Front Cover Analysis

From analysing this magazine front cover, I have learnt the forms and conventions used to attract and address the target audience. I have made the following conclusions:

• Photography- eye contact engages the audience and costume also has an effect on the message given to the audience- In this magazine front cover the band who are the main image are wearing black leather which gives them a harsh, intimidating, edgy look. The image is also clearly a layer above most other features, making it more 3D and noticeable. When I make my magazine, I will ensure that the main image stands out because they are the most important. this magazine has also given them a border to illuminate them further.
• Masthead- the red box surrounding 'classic' is red, which is bright, colourful and eye catching. the white of the text contrasts with the red background, making it stand out even more. When I make my magazine I must ensure that the masthead stands out because it is what people need to remember if they want to buy the magazine again. It also gives the magazine a brand identity, which should be unique and authentic.
• Colour scheme and font- the colour scheme is consistent throughout, it is red blue and white which makes it easier for the reader to focus on the page. The font is large, wide and easy to read, making it accessible to the audience. When I make my magazine, the font and typography must be clear and legible.

Summary

Summary explaining what I have found out about the genre what sub genre/angle I will take based on the research I have done and whether there a particular gap in the market that I will plan to fill:

While doing my research, I have learnt the importance of having a clear genre. Having a genre helps to make the target audience more specific. For example, a classical magazine would have the target audience of older adults, as this appeals to them, whereas a rock magazine may appeal to those over 16 only as it is harsh and aggressive. The style/connotations of the genre help the audience to distinguish what the magazine is. A heavy metal may use specific colours, such black and grey.

Iconography is another topic that I looked at within my research. Making a mind map of the iconography of different genres shows me the associations/connotations/symbols given to specific genres. An example of this is the tongue icon given to the rolling stones. If in my magazine I wanted to evoke a rock theme, I might use specific images which are striking/edgy.

 During my research, I have found lots of information about the pop genre. Firstly, I looked at the differences between pop magazines in the pop and niche market. The differences were with regards to look/style, content, and audience/purpose. All of these things resulted in different circulations. Magazines of the pop genre are always mass magazines- this is because pop is widespread and enjoyed by many- it isn't niche (smaller, but specific). This shows me that my pop magazine must appeal to the mass market. A good way of me doing this is to make my magazines content as broad as possible- I could include sub genres, such as pop-rock, country pop and indie pop. This appeals therefore not just to the pop market, but also to the indie and country fans. Making the magazine less specific helps to widen my target audience, allowing for more people to engage with my magazine. A good way of doing this, especially with the front cover is to have the main image of a very relevant pop star, for example Taylor Swift, but have smaller images of The Fray, The script, etc who are pop-rock.

From my earlier research, I am aware that there are many different pop magazines. These include Q, Blender, Billboard and Classic Pop. Many of these appeal to young people/adults. There are less magazines for young people. In the UK there is only a few including Top Of The Pops and we <3 pop. I think that this is a gap in the market, and maybe an angle which I would like to take.  I would like to give an innovative approach to a magazine for young people. If I chose this as a target audience, I would also ensure to change the layout. Most children's magazine covers are very busy, which is quite visually confusing. I would give it a sophisticated approach while tailoring the content to meet the needs of young people.

Another idea which I could consider (if I chose a young target audience) is that while Top Of The Pops (which is aimed at kids) gives relevant information about the lives of celebrities, it does not inform or educate young people about the music industry itself. For people who only want to indulge in the extravagant lives of celebrities, this is satisfying. For other kids, who actually want to learn about how music is produced, it is not. I  think this is a big gap in the magazine industry which I might be able to fill. While focusing on pop stars, I could have a small feature on the production of music videos, or even behind the scenes. A feature article could be something such as 'Vevo producer talks about the video behind Taylor's new hit 'Wildest Dreams''. I could maybe even do an insight into how new talent has been scouted, to appeal to young aspiring musicians. This way, the magazine may even appeal to music departments in schools.

Pop Magazine Wordle

In this task, I was asked to research into the names of, magazines in order to give me ideas for my own magazine. I looked into the names of pop genre magazines, as this is what I will be doing. It gave me ideas of names I could use and how they represent the content magazine- for example, a 'Billboard' is a way of showing an idea. I used Wordle for this task. This is because it is a great way of showing common words used for magazine names. The more common words are shown big. The word 'pop' is huge, because many of the magazines have the word pop in their name. Wordle is also a creative way of showing my research findings- it's colourful and formatted neatly.

What have I found from my research?

