Media Evaluation: Interviews with my Target Audience

In the second part of my media evaluation I interviewed three people from my target audience, asking them what attracted them to my music magazine and what they liked about the way the magazine was presented, the images and contents of the magazine. I asked each of my interviewees to analyse a page  of my magazine, explaining to the camera what they liked about it.

Media Evaluation: Script

1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

My music magazine follows many of the codes and conventions of existing magazines as well as building on them. My style models were Q magazine and Mojo, with a few influences from NME.

Front Cover

Like many forms of print media and not just music magazines, the title of the magazine is positioned in the top left of the page, the area where the human eye is most likely to be drawn to first when the reader picks it up. The logo itself takes inspiration from Q and Mojo’s logos and sets out the red, white and black colour scheme that the rest of the magazine follows. Much of the rest of the text on the page is white in bold capitals or white in a red box. The black outline on some of the titles also helps it stand out against the orangey background. 

The layout of the text revolves around the positioning of the subject’s face in the photograph, rarely overlapping anywhere from the shoulders up, but unlike other modern music magazines the image is taken out on location from a one point perspective as opposed to in a studio, which I feel lends to the more indie feel of the magazine. The photograph itself is a close-up mid shot of a smug looking singer songwriter looking at the camera. It is important that the musician featured on the cover is looking into the camera, as this is a convention of real music magazines and you rarely see a front cover where the musician’s face isn’t clearly visible.

I’ve also made sure to include other important features of music magazines and their front covers, such as the barcode, the issue number with accompanying price tag and an eye catching sticker of some sort offering a chance to win free festival tickets.

Contents Page

My contents page has a boxed layout taking inspiration from Q and NME. Again, the logo is in the top left of the page in a black box, with the title of the page beside it. Like many modern magazines I make sure to include contact details, such as the magazine’s email address, Twitter account, etc, in the banner. The banner also includes the issue number and date in the top right.

The headers are white in red boxes and the page numbers, white in black boxes, in keeping with the magazines colour scheme. Many magazines often present their page numbers in a different colour to distinguish them from the text they are beside. Many often chose gold.

The text of the contents page is on the left of the page, with a collage of images on the right. Usually the positioning of these features varies from magazine to magazine, but as my style model for this page was Q, the text is positioned on the left and the photos on the right.

The photographs I took were taken to vary in style and colour. I applied photo filters in Photoshop where appropriate to achieve this intended effect. Usually Q only contains one photograph running along beside the text on it’s contents page featuring the musician promoted on the cover, but I decided to take inspiration from other music magazines and include a sort of photo collage, which I feel promotes the other artists more as well. I also wanted to ensure my photographs represented both genders, as to appeal to both genders.

At the bottom right side of the page in a rectangular black box is a subscription offer, as seen in NME as well as other publications. The big bold fonts and use of the logo are designed to draw attention to it and in the bottom left of the page is a note from the editor, which I’ve noticed lots of magazines do.

Double Page Spread

My double page spread takes inspiration from NME, Q AND Mojo. It is almost a combination of the three. You have your image based layout, as seen in issues of Mojo, the article on the right side with a large symbol behind the text, as seen in Q and a large bombastic title, usually with a quote from the musician featured in the article. The list goes on.

Like many double page spreads, there is a page dedicated almost entirely to an image of the musician whom the article or interview is about. I decided to make my image black and white, sort of in the style of Mojo magazine. The title is presented in a black banner, strewn across the centre of the page. It contains a subheading below the title, which goes into more depth about the artist in question. Like in other music magazines, the artists name is highlighted in bold.

The text in the article also varies, with the questions highlighted in bold and the answers in lower case. The first letter of the first paragraph is larger and the article in it’s entirety is spread over 3 columns. Again, following genre conventions. 

To add a little colour to the mix I inserted a large red triangle symbol behind the text of the article and made the first letter red. This is in keeping with the red white and black colour scheme.

2) How does your media product represent particular social group?

My media product represents the musical tastes of young, white, middle class Britons with an interest in alternative, Indie and Electronic music. This is reflected in my photographs, which depict young people in a variety of environments. 

There is little variety in the ages of the subjects in my photographs, with the majority of them fitting into the teenage demographic. However, I feel gender however is evenly represented throughout the magazine, as I depict both male and female artists in my photographs, though a male is featured on the cover. Music magazines usually have this even balance between the genders, with a few exceptions. Kerrang for example is aimed at the teenage boy demographic and so features predominantly male artists. My style models offer a more balanced depiction, though many of the artists featured on the front cover are usually male. I wouldn’t say my magazine depicts a wide variety of social classes or ethnicity’s in it’s photography, though the genre I’m aiming for depicts mainly white, middle class teenagers.

3) What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and why?

Bauer Media Group is a multinational media company headquartered in Germany which operates in 15 countries worldwide. It distributes an array of music media, including Kerrang, Mojo and Q magazine. It also owns a 50% stake in the British television company Box Television, which produces several popular music channels, such as 4Music, Smash Hits and Kerrang.

I’d imagine my music magazine could theoretically be picked up by Bauer Media Group, allowing it to be published not only nationally, but internationally, with air time for advertisements on channels run by Channel 4, which owns 50% of the company.

