The soul purpose of the pictures on these magazines is to draw the attention of the target audience when the magazine is on the shelf.

The 'Spin', 'Rock Sound' and 'Q' magazines all show body shots of boy bands. This is a selling point to attract a much wider target market - anyone who likes the genre, the bands, or the boys would be attracted by these pictures - this is why this is very effective marketing technique. The pictures are the main features of the covers, however they also possess an insight as to what will be inside the magazine, this gives the reader a good idea as to what they will be getting in said magazine; the pictures draw the attention of the reader, then an insight to the magazine itself keeps them reading.

 Circulation figures for 2008

Classic Rock - 70,188

Kerrang! - 52,172

Metal Hammer - 50,269

MixMag - 30,159

Mojo - 100,507

NME - 48,459

Q - 103,017

Rock Sound - 20,011

From this information i made this mapped out the reasons as to why i thought certain magazines would have got more response and popularity from readers.

(Click to Enlarge)

Pitching my Magazine within the Market

Before creating a proper copy of my magazine; or even a final draft. I decided to pitch my three design ideas within a target audience of my genre of magazine - teenagers/men ageing 16-20. Obviously taking into account extraneous personel that would be interested in the genre of magazine i am reviewing. I asked them a questionnaire (see quantitative research) to find out what i could do to improve my magazine, and make it more marketable. I asked them four questions.

"What genre of music do you like?" - The intent behind this question was to see if the genre of music I had chosen was right for the target audience I was mainly trying to appeal to.

"What features attract you to a magazine?" - To see what features (e.g. colour, pictures etc) attract people to a magazine on the shelf, what distint things set one magazine aside from the others as being the most intreguing etc.

"Do you prefer a magazine cover with pictures, why?" - To see if pictures on my magazine was a smart idea; or whether the readers for genre of music i have chosen prefer more textual information rather than a pictoral insight.

"Are you attracted by promotional offers on a magazine, e.g. Freebies?" - This was to give me information as to whether i should implement certain features on my magazine cover e.g free posters, vouchers, offers etc; and whether these sorts of unique selling methods appeal to this certain audience.

From pitching my magazine to the market through various methods of research and analysis it has helped me to discover ways in which i can improve upon my magazine to make it more appealing to my specific audience when in shelf life. It has helped me to analyse what the readers of this genre enjoy to see in the magazines they buy and what features on specific magazines attract viewers into reading further..

Analysing a Student's Magazine

 This is a magazine done by a student in previous years - 'The Beat'. This magazine acheived a very high grade as it possessed all the necessary criteria when comparing it to a standard music magazine you would find on the shelf of a retail store. The contents page (see left) is very well set out, with the title maintaining the original style first shown from the title of the front cover, as well as keeping similar text fonts and colours - the page delivers a huge amount for the reader's consumption. With news on events, features and what is in the magazine each month; the contents contains enough information so the reader can take themselves to their desired page in the magazine. The fact it has a brit awards sign, almost punching out of the top corner; this is at great contrast to the rest of the page, drawing the reader's attention, making them want to get a better insight as to what the magazine contains.

This is the double page spread present in 'The Beat' magazine. This double page spread is very well laid out as it offers a lot of information to keep the readers attention; along with a large imagine of three girls - which is the main attraction to the page. The title 'DOMINATION' is a huge attractor to the page, as it is the only piece of information on the page which follows the same text outlines as the front cover and contents page - readers are immediately drawn to this, and it gives information on the new album. which is what viewers are interested in.

The front cover of a magazine is the key to its success. If the magazine cover does not attract potential audiences into looking at the magazine and what's inside it; no matter how well laid out the contents is, or how much information is granted on the double spread, the magazine will not be successful. The front cover for this magazine does everything to attract viewers, a mostly head and shoulders shot of a rockstar, this grabs the viewers eye - then a constant layout of "exclusive interviews", "win a trip to NY" etc - keeps the reader wanting to look inside the magazine to get a better insight and more information on the snippits given on the front page. The title is used very effectively to grab the reader's attention and make them want to look at the magazine - the font/style makes the title look as through it has been thrown on the page, and the contrast in colours with white, blue and black intregues readers, setting this magazine aside from others.

Analysing an Existing Double Page Spread

This double page spread features a central/left image of three ment, an as it appears they are in a bedroom. The men look quite young - hitting the target audience of NME magazine - this could mean they are the type of band that readers aspire to be.

The central focus on the photo would be the main the centre, with the glasses on. He has his arm over his head and is sitting in a more relaxed fashion that than of his peers. However the two other men, left and right of the central protagonist of the photo; are not engaged; this is hence why i would suggest this photo is not inviting to the reader to look further into the band through visual aspects, leading them to read on about the band as their style would seem intrueging to the specific audience of this magazine.

The main body of the double page article is spread throughout - with side stories on the right of the spread, in white writing and on a black background, leading the viewer to read them as it stands out from the rest of the article. The rest of the article is rather boring. Being standard black writing on a plain white background, with little other pictures aside from that on the right. The title of the double spread "THE TEENAGERS" is located above the article and not the picture, this is drawing the readers attention to the article; leading them to read on about the band.

Other small articles are in white and black writing, on a bright blue background. The same colour background as the main title of the band - linking these smaller articles to the band. The  viewer will determine this within their own mind without realising, and by taking in the information in the smaller articles will instantly relate this to the band themselves.

IDEAS, for my double page spread

From this evaluation I have created a small background, and promotional offer from pictures I have.

I like the ideas of these images as they represent the genre of music my magazine revolves around - and also the band in which it is promoting. These are ideas/pictures I could potentially use in the creation of my double page spread!

