This is my final Iceflake article. It works better than the pevious draft as It looks considerably busier and more in the style of teh magazine.Thursday 5 March 2009
Final Iceflake article
This is my final Iceflake article. It works better than the pevious draft as It looks considerably busier and more in the style of teh magazine.
Final Contents Page
This is my final Contents page. Like my front cover i also completely recreated the stye of the page as I felt the colourscheme and layout didnt work. I definately prefer this page from my previous contents page.Final Front Cover
This is my final Front cover, I have followed and changed the errors that were previously made. I am pleased with the outcome as I worked hard to change the image of the magazine fomr the first ever draft I created.
Manipulating My Contents page
These are again the step by step instructions for how I developed my contents page using photoshop.
Manipulating Front cover
These are the step by step instructions for how I created my Front cover on photoshop.
Improvement scans fro Contents pages
These scans were again used for use of improvemnts for my final outomes, the post it notes helped to identify the changes that needed to be made to make it look its best.
Improvement scans Front covers
These scans are from my drafts that I stuck notes on. I used post it notes to make it easier for me to identify the errors and edits that I would need to make. Some of the notes are more obvious changes that need to be changed, whereas some are a small as getting rid of a blur. But it helped to remind me of what imperfections needed changing.
Contents Page research
Comparison of contrasting Contents pages
The two contents pages I will be comparing are the contents pages from NME and XXL ; these are two opposite genres of music and i thought they would be appropriate for my research.
NME Contents
The style of the contents pages are extremely organized: there are headings for the different sections and a neat and easy to read index along the left side of the page. The main picture to illustrate the page is linked to an article inside the magazine; underneath this picture is a large bold title of what this particular article is about and a brief summary of it to get the reader interested. There are also other coloured text boxes holding page numbers for extra content such as: ‘The UK’s No1 Gig Guide Starts p58’ which attract the readers eye. There is a large black text box at the bottom of the page advertising a subscription to the magazine with bright bold text and a bold ‘save 33%’. This is on the contents page as the magazine is trying to get as many buyers as possible and showing a discount would appeal to them. Furthermore there are little symbols next to some of the contents titles saying ‘On the cover’ which is a quick way for the audience to pin point the article they are interested in reading. The heading of the contents page is bold and simple’ THIS WEEK’ it stands out the most and is clearly a contents page because of it looking like a smart and organized list. Next to this there is the masthead of the magazine to add a bright layout and matching theme to the magazine.
XXL Contents
Unlike NME, XXL’s contents page is a lot more laid back. The colour scheme is black and white and there is a considerable lesser amount of writing. This is because it is focusing more on the looks of the contents page rather than the information it is giving, it is very stylised and uses a provocative image to get the readers attention for the main story featured. The main picture dominates the page; it relates to the main cover story and is the main feature of the magazine. There are only 4 pages mentioned in the contents, these are obviously hand selected as the main important ones, they have skipped most pages to keep the page looking important and as far away from looking like a contents page as possible. At first glance I thought this page was an advert as the colours didn’t stand out and there were no long lists of pages; it was mainly a picture. There is also the masthead of the magazine missing; this keeps the page looking separate from the magazine just like an advert. This may have been done on purpose to give the page a ‘designer’ look and the title of the page ‘Top Billin’’ could mean the top rated content in the magazine this month and this then has the word ‘features’ in faint barely readable writing underneath. The only similarity I can find is that there is a main picture with a cover story underneath it, this is usually a main story that the readers will be eager to get too. I can see what the magazine has tried to do with this contents page; however I feel that it needs to stand out more so as to catch the reader’s attention. Under each contents page list there is a description of what these pages are about so that the reader can skip the other pages and get to the interesting stories.
The two contents pages I will be comparing are the contents pages from NME and XXL ; these are two opposite genres of music and i thought they would be appropriate for my research.
NME Contents
The style of the contents pages are extremely organized: there are headings for the different sections and a neat and easy to read index along the left side of the page. The main picture to illustrate the page is linked to an article inside the magazine; underneath this picture is a large bold title of what this particular article is about and a brief summary of it to get the reader interested. There are also other coloured text boxes holding page numbers for extra content such as: ‘The UK’s No1 Gig Guide Starts p58’ which attract the readers eye. There is a large black text box at the bottom of the page advertising a subscription to the magazine with bright bold text and a bold ‘save 33%’. This is on the contents page as the magazine is trying to get as many buyers as possible and showing a discount would appeal to them. Furthermore there are little symbols next to some of the contents titles saying ‘On the cover’ which is a quick way for the audience to pin point the article they are interested in reading. The heading of the contents page is bold and simple’ THIS WEEK’ it stands out the most and is clearly a contents page because of it looking like a smart and organized list. Next to this there is the masthead of the magazine to add a bright layout and matching theme to the magazine.
