Main body text analysis

I asked 15 people to choose which out of six fonts they liked best that I could use for my main body text.

 

 

The results show that Microsoft Sans Serif was the most popular font because 5 people thought this would be most suitable for the main body text. I think this is the case because it is bold and clear to understand. On the other hand, only one person chose Times New Roman and Garamond. I think this is because they look boring and the outline of the letters are thin so they wouldn't stand out and may not be clearly visible towards the reader. However 4 people thought that Century Schoolbook would be the best font to use. I think this was popular because it is serif font which is easier to read.

The photoshoot

 

 

These were the clothes worn by my model.

After the photo shoot I took some photos of the clothing and props which we used in the photo shoot. My model thought that the choice of props e.g. geek glasses and tiara worked really well with the outfits and that they were suitable for my chosen genre which is Pop.

Geek glasses

  Tiara 

 

  Black high heel shoes 

  Red Kate Moss lipstick 

Main body typeface

As well as looking up a variety of fonts for my masthead I need to look up some fonts for the main body text.
 The font which I choose needs to be clear to understand so the reader will be able to understand the text evidently.

To find out the best possible font to use for the main body text I am going to ask some people to see which ones they prefer.

The 6 fonts I have chosen to present to the people are shown below.

I am going to ask them to tick one of the fonts which they think would be most appropriate for the main body text. By asking people who are of a similar age to my intended target audience I will get a suitable and accurate response. The reader needs to be able to clearly understand what the text is saying.

A main body text which I shouldn't use!

 The first font 'Giddyup Std' is a clear example of a font which I shouldn't use for the main body text. This is because the style of the font uses curly lettering which would confuse the reader and make it difficult to read and understand.
The second font 'Palace Script MT' is another example of a font which I shouldn't use. This is because the use of the italic writing make it complicated for the reader to read. Furthermore the lettering is very close together so it would be hard to interpret the words.

My model

Who is she?

The model in the photos is my friend Sarah. She is 17 and is currently taking her A-levels. I thought that it was a good idea to use Sarah as my model as she is the same age which my target audience is aimed at. She is a fan of Pop music and listens to a lot of music in the charts. Whilst on the shoot we discussed Pop music and she told me that her favourite Pop singer at the moment is Katy Perry, she explains that she likes the style of music which she portrays and also her unique personality. 

What did she like?

My model explained that she liked the choice of outfits that she had to wear, she especially thought that the red lipstick worked really well with the type of clothing as the colour red stood out against the dark colours of the clothes.

She stated that she particularly liked wearing the prom dress as it reminds her of prom, she also explained that she felt glamorous and the dress made her excited for her prom once she has finished her A levels.

Additionally she thought that wearing the geek glasses made her look elegant and stylish. It reminded her of school and being in lessons as she sometimes has to wear glasses herself for reading. We discussed that we both see a lot of teenage girls wearing these style glasses so they must be very popular and in trend at the moment, this would draw the audiences attention to read the magazine.

What did she think?

Overall my model said that she loved being the model for my music magazine, she loved the choice of clothing and make up which she had to wear. We looked over some of the photos together and she explained to me that she thought they were suitable for my magazine and connote the genre Pop well.

Photo analysis

This is one of the photos which I took for the photo shoot. I think I am going to use this image for the front cover. The model is wearing a dress which has a prom style to it which would link to the teenage audience very well as some would have their school proms so they would be inspired by the dress which my model is wearing as this may be the sort of style they may want to where. Furthermore the dress has black flowers placed diagonally across the dress also connotes the girl audience as they typically would be attracted to flowers. My model is wearing a tiara this connotes power and royalty. It links to the idea about being glamorous and having authority this relates to the idea of being a princess.  In terms of my music magazine it implies the pop star of being a 'Pop Princess'. By using the tiara it would draw the audiences attention as it is a common object which the young girl audience would appeal to. The model is looking directly into the camera which shows she is engaged with the audience. This would grab the audiences attention and entice them to purchase the magazine.