From my research, I have collected the following findings:

• Meaning of Magazine names- from my research I now know the reason that most pop magazines use the word 'pop' in their name. They do it to literally convey what genre the magazine aims its content at. This makes it easier for the target audience if they set out to buy a pop magazine, as it stands out from other music magazines which have sub- genres. There is no confusion over whether it is just a general music magazine, it's genre is clear. The names are very representative of the sub genres as well. We get the impression that mixmag features not just pop music but also dance/DJ music as it sounds like a mix/mashup of music- demonstated by DJS. Classic Pop suggests more classical pop music, and it maybe focuses on some older music/artists throughout the decades.
• Sound- some of the words actually sound like music. For example, Vibe magazine. This musical sound adds to the effect of the magazine as a whole. The names 'Express' and 'weekly' in magazine names make the audience think of a newspaper, which possibly connotes a more news-based approach to a magazine. Perhaps it is more factual and informative than gossipy.
• Length- many of the names are short. This is to put emphasis on them, and to make it flow easily. For example, Paste, Vibe and Spin are all one syllable. It's easy to say, and its catchy. However, the magazines targeted at you kids are longer, such as Top Of The Pops and We <3 Pop. This is done as for young children, it is harder to distinguish genre. Longer names act as a basic explanation for kids who are trying to choose a magazine.

How will this help me with my magazine?

For my magazine, if i want to target my magazine at young children, I might use the word pop in the name, to create a literal explanation of the genre. To create a musical/auditory effect. I could use words such as 'smash', 'bang', 'boom' etc. These words instantly create a musical image in the readers mind. I will use a short name, to make it catchy and make it flow.

Genre Mood Board Video

Explanation
I created this video to try and show different aspects of pop genre. I wanted to show the artists, the fans, the logos and locations. The format was a video mood board. It was very visual, and allowed me to categorise the different aspects. I was able to use special effects to show where each category started. I used final Cut Pro to create this video, as it was the most appropriate software. I wanted to visually show the pop conventions.

For example, I was able to see the similarities between the appearance of pop artists. Many are very striking- coloured hair is a big future as well as harsh, bold make up. Their clothing of women artists was often minimum or provocative. This is helpful to me, as my model for my front cover will need to be dressed appropriately to fit the genre. The male artists generally had piercings and wore heavy jewellery and sunglasses or hats. The fans were often pictured taken selfies, which is something I could possibly show- for example a competition to get the best celebrity selfie. The locations, generally arenas or stadiums were very extravagant and busy, and used bright lights and colours. In terms of logos, they were either hand written (to give an authentic look) or used images (for example the rolling stones). I also now know more about the genre than I did before.
better under genre.

I am now more aware of iconography as I have seen it from a  more practical point of view. Making the video required me to think about logos and pop associations. I also had tot think about key people in the pop industry, as I had to research current artists. The popular artists are the ones which have the most news/gossip/rumours associated with them. This is appeals to the target audience and is something I should think about with my magazine- the more relevant the artist, the more appeal there is to the target audience. However, I may also want to think about key people who aren't necessarily as obvious- this enables me to compete with other magazines (if my content is the same as say Billboards, it makes it harder whereas if mine is more distinct and individual, it stands out).

Emaze

The reason I have created this emaze is to state and look into my chosen genre, which is pop. I researched into its history and development, look at some of the key artists and current magazines. I have also chosen to look at fans of this genre, and what how I must consider their needs when creating my magazine. I have researched into the history and development to get an understanding of its origins and how it has developed over time, due to technology and evolution of the music itself. My reason for looking at artists of the genres is to establish how they made it into the industry and what makes them unique. I did this to get good ideas for the front covers- the feature labels and subtitles. Finding out what magazines are already out there helped me for two reasons. Firstly, I am now aware of the content, style and focus of a pop music magazine, and secondly I am aware of what shouldn't already be copied.

powtoon

The reason I did this PowToon to look at the differences between mass and niche magazine. I wanted to see the conventions used by both, how they compared and what was different. To do this, I looked at style, content, audience and circulation. For my mass magazine, I chose billboard as it is read widely by Americans and is considered one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. As my niche magazine, I chose Rock Sound magazine. Because it is rock genre, it seems appropriate for my niche research. In terms of look/style I have learnt that although the images used are striking, they have a very different tone- Rock Sound's reflects the dark, aggressive genre of the music, whereas Billboard's. The images used are more serious compared to Billboards- the artists look very distinct and unconventional. I have also learnt that in terms of advertising, the clothes that Rock Sound are advertising are very distinct and unique, whereas Billboard's fashion feature is more mainstream and conventional. There is a clear difference between the circulations in both. However, I am not surprised that more people read Billboard, because it appeals to a wider audience. Rock Sound's audience is much more specific- Rock is not broad like pop. This research helped to show me what conventions I would need to conform with in order to fit the mass/niche magazine genres.

Iconography mindmap