Qualitative Evaluation - Music Magazine

As part of my evaluations for my Music Magazine, I decided to film short clips of what people thought of my magazine as a whole...

From this video you can see that everyone really enjoyed my magazine, other comments from my quantitative analysis proves that people would not set it aside from other well recognized magazines; such as Kerrang! and Q. Many people commented on the layout, graphic styles and pictures of my magazine (especially the Double Page Spread). As most of my magazine was focused around maintaining graphic layouts, this is reassuring to know that it makes my magazine stand aside from those already globally known.

Quantitative Evaluation - Music Magazine

As Part of the evaluation for my music magazine, I did a survey 50 pupils from my school, all ageing from 16-19 (as i believe this is the main target audience for my magazine). I asked the pupils various questions and recorded the answers.

1) (For this question i showed the pupil my magazine front cover, along with three other magazine front covers from Kerrang!, Q and Rock Sound)  Does the front cover of my music magazine attract you to it, setting it aside from the other magazines on offer?

2) Which part of my music magazine most resembles that of an established magazine you already know e.g. Kerrang!.. Q.. etc; The Front Cover, Contents Page or Double Page Spread?

3) Which part of my magazine do you prefer, The Front Cover, Contents Page or Double Page Spread?

RESULTS

1)

As you can see from my results, 49 out of the 50 pupils asked, prefered my magazine cover to that of an already established magazine. This may be down to the boredem of having seen the other covers before, or whether my cover possesses something the others did not. I personally believe my magazine cover had special features, setting it aside from the others, for example, the outline of the title - most established magazines expect people to know the title of their magazine, and sometimes (clearly in this isntance) this is not the case.

2)

From this pie chart it is clear to see that all of the pages of my magazine clearly resembled that of an already established magazine, however the Double Page Spread stood out the most - getting 20 out of the 50 students asked, saying that it mostly resembled that of a globally recognised rock magazine (e.g. Kerrang) I was very pleased with these results, as it shows me I presented an all round magazine where no specific part was better than another, however all of which were still of a high quality.

3)

I was delighted with the results of this question, as most people said they preffered the double page spread, and as this was personally my favourite part of the magazine; it helped for me to know that other people appreciated its style and the graphic techniques i used throughout the double page spread.

Making my Double Page Spread + Screenshots

This was the background picture I decided to incoorperate into my music magazine double page spread - I took this photo from a live gig I went to, and, although not from a Death of an Artist gig; I believe the photo works really well with the layout of my double page spread. From the research I did I found that the double page spreads that were most successful, were those that had audiences as backgrounds, I believe this is because it doesn't catch the eye of the reader, although it gives a sense of realism, and makes the magazine feel more lifelike, almost as though you were at the gig yourself. The picture in for forefront is that of Mark, the singer/guitarist from Death of an Artist. I used photoshop to cut him out of the background he was originally on to use as a standing image in the front of the double page spread. This gives a great effect with the background as they both follow a black and white graphic style.

At this stage of my magazine I used a unique style to which I think works really well with my magazine. I twisted the initial background to the left slightly, and put a background behind it, following a red graphic style (the same as the front cover). This is a recognized style used throughout globally recognized magazines, and therefore i believe it is a great asset to my magazine. I also edited the background to give it a 'Bubble Wrap' effect, I think this draws the attention further away from the background, as it gives it a blurred effect. However I also think it still looks professional, as many other magazines I've studied use a similar technique on their background pictures, as the main aim of the double page is to provide information, not to draw the attention of the reader away from the information with a background picture.

At this stage of my magazine I did two things, both of which makes a large impact to the double page spread, however small the changes themselves. Adding page numbers, allows the reader to understand what they are reading by referring back to the contents page. It also helps the reader find what they are looking for from the contents page, for example if the reader wanted to find a specific peice of information, page numbers would allow them to find this in a shorter amount of time than scanning the whole magazine - giving it a dynamic edge. I also added a small promo, giving options to lead readers to the website for the magazine for more information on specific details not taken into detail inside the magazine itself. It also has a 'World Exclusive' tag attached to it, I did this using photoshop and paint, it gives the reader a sense that they are reading something never seen before, giving my magazine a social edge and making it harder to attain.