But as my magazine focuses more on the indie artists, I feel a wide international release and air time in the mainstream media would somewhat undermine it’s more indie roots. But Bauer has in the past shown it can distribute magazines to a more niche market with Mojo. Perhaps Bauer could do what they did with Mojo and promote it with its own independent radio station.

IPC Media, which distributes music magazines such as NME and Uncut in the UK, may also be an option if I were to aim for the mass market, though their 2001 takeover by the international media conglomerate Time Warner would further undermine the magazines indie roots.

4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

The target audience for my music magazine is young people in the 16-24 age bracket with an interest in the Alternative, Indie and Electronic music genres, regardless of gender, class, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Though I depict mainly white, middle class musicians in my actual magazine, I feel my magazine can be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in these genres of music, though I am aware the people who are not as represented, such as particular ethnic and social groups, are more likely to be turned off by it.

Specifically I’m looking to win over some of Mojo’s audience, who are often stereotyped as young, white, tech-savy, coffee drinking teenagers and twenty-somethings who are into more obscure, lesser known bands, whether it be because they actually like the music and want to hear something different or just want to appear trendy and cool. My magazine is designed to appeal to them without alienating more casual fans of the genres depicted.

5) How did you attract/address your audience?

Before deciding on the contents of my magazine I asked my target audience what genre of music they wanted my magazine to be about. I put out a questionnaire on my blog and linked to it via my Twitter and Facebook accounts. After about a week I gathered all the information I’d received and created this handy infographic to showcase my findings.

From my results I found that one of the most popular genres of music magazine was Alternative music. Electronic also scored fairly high and Indie sort of goes hand in hand with those two genres, so I decided to make my magazine an Alternative/Indie/Electronic music magazine.

To attract this target audience I featured musicians in my images, mainly form the alternative and electronic genres. You can tell this from their fashion choices and choices of instrument. There is also an air of quirkiness in the photographs which lends to the Indie genre.

I took into account feedback I received for my rough cut from my target audience to create an overall more polished final product. This includes changing the logo for the umpteenth time, making it more in-line with a magazine like Mojo or NME than the Q design I had before. I also varied my photography on the contents page in response to gripes that the photographs, particularly the top one, looked to similar to the photographs on the cover and double page spread. The text was also made larger on the double page spread after complaints it was too small.

The actual content of my magazine also panders to my target audience. The double page includes an interview with a fictional singer songwriter called Graham Kierkegaard, a pretentious, arrogant, ex-frontman who left his band to pursue a solo career, only to be battered by the critics. The character sort of a crude parody of Noel Gallagher, Damon Albarn, Thom Yorke and Morrissey. I found my target audience of young people are interested in musicians with lots of character, who are ‘innovative’ or have a gimmick and make lots of controversial statements, which is why I chose to feature Graham Kierkegaard on the front cover.

Overall I tried to attract my target audience by creating a magazine which sends the message that if you read it you’re better than everybody else. Which is sort of the vibe I get from magazines such as NME and Mojo.

6) What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this product?

Before starting this project I was already well acquainted to some Adobe software, such as Photoshop, Premier and Flash, but I had never used Indesign before, and this project has really helped in expanding my skills in that area of design. That’s not to say I haven’t expanded my knowledge of photoshop. During this project I have mastered tools in Photoshop I would have never thought to have used in the past, such as the healing brush and clone stamp, applying them to my photographs to enhance the images.

My skills in photography have also greatly improved. Using the school’s SLR cameras I’ve learned how to apply different apertures and shutter speed the get the clearest and most appropriate images for my magazine. I also learned how to frame my images and the importance of composition. For example, that the subject on a front cover needs to be depicted in a close up or midshot and maintain eye contact with the reader to fit with the conventions of music magazines.

Lighting was another important factor I learned about over the course of the project, such as the importance of ensuring light is illuminating the subject’s face and colors in the environment. I also learned to use Photoshop’s colour filters on images to bring out the fainter colours and create an overall more vivid and striking image.

Creating a blog was also a skill I developed over the course of the project, using the website Blogger to document my progress, post feedback and send out questionnaires to my target audience. On a more technical level, I learned how to save drafts for my blog posts and insert media such as images into my posts.  With the blog I learned the importance of meeting deadlines and writing about my work, taking into account audience and teacher feedback to improve the quality of my work.

7) Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

For my preliminary work I had to create a school magazine which fit with the codes and conventions of other school magazines in a small time period, with a strict deadline. During this time I got to grips with the basics of creating a music magazine, starting to use programs such as Indesign and starting to develop my skills in Photoshop. I learned how to layout a magazine in Indesign using graphics, components and photographs created in photoshop. I also learned how to frame a mid shot for the front cover of my magazine and position the text around it to create the layout and that the colour of the text around an image must contrast with the colours in the image, otherwise you’re left with a jumbled mess.

But perhaps most importantly, I learned of the importance of meeting deadlines, as I was cutting it fairly close with this project, and the importance of making sure my media product fits with the codes and conventions of actual media products, as I feel my final school magazine didn’t really follow any codes of conventions of any actual magazines and because of that the quality and my overall mark suffered.

Media Evaluation (Video)

I created my evaluation in Adobe Premier CS6 and it consists of a voice over punctuated by a slideshow of images, illustrating my points. It answers the seven questions I was set to answer in my evaluation. The points in my answers are reinforced by images in my video, with comparisons between my Rough Cut and Final Cut as well as images before and after being edited and inserted into my magazine. I also show examples of actual media products in my evaluation and compare them to mine.