Click to Enlarge.

Analysing an Existing Contents Page

The main feature of this contents page is the large amounts of photos; used to draw the readers' attention visually. In this particular contents page, the pictures are numbered and give a brief description as to what they are explaining in the magazine. The pictures themselves would be recognized by fans, and the fans of the band would be immediately attracted - after their attention has been grabbed, they can easily find the page number and turn to the articles location.
        The contents list is very accesible for the viewers - the list is set out in different sections, which are all seperated by titles which are written in a different style to the following list. The titles are written in yellow, on a black background, this makes them alot more noticable for the reader - helping them find the content they are after easier.
         Another feature of this contents is the quote under the title - taken from the main article off the magazine; it also ties with the main imagine and cover line on the front cover.
         There is also a picture of the main cover at the top of the page - this comes with a message from the editor of the magazine. This message briefly describes what is inside this issue of the magazine and what is expected withing the next few issues. The editor also suggests/provokes certain areas of the magazine to the reader, urging them to read on - this feature gives the reader a good insight as to what will be of interest in the magazine and hence making them want to read on.
            At the bottom right hand corner of the magazine; there is an advert, offering a cheap subscription to the magazine. This is put on the contents page as a unique selling point - as the contents page is viewed by most readers, unlike some pages that may not interest certain viewers. If someone reads the contents they are likely to look at this advert aswell.

Annotating a Magazine with my Photos

Here i annotated the music magazine that i based my reasearch around; however with this specific magazine i have put my own picture on the magazine - i did this using many different programs such as 'adobe photoshop' and 'macromedia fireworks'.

If the picture is not easily viewable, click to enlarge.

Re-making a cover with my own pictures

As part of my research leading up to the creation of my final design; i decided to edit and existing front cover, fitting the pictures i had unto it - to see what they would look like, and if  they would fit in the genre of music cover i have decided to take up.

I made this copy using such programs as 'Photoshop' 'Paint.net' and 'Macromedia fireworks'. I used the pictures i have collected as information for my front cover and changed the cover slightly to fit my pictures. I think this is a really good piece of research as it shows me a preview of what the information I have gathered would look like on a shelf magazine.

Qualitative Research

For my qualitative research, i made a video of several members of year 12 at my school (ageing 17-18) I then used these to adjust my design, fitting the specifications that the potential buyers are looking for. Any negative comments about my three designs were taken into consideration and improved upon, and positive attributes  of the designs were carried through and presented when looking into creating my final design.

Quantitative Research

As part of my research i carried out a survey (the data is that used in my designs below). I asked 50 Pupils of Poole Grammar School ageing from 17-20. I did this because this is the target market for my magazine; as the style of music does not range into the younger or older generation. I asked them Which, out of my three Design ideas, did they like the most; and which would intreege them into buying the magazine if they saw it on a shelf of a supermarket. I divised these questions because they allowed me to note what potential buyers are looking for in a magazine such as mine. The reasearch gave me qualitative data, which I used in correlational analysis study against the other data to see which design the buyers were most interested in.

Magazine Cover - Design

Over the past few weeks I have been looking into and researching different styles of magazine to see which would fit the genre I desire . I have narrowed it down to magazines such as 'Kerrang' and 'Q'.. Because these magazines express the type of design i have been looking for in a music cover.

I have Hand drawn up some designs to which i would desire my music magazine cover outcome to resemble; I also conducted a Survery on 50 Pupils from ages 17-19 (the target era for my magazine) to which their favourite Cover would be - I then used this reasearch then making decisions about configurating my Final Design.

These magazine cover designs are rough ideas, and in no way are the complete replicas of my final design ideas - i plan on constructing more research looking into many other designs to come up with the best possible cover for my music magazine.

DESIGN 1: This is a moderately simple design, where their is a head and shoulder's shot of three of the bands members. The band name will be partially covered by the head of the protagonist of the head and shoulders shot. The title of the magazine is completely open; accompanied by a "special issue" offering at the top of the magazine; attracting the viewers. There is also information about what else is in the magazine at the bottom of the magazine, including other special offers, bands, and information about 'Death Of An Artist'.

From the Survey conducted, only 8 out of the 50 participants decided this was their desired choice as to what my magazine cover should resemble.

DESIGN 2: This Design however is a moderately influential design from other magazines including 'kerrang' and 'NME',  the name of the magazine is partially covered by the main shot in the picture. Which is a fully body shot of the whole band, with one member sat on the floor, almost creating a divider to the other sections of the magazine; which include other information about various bands, the members of DOAA, information about a 'special issue' and also free offers that come within the magazine. The band name is located on the right hand side, and information about the bands up and coming tour is just underneath it - giving the viewer an idea as to what they can expect in this issue of the magazine.

From the Survey conducted, 21 out of the 50 participants decided this was their desired choice as to what my magazine cover should resemble. (However this is my personal favourite)

DESIGN 3: This is a magazine cover that i devised with no outside information - I used knowledge of various magazines and the other two designs. It has a full body shot of the whole band, with information in small bubbles located at the bottom of the magazine, along with the bar code; similarly to the others. It has information on other bands located on the right as well as special offers along the very foot of the magazine. The title of the magazine, slightly covers one of the band members head's - showing the band is already known and the viewers know what to expect. There is also a band along the header of the magazine with information about what to expect as it is a special edition.

 From the Survey conducted, 21 out of the 50 participants decided this was their desired choice as to what my magazine cover should resemble.

 

I may use some of these designs, however there are other patterns and styles I plan on incorporating.