At this stage of my double page spread I added small pictures to the bottom of the page, slightly to the right. I believe this enhances the look of my magazine, as many recognized magazines throughout the world follow a similar style within their magazines. It gives the reader something to look at through peripheral visions, this sub consciously attracts the reader, and intises them to read the information given, as it may relate to the pictures. The pictures also give information themselves, as the reader can then see what to expect within the magazine, and also the reader to see what they are going to look for within the magazine; e.g. what looks like it would interest them etc..

 This is where I gave my double page spread a title. This is probably the most essential part to the spread of a magazine, because if the title is entising, the reader will be intregued as to what the articles following posses. The title of a spread can determine whether a reader continues to read your magazine, or puts it back on the shelf. Because if none of the titles interest a reader of the target audience related to your magazine, they will not be interested to read it. The colour scheme I followed with the title is that I have used throughout my magazine,a slightly lighter shade of red, and a dark blue. This links the title back to other areas of the magazine. The font is 'Scorchwood', a font I downloaded specifically for my magazine because I believed it was fitting to the genre of music my magazine revolves around. The title is also a quote, this lures the reader into a state of interest as they want to know who said it, and why - leading to them reading on.

At this stage of my double page spread, I added the text to the layout. I believe the text of a magazine is the deciding factor in relation to its success. The text i've used is a simple font, from word - layed out on a black background, it also has a small title - 'James speaks to Origin!' I believe this intises to reader to read on throughout the text, as this sub title clearly relates to the main title, and that is what they came to the page to find information about so a clear interest is already present. In the sub title I used a larger J, at the beginning - this small difference to the rest of the text interests the reader; as it catches their eye.

 At this stage of my double page spread I added the three CD's to the bottom left of page 1. This is because I believe the space was empty before-hand, and that inserting these CD's just gives the reader something else to look at. As boredem is a factor when making a double page spread, if the reader gets bored the magazine cannot succeed. The CDs' may also be seen as a promo for the magazine, advertising other pages within the magazine, keeping the reader intrigued as to what is inside.

At this stage of the double page spread, I added the right banner, this is an essential part to any music magazine, as after the reader has read through the original text on the page, and the article within - more information is needed to keep them attracted to the page. Therefore I added this banner to the space on the right of my magazine, following the same graphic style to that I have succeeded to attain throughout the other pages - it tells of other information within the magazine, as well as promos. Some of the promos along the side are for CD's. Other are for various bands and cover stories that a reader would later expect to see within the magazine, this again gives more information to the reader, keeping them attracted to the page.

Final Edit Below.

This is the final stage in the making of my double page spread; I added another small quote, just above the CD's - with a tag attached to it. I accomplished this through using photo-shop, and I believe it is a great asset to the double page spread. It fills a small gap in the magazine, it is also a quote, and therefore requires to be followed by a covering story. The tag attached to the magazine took a long time to perfect, however I believe it enhances the quotation and gives the reader more to look at within the double page. The colour scheme I followed when makes this specific graphic enhancement to the page, follows that of the rest of the magazine, at a deep red on a specific word 'ROCK' and the rest of the quote in a beige colour, linking to the whiter colour located on the right banner - relating the two stories. I later enlarged my double page spread to the right size (15.2/10").

Flat Plan + Photo-Flat Plan for my Double Page Spread

Making my Contents Page + Screenshots

These are the initial stage of the creation of my contents page. This is the photo I decided to work with, the reason behind this is that I think it is in contrast to the world today, that most 'rock stars' are all about fame and money, and I think the blander colours and meaning behind this picture gives the magazine a more rural look. I also decided to enhance the picture with the insertion of light in the top left-hand corner of the page - I feel this brings out a lighter side to the world, uncovering the roots of the Rock stars within, getting the reader thinking and intrigued in the magazine; and to what is inside. The picture, as earlier stated, follows a very bland colour scheme, however I feel this is necessary in a background picture, as to not draw attention from the main features of the contents page.