Music Magazine: Final Cut Double Page Spread

DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

My double page spread has changed substantially since my rough cut, with the colour scheme changing completely from a brownish-orangey sepia tone to black and white. I stuck closer to the red, white and black colour scheme I had been following in the past few pages. One of the complaints I received was that the colours I used in my rough cut were bland, without any particular colour popping out. That is why, when I switched to a black and white backdrop I incorporated red into the text.

The background image has been resized so that it takes up both pages now. Therefore the title and subheading has been moved to the left side of the page and resized to take up more space.

I also moved the quote in the article to the middle of the page and resized it to add emphasis. The first capital letter of the first paragraph is also a different colour and there is a red triangle behind the text of the article. This adds to the colour palette of the article which otherwise would have just been a bland black and white colour.

Music Magazine: Final Cut Contents Page

CONTENTS PAGE

The main complaint about the rough cut of my contents page was that the layout wasn't tight enough, or detailed enough. To address this I added more photographs and more to my subheadings, as well as moving the position of the photographs from the left to the right and rearranging their layouts.

I also tried to include more black into the contents page, as it was noticeably absent from the rough cut. I created a black banner, allowing the white text to stand out and balancing the colour scheme, with roughly an even amount of each colour. I also took more photographs to fill up more room. There is more variety to the photos than there was in the rough cut, and this is partly due to the photo filters I added.

After tightening up the layout a bit I realised I had quite a bit of blank space at the bottom of the page. So I included a note from the editor, as well as a black box advertising the magazine's subscription service.

Music Magazine: Final Cut Front Cover

FRONT COVER

A recurring gripe with the front cover was that the layout of the photograph had too much empty space, with too much attention paid to the left of the page when the model was on the right. So I retook the photograph. The image that made it into the final cut is a close up of my model stroking his chin, wearing sunglasses. The image is centered and taken from a one point perspective. The majority of the text revolves around the face of the model as to not obstruct the reader's view.

Headers on the front page are presented in bold white block capitals with the subheadings in lower case but nevertheless bold(ish) white capitals. One of the complaints I received was that the white text didn't really stand out. Taking that into account, some of the text has a bold black outline around it. Also some of the subheadings are presented in red boxes so that the text pops out. I also included a circular graphic on the left of the page, which is designed to be eye catching to the reader. The word 'Free' is in large, bold capitals, as it is probably the most appealing of part of the text. The rest of the text is positioned around the word 'Free', but smaller as to not distract from it.

Music Magazine: FINAL CUT

Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

I created the final cut of my music magazine using Adobe Indesign and Photoshop CS6, by building on what was good about my rough cut, taking into account feedback from my teachers and my peers and adjusting the content accordingly.

One of the main things I changed was the logo, which people complained was too plain and square. So I tightened the shape and gave it a thick blacker border. This helps it stand out against different coloured backgrounds and represents the magazine's core colour scheme of red, white and black.

Music Magazine: Double Page Spread Article (FINAL DRAFT)

During the creation of my final music magazine I had to cut down my article in order to fit it on a single page. I also made changes to the language and corrected spelling and grammatical errors.

Graham Kierkegaard has made a splash in recent years as the frontman and lead guitarist of the critically acclaimed ‘Incognito.’ But after the group’s critically and commercially successful third album ‘Idiot-syncrasy,’  Graham decided to ditch his guitar for a Macbook  and pursue a solo career, producing electronic music in the vein of Autechre or Aphex Twin. Critics reacted to this first solo album with lukewarm reviews, describing it as ‘pretentious,’ ‘muddled’ and ‘idiotic.’ But Graham is here to set the record straight as he sits down with Maestro to discuss the album in depth.

Maestro: Your solo album obviously sounds very different from any of your past albums. How has working away from your group affected your songwriting style? 

Graham Kierkegaard: Working alone has really allowed me to flex my creative muscles, you know. To delve into the big wide world of electronic music and experiment with different computer programs and algorithms. I’ve got into sampling too, in fact one of the songs is 100% sample. Before we’d just sit in the studio with our electric guitars, fidgeting with the fret boards for hours on end like monkeys with parkinsons, and for what? Derivative sounding bullshit! And I’m above that. When I was with the group I was never allowed to experiment. The others just wanted to play it safe, and we just started churning out derivative shit after derivative shit. It was just too much, so I ditched. Now, with my solo work the music has layers and the lyrics, meaning.

Maestro: Some critics have been calling it ‘a political protest album 10 years out of date.’ What do you have to say about that?

Graham Kierkegaard: You’re wrong, basically. I agree I’m a little late to the party, but in my eyes the Iraq war is just as relevant now as it was 10 years ago, maybe even more relevant. The idea for a political protest album came to me when I caught this Channel 4 documentary about the aftermath of the war in Iraq, in a hotel room while I was touring the UK about two years ago. I was fuming. I hadn’t even heard about any war. Then I read into it and I just got madder and madder and decided to turn this new found energy into my new solo project.

Maestro: Do you miss your old group and how does it feel to know they have gone on without you to garner massive critical acclaim, while your solo work has, to put it lightly, been met with mixed reviews?

