1. Create compelling magazine covers.
How are you going to make your front cover visually appealing to the reader from six feet away?
In order to make my front cover visually appealing i will pay close attention to certain aspects of my front cover such as colour, font, and images. I will use a colour theme on the front cover of my magazine so that it appears professional and appealing to customers. I will also ensure that i use bright and bold colours to ensure that my magazine stands out next to other magazines. I will also use colours that reach my target audience of both genders. I will use a specific font all over the front cover in order to stick to a theme throughout, i have learnt that certain fonts appeal to specific audiences so i will choose a font for the front cover that will appeal to my target market as well as standing out. I Will also have to use the correct font sizes in specific areas, the masthead text will need to be larger than the other sections so that it stands out, also any content that i want to emphasised will need to be indicated with larger text. The images i use on my front cover will need to be appropriate for the content of the magazine, i will need to use images that reach my audience and the specific age group i am targeting my magazine towards.
What design ideas do you already have?
I have three main design ideas for my masthead that i have drawn out. The one that i produce will be from these three. I would like the design of my magazine to be very trendy and fashionable, i want it to be a magazine that people of its target market desire to buy. So therefore i would like it to be quite modern and futuristic as i think this is what appeals to the target market of the genre of my magazine. My design ideas are based around both genders as this reaches a more wide variety of people.
Which masthead have you decided to
use – what does the layout and language suggest about the brand identity you
are trying to create?
I have decided to use the masthead nocturnal. I have decided to use this masthead because i feel that its layout and the name of it clearly represents the genre of my magazine. I have used equalizers behind the name 'nocturnal' as equalizers are used in music readers will clearly recognise that my magazine is related to music when they see this. Equalizers are used in order to alter frequency of music, it can also be used to enhance certain sounds which is the bass in this context. House music features a lot of bass, it is usually very fast and hyper which is almost represented by the equalizers which are constantly moving up and down according to what is going on in the song. I have then called my magazine nocturnal.
Nocturnality refers to the animal behaviour of sleeping in the day and being active through the night. i think this is perfect way to explain how people act towards house music, House music is often played in clubs, people go clubbing at night which means that people are up all night. My masthead suggests that house music encourages you to almost e nocturnal. i have used this name to target the younger generation who listen to this genre of music mostly (16-25). Younger people are typically able to stay up all night, have little sleep and then again go to sleep late. I think my masthead clearly represents its genre and it will be easily recognised by its audience.
2.Focus your content to your target audience.
Content needs to be appropriate to
help create brand identity. What features will your magazine include and why?
The features that my magazine will include is firstly a main image on the front cover of an upcoming and popular artist, the anchorage text will be closely linked to this artist. I dont want my magazine front cover to include a lot of text as i think it will appear more cool and edgy. it will also let my front cover focus more on the main image which i would prefer as i think this links well with the conventions of this genre. I would like my front cover to follow a theme of colours and font as i think this will ensure that it appears very professional, the theme of my front cover should follow conventions of a house music magazine. I would like to include in my magazine aspects like new upcoming artists or charts, further information about charts and popular music. i would also like to include a plug in my magazine so if i do i will link it to the younger generation as this is who my magazine will be aimed towards.
Music magazine have a niche
audience. Can you explain your niche and how you will ensure content appeal to
audience?
My niche market will be people of both genders aged 17-24. It will appeal to male and females because i believe this will widen my audience. The content of my magazine will appeal to people of this age and gender because these are the people who enjoy to go out and have more of disposable income for items like a magazine.
3. Choose a Graphic Design That
Reflects Your Magazine's Purpose.
Use font websites and Fireworks to
create your masthead using different graphics/ designs.
4. Respond to Your Changing
Audience.
‘Review how
your magazine fits into today's world. You can have well-written articles with
pretty photos, but if your target audience has shifted to a new direction, you
have to move with them.’
Outline, in detail, who your target
audience are. Don’t just consider the basics – age/ gender. Consider likes/
dislikes/ lifestyle/ habits/ hobbies...
My target audience are those involved in clubbing. They are the ones who make the happening music happen within their peer group They are the first to recommend a new song and the first ones to increase a new fashion trend. These people are the best informed about top DJs and upcoming tunes. They’re the biggest down loaders of music in the UK. The median age of a Mixmag reader is 24 – people of this age have a high propensity to spend their money on: Nights out, clothes, tunes, the latest mobile and MP3 player due to their disposable income.
5. Brand Beyond the Pages
Can you consider how you might
develop your brand outside of the actual magazine itself? There are some ideas
in the article.
In order to develop the brand of my magazine outside of it i could create a branded event. I could invite all people in my target audience and offer a general invite to people outside of my target audience because it wont always be my target audience only that will read or purchase my magazine. It would be a great way to advertise the brand of my magazine.
