Genre of magazine and conclusion of ideas for my magazine

After researching and exploring different genres of magazines, it has helped me to come up with a genre to base my magazine on. The genre I have chosen is mainly dance/pop this is because I enjoy listening to this type of music and I will have an idea in what to include. I think by not picking a specific type of genre for example 'dance' then it is more appealing for a wider audience range, also many of the successful artists in the charts today are mainly from this type of genre.
My target audience would be mainly 16-25 as it will also feature celebrity gossip and information about music etc, however it will still appeal to anyone who simply has an interest in pop/dance music.
I have mainly looked into dance magazines such as 'mixmag' and 'DJmag' which are two very popular dance magazines, I wanted to look at the layout, type of font and colour scheme they used I took into account that bright funky colours such as pinks, reds and yellows are used frequently perhaps so that it reflects the upbeat sound of the music. I particually like 'DJmag's layout and the main model as the main feature on the front cover I am hoping to produce my front cover like this. My article and front cover is going to feature an upcoming, young and individual dance/pop female artist. I have gathered together some succesful female artists who are in the charts today so that I can gather ideas for my photos.

This image of Lady Gaga works well because the background is very neutral and out of focus however this is so that it focuses on her and her original style. I like how she is posing with her hands this also makes her look very unique perhaps to reflect the sound of her music.
Her clothing matches the background colour which is a neutral colour makes her look very calm and peaceful which will have a good impression on the audience. The design on her cheek also shows originality because she is featured in many other pictures with images on her face, I like this and it has helped me come up with a different style etc for my female artist.

This image is taken infront of a white background, this makes the audiences full focus onto the artist because there is no distractions in the background.
The microphone reflects that this is a singer and that it is related to music. Again she is featured with an image on her cheek, this could almost be said as her trademark which makes her fresh and new and very inspiring. Her style such as her straigh and almost white hair makes her very different from some of the other female artists out today, she is also pictured wearing just black and white which is seen as very classy and smart. Her pose makes her look like she is almost in action because of the fact she has her mouth slightly open and the microphone is also in place.

I like this image mainly because of the colours used, they create a very peaceful image of the singer. The colours are light and not to broad, it also gives off a girly image which could reflect the style of music. It has also inspired me to use props in my photos, this makes the image more interesting for the audience. The background works well with the singer's skin colour and blends together nicely, it also makes a change to just plain white, she is also well posed which makes the photo look more interesting and adds effect and proffessional quality. Her pose also makes her appear very girly and works well with the prop of the chinese umbrella and the colours used. The singer is also not heavily made up which makes her appear more natural perhaps, the jewellry is also quite minimal.

This image appears to be more natural mainly because it has not been prepared and we can also see that it has been taken by the paparazi because it looks like it has been taken at some sort of awards show. I think for my magazine I may take some natural photos of my female artist, this is because in most magazine it nearly always shows pictures of the featured artist/band in a natural way.
The clothing the singer is wearing shows she has her own unique sense of style and clearly wants to stand out from the rest which I think is important.
The pose is just a simple wave at the camera this shows that this photo is nothing serious as in a photoshoot etc. Behind her is a board which has an 'mtv' notice this shows that she is successful if she is attentending the mtv awards, this has given me ideas into taking some more natural photos of my female artist.

Analisis Contents Page

This contents page was taken from an old KERRANG issue, we know this because it features the main singer from the band Greenday who were very popular roughly about 5years ago. However the lead singer of the band is the main focus therefore showing that there one of the main articles will be about the band. The colours featured are mainly black and red these are very bold and are often associated with 'Kerrang' and this particular music genre, perhaps why the lead singer is dressed in black and red. There is a small piece of text next to the main focal image possible about the band and which page to turn too.
There is also the date featured '01/05' therefore this shows that this is a monthly magazine, I will take this into accound and will help me when designing my own magazine contents page.

