Media Coursework
Caitlyn Clynes Y7145
Chosen brief:
The front page, contents, and double page spread of a new music magazine.
Q Magazine.
The logo is a large part of this magazines covers as people will often buy magazines from the same company over and over and so it must be large to draw attention to itself when people look for it in stores.
The main story of the magazine has the largest text as it wants to draw the most attention from the audience before the other stories are read. It is also a bright colour that stands out against the background as the company would want it to be easier to read and to catch the attention of people who are looking to buy a magazine.
The highlight colour of the text is generally used to draw attention to the similar colours of the background picture as well as to stand out against the background. For example, the bright blue colour of the first cover is present on Florence's eyeshadow, and so draws attention to the celebrity while still standing out against the red of her hair. Similarly, the pale blue and pinks of Tinie Tempah's clothing is present in the background blocks of some of the text to draw attention to the main articles on the magazines cover.
The background image used for the magazine is generally a head shot of the celebrity that the magazine's main article is about, whose focus is on the camera. The exception of this pattern with the Ed Sheeran magazine may be due to the prop that is also in the shot, while the other magazines are exempt from having a prop as it is not an integral part of what they are known for like Ed Sheeran playing acoustic guitar is for his. The colours of the background image are often bright and contrasting to make the image look exciting and modern rather than dull and uninteresting.
The magazine is very clear in aiming towards an audience of young adults as there is no childish fonts or mass of different colours that would suggest a younger audience or any duller colours or a mass of serif fonts that would suggest an older audience. Everything is very clear and concise and professional looking to make sure the audience knows that their magazine is one of the best.
Depending on the artist, the magazine aims at the genre they fit through colours and font types, rather than changing the layout or logo. The layout and logo of the magazine are very basic to make sure that the genre can be changed and the layout or logo do not look out of place, and so fit most genres very easily.
NME Magazine.
The logo of this magazine is relatively simple, and has no particular sway to look like it fits one singular genre. The colour changes from cover to cover depending on the background so that it is easily read and spotted by anyone looking to buy the magazine.
The main story of these magazines have block, sans serif fonts that are easily read and are often the largest text on the page aside from the logo so that the most interesting information is spotted first. The story for the main story is often the same colour as the logo as to make the audience look at that next.
The highlight colour of the text is often one or two colours aside from black and white, and in most cases are only used in the background with the text in black and white, or only used in the text and the background image is left in shades of black and white. In most cases, red and blue were the highlight colours on the covers and there were few deviations from this as red and blue are colours that stand out and attract the most attention, so when looking at magazines the audiences eyes would be drawn to the brighter colours.
The background image follows the same pattern as Q Magazine and has a headshot of a celebrity who the main article is about. They all seemed to wear black and white clothing or clothing that was the highlight colours to keep the image clear and to help the text stand out and seem less chaotic. Props in the covers seem limited, and all seem to be against a blank wall of one solid colour. The black and white image of John Lennon seems to be an exception to the pattern the magazine follows of having one bright colour in the image, however this is due to the magazine being a special anniversary edition and so is in black and white to make it seem more old-fashioned.
Again, like Q Magazine the magazine is clearly aimed towards an audience of young adults as the fonts aren't childish and the colours are more limited and less chaotic, but still bright enough to look appealing. Only the special anniversary edition seems to aim towards an older audience, and shows this with even further limited colour. Everything is very orderly and professionally done, and the lack of childish decoration that would be found on a magazine for younger children is more appealing to an audience of young adults.
The magazine appeals to several different genres depending on the feautured artist. The older artist is much more limited and clearly aimed towards an older audience who will enjoy music from longer ago.
Classic Rock Magazine.
The logo of Classic Rock Magazine has a consistant placement and colour theme on the magazine. The logo had a blocky, easy to read font and is always placed in the background of images, with no variation between magazines.
The main story of the magazine is central to the cover, and is in a large font over the top of the artist. the story never covers the face of the artist, and all other stories are placed in the background and out of the way of the artist in the picture.
The colours of Classic Rock are all blacks, whites, and greys with the most general highlight colour being gold or orange. However, unlike the other magazines with one or two highlight colours, Classic Rock has several colours with a similar pattern, generally red, orange, and yellows. The highlight colours are generally used for important pieces of text or to draw attention to offers in little bubbles. The Classic Rock Magazine has a wider use of highlight colours than the other magazines, but grey is the largest use in the magazine.
The background image of the magazine is consistant in using a slight gradient, but does not feature any sort of setting or props. This allows the artist to keep the audiences attention and not distract away from what may catch the audiences eye in a store and convince them to buy it.
The magazine is aimed towards an older audience as the artists featured are generally bands from older generations and the text used is a much more classic magazine look, compared to the more bubbly brightness of modern magazines.
The magazine is also clearly aimed at fans of the rock genre, and uses many stereotypes such as lightning bolts, bold lettering, and dark colours to convey that.