organisation

I am using this updated blog tracker in order to focus on my weakest area which appears to be target audience and organisation so in the coming weeks i know which blog posts i need to be producing in order to bring about a more even variety of blog posts

organisation

Final organisation for photo-shoot

link to early organisation of photo-shoot http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/organisation.html

• The confirmed date for my photo-shoot is the 11th of December
• I plan to use my own digital camera as i know this is a reliable piece of equipment that will produce a high quality image
• I plan to use my friends who will act as the featured bands and artists - 2 male friends and myself who will pose as my created indie rock band ; the main cover stars for my magazine - 2 male friends who will pose as another featured band who will appear in the contents page; a female friend who will pose as a solo artist also appearing in the contents page.
• I will take multiple photos for each band/ artist so i can evaluate which photos would be most effective in reflecting their music genre and the style of my magazine.
• I will use medium shots because they are the conventional shot type for music magazines, especially NME however i may use a slightly low angle for the featured band to communicate their power and importance as the main cover stars
• I am using dark sunglasses for the main feature to reflect their cool, rebellious image and because its a common prop used by indie rock bands
• I may use another prop; a fake microphone for my supporting band because i may decide to do the shoot as though they were live at concert
• I will use the lighting to create a brighter more clearer image for the benefit of my readers however i may not use brighter lighting for my supporting band if the images are supposed to be taking whilst at a concert (because usually its quite dark) 

drafting and planning

MY ARTICLE TEXT
following my research into different types of double page spread articles found in NME and Q http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/research-into-similar-products_25.html  i need to decide on which type im going to use for my own magazine.

All of the articles were effective in hitting their target audience however i think the one that i like most and the one that would suit my band best would be an interview.

This is because the whole article will be dominated by first person text from the band's perspective and i think this is the best way to appeal to my target audience because everything they read is straight from the mouth of the band which adds extra incentive to read the whole article. This would be better than using a third person writer with some quotes from the band because you wouldn't get as much interaction between the band and the readers.

Also i would like to use this article type because i could create consistency between my double page spread, contents page and front cover by using a special font/ secondary colour for the interviewer's questions which could be a running theme throughout the 3 pages.
Here is a draft of this type of article that i would use in my magazine's double page spread:

research into similar products

Magazine article text

I am researching into the different article text in double page spreads that appear in magazines like NME and Q since im aiming to replicate their style in my own magazine 'Ignite'.

This double page spread has its article in the form of an interview, the questions are distinguished by a white background whilst the rest is common black text.
The questions are all personal to the artist/band and in the answers they are often honest but try and get a cross their personality and their image as a band/ artist of a particular genre.
This type of article text is effective as often the questions asked are very revealing and are most frequently asked by the artist's fans the readers get satisfaction knowing the answers come straight from the mouths of the band/ artist.

This article text is a third person perspective of the featured band in which the focus is on the band's new album. The writer consistently uses quotes form the band to support his points and to interest the reader as they can see what the band themselves have to say about it. Its also a common convention that one or two of the quotes are picked out and made larger because they are of most interest/ importance to the reader which could hook them in to read more
This type of article text is effective because a third person writer is generally very informative in comparison to first person, (the band itself) because there's likely to be more fact than opinion.

This article text is also third person but is in the present tense so to the readers it feels as though the event being described is happening right now which is more appealing for th readers because its like a story. Through the story the writer gives an insight into the band and their experience during the event which is an effective way to interest the reader and inform them about the band.

research into similar products

These are two types of NME contents pages, the one at the bottom being the newest.

This contents page is very cohesive, this is because it has easy to read and identify sub headings which creates a distinct divide between each category of content. It is also consistent through the use of white text over a black background which links to the title 'this week' as well as the black text in the headline 'everyone got on board Africa exprez' which overall creates a holistic contents page. This is aided further with the main image of the featured band which is centred in the middle of the page so that it is surrounded by text. This creates a link between the image and the text as the headline relates directly to the image and the sub headings on the right use the image to illustrate its content.
The colour scheme also creates consistency because the secondary colour red that originates form the masthead is used occasionally to mark key textual features like the band names on the left and the page numbers on the right.