Graham Kierkegaard: I don’t think the initial reception is reflective of how future generations will view my work. This album was made to last throughout the generations and I think in a couple of years’ time this album will, and I don’t want to sound arrogant here, make many critics best of the decade lists. It’ll probably be played at a lot of people’s funerals as well in a few decade’s time, because this sort of music sticks with you, whether you like it or not. As for the others, they can have their Grammys. Nobody will remember them in twenty years’ time when they’re shooting heroin from dirty needles, wondering what the hell happened. I genuinely think they’ll split up some time in the next five years. One of them will probably kill themselves and you know what, I don’t think that would bother me too much. So to answer your question, do I miss them? No.

Maestro: The album is very long, twenty tracks clocking in at about five hours. Obviously you had a lot of ideas brewing when you were making it.  What other influences were there in making this album?

Graham Kierkegaard: A few years ago I would have said LSD, but I’ve recently turned to Buddhism and that’s really helped me concentrate on my art. I’m no longer distracted by material possessions and I feel like a more enlightened individual. As for the album clocking in at five hours, I feel that’s the ideal length for such a monumental record.

Maestro: The title of the album has caused quite a stir, ‘Backstreet Abortion.’  It doesn’t really have any relevance to the actual content of the record. What pushed you to choose this title?

Graham Kierkegaard: Actually I think you’re wrong. The title does have some relevance to the album. And here’s why. I knew in the production that because the music was so ahead of its time and radically different from the Mumford and bollocks you’re used to hearing on the radio nowadays, people would cast me out after the release. Sort of like how a human foetus is cast out and torn from the womb. They once embraced me but soon cast me out, 

into a jar. 

Then, in a few years’ time they regret writing me off and revisit my music. They soon realize they were wrong and kill themselves. 

That’s why I chose the title ‘Backstreet Abortion’ that and the fact it sounded funny and would annoy pro-lifers; giving youngsters the illusion the album is edgy and uncompromising without having to adjust the content. 

Maestro: Some of the song titles have also sparked controversy, with some critics suggesting this was intentional to boost sales. How do you respond to this?

Graham Kierkegaard: I would never try to generate controversy just for the sake of publicity. Trying to create controversy is the most boring thing you can do as an artist. As a normal person it can be quite amusing for a while, but in my eyes you’re off the artist’s role call if you only produce work for the sake of controversy. I came up with the song titles after I’d finished the album and showed it to the producers. They said they liked the album but told me to change some of the song titles so that they fit the album better. They didn’t order me to change the titles and generate as much controversy as possible, ‘your album is shit’ or ‘we need to shift 40,000 copies’. No, these were artistic decisions. And I don’t see what the deal is with the titles in the first place, just as long as the music is good. In my opinion ‘Savile’s playpen’ is a beautiful song and ‘Hitler did nothing wrong’ is a startling commentary on the importance of political protest against preemptive war. 

Maestro: Let’s talk about what many people describe as highlight of the album. The Electric Triangle. Explain to me how you came up with that.

Graham Kierkegaard: The Electric Triangle was something I had wanted to do for a while, but the guys would just take the piss every time I brought it up in the studio. But I eventually sat down with a team of sound engineers and asked them if it could be done. They said yes and within a matter of days we had a prototype. Then, after a few tweaks we’d finally cracked it and created an instrument as dynamic as any guitar or keyboard. What amazed me was the range of sounds the sound guys managed to get out of it. I tried to include it in some way on all of the songs throughout the album, with it sometimes replacing the drum machines all together, which some people said was distracting. And I’m the only musician doing this. I’m leading the way and hopefully artists will follow. I like to think of myself as a pioneer. See, there. There’s a quote for your magazine. Graham Kierkegaard: Pioneer of the Electric Triangle.

Graham Kierkegaard’s ‘Backstreet Abortion’ is Available on Vinyl and for Digital Download from Monday

New Logo Design Feedback

Feedback fro my new logo has been more positive than the last. I was praised for my use of colour and the fact that the colours present in the logo reflect the red, white and black colour scheme of the magazine. The rectangular shape of the new logo does mean I will have to rethink some of the layouts, particularly my front cover, which at the moment revolves around the shape of the logo being square. The photograph on the front cover is also relying on this layout, meaning I may run into problems and have to re shoot my photographs in a different composition. I'm thinking with the subject in the center, shot as a close up from a one point perspective. But that could be subject to change.

Contents Page Photographs: Final Draft

I took into account feedback I received from the photos I included in my rough cut and retook some of them to fit more with the genre of my magazine and the layout of my new contents page. I also varied the pictures' colour schemes, adding a black and white filter to one of the photographs to distinguish it from the sepia tones and vivid greens of the other images.

The composition of the images is also more varied, now depicting a longshot of a musician leaning against a wall in an underpass and a high angle of a musician playing their keyboard in a bath. This variation in shot distance adds to the range of different photographs.

Photograph Planning: Reshoot

Before re shooting my photographs for my final cut, I have planned out what they will consist of. Some of the photographs from my rough cut will make it into my final cut with a few modifications. For example: the image I used in the rough cut for my double page spread will make it into my final cut. But I plan on changing the colour scheme to black and white and zooming in on the subject.

Front Cover Photograph:

• Centered close up/mid shot
• One point perspective
• Subject in center frame
• Parka coat, bobble hat, Sunglasses
• Orangey colour scheme (Lights in underpass)
• Subject pulling arrogant pose (Stroking chin?)