At this stage of the creation of my contents page, I inserted two promo's to the bottom right hand corner of the page. I also touched up these pictures by adding a graphic style 'horizontally creased' - using photo-shop. As the pictures themselves, without the enhancement, were not as fitting to the style of the magazine. I also cropped the promos down before putting them on the page, this was because I did not think that the flat edges, and cutting corners of the magazines fit with the rough exterior of the background image. The promos are explained in later stories on the contents page - both of which are related to the relevant pages to which you can find the information within the magazine.

At this stage of the creation of my contents page, I inserted the main image. It is that of James Leatherbarrow - the lead singer of 'Death of an Artist'. I did this as they are the main antagonist within my magazine, with most of the cover stories, along with the main article, revolving around them. I cropped the picture out from a previous live picture I acquired at one of their live gigs - and applied a 'Black + White' effect to it, as the picture itself in original colour, was far to contrasting in relation to the background and promos. The picture itself, I believe is a great addition to the look of the contents, it works effectively with the background image, and also doesn't contrast in relation to the promos.

At this stage of the creation of my contents page, I added the title. The layout of the title is in a two, three, three pose. Where the word is separated into smaller phases. I believe the graphic style  used in the title works incredibly with the magazine overall, especially in relation to the genre of music to which the magazine is based around. The colour scheme I decided to follow is the same as that on the front cover - a black word, with a small shaded blue outline. I followed the same text colouring scheme because from my research into various other magazines, I personally believe this is the most preferable way to advertise a magazine, getting the readers used to a colour scheme, so they know what to look for when identifying the magazine on the shelf when wanting to purchase a copy.

This is where I started to insert the smaller cover stories unto my contents page. The first of which '"WE FINALY DID IT", James's success.' Was an initial idea to which I decided to follow throughout the magazine, relating this to my double page spread article. The word finaly is spelt wrong, however for a reason, it is due a tattoo the lead singer has which is barely view-able on the pictures I have used. It relates to when the band started and how far they have come, this is all explained in the information on the double page spread. I decided to follow a similar colour scheme to the title, and I intended to follow this scheme throughout the contents page and the rest of the cover articles.




The second article line "CRY ME A RIVER - DUBSTEP'S FINEST' was used due to many people within my qualitative and quantitative research saying that they would buy a dubstep magazine, along with alternative rock (the genre of my magazine). I later added more cover stories, all of which following the same colour scheme. As you can notice, the colour scheme is also in relation to that of the title of the contents page, again linking back to the front cover.




At this stage of the creation of my contents page - I added another, small promo the right hand side, just sitting above the two I added at a previous stage. This was because the promo had a relation to one of the cover stories, and was therefore in constitution with the rest of the page. I also liked how the corners of the promo itself were not vivid, and therefore could not be considerably noticed by a viewer. The colours within the gig poster (promo) - were also very fitting, and complimented the rest of the page. I hence decided not to do what I did with the previous two gig posters, I added a different photo shop style to this promo - Poster Wrap - I believe this enhanced the picture, bringing out the colours, once again making it more complimenting to the rest of the page.

Final Edit Below.


This was the final stage in the creation of my contents page - where I added a couple of CD's in between the three posters in the bottom right corner of the page. I liked the contrast in colours to the rest of the page and therefore only darkened the edges of the CD's on photo shop before editing them in. I used an overlapping graphic scheme in-cooperating all three promos. I believe this was a great addition to the contents page - as the reader was then informed that CD's may be a promo within the magazine, or, indeed, that a cover story may be in relation to the CD's themselves. This is a style I intend to take unto my Double Page Spread. I later enhanced my contents page to full size (see front cover for dimensions and size comparison)

Flat Plan and Photo-Flat Plan of my Contents Page

All of this is under-layered by a blurred image, following the same graphic style to that of the front cover.

Making my Front Cover + Screenshots

This was the background image I decided to use for my Front Cover, much like many music magazines of this genre, the backgrounds to most pages are not simple. The term 'simple yet effective' - does not apply in this genre of magazine. This is due to colour being a major factor as to whether a person even looks at a magazine on the shelf. The background image I have used brings a vast range of diversity to my magazine, setting it aside from others on the shelf. The colour red, is often associated with many different emotions: hatred, love, passion etc. This can be linked to the genre of music my magazine is focused around. The graphic style on the image also gives a dark feel, with black almost oozing out of the page, and dripping down to the foot of the image, it gives a sense of disturbance, intriguing the reader.