XXL Contents
Unlike NME, XXL’s contents page is a lot more laid back. The colour scheme is black and white and there is a considerable lesser amount of writing. This is because it is focusing more on the looks of the contents page rather than the information it is giving, it is very stylised and uses a provocative image to get the readers attention for the main story featured. The main picture dominates the page; it relates to the main cover story and is the main feature of the magazine. There are only 4 pages mentioned in the contents, these are obviously hand selected as the main important ones, they have skipped most pages to keep the page looking important and as far away from looking like a contents page as possible. At first glance I thought this page was an advert as the colours didn’t stand out and there were no long lists of pages; it was mainly a picture. There is also the masthead of the magazine missing; this keeps the page looking separate from the magazine just like an advert. This may have been done on purpose to give the page a ‘designer’ look and the title of the page ‘Top Billin’’ could mean the top rated content in the magazine this month and this then has the word ‘features’ in faint barely readable writing underneath. The only similarity I can find is that there is a main picture with a cover story underneath it, this is usually a main story that the readers will be eager to get too. I can see what the magazine has tried to do with this contents page; however I feel that it needs to stand out more so as to catch the reader’s attention. Under each contents page list there is a description of what these pages are about so that the reader can skip the other pages and get to the interesting stories.
Advert Research
Comparison of adverts in XXL and NME
I will compare two adverts from NME and XXL magazine to see the comparison of what the magazines are trying to sell their readers and how these appeal to each target audience.
NME – Kaiser Chiefs single/Zavvie
These adverts are purely music advertisements; they are both styled onto half of a single page and they are trying to get the reader to but the music. The Kaiser Chiefs are trying to sell their new single: ‘Never Miss a beat’ and Zavvie is trying to sell the brand new albums on offer and giving examples which are picked for the magazines target audience to have maximum appeal: ‘Travis’ and ‘R Ra Riot’. These are bands that may capture the audience’s attention. These adverts show that this magazine’s main concern is music, the majority of all the adverts are for new albums and gigs and this advert is a prime example. The fact that the page is split in half shows the wide diversity of music adverts that the magazine wants to display; there is no particular focus on one area of music, the magazine wants to display as much of a variety of music adverts as possible.
XXL – Jewellery/watches (ItsHot.com)
This advert is displaying gold necklaces, rings, earrings and watches covered in expensive diamonds; in other words. I found this strange at first for a music magazine, however I realised that unlike NME, XXL’s music is all about image. Depending on the genre of music the magazine is containing, all of the adverts will appeal to the audience and in XXL’s case most of the adverts are about fashion and looking good. This comes before the music which shows just how cultural this music genre is (RnB/Hip hop) the adverts will display items which the audience may see their favourite stars wearing and so they will want to be like them as they aspire to them.
The colour scheme is very dark and masculine and contrasts with the main images (products) making them stand out and shout at you. This is the opposite from the NME advert which is more subtle and doesn’t highlight the products with contrasting colours. In XXL it is trying to grab the target audience’s attention by using bold images that shout whereas NME relies on the reader’s interest in bands to spot the adverts.
I will compare two adverts from NME and XXL magazine to see the comparison of what the magazines are trying to sell their readers and how these appeal to each target audience.
NME – Kaiser Chiefs single/Zavvie
These adverts are purely music advertisements; they are both styled onto half of a single page and they are trying to get the reader to but the music. The Kaiser Chiefs are trying to sell their new single: ‘Never Miss a beat’ and Zavvie is trying to sell the brand new albums on offer and giving examples which are picked for the magazines target audience to have maximum appeal: ‘Travis’ and ‘R Ra Riot’. These are bands that may capture the audience’s attention. These adverts show that this magazine’s main concern is music, the majority of all the adverts are for new albums and gigs and this advert is a prime example. The fact that the page is split in half shows the wide diversity of music adverts that the magazine wants to display; there is no particular focus on one area of music, the magazine wants to display as much of a variety of music adverts as possible.
