Evaluation question 3

Evaluation question 2

Evaluation question one

The types of conventions in my music magazine ‘Pop Mix’ genre is used in other pop magazines.

The first frame is the title of my music magazine ‘Pop Mix’. The title is usually placed in the top left of the front page because this is where the audience would look first so therefore they would instantly be informed in what the magazine is called. The font is 'a gentle touch' which I downloaded from dafont. I found this font unique and interesting and its sans serif which follows the convention of other pop magazines as they commonly use sans serif fonts. Furthermore the colour of my masthead is purple so this would easily attract the audience as they are girls and this colour is commonly associated to teenage girls. In my research I found out that the mastheads colours are bright and colourful and I think the colour purple portrays this very well so therefore fulfils the 'pop' genre.

The second frame shows the artists name 'Lola' this is spread across the front cover covering parts of the main image. Typically most pop magazines have the artists name here and it’s also in big writing, this shows that the person shown in the image are the main feature of that particular issue. The font is  'simplicity', this font is totally different to the masthead of my magazine which is ‘a gentle touch’. This font I believe stands out compared to the curley font which I have previously used on the front cover. This would make the artists name stand out as she is the most dominant on the page and is the main focus of the magazine.

The third frame shows an image of an I phone 5 which is linked to the puff which promotes a competition to win this particular product. I thought that this would be a good idea to use this on my front cover as it is a common convention in most pop magazines that there are competitions to win certain items. The fact that its a Iphone 5 would defiantly attract my target audience as they are at that age where they would want a really good phone so they can talk to their friends and use social networking sites such as Twitter and Instagram.  

The fourth frame is the text layout from my contents page. I have included page numbers and the description highlighting what is on a particular page. This is so the audience can easily identify what is featured on the pages. The layout of the page numbers and description is shown in two boxes placed next to each other. This also makes it easier for the audience to read as they are next to each other. If one was at the top of the page and the other at the bottom then this would create confusion and the page would appear to be messy and unorganised. Typically most pop magazines use this layout for their contents page.

The fifth frame denotes an image of the model which I used for my two page spread. This image is featured on the contents page. The mise en scene of the costumes and props show the genre of the magazine which is pop.  The model is looking directly into the camera and this shows that the artist is looking straight towards the audience which would then entice them to look at the magazine; this is common in most magazines as it is a technique used to grab the reader’s attention.

The sixth frame portrays extra features which would appeal to the audience and make them want to buy the magazine. These features are the twitter, instagram and facebook logo's.  I have placed these logos on the contents page because it will attract the audience’s attention this is because they would be familiar with these images. These social networking sites are very popular especially with the particular audience of my magazine which is teenagers. Most pop magazines use this because they would want the buyer to follow them on twitter, instagram and facebook to make their magazine more popular and well known. Additionally I have also placed the magazine’s website on the contents page. Whilst researching pop magazines I found that every magazine used their website on either the front cover, contents page or both. This is another way to make the magazine popular and well known and also an easier way for the magazine to communicate with their audience. Moreover the audience would be able to access the magazine online which would be easier and quicker rather than purchasing the magazine.

The seventh frame from the grid which I created is the strap line  'FREE! nail varnish and lipgloss'  this is placed on the front cover at the bottom of the page. I have included buzz words such as 'free!' to entice the audience as they would be automatically interested in buying the magazine if something it included a free item when you purchased it.  The colour of this strap line has a yellow background which would attract the audience’s attention as it is bright and would stand out against the other colours on the page. Commonly most pop magazines have strap lines as it is their way of convincing the reader to buy their product, so I have followed this convention.

The eighth frame is taken from my two page spread and it shows the subheading and pull out quote from the interview with the pop artist. The subheading is a common feature which is found on nearly all pop magazines. The subheading gives a clear summary on what is included in the two page spread whether it is an interview or a celebrity story. In my case I used an interview. I decided to do the interview because I think it is the easiest way to connect to the reader as they can gain deeper knowledge and understanding about the artist just by asking a few questions. The pull out quote 'I never imagined my life to be the way it is'  gives an insight to the reader of what is included in part of the interview. This would then help draw their attention as they would want to find out more about the artist. The pull out quotes used on most pop magazines need to be shocking and unusual as this is the key element which would grab the attention quickly and easily.   Moreover the pull out quote is in italics which is a different typeface with the other text used on the page so this would stand out.

Another key element which follows conventions of pop magazines is the colour scheme. The colour scheme of my music magazine consists of pink, purple, white blue and some yellow. These colours are bright and colourful so they would stand out. During my research process i found that pop magazines do not use just two or three colours throughout the magazine. Instead they use a variety of catching vivid colours which the audience would be attracted to. Whereas rock magazines commonly only use two or three colours which will contine to appear throughout the magazine. Furthermore the colours would typically attract my target audience as they are young girls and are commonly known to like these colours. Also whilst researching pop magazines I found that the colours of all pop magazines consist of bright pinks, purples and yellows so i have fulfilled the conventions of the genre.