I think this image may appear on the contents page as it would remind the reader on who the main article is about. This image will be included along with other images which will present features and other exclusive articles inside the magazine. My model is wearing glasses which is also known as 'geek glasses'. The use of the glasses creates the feeling of being at school and also being clever. This relates to the target audience as they would all currently be in full time education. It also connotes a fun and exciting side to the image, this links to the music genre 'Pop' as the music illustrates the varied and enjoyable music.

I think I am going to use this image on my two page spread. This photo is a mid shot so it shows most of her body which is suitable for the two page spread. This image would take up one side of the page, this would make the audience aware that the article is defiantly based on her. Her outfit that she is wearing are the clothes which are in trend at the moment so they are authentic and go suitably well together. Additionally she is wearing high heel shoes which are girly and connote elegance and also her confidence which portrays her personality which you can find out in the interview. In my opinion I think that this outfit is appropriate for my music magazine. My model is showing some skin on her legs as she is wearing shorts but I do not think this would be any inconvenience towards the young teenage audience as I am trying to get the message across that they should feel confident in any type of clothing that they wear. 

I am not sure whether I would like to use this photo for my magazine. If I did use this photo it would appear on my two page spread as it is a full body shot. I think the choice of clothing works really well together and links with the theme of black and white which I would like my magazine to represent. However I don't think I like the body language which my model presents as I think she may look slightly awkward, furthermore her facial expression appears as quite serious which a pop magazine doesn't commonly illustrate.

Risk assessment

 

 

 

 

Photoshoot over view

Setting

 The images for my music magazine will be taken in front of a plain white wall. I did consider using a different setting for example taking the photos outside but when I did my research on pop magazines I came to the conclusion that nearly all of them don't have a excessive setting they all have a plain white back drop. In my opinion I think that this is a better idea because it makes the photos seem tidy and organised, whereas if I had used a background with an extravagant setting it would had made it look busy which would confuse the reader. I find that using a plain white back drop would make the main focus be on my model which I think is the most important as it is her which the main article is about, so therefore this would catch the readers eye.

This a front cover of a Pop music magazine called Top of the Pops, as you can see there is no busy background which interrupts the photo of Tulisa. This makes the front cover look organised and professional. I would like to interpret this for my magazine.











Props
I was not able to get hold of any props which are relatable to music such as a guitar or a piano which would make it easily recognisable to be a music magazine. However, whilst I was doing my research on Pop magazines I discovered that most of the models do not seem to use any props in the photos. I think this is because Pop artists are so popular and well known in today's society that they wouldn't need any objects to make them easily recognisable. Additionally by using props it could make the image look messy and over the top which may confuse the reader as to whom they should be focusing on, which is of course the pop artist. However, my model will be wearing some accessories which are a tiara and geek glasses. You can find out more about these choice of props on my blog post 'Clothing and Props'.

Make up
My model isn't going to be wearing a lot of make up and it is not going to look fake and dramatic, this is because I do not think she will lead a very good role model especially to the younger audience as they should be shown to only look natural. Nonetheless my model is going to be wearing red lipstick as this connotes love and romance which links to the girl audience. I have also decided for my model to wear red lipstick because it goes really well with her clothing. Furthermore  the colour red is a bright colour so it would certainly stand out against the black and grey colours of her clothes.

Clothing and Props

Below are some of the inspired clothing and props which my model is going to be wearing for the photo shoot.

CLOTHING AND PROPS



I am going to make my model wear a tiara in one of the shots. I think by using a tiara it would connote glamour and authority which my model is going to portray. It would also link to the teenage audience as they would be thinking about or attending prom so the tiara would draw the readers attention.

I am also going to make my model wear geek glasses in some of the shots. The geek glasses create the sense of being at school which links to the target audience as they would be in education. Also a lot of people are wearing these style glasses so they are in trend. This would then grab the young audiences attention.

 My model is going to be wearing a prom style dress in my photo shoot. I think this will link well of my model being classed as a 'Pop Princess' because she will also be wearing a tiara. The prom dress will make my model look girly and glamorous which relates to the teenage girl audience.

My model is going to be wearing a pair of black high heel shoes in some of the shots. The shoes portray class and authority and also show that my model is confident. My model will show her femininity by wearing these shoes which would draw the intended target audiences attention.