Contents Page Photo 1:

• Longshot of subject leaning against wall
• Graffiti to the left of frame, subject on the right
• Subject with arms crossed, stern expression, strong posture
• Black and white colour filters, adjust levels where necessary
• Wearing parka coat, sunglasses, bobble hat

Contents Page Photo 2:

• High angle longshot of subject playing keyboard in bath
• Subject wearing casual clothes, hat perhaps
• Reflection in mirror of subject with keyboard on lap
• Subject sitting with legs stretching leftwards, looking in that direction
• Sepia tone colour scheme

New Logo Design (Again)

After receiving feedback from my Media teachers as well as fellow students I was made aware that a common gripe with my magazine was the logo. They said the logo was too plain, with too much blank space above the title, so for my Final draft I've changed the logo to include a black border and a rectangle shape, but including the same font and basic colour scheme as before. I will post feedback as soon as I get back after the Easter Holidays.

Music Magazine: Double Page Spread Article (Rough Cut)

The article in my Double Page Spread is presented in three columns which is a convention of Music Magazine articles, particularly interviews. The first letter of the first column is always larger than the rest, as it indicates for the reader where to start reading. The interviewer's questions are highlighted in bold, but their questions are short, allowing more room for the interviewee (the fictional musician I came up with: Graham Kierkegaard) to speak. In between two paragraphs there is a quote from the article which is particularly eye catching.

At the top of the page is the title, 'Pioneer Of The Electric Triangle' with a subheading underneath introducing the interviewee, whose name is highlighted in Capitals. The 'A' in the title is a triangle shape, similar to that on the front cover.

There is also a quote on the left side of the page in the bottom right from the musician pictured. The picture has a sort of sepia-like tint, in keeping with the colour scheme and genre of the magazine.

The page numbers in the bottom corners of the pages are in red boxes, but are small as to not take up too much room and the logo of the magazine is in the top left of the first page.

The article I wrote is designed to be satirical, making fun of the pretentious, egotistical singer-songwriters you read about in magazines such as NME, which the readers idolize despite the fact that much of what they say is meaningless. The statements of Graham Kierkegaard are deliberately contradictory and outlandish to Satirize these sorts of musician, who make these controversial remarks for publicity and to justify themselves as an artist.

Teacher Feedback:

• Colours in the photo
• Good layout
• Good image
• Change framing of photo (Too much blank space/attention to background)
• Enlarge font
• More colour in text
• Logo again

Music Magazine: Contents Page Rough Cut

I incorporated the magazine's logo in the top left of the page, with a large title to the right reading 'Contents.' The date of the issue is also in the top right of the page.

The contents page follows the same colour scheme as much of the rest of the magazine, being red, white and black. Black is usually used for the text, while red and white are used for the headers, as they compliment each other more. Page numbers are also presented in red boxes with a white font, to differentiate them from the accompanying text.

The photographs were taken on a Fujifilm Finepix HS20 EXR bridge camera and edited in Photoshop en enhance the image to fit with the colour scheme and come across as more striking.  

The background image links back to the front cover image and has a sort of orange tint, allowing the white background which all  the text is on to stand out.

Teacher Feedback:

• Good colour scheme
• Striking photography
• Good fonts and style
• Need to vary the shots
• Change the logo 
• More features
• Tighten layout
• Vary shot distance
• More page numbers
• Font is too small

Music Magazine: Front Cover Rough Cut

For my front cover I decided there should be a header at the top of the page with a tagline which would distinguish this magazine from it's competitors, hence the slogan  'The UK's No.1 Alternative/Indie/Electronic Music Magazine.'

After developing up to 5 designs for my logo I eventually settled on the design you see above, with the title of the magazine in lower case at the bottom of a dark red box. The placement of this logo on the page is similar across all three pages, in the top left of the page, where after analysis of other magazines, I concluded the human eye is most likely to start viewing the page from. 

The placement of the logo on this particular page is also important, as it is important that is does not obstruct the view of the artists in the photograph, which is why I framed the image accordingly and molded the text around it. The colours present in the image also take into account the colour scheme. I used Photoshop to exaggerate certain colours to compliment the colours of the colour scheme. For example, the walls of the underpass have a slightly greenish tint to them, which compliment the red present in the logo. I adjusted the levels to bring out the black in my subject's coat as well, so that it complimented the bold white text.

Information regarding the content of the magazine, i.e the titles, is presented in bold white capitals, as they stand out against the darker background. They also fit with the magazine's red, white and black colour scheme, a colour scheme which is prominent in many music magazines. The main title is the largest and boldest on the page. The words 'Electric Triangle' appear the largest and boldest to draw the reader's attention. The 'A' in the word 'Electric Triangle' is replaced with a symbol which is accomplished on a Mac by pressing the keys 'alt-j' which I cannot show you, as I am writing this on a school PC. The symbol is a triangle, which fits in with the title 'Exclusive Interview With The Pioneer of the Electric Triangle.'

The title also has a subheading describing the article more in depth, which is in a smaller, narrower font, so that the reader can distinguish when the title ends and the subheading begins.

At the bottom of the page are a selection of smaller titles with short subheadings designed to tease other features in the magazine. Beside them, a barcode.