Double page spreads

I particually like this magazine double page spread, mainly because of the layout and the colours featured. The editor has made the article look as if graffiti and spray paint has been used this is very effective because it could perhaps the artist/person who is being interviewed. The colours are also very dramatic using white and black and then a very powerful pink which makes the page stand out immediately. The picture of the man and the buildings in the background overlap onto the the right handside of the page where the text is featured, the text is produced in a very neat way just in a rectangular coloum this makes the piece look very original and unique.
The headline 'Everyone's favourite UNKLE' has a play on the word Uncle which I think is a clever technique to use in a magazine or article. The artist featured is a DJ and producer, I think that he looks like a stereotypical DJ which the designers will have probably taken into account. The photo is taken in black and white which complients the picture and makes it look more serious. The picture behind the artist is a block of flats which could perhaps be linked with the artist, he could have possibly grown up there and that could have been what inspired him etc.

This double page spread has been taken from a music magazine, interviewing an upcoming artist.
The article talks about the artists upcoming music and information about the artist.
I like this double page spread mainly because of the way it is designed, the editing and photography is very natural which I like because it could perhaps represent that the artist is very down to earth from an ordinary background. The picture looks like it has been taken round the back of a building or some houses.
The colours are used are very neutral and not to bright possibly because he is not a popstar or dance artist, bright colours are not often associated with bassline etc. The headline used is 'Shining Wit' this introduces the artist to the reader, when someone is witty they are often amusing and intelligent, therefore the magazine is making the artist look good and putting them in a good light. The way in which the double page spread is clever because the image is seperate from the text so that the reader can both read the article and look at the picture, and also the picture is behind the text which I like because it shows that the whole article is about the artist/genre. This gives me key ideas into designing my magazine and in ways in which I can design it.

music magazine front covers

Analysis of Q magazine :
Q is a music magazine published monthly in the UK. The magazine features new music releases, music complications, film and live concert reviews as well as radio and television reviews. Most of the magazine is devoted to interviews with particular artists, in this case Madonna we can see this because she is the focal image on the front cover and is pictured in the centre of the magazine which immediately focuses the reader to her. The colour scheme used is mainly red, white and black these colours are often used in magazines because they are bold and make the magazine look proffesional. The main headline is 'Madonna' featured in red which is associated with importance, showing that she is the main focus of this edition. On the left handside there is a list of what else is going to be featured in the magazine such as famous stars as of 'Girls aloud', 'Russel Brand', 'Kaiser Chiefs' etc this shows that it is a popular magazine.
At the bottom of the magazine it shows what it is giving away in the magazine, Q magazine often gives away freebies such as Albums etc however in this case a 70 page special women in music. this also shows that it is a very successful magazine because of the fact it is giving away freebies with the magazine.

This is a classic example of a mainstream music magazine. We can recognise this by the magazines classic title 'RollingStone' this could perhaps be named after the famous band The rolling stones, this will therefore attract many potential buyers into purchasing the magazine.
The main focus on the magazine is Christina Aguilera who is a very famous female artist, she is pictured in the center of the magazine possibly because the reader will be instantly drawn into looking at her and what the main article of the magazine will be about.
The main advantage for this magazine is that it covers all the main music genre therefore not for a specific genre. This magazine not only covers music related topics but also general showbiz news and news altogether.
With Christina Aguilera the main focus on the front cover this is possibly because she is promoting a new album or single etc.

When looking at mixmag i can immediately establish that is a dance music magazine, this is because mainly of the font used it is large and is often seen on posters advertised around clubs and bars. Also the colour scheme plays a big role in creating the genre, the magazine editors have used bright funky colours such as yellow, pink and orange these are bold and are often associated with new and upbeat music.
The artist featured on the front cover of mixmag are the successful band 'klaxons' they are an indie/dance group who are big in the UK, they are therefore the main focus of the magazine also the band name 'klaxons' is coloured in yellow which is extremely bright and makes it stand out largely.
Focusing on the cover I can see that a CD has been given away with the magazine therefore this will increase the sales of the magazine.
With mixmag the main focus is the band/artist on the front cover, however with other magazines they often have other articles spread around the front cover, I have noticed that there are other artists and bands listed down the right hand side of the magazine perhaps to promote their popularity.
The colour used for the title 'mixmag' is very unusual and not used anywhere else on the magazine, therefore makes it look more original.