This contents page is also cohesive but does so using images rather than text. The main feature is presented cohesively as its larger than the other images and is centred in the middle and each image is accompanied by a distinct page number as it is in a bold font which instantly tells the reader where they have to go for each band/ artist. Consistency is also created well through imagery as beneath every image is a sub heading usually in the form of a quote and then additional information about that feature which instantly links to the image.
The layout of the page is also cohesive as each image and the text its linked to is sectioned off as the images do not overlap which creates a clear cohesive distinction between the features as they are all organised neatly into their separate areas.

Overall i like both of these contents pages however the most resent one from NME is more basic because it focuses on images rather than text and yet still maintains the simple and consistent layout that is cohesive to the readers, like in the one above, but being as images are more attractive and they can easily be accompanied by page numbers i would say that i prefer the bottom one. However both of these have still influenced my own work because they have given me an insight to the different types of contents page layouts which are still cohesive and still match the simple style and ethos of magazines such as NME.

Target Audience

As i am using NME magazine as influence for my own magazine 'Ignite' i have decided to research into NME's target audience because it will be the same as mine.

NME magazine is primarily aimed at a teenage demographic (between 13-19 years of age)

and targets this audience because they are writing about and interviewing 

artists of certain genres of music, like my music genre indie rock, which is the type of music this demographic listens to most. 

 NME targets the teenage audience not only because of the genre of music but also because of special features that would appeal to teenagers like 'The Inbetweeners' because it is a comedy that also targets the teenage demographic

Another way NME help target their audience is through house colours. Although my music genre, indie rock, is a more serious genre and NME complies with the genre through dark serious colours it does sometimes use a brighter more colourful secondary colour, like red, yellow or blue that appeals to a young demographic.

However although it mainly targets teenagers, statistics show that 24% of readers are above the age of 19, so the magazine still needs to remain formal and mature in terms of conventions like cover lines so that it appeals to a slightly older demographic who are mature. It also ensures that if a brighter secondary colour is used it is still used sufficiently and sensibly for the benefit of an older demographic as well as a younger demographic.

In terms of gender, NME has a unisex target audience however it is still male dominated as 73% of readers are male. NME ensures that they target this audience by including bands/ artists of all genders and generally having a formal, organised approach that can be appreciated by both genders.

NME also has a popular website  and offers digital subscriptions. This is also used by NME to target their teenage audience because most teenagers are in touch with the latest technology and music technology which NME makes use of by having a website with online features, which teenagers can make use of as they are technically able. 

Overall NME have a target audience of a younger unisex demographic which it appeals to through multiple techniques. Therefore I now have a good idea of who target audience is for my own magazine and i will ensure i use similar methods to NME's which will help me target this audience effectively.

Organisation

THE STYLE OF MY BAND

These are links to previous blog posts where i researched into bands that suit my genre of music 

http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/research-and-planning.html

http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/research-into-similar-products.html

These helped me because i want to create a band that is similar to their style since they have the same target audience, are under the same music genre and would be most likely to appear in my magazine 'Ignite' since its a mainstream magazine like NME, which these bands appear in frequently.

Therefore i want my band to have a similar style/image, this includes:

Lots of attitude - 

• serious facial expressions
• direct mode of address from most band members for the front cover image but may be lacking direct mode of address for contents page and DPS
• dark sunglasses as a prop
• body language, arms folded, hands in pockets.

Dangerous - 

• Red as a secondary colour which connotes danger
• Black/ grey clothing, consistent with text i.e. dark and serious font colours, black and red
• ambitious/dangerous main cover line, big bold and intimidating font for cover lines

Cocky and confident - 

• reckless and revealing in DPS article 
• informal
• controversial quotes and statements

target audience

SIMILAR BANDS/ ARTISTS
Like i did previously with the Arctic Monkeys, i have decided to research into a band that is similar to the one that i will be creating, Kasabian.