XXL – Jewellery/watches (ItsHot.com)
This advert is displaying gold necklaces, rings, earrings and watches covered in expensive diamonds; in other words. I found this strange at first for a music magazine, however I realised that unlike NME, XXL’s music is all about image. Depending on the genre of music the magazine is containing, all of the adverts will appeal to the audience and in XXL’s case most of the adverts are about fashion and looking good. This comes before the music which shows just how cultural this music genre is (RnB/Hip hop) the adverts will display items which the audience may see their favourite stars wearing and so they will want to be like them as they aspire to them.
The colour scheme is very dark and masculine and contrasts with the main images (products) making them stand out and shout at you. This is the opposite from the NME advert which is more subtle and doesn’t highlight the products with contrasting colours. In XXL it is trying to grab the target audience’s attention by using bold images that shout whereas NME relies on the reader’s interest in bands to spot the adverts.
My Questionnaire
Questionnaire- Target Audience for my magazine
- Are you… (Please tick)
Male___________ Female____________
-Are you..?(Please tick)
13-16_______
17-20_______
21+_________
-Would you like to see more RnB magazines on sale in the UK?
Yes_____________
No______________ (if No Why?) ____________________________
-Would you be interested in finding out the latest news and gossip about RnB stars?
Yes____________
No_____________
-Have you noticed a considerable gap in the market for RnB magazines?
Yes_____________
No_____________
- Would you be interested in content such as interviews, reviews and new releases in music?
Yes_____________
No_____________
Other (please specify) _____________________________________________
- What price would you be willing to pay for a monthly RnB magazine? (Please tick)
£2.00/£2.50_________
£2.75/£3.25 __________
What cover design appeals to you most? (Please tick
) 
- Are you… (Please tick)
Male___________ Female____________
-Are you..?(Please tick)
13-16_______
17-20_______
21+_________
-Would you like to see more RnB magazines on sale in the UK?
Yes_____________
No______________ (if No Why?) ____________________________
-Would you be interested in finding out the latest news and gossip about RnB stars?
Yes____________
No_____________
-Have you noticed a considerable gap in the market for RnB magazines?
Yes_____________
No_____________
- Would you be interested in content such as interviews, reviews and new releases in music?
Yes_____________
No_____________
Other (please specify) _____________________________________________
- What price would you be willing to pay for a monthly RnB magazine? (Please tick)
£2.00/£2.50_________
£2.75/£3.25 __________
What cover design appeals to you most? (Please tick
) 
QUESTIONNAIRE ANALYSIS
Monday 2 March 2009
Cover Analysis 3
Magazine Analysis ‘Vibe magazine’
Title
The magazine is called Vibe because it could relate to the ‘music’ vibes, vibes are instinctive feelings that person gets from a situation, it is also the slang word for vibration, so it could be making a connection with the vibrations from music or saying that the magazine gives you a good feeling because usually you would connect vibes with positive feelings more than negative ones.
Publisher
The founder of Vibe magazine is Quincy Jones which is funded by Time Inc. The publisher is Len Burnett. The magazine is published monthly and has a website: www.vibe.com which readers and the general public can enter and read daily news and gossip in the RnB world and watch video clips on the latest artists ect.
Target Audience
I believe the target audience for this magazine is older teenagers to young adults, perhaps 17-22 and I definitely feel this magazine is aimed towards a male audience because of the artists featured and the style/ layout of the whole magazine; the colours are dark, blacks and blues fill the page and it looks stormy on the front cover, perhaps relating to power. The main images are of strong powerful men that a male audience could aspire to, or a provocative posing woman that men would appreciate looking at and reading about, e.g. ‘Rihanna, go getta’ the slang sentence appeals to an older male audience. A younger audience would not appreciate any of the above things and also may not be interested in the in depth articles featured; they would be looking for something more concise and simple. Also women would not like the cover picture as 50 cent is looking into the camera in a confrontational way, almost threatening and this would put them off.
The style/ Presentation of the magazine
I noticed that the presentation of the magazine is very expensive similar to other RnB music magazines in the way that it uses bold striking letters looking; it looks glossy and relates to the RnB style of ‘bling’ and expensive style. It is quite similar to other RnB magazines in the way that is uses bold text and confident looking main models. Also the colours are quite masculine; it has a similar layout to Complex magazine which uses these conventions.
Addressing the reader
It addresses its reader in a confrontational manner, a bit like the genre of music; i.e. it’s in your face and shouts at you. 50 Cent’s image is confrontational; which is how some people feel this type of music genre is represented.
The subjects that are covered are interviews with main stars and countdowns of favourite stars etc. There are also smaller articles on other RnB stars such as Rihanna.