This is a banner I decided to use on my front cover - it was the first thing I placed on the background. This was due to it obviously being in the upmost of foregrounds in relation to the rest of the front cover. It tells us, of the main cover story within the magazine, its contrast in colour to the background immediately grabs the attention of the reader and the blurred images behind the writing are an added feature. I created this image by taking vast amounts of small images when watching 'Death of an Artist' live at chords, and merging them, using lighter and darker effects on Photoshop to create the desired look. The text, however bland it may seem, is the text the band use as their logo - this is my reasoning behind not using a more vibrant text/colour. Its positioning is also vital, at a slight angle (around 80%) this puts it in contrast to the rest of the images and text I plan on using on the front cover, according to my draft - setting this particular cover story aside from the rest.

The title was the next addition to my front cover. Keeping the colour simple, I used a bold font named 'PUNK' from http://www.fontspace.com/category/emo - however I decided to expand on the font itself by implementing areas of dark red, and sharpening the corners. This was due to the front itself being slightly too bland, and possessing a strong enough presence within the cover. The slight variation on colour within the gaps in the title provide it with a stronger essence above the background. The title itself 'ORIGIN', was decided when I did a piece of research to construct the most popular title (research was done within peers at my school ageing from 17-20). The most popular by far with 100% of the votes was 'ORIGIN' - hence why I decided to use it for my published magazine. The pictures at the foot of the page provide a more indie effect to the cover - whilst still maintaining a Rock era with the images themselves (James - singer of the band, screaming. And a live photo of the band playing a gig). The images were individually enhanced using photoshop, where I added various effects such as darker and lighter shades whilst still maintaining a sharp image in itself. I also used photoshop to trim the edges of the picture, this gave them more ragged edges pulling the images from the background, also blending in with the banner pushing in from the left.

Here I added a small promotional offer, crossing the header of the page and also making its own small banner along the right hand side. The offer itself is of free T-shirts, bought with this magazine. Promotional offers are used to attract attention to a magazine, to get readers interested in the cover and make them want to read on to get a better insight as to what is inside the magazine. These offers attract a vast amount of attention to magazines in general - as people may buy various magazines regardless of its genre, due to offers it possesses setting it aside from other magazines on the shelf.

Here is where I added more pictures to the very foreground of the Front Cover. In the bottom left and bottom right of the page I added the images of hands, however these hands were taken from pictures I took at the same gig as the images used in the banner stretching in from the left. These hands give the page a more desirable need towards readers. The colouring used on the hands was tempered with to get the same effect to that on the images behind the 'Death of an Artist' banner. The images themselves are used in representation within this particular genre in the sense that people will want the magazine and the bands within it. People are holding their arms in the air screaming and shouting for the bands within the magazine, this interest shown from people in the crowds for these bands when playing at gigs; will promote the attention and publicity they aquire outside shows and especially in my magazine.

Here is where I added the main banner (header) to the Front Cover; it is in the same colour as the majority of the text within the cover itself and is also used as a promotional mechanism. It reads "MERCHANDISE FROM THIS WEEK'S HOTTEST BANDS.. ONLY IN ORIGIN' - Also, just underneath the banner reads "EDITION #007", this is used to make the magazine fit in with more magazines already established on the shelf. Issue numbers are located on vast amounts of magazines within this genre of music, including Kerrang! and Q. The header itself as I earlier stated is used as a promotional offer. The merchandise links with the image in the top-right-hand corner of the page. Linking areas of my front cover is one of its features which sets it aside from other magazines on the shelf. It keeps viewers interested as every section they read will lead them back to an earlier section, or a new section of the magazine.

This is where I added some more text to my front cover, similar to that in the masthead. It reads 'JAMES SPEAKS TO ORIGIN ABOUT THE NEW SINGLE!' "REPULSA", the name of the single 'Repulsa' - Is genuine and I asked the band about the up and coming single to get information for the double page spread of my magazine. I used a similar font to that in the masthead within this text, apart from the name of the song itself, where I used the genuine text used on the bands page. The colour scheme is kept white, this is because I am following a text colour scheme throughout my magazine cover as I feel it worked really well when creating my practice front cover.