Kasabian appeal to their target audience of indie rock fans and fans of magazines like NME by creating a cool and rebellious image. They do this through multiple aspects, for example, in the image above, 3 of the band members are looking away from the camera and so this lack of interaction between them and the readers shows that they dont care and are therefore rebellious.
However at the same time they come across as cool as they are in casual costume and have casual body language/ facial expressions.
 One of the band members is in direct mode of address which shows that he is significant to the band and gives him more attitude compared to the others which is typical in indie rock bands as there is usually a stand out band member.
The colours used are typical of this genre as well, black and grey are running themes which connote a serious and emotionless attitude for the band which complies with the serious genre. However the colour pink is also visible which breaks the typical color scheme. This could signify that this band are unique as they break the colour scheme of typical indie rock bands and are therefore even more rebellious and out going. This could mean that they appeal to more than one target audience as the pink is quite niche and isnt mainstream like most indie rock bands.
Overall Kasabian try and create a typical image that complies with indie rock as a genre as well as the images created by indie rock bands in mainstream magazines like NME. However they add their own personal twist through the use of pink which implies they're unique and are trying to target more than one audience as fans of the serious indie rock would not be appealed by the quirky and carnivalesque style implied by the use of pink, which would be the kind of feature in niche magazines.

This will help me with my own band because i could consider using similar aspects that ive analysed above like the lack of direct mode address, casual clothing and serious, cool facial expressions.
I would use these so i could create a better image for my band.

Organisation

We were given the task of drafting a contents page and double page spread to accompany our draft front cover. We peer assessed each others work with how all of the pages together are consistent and holistic like real music magazines. My peer assessor thought i achieved this well. One of the ways they felt i did this was the use of images, i used images of the same cover star with the consistent use of sunglasses as a prop. This created a magazine that was consistent, in terms of style and conventions, but also coherent because the images were clearly aligned with text.

I can use this task to help me organise my magazine 'IGNITE'. This is because now i know what to include to ensure that it is consistent and coherent like other professional magazines like 'NME'. I know to use images of the same cover star from the same photoshoot, so when i come to do my photoshoot i now know that ill need multiple images from different angles.  I will put these on my front cover, the contents page and DPS to create consitency.

To improve i need to ensure that i use similar fonts with similar house colours to create consistency with the other pages, coherence for the readers and so it complies with the genre and the serious style of the magzine im creating

Drafting and planning

After looking into the style of NME magazine front covers and contents pages i now need to look at double page spreads that feature the main cover star. Like the front cover and contents page i would hope to replicate something similar to NME's style in my own magazine, Ignite.

From these double page spreads i can observe how NME (on the left hand side) have a certain style when presenting their main articles in comparison to other magazines like Kerrang who have a different style and so therefore i can see what i should and shouldnt be including in my magazine if i want to replicate NME's style.

• NME has a well organised layout that is very simple and coherent. They use different conventions consistently in a consistent layout, a big, main image on the left, common article aligned text on the right which is accompanied by a headline, a quote and sometimes a sub heading. This is a simplistic layout which reflects the simple style and design of NME magazines. However Kerrang is different as it has a more carnivalesque approach. This is shown by the fact that the layout is quite complex, it contains things like secondary images, a separate section of text accompanied by lots of sub headings and the headline is slanted which overall crates a more chaotic and tightly packed double page spread thats right in the face of the viewers which reflects the loud, carnivalesque style of this type of magazine.

• NME uses a simple yet bold and serious font that reflects the serious attitude of the band and the serious, mainstream style of the magazine, whereas Kerrang uses a rough and edgy font that reflects the loud and wild style of the magazine.

• simple, easy going colours are used by NME to once again comply with its simple style whereas Kerrang uses more outrageous colours with the use of black and red which dominates both pages. These colours connote the more outrageous and rebellious style of this magazine.

• NME has its text separate and to one side of the page so its well organised and clear to read as its in its own section, however Kerrang has its main text in the centre so theres lots of things going on around it which overwhelms the reader and refelcts the wild and outrageous style of the magazine as it doesnt conform with the typical and neatly organised text of other double page spreads.

Overall this has helped me towards the making of my own magazine as i know now what to include and how to include it so i can replicate the simple and serious style of magazines such as NME in my own magazine rather than the wild and carnivalesque style of magazines like Kerrang

target audience

After collecting in my results from my online survey http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/target-audience.html  i can now identify my target audience better and see how i can improve my magazine through their input.