Teacher Feedback:

• Good text style and font variations.
• Good image concept but there needs to be more going on in the background.
• Need to improve the barcode.
• Issue needs more features.
• Logo 'needs work.'
• No Issue number.
• More colour in the background.

Music Magazine: Rough cut

Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

I created my rough cut using a combination of Adobe products from CS6. Mainly Adobe Indesign to layout the text and images for the magazine and Photoshop to design some of the graphics you see on the page, such as the logo and headings, as well as edit the photographs I took, adding colour filters, adjusting the levels and generally defining the look of the image to fit more with the style and theme of the magazine.

Music Magazine: Rough Cut Photographs

Double Page Spread Photograph

The photograph I will use for the rough cut of my double page spread is a long shot of my subject sitting at a bench with a macbook, shot from a one point perspective. This image will take up the left side of the double page spread in my rough cut. I applied sepia filters to bring out some of the colours in the image. The colour palette of the photograph is supposed to fit with the red, white and black colour scheme of my rough cut when it is finished.

Contents Page Photograph 1

This photograph, which I took to feature on my contents page was taken to compliment the image taken for my front cover. It is taken form a similar angle, but with the subject situated in the middle of the frame as opposed to the right. I also added a sepia filter to the image to differentiate it from the front cover and add to the indie feel of the photograph.

Contents Page Photograph 2

This photograph which I took to feature on my contents page was taken to add a little variety to the colour palette of the images I will feature on my front cover. The colours are more vivid than the other  brownish coloured photographs featured on my contents page. I experimented with the depth of field in this photograph, using a wide aperture to blur out the background and bring the subject further towards the foreground.

Contents Page Photograph 3

This photograph which I took to feature on the contents page of my rough cut. In this photograph I experimented with lighting and shadows. I made sure to illuminate the face of the subject using a desk lamp in the bottom right of the frame. I adjusted the settings on my camera to reduce the noise and graininess of the photograph.

Front Cover Photograph

This photograph will feature on the front cover of my rough cut. It was taken in an underpass and is a midshot, shot from a one point perspective with the subject to the right of the screen, making eye contact with the camera. The colours were exaggerated in editing using Photoshop's colour filters, in order to fit the colours in the photograph with the colour scheme of the rest of the magazine, which will be red, white and black.

Photograph Planning: Rough Cut

Before taking the photographs for my rough cut, I have planned out what I wish to include in them as well as the camera angles and colour scheme.

Front Cover Photo:

• Midshot from a one point perspective
• Subject to the right of the frame to allow for text on the left
• Orangey background
• Subject wearing a parka coat, bobble hat and thick framed glasses
• Stern/serious expression on subject's face
• Upright posture
• Light both behind and in front of subject in tunnel

Contents Page Photo 1:

• Mid shot
• Subject centre frame
• Parka coat, bobble hat, Thick framed glasses
• Woodland backdrop
• Brownish colour palette, sepia filter etc...
• Stern/ Serious expression on face
• Use natural light, but with subject clearly illuminated

Contents Page Photo 2:

• Subject playing drums
• Midshot, low angle
• Slow shutter speed due to dark setting
• Light coming from bottom right of the frame, illuminating subjects face, casting shadow on wall behind them
• Punk rocker-like outfit (Glasses, Hat etc...)

Contents Page Photo 3:

• Close up of subject
• Subject left of frame
• Wide aperture for a shallow depth of field
• Blur background to make setting barely recognizable
• Natural sunlight illuminating subjects face
• Vivid natural colours

Double Page Spread Photo:

• Long shot
• One point perspective
• Subject to left of frame to allow for text on the right
• Brownish colour scheme, similar in style to contents photo 1
• Subject in same clothes as contenst page and front cover
• Subject sitting on bench with macbook, looking down

Double Page Spread Article Interview

The following article is what I have at the moment for my double page spread. The contents is subject to change and may very well be cut down or re-edited if called for. Please be aware that the interview and musician are entirely fictional and that the article is designed to have satirical undertones. Basically, don't take whatever is said too seriously...

'PIONEER OF THE ELECTRIC TRIANGLE'

Billing himself as the ‘Pioneer of the Electric Triangle’, Quebec’s newest musical prodigy and ex-frontman of the Grammy Award Winning ‘Incognito’ Graham Kierkegaard speaks with Maestro.

Graham Kierkegaard has made a splash in recent years as the frontman and lead guitarist of the critically acclaimed ‘Incognito.’ But after the group’s critically and commercially successful third album ‘Idiot-syncrasy,’  Graham decided to ditch his guitar for a Macbook  and pursue a solo career, producing electronic music in the vein of Autechre or Aphex Twin. Critics reacted to this first solo album with lukewarm reviews, describing it as ‘pretentious,’ ‘muddled’ and ‘idiotic.’ But Graham is here to set the record straight as he sits down with Maestro to discuss the album in depth.

Maestro: Your solo album obviously sounds very different from any of your past albums. How has working away from your group affected your songwriting style?

Graham Kierkegaard: Working alone has really allowed me to flex my creative muscles, you know. To delve into the big wide world of electronic music and experiment with different computer programs and algorithms. I’ve got into sampling too, in fact one of the songs is 100% sample. Before we’d just sit in the studio with our electric guitars, fidgeting with the fret boards for hours on end like monkeys with parkinsons, and for what? Derivative sounding bullshit! And I’m above that. When I was with the group I was never allowed to experiment. The others just wanted to play it safe, and we just started churning out derivative shit after derivative shit. It was just too much, so I ditched. Now, with my solo work the music has layers and the lyrics, meaning.