This is the image I manipulated to use on my front cover, this is a screenshot of the image after I had manipulated it, I believe this is a great asset to my magazine as the images are manipulated specifically for reader attention, I feel they bring a sense of lighting and a variety in colour to the magazine also. Here is the image once I had placed it on my front cover (below left). I believe it brings a fantastic effect to the magazine. The range in colours in contrast to the black and white pictures along the footer is incredibly attractive for a viewer and this picture helps push my magazine out in comparison to others on the shelf. I believe the picture also gives viewers an idea as to what gigs are like in lower case bands. With this new addition my magazine has all the necessary requirements to be a very successful up and coming post hardcore magazine.

This is my final front cover stretched to the correct size of a national music magazine (standard magazine is 8" by 10", a magazine of this nature I decided to use 7.5" by 10"). Click to enlarge to the correct size!

Flat Plan + Photo-Flat Plan for my Front Cover

 As part of my research into my cover for my music magazine, i made a flat plan, and photo flat plan. Immediately above here is a flat plan; a flat plan is a publication as it is being produced. It shows where all articles and adverts/ promotional offers are laid out, and in what order. It allows complete control of the publication production, avoiding confusion. This flat plan i have made allows gives me a base in which i can work off when creating my front cover, it allows me to see where the pictures i have taken should be placed to get the best effect, and also where each feature would look best. For example the promotional offers would look good placed at the top; to the right, as this is where the reader is most likely to look when picking up a magazine, this immediately grabs their attention.

This is a photo plan i made for the front cover of my magazine; this allows me to see how my magazine would look with my photos in. (I need to get a main header, and also different fonts for the text). It gives me an insight as to what my magazine will look like when it is complete, and allows me to compensate for any mistakes and preview the magazine, allowing time for adjustments if they are needed. I especially like the background I have decided to use for the background for my front cover, after considering the look of the red background through this photo flat-plan, I can clearly see that it is too vibrant; hence drawing far too much attention away from other essential areas of the magazine, e.g. promotional offers and cover stories. Therefore I have decided to incorporate a black and red background, darking the colour significantly. I hope this will achieve its purpose in being less eye catching so the readers can concentrate on the main aspects of the magazine cover.

Recce Shots + Photos of Death of an Artist in Action + DOAA Info.

These are some Photo's i gathered from a live a gig of Death of an Artist (the band i am using for my magazine; 'ORIGIN') where they played a joiners gig in Bournemouth. I have used black and white/sepia effects in some of the photos. I did this as the lighting in the original photos meant they were not of great quality. This post is to give information on the antagonist idea to which my magazine revolves around, therefore there is a small part of information about Death of an Artist located at the bottom.

Guitarist/backing Singer Dan

Whole band - Side shot focus on Dan (guitarist/backing Vocals)

Lead Vocalist (James)

Focus Shot - Dan (guitarist/backing vocals)

Mid-Scream Lead Vocalist (James)

Whole Band Panoramic shot - Sound Check

Drummer Jamie

Side Shot of band in Action

Floor Shot - Sound check

Mark - Guitarist/Backing Vocalist

Floor Shot of band in action on stage

Front Shot of band in sound check

Information on the band!

Death of an Artist (Also known as DOAA) started writing melodic/post-hardcore music in April 2009. After gaining a bass player in August 2009 and a screamer in Jan 2010, the band has changed they’re sound from completely melodic post-hardcore, to a heavier, epic edge. Taking influences from underoath, saosin, emarosa, thrice, and alexisonfire, this band has used different styles into their music to create a heavy, yet melodic sound. Having everything from epic vocals, to heavy beat-downs.

After recording 2 tracks at Outhouse Studios, Reading in Feb 2010, Death of an Artist have shared the stage with Hopes Die Last, Hand to Hand, Lower than Atlantis, Deaf Havana, Cue to Eclipse, Proceed, Dividing the Line, Tasters Choice and more.

The band is planning to record more in the summer, and tour the UK. So be sure to watch out on the up and coming events these guys will get into!

This small section of information is to increase the reader's knowledge of the band, I may also include this information through my Double Page Spread; however through doing so I will also intend on getting more personal information, through the form of a questionnaire, about the band.