• I had originally assumed that my target audience would be teenagers however my survey has revealed that only 1 teenager has indie rock as their favourite genre of music whereas there are 2 adultsabove the age of 32 who have it as their favourite genre. Although the majority of the teenagers said they enjoyed indie rock , more adults have it as their favourite. This means that my target audience isnt just teenagers and therefore i should focus on a wider demographic. I could do this be ensuring that my magazine is more formal and appropriate for both teenagers and adults.

• 4 of the responses (that arent all from the same demographic) state that the house colours should be white black and red so by ensuring that such colours are used i can hit my target audience further. however i was going to use these colours anyway to suit the serious style of the genre

• 1 response from the teenage demographic said that they would expect typical rock instruments to be on the front cover and 2 responses in different questions pointed out the use of sunglasses as a prop because it shows attitude, i think i will more than likely include this because it will create a cool, rebellious image for my band. However, although it was an idea worth considering as it does relate to my genre of music, i dont think i will include an instrument as a prop because they do not appear often on magazines especially on mainstream ones like NME which i am using as influence for my magazine 'IGNITE'

• Most of the responses said they would like to read interviews in the magazine which i will with my double page spread however some said they would like to read about that band's/ artist's album, so in my double page spread i could include a section referring to my band's album, most likely in the form of a review. On top of albums and interviews some responses said they would like to read about gossip, new bands and also music technology, so these are options i can consider including in my contents page or the fron cover, most likely through  puff or even a pug, this would give my magazine variety and appeal to my target audience

Organisation

After completion of our draft front covers we had to peer assess each others work.
The improvement that was suggested for me was to cover more of the space around the main image. I could do this by adding in a couple more cover lines however i think another puff would be better because it would give more variety to the front cover and its a common convention for NME magazines.

This task however helped me a lot in the organisation of my magazine cover. A part from the improvement the rest of the feedback was very positive and appreciative of my front cover to the extent where i could use a similar layout and template for my final magazine cover.

I can do this through the style as well as the conventions that i used which complied with my genre of music and the 'NME' style of magazine. Therefore for my final magazine cover i should aim to:

• Use bold yet simple and distinct fonts that communicate the serious style of the magazine and the indie rock genre which provides clarity for the readers.

• A main cover star that dominates the page and shows attitude which compliments the serious fonts and the bold cover lines overall complying with the style of the magazine and the indie rock genre.

• Simple house colours that compliment the masthead. The same colours will be used for the cover lines and the main cover line to ensure a consistent and organised front cover. A bright and distinct colour may also be included (like yellow) to help emphasise any important or key details on the front cover, like a puff or pug.

Drafting and planning

 My NME magazine

This was a task we were set in which we had to create a cover in the style of our chosen magazine, for me its NME something I discussed in my previous blog post : http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/drafting-and-planning.html. the conventions and the layout had to comply with the style of our magazine and I think I achieved this well.

This is an original photo in which I try and present myself as a stereotypical main cover star. I did this through costume, I sported a suit because it is fashionable and professional and I wore sunglasses because its a form of disguise that adds a cool attitude to the artist. These create a typical image for an artist especially ones in mainstream magazines like NME.

I used a mid shot because it is a conventional camera shot used in music magazines. I also used a technique called direct mode of address which creates interaction between the artist and the audience. Finally I used bright lighting so that the artist is clear to the readers.

On the left is a screenshot of the magazine roughly half way in to the making.

I implemented a masthead of a similar size to the ones on the real NME magazine and edited the image so that it overlaps the masthead. This is a typical convention of NME magazine which demonstrates that the main cover star is more Important especially since the masthead is well known. I added a main cover line with anchorage text and used colours that complied with the house colours of NME. The font I used was big and bold, yet another typical convention which instantly tells the readers who the main cover star is and makes out that the artist is important in comparison to the other artists and bands shown in the cover lines.

I also feel that this created good typography because the font was professional and serious like the image. I also added in more common and much smaller conventions, like date, price barcode and a pug. These are laid out in the style of the NME magazine, so I think they fit in well.

This is the completed front cover, to do so I had to add in cover lines.