Final two page spread

 

 

 

 

This is my finished two page spread which I created. I am happy that I was able to fit all of the questions for the interview onto one page because I think this makes the interview easier to read.

Final contents page

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my finished contents page which I created. I have added the editors notes name 'Sarah Taylor' in italic font and also the colour purple so it matches the other purple colours on the contents. I am happy that I haven't added anymore images as I don't want it to appear as busy and overcrowded.

Final front cover

This is my finished magazine front cover. I have added the word 'Exclusive' which is in white capital letters which stands out and would grab the readers attention as they would think its something important and exciting.

inspired two page spread

Before I started to create my two page spread I did some research on other two page spreads which other pop music magazines have produced. I looked at we love pop and top of the pops especially because they follow the exact conventions which I need to follow.

Below is the two page spread which inspired me

 

I particularly liked this two page spread because I liked the layout as it is easy to read and understand. The image of Cher Lloyd is spread across one page so it is vividly clear who the article is about. I also like the layout of the text which is presented as an interview. The questions are not closely put together so it is not hard or confusing to read. Furthermore I like the colour choices as they work really well together and also suit Cher Lloyd personality and the clothes which she is wearing.

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Process of the double page spread

Below are some of the print screens of the process of the double page spread which I am creating on in design.

This is what I have done so far on my double page spread. I have used the same font and colour as the front cover for the title 'Lily Star' which the cover story is based on. I think its important to have the title in a large font because it empathises that the main focus is on the pop artist Lily Star.

I have also written the interview on Lily Star, which consists of nine questions. However I am not sure if I would like to keep the layout the same as its shown in the print screen above. I may change this as I continue to create the two page spread.

I have added a pull out quote and subheading which is placed underneath the title 'Lily Star'. I like the fonts which I have chosen, although I am going to be changing the colours from black to maybe purple or yellow these are bright colours which would engage the reader.

I decided to move the layout of the texts onto the left page instead of having part of the interview on the right page as well. I think by having the interview all on one page it makes the text easier to read and would make the double page spread less confusing, this would then benefit the young target audience. Furthermore it would also make the picture stand out as there would be no text surrounding the image. I have also changed the colour of the questions from red to pink. The colour is a lighter shade of pink so it is different from the masthead 'Lily Star' which is a darker shade. The colour is suitable for the target audience as it is young girls so they would be attracted to this.

I have added another picture onto the two page spread which Is placed on the left page. The picture denotes a rabbit which is mentioned in the interview so I thought it would be appropriate to show this on the two page spread. I also think this would grab the audiences attention because they would be intrigued to find out what the rabbit looks like and why it is so cute. Furthermore the image makes the two page spread look more attractive and prevents the two page spread to appear boring and dull as there is more to look at. I have followed the convention of most pop magazines two page spreads as they use an image which is placed between the interview or story.

Additionally I have added the name of the singer 'Lily Star' in the top right corner on the right page. I asked my model to write an autograph of lily star which she happily did for me and I think it looks really professional. I debated whether to include the lined paper which the autograph is written on but I thought this made it look unique and informal which most pop magazines are.

I have added a caption onto the image which denotes the picture which Lily Star took of her bunny. Its important that you put a caption because it shows what the image denotes. I have also written Lily Stars Instagram name underneath as well so the audience are able to follow her on Instagram. This would draw the audiences attention because they would be intrigued to know what her user name is so they are able to follow her and look at her future pictures which she may upload and share.  

I asked my friends their opinion on my two page spread and they pointed out a few things which I could improve on and what they thought could look better. I took their opinions in consideration and decided to change a few things. Firstly, I have made the title 'Lily Star' and the subheading spread across the two pages. I have also moved the pull out quote which was previously above the subheading to the bottom of the page surrounding the interview this has also caused me to move the interview layout around. Furthermore I have added another pull out quote from the interview 'I think Channing Tatum is very HOT!' and placed this on the other page next to the image. Additionally I have attached the masthead of the magazine 'Pop Mix' to the top left corner of the magazine. This is to remind the reader what magazine they are reading and also representing the magazine as a whole. I have also attached the magazines logo (two hearts) to the bottom right corner on the left side of the page next to the page number '04', this is again another way to represent the magazine. Other pop magazines do this so I have followed this convention efficiently to my chosen genre 'Pop'.
The main point which my friends were explaining to me was the two pages needed to be the same colour because before the two page spread looked like they weren't linking and it gave the impression that it was two separate articles. I thought this would be a challenge because it would be hard to make the two pages the same colour but I managed to succeed by using the skills which I have learnt through this process on Photo shop. So now the two pages are both white and in my opinion it looks a lot better and professional.