FRONT COVER
The mast head is big, bold and takes up a huge proportion of the page, this could represent the music genre is contains; it is excessively over the top and shouts at the audience. The word Vibe relates to music as in ‘The music Vibe’. The white stands out against the dark background.
The colour-scheme is white blue, black and yellow, all of which are classed as masculine colours. The background is stormy and dark; this is behind the main image of 50 cent to connect with the threatening look of the storm and himself. The main image of 50 cent is intimidating and in your face; he is staring directly into your eyes and is frowning with his nostrils flared and muscles clenched, This makes him look confrontational ( like the magazine), almost daring the reader to buy the magazine. He is wearing an expensive looking necklace and has his cap twisted to the side to make him look edgy and link in with the ‘expensive image’ genre of music. The main coverline is a rhetorical question to the audience which is meant to link in with his threatening look. The quote underneath this has highlighted words in red ‘resolving issues’ this is because it represents danger and anger. It adds to his tough image. The other coverlines are colloquial and conversational: ‘Rihanna Go getta’. The bright yellow colours stand out against the dark blue background.
This magazine is similar to the music magazine XXL in the way that it shouts at you and has masculine backgrounds with a striking image. However this magazine has more coverlines than XXL and is slightly more colourful.
Title
The magazine is called Vibe because it could relate to the ‘music’ vibes, vibes are instinctive feelings that person gets from a situation, it is also the slang word for vibration, so it could be making a connection with the vibrations from music or saying that the magazine gives you a good feeling because usually you would connect vibes with positive feelings more than negative ones.
Publisher
The founder of Vibe magazine is Quincy Jones which is funded by Time Inc. The publisher is Len Burnett. The magazine is published monthly and has a website: www.vibe.com which readers and the general public can enter and read daily news and gossip in the RnB world and watch video clips on the latest artists ect.
Target Audience
I believe the target audience for this magazine is older teenagers to young adults, perhaps 17-22 and I definitely feel this magazine is aimed towards a male audience because of the artists featured and the style/ layout of the whole magazine; the colours are dark, blacks and blues fill the page and it looks stormy on the front cover, perhaps relating to power. The main images are of strong powerful men that a male audience could aspire to, or a provocative posing woman that men would appreciate looking at and reading about, e.g. ‘Rihanna, go getta’ the slang sentence appeals to an older male audience. A younger audience would not appreciate any of the above things and also may not be interested in the in depth articles featured; they would be looking for something more concise and simple. Also women would not like the cover picture as 50 cent is looking into the camera in a confrontational way, almost threatening and this would put them off.
The style/ Presentation of the magazine
I noticed that the presentation of the magazine is very expensive similar to other RnB music magazines in the way that it uses bold striking letters looking; it looks glossy and relates to the RnB style of ‘bling’ and expensive style. It is quite similar to other RnB magazines in the way that is uses bold text and confident looking main models. Also the colours are quite masculine; it has a similar layout to Complex magazine which uses these conventions.
Addressing the reader
It addresses its reader in a confrontational manner, a bit like the genre of music; i.e. it’s in your face and shouts at you. 50 Cent’s image is confrontational; which is how some people feel this type of music genre is represented.
The subjects that are covered are interviews with main stars and countdowns of favourite stars etc. There are also smaller articles on other RnB stars such as Rihanna.
FRONT COVER
The mast head is big, bold and takes up a huge proportion of the page, this could represent the music genre is contains; it is excessively over the top and shouts at the audience. The word Vibe relates to music as in ‘The music Vibe’. The white stands out against the dark background.
The colour-scheme is white blue, black and yellow, all of which are classed as masculine colours. The background is stormy and dark; this is behind the main image of 50 cent to connect with the threatening look of the storm and himself. The main image of 50 cent is intimidating and in your face; he is staring directly into your eyes and is frowning with his nostrils flared and muscles clenched, This makes him look confrontational ( like the magazine), almost daring the reader to buy the magazine. He is wearing an expensive looking necklace and has his cap twisted to the side to make him look edgy and link in with the ‘expensive image’ genre of music. The main coverline is a rhetorical question to the audience which is meant to link in with his threatening look. The quote underneath this has highlighted words in red ‘resolving issues’ this is because it represents danger and anger. It adds to his tough image. The other coverlines are colloquial and conversational: ‘Rihanna Go getta’. The bright yellow colours stand out against the dark blue background.
This magazine is similar to the music magazine XXL in the way that it shouts at you and has masculine backgrounds with a striking image. However this magazine has more coverlines than XXL and is slightly more colourful.
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