These featured well known artists that would most likely appear on an NME magazine and I also used colours that contributed typographically to the cover. This is because the fonts again matched that of the image and the main cover line but also because of the colours. Like the main cover line I used red for the artist’s/ band’s name to emphasise their importance but I also used navy blue for the text because it complied with the colour of the jacket in the image. I was able to use typography because i covered it in a previous task: http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/drafting-and-planning-investigating.html At the bottom of the page I included a list that is used in a lot of NME magazines. In one of the cover lines I used language techniques like a triple and alliteration which are typically used in NME magazines because they are more appealing for the readers.

I managed to do this because of my knowledge of codes and conventions demonstrated here http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/drafting-and-planning-codes-and.html
my research into NME magazines http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/indie-rock-music-magazine-analysis.html
and finally my practice with making NME magazines http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/drafting-and-planning-magazine-front.html

research into similar products

seeing as I have now chosen to use the style of mainstream magazines like NME and Q for my own magazine 'Ignite', I will need to create a contents page that complies with this style.

Therefore I will aim to create a contents page similar to these:

 I will do this by using the typical contents page conventions in similar style to the two images used above, examples are as follows:

• A main image that dominates the page and is aligned clearly and distinctively from the contents list, secondary images and main heading. It will be accompanied by a page number and possibly a small description to interest the reader in reading the main article.
• A simple, coherent, well organized structure that consists of a contents list, a main image, secondary images, sub headings and page numbers that will achieve the simple purpose of navigating the readers to where they want to go. it will not be over crowded or complex because that would defeat the aim and tarnish the style of this type of magazine.
• sub headings accompanied by brief descriptions. These will be kept simple because that is the style of this type of magazine but also need to be interesting so that the readers want to buy and read each aspect of the magazine
• A consistent colour scheme that provides clarity for the readers and contributes to a well organized layout whilst making any important features distinct from the rest of the page/ text. This is shown by the red lining in the 'Q' image separating out each sub heading and the red distinct box at the top. This is shown in the NME magazine by the white text over the black boxes which makes each sub heading distinct and the page numbering is in red, so it can stand out and be found quickly by the readers, providing them with clarity.

research into similar products

When I come to draft and create my rock music magazine, called 'IGNITE', I will need it to comply with the style of most other rock music magazines. I have already researched into music magazines that fit my indie rock genre however I haven't decided on which specific style. here are two magazine covers that fit my genre which I could use to aid me in the style of my own magazine :



Conventions:

Both of these covers help me as they contain similar conventions and they both fit my genre so I definitely know what to include in my own magazine:

• Puffs and pugs - some overlap the masthead
• Blocking is used effectively in both - distinguishes lead singer
• Mid shot (fits in band members as well as costume which defines their attitudes as a band)
• listings - demonstrates other content
• main cover stars overlap masthead - they're more important
• skylines - demonstrates more content - clear to see as they're at the top of the cover

Style:

They may have similar conventions but they have completely different styles which is where I need to make the decision on my own magazine's style:

• Main cover stars - In rock sound the lead singer has an immature, playful facial expression - this creates a more quirky and therefore  more niche style to this magazine - the band are also wearing casual yet fashionable clothing, creating a cool but more niche style, as the costume isn't very professional
• This is unlike NME which has a more main stream style - they all have a serious facial expression and are wearing more serious black clothing which connotes an image of danger for the band and complies with the more serious style of this magazine
• Rock sound also has bright colours and quirky fonts for its cover lines typical for the niche style of this magazine
• In comparison, NME has dark and plain colours a part from the main cover line and it also has bold professional fonts which also conforms with the serious, mainstream style of this magazine

The verdict:

Thanks to my research I know exactly what conventions I need to include to make my magazine cover fit my genre however I need to use them to a certain style and that style is going to be one that matches the likes of NME, one that is serious and more mainstream. This is because I want my created band to have a serious and bold attitude so a quirky niche styled magazine wont be appropriate. I am also using my favorite band the arctic monkeys as an influence and they are more mainstream which is another reason why I want a professional mainstream styled magazine similar to NME. Therefore my magazine cover will consist of conventions that fit this style, a main image that is serious with dark yet still fashionable clothing, big bold professional fonts that provide clarity for the readers , simple layout of cover lines and puffs organized coherently and a house colour that is simple but carries connotations that will suit both the image of my band and the style of the magazine