Maestro: You’ve stated before in interviews that you have a very unconventional way of coming up with your lyrics. Would you care to elaborate on that?

Graham Kierkegaard: Well, basically the way I come up with the lyrics is I cut out words from newspaper headlines and put them in a hat, and then I burn the hat and inhale the smoke until I pass out. Then, when I wake up in hospital I take the first letter from the name of nurse who is treating me and use that as a starting point for the song. Usually the rest just comes to me as I write. This method allows me to avoid cliché in my writing and create something truly innovative.

Maestro: Some critics have been calling it ‘a political protest album 10 years out of date.’ What do you have to say about that?

Graham Kierkegaard: You’re wrong, basically. I agree I’m a little late to the party, but in my eyes the Iraq war is just as relevant now as it was 10 years ago, maybe even more relevant. The idea for a political protest album came to me when I caught this Channel 4 documentary about the aftermath of the war in Iraq, in a hotel room while I was touring the UK about two years ago. I was fuming. I hadn’t even heard about any war. Then I read into it and I just got madder and madder and decided to turn this new found energy into my new solo project.

Maestro: Do you miss your old group and how does it feel to know they have gone on without you to garner massive critical acclaim, while your solo work has, to put it lightly, been met with mixed reviews?

Graham Kierkegaard: I don’t think the initial reception is reflective of how future generations will view my work. This album was made to last throughout the generations and I think in a couple of years’ time this album will, and I don’t want to sound arrogant here, make many critics best of the decade lists. It’ll probably be played at a lot of people’s funerals as well in a few decades time, because this sort of music sticks with you, whether you like it or not. As for the others, they can have their Grammys. Nobody will remember them in twenty years’ time when they’re shooting heroin from dirty needles, wondering what the hell happened. I genuinely think they’ll split up some time in the next five years. One of them will probably kill themselves and you know what, I don’t think that would bother me too much. So to answer your question, do I miss them? No.

Maestro: The album is very long, twenty tracks clocking in at about five hours. Obviously you had a lot of ideas brewing when you were making it.  What other influences were there in making this album?

Graham Kierkegaard: A few years ago I would have said LSD, but that is no longer the case. I’ve recently turned to Buddhism and that’s really helped me concentrate on my art. I’m no longer distracted by material possessions and I feel like a more enlightened individual. Musical influences? Probably Autechre, or Aphex Twin. I’ve been listening to a lot of Warp Records recently. Also a few Pink Floyd records and the Beatles. And The Smiths. And Brian Eno. Many would say it’s impossible to combine all of these musical styles, but I took to the challenge and managed to do it. As for the album clocking in at five hours, I feel that’s the ideal length for such a monumental record. I didn’t feel like cutting anything out and what you hear is raw and unedited.

Maestro: The title of the album has caused quite a stir, ‘Backstreet Abortion.’  It doesn’t really have any relevance to the actual content of the record. What pushed you to choose this title?

Graham Kierkegaard: Actually I think you’re wrong. The title does have some relevance to the album. And here’s why. I knew in the production that because the music was so ahead of its time and radically different from the Mumford and bollocks you’re used to hearing on the radio nowadays, people would cast me out after the release. Sort of like how a human foetus is cast out and torn from the womb. They once embraced me but soon cast me out, into a jar. Then, in a few years’ time they regret writing me off and revisit the music. They soon realize they were wrong and kill themselves. That’s why I chose the title ‘Backstreet Abortion’ that and the fact it sounded funny and would annoy pro-lifers; giving youngsters the illusion the album is edgy and uncompromising without having to adjust the content.

Maestro: Some of the song titles have also sparked controversy, with some critics suggesting this was intentional to boost sales. How do you respond to this?

Graham Kierkegaard: Controversy is good for sales, every artist knows that. But I would never try to generate controversy just for the sake of publicity. Trying to create controversy is the most boring thing you can do as an artist. As a normal person it can be quite amusing for a while, but in my eyes you’re off the artist’s role call if you only produce work for the sake of controversy. I came up with the song titles after I’d finished the album and showed it to the producers. They said they liked the album but told me to change some of the song titles so that they fit the album better. They didn’t order me to change the titles and generate as much controversy as possible, ‘your album is shit’ or ‘we need to shift 40,000 copies’. No, these were artistic decisions. And I don’t see what the deal is with the titles in the first place, just as long as the music is good. In my opinion ‘Savile’s playpen’ is a beautiful song and ‘Hitler did nothing wrong’ is a startling commentary on the importance of political protest against preemptive war.

Maestro: Let’s talk about what many people describe as highlight of the album. The Electric Triangle. Explain to me how you came up with that.

Graham Kierkegaard: The Electric Triangle was something I had wanted to do for a while, but the guys would just take the piss every time I brought it up in the studio. But I eventually sat down with a team of sound engineers and asked them if it could be done. They said yes and within a matter of days we had a prototype. Then, after a few tweaks we’d finally cracked it and created an instrument as dynamic as any guitar or keyboard. What amazed me was the range of sounds the sound guys managed to get out of it. I tried to include it in some way on all of the songs throughout the album, with it sometimes replacing the drum machines all together, which some people said was distracting. And I’m the only musician doing this. I’m leading the way and hopefully artists will follow. I like to think of myself as a pioneer. See, there. There’s a quote for your magazine. Graham Kierkegaard: Pioneer of the Electric Triangle.