Process of the contents page

Below are some print screens of the contents page which I am producing on InDesign

 

This is what i have done so far on my contents page. Next i am going to put on some pictures which will denote some of the features included inside the magazine. Most pop magazines use more than one picture on the contents page to attract the target audience as they would be intrigued to find out what else is included inside the magazine. I am going to follow this convention for when creating my contents page.

 

 

I have changed the title 'contents' to the same font as my masthead on the front page this is because this will link the front cover and the contents page together which will show that it is the same magazine. I have used sans serif font because this shows the informality of the magazine and denotes it's audience 'young girls' this will make it easier for them to read. Whilst doing my research on Pop magazines i discovered that most pop magazines use sans serif font for example 'we love pop' and 'Top of the Pops'. By using sans serif font it enhances a young and modern style towards the magazine.  

I have also used the rectangle tool to create a light blue coloured box which the page number descriptions are placed in. I think this makes the contents page look more attractive and the colours work defiantly well together.

 

 

 

Today I added another picture which is placed on the bottom left corner of the page. This illustrates page number 11 which is 'Ooops embarrassing stories'. It denotes an image of a girl with her mouth wide open which empathises a shocked and embarrassed facial expression. Embarrassing stories are quite common in pop magazines as the intended target audience 'teenage girls' would be interested to find out embarrassing situations which other people have encountered. They would most likely read this article with their friends as its something funny and entertaining to talk about.

 

You may have noticed that I have changed the picture at the top of the page, it was previously this image below:

 

 

 I decided to change the image because I thought that the previous photo didn't represent a fun and typical image of a pop magazine. The expression

 by the model was serious and stern and I do not want my magazine to come across like that. I prefer the image I have now chosen as it distributes a fun and quirky approach and I think this would engage the reader.

 

 

 

Next, I have added a copy of my front cover onto the contents page which is placed at the top. Most pop magazines have the front cover on the contents page so therefore i am going to follow this convention.

This is 'Top of the Pops' contents page, as you can see they have used the front cover on their contents page. This also gives a clearer indication of what features are inside the magazine using numbers and arrows which makes it easier to read and understand. It shows that the front cover and contents page are part of the same magazine and portrays that they link together.

I have added another image which shows a jack wills bag and the caption next to it denotes 'Win Jack Wills goodie bag'. This will attract the young girl audience attention because they would be interested in shopping and obviously winning things so they would be intrigued in how to win this prize. The font 'JACK WILLS GOODIE BAG' is in serif font this makes it look formal. It's the only font on the contents page which has serif font so this would make it stand out. Moreover it links with Jack Wills as they use serif font so it would therefore be recognisable.

I added a caption in the two images so they denote what the picture shows and who it is of, this is important for the audience to know.  I also know that most pop music magazine use this so I am following their conventions.

 

Process of the front cover

Below are some print screens of my front cover which I am producing in Photo shop.

 

 

 

 

 

I have added a bar code, the date and the issue number at the bottom left corner of the front cover. Most pop magazines have this at the bottom corner, this is because these features are less important and this wouldn't be one of the first things that the audience would notice.

 

 

 

I have added images of a nail varnish on the front cover because this is what comes free when buying the magazines. I think this is important to include on the front cover as it entices the audience to purchase the magazine. I have used the nail varnish image as a puff which follows the conventions of a pop magazine. Additionally the word 'FREE' is in big capital letters which would engage the audience and the fact that it is free would make them purchase the product. Most pop magazine commonly use free gifts, for example an issue of 'we love pop' included a free bag and posters.  

I have also created a puff which is placed in the left corner of the front page. This puff denotes spring style clothing and accessories which will be featured inside the magazine. Pop magazines usually have this puff on the front cover as it would grab the young audiences attention as they would be interested in shopping as it is quite a popular hobby that they would have. Moreover the clothes are high-street products, this would also attract my young audience because the products would be cheaper so they would be able to afford it. At their age it is highly unlikely they would have a job so they would therefore use their pocket money to purchase the items.

 

I have changed the colour of my puff to purple because it matches the other colours on the front cover. I think the colour purple works well with the theme of the puff as it is 'Spring Styles' and the colour purple is a popular colour during the spring season. This would also attract my target audience as the colour appeals to the girl teen audience.

 However, i am not too sure of the font which i have chosen for 'Spring Styles', so therefore i am going to ask my target audience which they prefer, italics or sans serif bold.

 



What people thought about the fonts

I decided to do some extra research on the fonts which I may use for my masthead. I needed suitable and accurate feedback so I asked my friends as they are the appropriate target audience for my music magazine. I thought it would be a good idea to see what their opinion would be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The results show that the first font was the most popular which was Majel. I was surprised by this because i thought that they would prefer a font which looked more girly especially as my friends have a girly personality themselves. I thought they would prefer the font 'cutie pop' which has hearts used in it. In my opinion the font which i prefer the most is majel, this is because i think it stands out and would look really nice in pink as it would grab the teenage girl audience.