With DJmagazine we can immediately see that it is associated with dance music because of the funky font used which is often used on album covers, posters, billboards etc. Also the afro hairstyle is often associated with dance and funk perhaps because there is an article about ibiza which is the place to be for dance music.
The title of the magazine stands out because of the colour red is often associated with importance therefore will draw the reader into picking the magazine up.
Again with 'DJ' the colours are very bright and colourful as in 'mixmag' this is because it could be representing the genre of music which is upbeat and positive.
The magazine seems very focused on Ibiza perhaps because this is where dance music is associated with. The background colour is very pale and also features a small part of the sea probably showing the island of ibiza, the paleness of the blue keeps the attention focused on the main image and main article. Dotted around the magazine are two competions which are also popular with magazines therefore the reader can feel involved and can also participate in competitions. The reason as to why I am mainly analysing dance music magazines is because I am going to base my music magazine of the genre and also these magazines will help me to gather information to create my own dance music magazine which will also consist of celebrity gossip and general information for teenagers/young adults.

Mojo is a popular music magazine published by Bauer, following the success of Q. Mojo could be said as to be classic rock magazine, and would fall under the genre of rock/metal. On Mojo's first issues Bob Dylan and John Lennon were featured on the front cover, this shows that it is a very popular magazine because of the famous artists/bands featured.
Mojo also has special edition magazines which include the whole magazine being about just one artist or genre, one of the most famous was a special edition about the Beatles. The colour scheme of Mojo is very dark and uses minimal colours such as white, black and red these colours especially black are associated with the rock and metal genre. Red often signifies with importance therefore this will perhaps be one of the key reasons as to why Mojo has used this colour.
Mojo also features a CD which shows how popular this music magazine, in this magazine a CD has been given away about Bob Dylans roots and what inspired him as an artist.





NME is an extremely popular magazine and covers mainly the indie/rock genre, the music magazine has been running since 1952 and created the UK singles chart. Many famous groups such as the Rolling Stones and The Beatles were featured.
As we can see on this magazine The Killers are featured on the front cover, the killers are a popular band and therefore are the main focus on the magazine.
The colour scheme of the NME magazine are bold colours such as red, yellow and white these make the headline and information stand out and look appealing to the reader. The NME not only has its own magazine but its own website and its own awards. The music magazine focuses on new upcoming bands and helped bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Artic Monkeys etc become were they are today.

Making a music magazine-LIIAR

For my main portfolio task I am going to look and see how I can apply the main media concepts to create a music magazine with a double page spread, by doing so I am going to use the acronym LIIAR this consists of Language, Institution, Ideology, Audience and Representation.

Language-The language featured in a magazine is extremely important mainly because this is what encourages the reader to read more, therefore i am going to use language which appeals to the age range which i am aiming my magazine at which will be mainly 16-25. I will also use plugs to make the language catchy, the colour and font of the language is also important therefore I will take this into account.

Institution-There are many different publishers for different magazines such as: Bauer,Emap and many more. They are very important in the making of a magazine because they are included in the production process.

Ideology-For the ideology of my magazine I will be looking into the target audience for my magazine, age range and also the specific genre for my magazine, these are all important for a magazine to be successful.

Audience-For my magazine it is going to be aimed at an audience who are interested in the genres pop/dance, my magazine is mainly going to include music/information about these included genres.

Representation-My music magazine will represent persons who are around the age of 16-25 mainly because it will include celebrity gossip aswel as music. It will also be fixed around the genres pop/dance.