Schedule

December (23rd)  During the Christmas holidays I took the photos of my cover girl 'Sarah' who  will appear on the front cover, contents page and two page spread. The photo shoot took place at my house in the afternoon and it took approximately an hour and a half. The photo shoot was successful and there wasn't any problems.

January (week starting 20th)During this month I have started to construct my front cover, contents page and two page spread. This took me longer than I thought it would. I think this was because i was using new software (Photoshop and Indesin) which I was not familiar with so it took me a week or so to get used to it, however, I referred back to my magazine sketches so I had  an idea of how I would like my magazine to look which helped me. In order of constructing my pages I created my front cover first then my contents page and lastly my double page spread.

February (week starting 17th)- I carried on constructing my magazine during February half term which lasted a week. Whilst I was creating the three pages I  uploaded my progress of the magazine on a daily basis onto my blog including any changes made. In the last week of February I managed to complete my front cover, contents page and two page spread which is all uploaded onto my blog. I then had to start to think about producing my evaluation. My evaluation is going to consist of 7 questions which needs to be shown on my blog as either a prezi, slide share, blog post or any other media technology such as movie maker. I want to try and achieve higher marks so I think I will create a video on movie maker. But I know this will take me some time so I will have to time myself wisely.

March- (27th February- 2nd March) It is now the beginning of March  and I have finished my evaluation. I was happy on the different types of software which I used to answer my questions these were; prezi, a blog post, slide share, movie maker and a Go animate. I think I have a range of different media technologies which were fun to produce especially Go animate although they were all a lot of work.

House Style

Typeface

Below are some of the typefaces I have researched and contemplated to use for the masthead for my pop music magazine. 

I have considered choosing this font because I think it defines the genre pop very well, it does this by using an image of a star for the letter I. This makes it look cool and stylish and the younger audience would be attracted to this.

I also like this font because I like how bold and strong the lettering comes across as. The font is simple and clear so it wouldn't  confuse the reader. Furthermore it doesn't connote any other genre apart from pop, for example it doesn't represent violence or anger which a typical rock font would portray .

This font grabbed my attention as well because it has small even lettering so it is clear to read. Also the sans serif font makes it look less formal which is what I want my music magazine to appear as.

 This font is clearly a totally different style compared to the other three shown above. This font appears to be more girly because of the use of the love hearts inside the letter O and it is also used for the I. So this would therefore grab the girl teenage audience and it clearly implies that the genre of the music magazine is Pop. I know this because the font looks girly and normally pop magazines are associated with girls rather than boys.

Hand drawn sketches

   

Front cover

Contents page


















Two page spread

magazine sketches 2

     Front cover

Contents page

Two page spread

 

 

 

 

 

Focus groups

I am going to ask a few people to be involved in a focus group where I will present to them the ideas that I would like to use for my music magazine. I am going to show them a various front covers, contents pages and two page spreads. 

My aim of the focus group is to find out which pop magazines they prefer this will enable me to learn more about my target audience. I am going to ask a few female students who attend my school. The age range of the students who I am going to ask is perfect as they are the right target audience for my magazine so i should get an acceptable and appropriate response. 

What am I looking for?

I need to make sure that I choose the right font for the masthead for my music magazine because this is what attracts the audience to look at the magazine in the first place. So therefore I am going to present to them the 3 fonts which I have considered to use for the masthead. I would like to know which fonts they like and dislike with reasons so I can get a detailed response which would help me decide and convince me which font I should defiantly use. 

I am also going to show them a variety of front covers, contents pages and two page spreads from other pop magazines and I would like to know what features stand out and draws their attention and why. For example choice of images, language and colours. This would help me choose which features I would need to include in my music magazine. I think it would also be important to ask them things that they dislike about the magazine as this would assure me not to use those things as I do not want any flaws to my magazine. 

Inspired photographs

Whilst doing my research on my chosen genre 'Pop' I  discovered that Miley Cyrus was a very popular pop artist and is listened to by many teenagers in today's society. I decided to research more on Miley Cyrus and I came across images of her which i thought she looked amazing in and it portrays her typical adventurous outlook very well. I would like to try and base some of my photos on her for my music magazine. 

Below are some of the photos which have inspired me. 

