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

organisation

self assessment of codes and conventions task

1. i feel i have justified my decisions well on my blog post, i explained which codes and conventions i included and for what effect (like the connotative effect of colours)
However to improve the front covers, i could have used more detailed cover lines and secondary images in all of them to make them more realistic. Also i think when adding in codes and conventions i need to consider what one would work in each magazine and which ones wouldn't work rather than just adding in the same conventions for each because each magazine should be different because of their different styles

2. I plan to use this in the future for my drafting and planning of my own music magazine because it has helped me in finding out what codes and conventions work best and has also aided my knowledge on what to use for each different style of magazine.

drafting and planning, codes and conventions

We were given the task of completing 5 music magazine front covers using our knowledge on codes and conventions. Each cover had a main cover star, masthead and barcode and it was our task to add to it. I was able to do this task because of my knowledge of codes and conventions shown in this previous task: http://stevesasmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/in-one-of-my-media-studies-lessons-we.html

Here I implemented a main cover line

that matched the masthead, both in font

and in colour and for the other cover lines

I also used red and black which altogether

created a consistent colour scheme.

I also organized the cover lines around the main

image which created a clear layout. In the

the cover lines I used red to emphasize a

word's importance to the viewers that would also

make them interested.

The anchorage text also entices the readers

to read the article as it briefly reveals what the

article is about and its separated out into three
main lines, 'drake, revealed, the man...' which is a typical convention of music magazines

 Here I used a similar font for the main cover line

that is big and bold, which gives clarity to the

potential buyers and its a typical convention for

music magazines.

I implemented a puff with 'exclusive' this is in contrast

to the text around it so it stands out and intrigues the

potential buyers who would be attracted to it and seek to find out more.

I also added in a secondary image which is another

convention that visually communicates the other content

in the magazine.

The colour scheme contains lively and bright colours

because of the warm lively colours of the image

as well as the bright happy facial expressions of the cover stars

Here I used a soft and round edged font which matches

that of the masthead and complies with the gentle

calm nature of the main image. The colours also comply with this as they are soft and match the tint of the image.

The font that I used for the rest of the text is quite quirky, which complies with the Niche market that this magazine would be aimed at.

I also included two more typical conventions, a puff and

a band list. These help advertise the variety of content within the

magazine and demonstrates that there is more than one reason to buy it

Here, I added in anchorage text (the main cover line was already there) to entice the reader about the band being featured and I used a font that matched the cover line and the formal, conventional style of this type of magazine.

I made it the colour red so that it complied with the masthead and the other cover line to create a conventional colour scheme with the connotative effect being that kings of leon are a dangerous buy band, a typical image.

I also included a secondary image of the arctic monkeys which are another boy band that would more than likely fit the genre of music this magazine is aimed at.

Here I used an edgy font that is bold and clear which communicates the serious style of this genre of music but also helps to generate a fear factor in combination with the image. This would be one of the conventions of a niche magazine of this kind.

 I used the colour red again to comply with the masthead and the serious, dangerous style of the magazine.

I then implemented an artist list in the secondary colour, white, as these aren't as important as Marilyn manson or nine inch nails the second featured band/ artist. The font I used for this is edgy and serious but is simple and clear, so its still in compliance with the serious niche style of this magazine

drafting and planning

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/app/view

This is a link to a valuable online resource that I was informed about called 'The Visual Thesaurus' where multiple words are gathered automatically that all string from one word (that you enter).

I have recently used this to gain ideas towards the name of my indie rock band. I enter words that would partly describe the image of a typical rock band, and therefore my own band, with words like 'rebel' or 'intimidate' and I look for similar words that are intriguing and are relevant to the genre.

Here are some words that I found by typing in 'rebel' and expanding on some words to fin others, these could all potentially be the name of my band:

• Maverick
• Renegade
• Rise or Arise
• The Freedom Fighters
• The Desperados
• The insurgents
• subversive
• The crusaders 

I like the sound of these names especially since they carry meaning, however quite a few indie rock bands have random, somewhat ambiguous , yet intriguing names. For example 'The Arctic Monkeys' so I may wish to consider coming up with some names that are random but have a ring to them.

This type of name would demonstrate that indie rock is a unique and quirky genre that doesn't comply with the typical conventions of most other music genres

drafting and planning

MAGAZINE NAME IDEAS

recently I have been brainstorming ideas for the name of the music magazine that I will be creating. I wanted to come up with a name that was not only unique but also short, sharp and intriguing for my target audience. Here is a selection of my favorite names:

• BASS - I like this because its short and simple and it comes from the bass guitar which is a common yet very popular instrument present in almost all indie rock music, however it could be seen as a bit boring and not very unique.

• ROYALE - I like this name because its sounds very prestigious which reflects indie rock as a prestigious and high quality genre of music however i think it suits pop as a genre rather than the more hardened rock genre

• INDIE SOUND - I like this name because it does what it says on the tin, its simple yet bold and really gives indie rock music a name for itself however it is very similar to 'Rock sound' a popular rock music magazine so its not very unique

• IGNITE - I like this name because its unique and out going, it describes indie rock music as fiery, passionate music that really packs a punch, and this boldness could really intrigue the target audience however its questionable whether it would suit this genre

• STRIKE - i like this name because its short, sharp and sounds very powerful and superior which creates a good image for the indie rock music genre however it could be seen as a bit too bold and hardcore for this genre

After evaluating these names i decided that the one that is the most unique and intriguing that would also fit the genre best would have to be 'IGNITE'.

Target audience

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B3D9B5M
This is a link to a website called survey monkey that allows you to create a survey for other people to fill out online. I created this survey (the link above) to help me find out more about my target audience (people interested in indie rock music) which will aid me in the drafting and planning for my music magazine