Graham Kierkegaard’s ‘Backstreet Abortion’ is out Monday

Audience Research: Infographic

I have charted the findings from my audience research questionnaire and put them into this helpful infographic which I created in Photoshop. 

I found that the majority of my target audience admit to buying music magazines only 'sometimes' and that the most popular genres of magazine were Rock, Alternative and Electronic, followed by Indie and then Rap/Hip-hop.

The most popular music magazines were NME and Mojo, who shared the joint first position, followed by Kerrang and finally Q. Most people in my target audience said they bought music magazines roughly once a month or once a fortnight and expected to pay a modest £2.50 for their magazine.

Early drafts of front cover and contents page

Contents Page

Front Cover

Here are some more developed early drafts of my front cover and contents pages. With more titles on the cover and the new updated logos. The cover photo is still not the final photograph which I intend to use. The typography and graphics should follow a basic red, white and black colour scheme, not including the photographs. The contents page will also feature photographs along the left hand side of the page and the table of contents on the right. This is because the human eye reads from left to right and the design of my contents page will be more image dominated when finished.

Maestro Logos: Feedback

Having received some negative feedback regarding the logo for the front cover of my music magazine I have made a few alterations based on teacher feedback. They said that the second draft of my logo did not fit the typography of the rest of the front cover and appeared to be 'too retro' not fitting with the modern style I was aiming for. In response I drew up a couple of new designs.

Design 3

Design 4

Design 5 (Current design)

After testing the logos out against the background and the colour scheme of the front cover I concluded that Design 5 looked the most modern and fit the rest of the magazine well. It was partially inspired by the logo for Q magazine with the red box around it. I have also included the logo in the first drafts of my contents page and my front cover and I am hoping to include it in other places as well.

Audience research: Questionnaire now online

You can go click on this link right here, just to the left of this text that you are reading right now and fill in my Questionnaire. Lucky you.

I will also be sharing the link on Facebook and Twitter to try and get more people involved and a stronger set of data.

Front cover test

This is a rough copy of my front cover. I haven't gathered images for my front cover yet, so I borrowed an image of a field off the internet, just to get a feel for the layout and the colour scheme. The image of the field is an inspiration for my image in terms of colour and setting, but for my image I'm hoping to include a person featured in my magazine.

It was also a good time to test the logo against a background image and I'm happy to say it fits the magazine very well. The colour of the text also fits very well, so I am happy with how this very early draft has turned out. I plan on creating similar drafts for my contents page and double page spread.

Audience Research: Name and logo for magazine

I have recently been testing potential names for my music magazine with young people in my target audience. I came up with a few names which I thought fit well with my desired genre of magazine. Some of the names I came up with include...

• Treble
• Adagio
• Maestro
• Prelude
• Reprise

Out of these 5 names, 'Maestro' came out first in order of preference, with 'Reprise' a close second. After gathering feedback I quickly pumped out a logo in Photoshop which I intended to use somewhere on the magazine. Perhaps on the front cover.

The response to this design however was mixed at best, with the target audience praising the complimentary colour scheme but commenting on the style of text and the lines around the main text, comparing it to that of a coffee outlet or a cheap Italian restaurant.  Quickly I responded to their criticism with an improved version of the logo, which ditches the green lines and chances the tone of red in the text.

Response to this design was more positive, with the target audience praising the overlapping letters, vivid red colour, italic font and bold drop shadow which helps the text stand out against almost any background. So hopefully this design will make it onto the final magazine, but I will keep  listening to feedback and tweak accordingly.

Audience Research: Magazine Questionnaire

For the audience research for my music magazine I've created a questionnaire, which I will use to help establish what genre of magazine I should use for my own music magazine. Currently, I'm thinking of producing a magazine aimed at young people interested in Indie/Alternative/Electronic music, but I want to hear from my audience first to see what they think. The aim is to establish what genre of magazine young people are more likely to buy, how much they expect to pay and what motivates them to purchase such magazines. (Questionnaire below)

Do you read music magazines?

·         Yes

·         No

·         Sometimes

If so, what music magazines do you read?

·         NME

·         Q

·         Kerrang

·         Mojo

·         Other

What genre of music magazine do you read?

·         Indie

·         Rock

·         Alternative

·         Folk/Country

·         Electronic

·         Rap/Hip-hop

·         Other

How often do you purchase a music magazine?

·         Once a week or more

·         Once a fortnight

·         Once a month

·         Once every few months

·         Never

How much would you expect to pay for a Music Magazine?

·         £1 or less

·         £1.50

·         £2.00

·         £2.50

·         £3.00

·         £3.50 or more

What motivates you to buy a particular music magazine?

·         The artist featured on the cover

·         The genre of magazine

·         The articles and stories featured

·         The attractiveness of the cover and colour scheme

·         Other

Are you more likely to read a magazine with a blocky layout or an image based layout?

·         Blocky

·         Image based

I will ask up to 20 people in the 16-20 age group to fill in this Questionnaire and tweak my magazine's contents in accordance to their preferences. I will also show them several designs for logos and plans for front pages and articles to see how they feel about the content.