I especially like the colour choice which Miley Cyrus is portraying these photos. She is wearing mostly black which connotes her power and elegance. I also think it implies mystery which accentuates Miley Cyrus clearly as her fans are always wanting to know what music and crazy actions she does next.  
I am going to consider using this colour scheme for my photo shoot. Some people may respond and think its plain and boring but I think it would connote the pop stars strength and authority. It also shows that everybody can be unique which implies the variety of music which the genre pop illustrates. 

magazine sketches one

Front cover

Contents page

Two page spread

 

 

 

 

 

Questionnaire analysis

I asked people whether they would prefer pictures or text inside the magazine. From the results I found out that more people preferred pictures. I think this is because people would find pictures more interesting and exciting rather than reading a long piece of text as it can be quite boring.

I asked the question if people would like to hear about upcoming gigs and festivals. From the results I found out that over 10 people chose yes, so therefore I will feature this in my magazine.

In my questionnaire I asked whether they would like to win prizes such as an ipad or festival tickets. From my results I gathered that most people wanted to win prizes so I will include competitions and games so the audience can have a chance to win these exclusive prizes.

I also asked the question on how they listened to music. The options were Radio, TV, IPod, Internet and other. I asked this question to find out how much music is associated in their lives. My results show that the second highest option was people listen to music by watching the television; i thought this could be heard on music channels such as 4music and VIVA. Furthermore they can listen to the music by the non-diegetic and diegetic sound on TV programmes and adverts. However the results show that most people listen to music on their IPod. Before I collected the results I knew that this was going to be the highest option only because millions of people all over the world now own an iPod and it is the easiest way to purchase and listen to music where ever you are. 

I asked the question ‘How often do you think this magazine should be produced?’  I thought that this was a key question because this could affect the sales of the magazine because if the magazine was released too much or not enough then this would affect the reader not to buy the magazine at all, so it is important that a balanced answer. From my results it shows that 11 people wanted the magazine to be produced monthly. Whereas only 5 people said weekly and 2 people said once a fortnight. I am defiantly going to choose my magazine to be produced monthly because there would be a lot of news to include because not a lot could happen within a week. This would make the audience look forward for the magazine to be realised as there would be a lot of updated news and exciting features to look upon.

The question which was also included in my questionnaire was ‘what price of the magazine would you be willing to pay?’ my results show that 12 people chose £1.50 this was the lowest price of my options. However one person commented on other and chose that they would like the magazine to be priced £1.00. I have decided I do not want to sell my magazine under the price of £1.50 because it will be released monthly however the paper type will not be glossy so it won’t need to be any higher than £1.50. I have chosen the price £1.50 because I think that this would be most suitable for my target audience. In my opinion any price over £1.50 would be too expensive as my target audience would still be in education and may not have a job so they will not be able to afford the magazine above £2.00. So I have decided to sell my magazine for £1.80, I think this is a decent price as it is released monthly and it will contain features such as word searches and quizzes where the readers are able to win exclusive prizes.

Another question which I asked was ‘Which of the following would you like included inside the magazine?’ from my results it shows that the least amount of people would like latest fashion trends to be included. However, I may include a little bit about fashion trends as my target audience are young teenage girls and this is what they would like to read about at that age.11 people both chose the options  interviews and chart music, so therefore I am defiantly going to include this in my magazine.

The question ‘What social media sites do you use?’ is important because this is how the magazine is able to communicate with the audience. 7 people chose twitter, I thought that most people would choose twitter as it’s the most popular social media site of today and many teenagers use this site to follow many pop artists and bands and this is where they can be informed on various music events easily. Instagram and YouTube was chosen by both 5 people, Instagram is the second most popular social media site and YouTube allows people to access music videos and to find out the top latest music. 

Questionnaire results

Mood board

I have created a mood board which includes a selection of images, colours, fonts and other elements which I may want to use in my music magazine. 

Questionnaire

I have created a questionnaire which have a variety of questions relating to my music magazine. I am only going to ask females aged 13-18 to fill in my questionnaire because this is my intended target audience so it will give me a clear idea of what my audience wants so I can make the magazine suitable and appropriate as it can be. 

Research into my chosen genre

House style