Welcome to my AS Media Blog, this is a blog which follows the journey of the making and also the planning of my music magazine. This is the coursework part of my AS Media Studies, which I have to make a music magazine for. Here are the main Posts that I have done:

School Magazine- this was a preliminary task
Initial Ideas- this has all of the ideas that I had for my music magazine at the start of this project
Rough Cut- this was my first draft of my music magazine
Rough Cut Feedback- this is the feedback that I got from my target audience on what they through of my first draft of my music magazine
Final cut- this is my final magazine after I have improved on the feedback from my target audience
Evaluation- this is an evaluation of my music magazine and also this project as a whole

Thursday 29 March 2012

Week beginning the 25th


This week I have been continuing the making of my music magazine. I have mainly been focusing on my contents page for the first half of the week. I have almost done the entire contents page the only thing that I have not done is put my pictures on my contents page this is because I have not taken my pictures yet. I will be taking my picture sometime next week. The Easter holidays starts after today I am not in school for the next two weeks. So I will be still working on my magazine, I will also be taking my pictures. 

I have also done some work on my double page spread, I have done the layout. I started doing some more work on this from about Wednesday; I have been doing bits of my double page spread and also the contents page. I have put in my changed article I still think that I need to do some more work on my article, in the Easter holiday. I have also put in quotes and the introduction. Another thing that I have done is the background colour. The things that I still need to do on my double page spread through making up a name for the double page spread and I also need to put in the picture, after I have taken it. I have not yet put the picture on the front cover and also the rest of the articles. I also started to do a small amount of work on front cover. I have done:

  • The background colour
  • Title
  • Added the barcode with the information above it
  • The line on the top of the front cover
  • Two articles
The deadline for the final cut of my music magazine is Tuesday 24th April. So I have the two weeks in the Easter holidays, a week and about two days after I come back. This is then when this magazine has to be finished by, as then it has to be handed in. After that I then have to have my blog finished for Tuesday 1st May and after that there is the evaluation deadline which is on Tuesday 8th May. This is then my music magazine finished.  

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Fonts I'm Using


I have chosen the fonts that I want to use for my music magazine, with the help of my my target audience. So the fonts that I will be using are:

 I will be using this font for the title on the Contents of my magazine and also the word contents on the contents page. I will also be using this for the title on my double page spread.
The font that I will be using for the actual font for all of the writing and the article is this one. My target audience really likes this font. They said that this font, would be a font that they would want to read the magazine in.
 This is the last type of font this one will be using this one will be for quotes. I really like this font and so does my target audience. It has a really hand written feel to it.



Monday 26 March 2012

Article Font

There are many different fonts that I could use for my magazine, I have chosen these four her below, to choice from to be the font of my article. The names of the fonts are above the A. The first font is one font but it just shows the same font in bold so then this makes there look like there is two not one fonts. I have also done a post on Title font and Quote font.  So here are the four article fonts:

This first font I really like as it looks like somebody's hand writing.I like the bold version of this is also really nice but I feel that the bold would not be good to use for the article but it may be good to use for the questions.

This second one I think looks okay but I don't think that I will be using this one.As I feel that this font looks like it has been but on bold when it has not as it is very dark. So this would be one of the reasons that I would not want to use this font.
This one I feel that I may use as this one looks a lot like a normall font that you would get for an article. I feel that this is the same with the last one as well but that one has more of an handwriten feel to it.



Title and Quote Font


I have been looking the different fonts that I could use for both my title and for my quotes. On a website called Dafont which is a place where you can download font to use. I have found four of each of these and they are shown here below. First is the titles, when i was looking for title font  i was looking for a font that was a bit blockly, maybe a like more rounded as well. I want a bold type of font. The different fonts for the title are shown here below they all say turn it up so that you can see what the font would look like with the name of my magazine. The names of what the fonts are called is above the T on each of the fonts below.When looking at these fonts if you want to see them bigger then click on the fonts as they will be come full screen. So here are the title fonts:

I really like this first font as I feel that it has a nice blockly look to it. I also think that the same of the letters looks really good.
I like most of this font but I don't like the R and the P. As they look like they don't match the rest of the font, so this is why I would not be such if I would use this font.
This font has a slanted look to it which I quite like but I'm not sure if this would look right on my front cover for the title. I also like the way that this font looks like it is in bold when it is not.
This font looks slanted as well like the font above but this one look less slanted but the T looks a lot more slanted than the other letters. I feel that the N looks a little odd as it is curved and N's normal have very pointed, not curverd. 
So the next fonts are fonts that i feel would be good to use when i put quotes on picture and just quotes in general. Again i have four different fonts, the bottom font is not two it is one font there is just an extra one shown what that font looks like when it is in bold. Again the names of the fonts are above the Q. Here is the quotes fonts:

This first font here has a nice handwrtitten feel to it and I really like it but there is one thing that i don't like which is the lower case q. There may also be other letters of this font that I do not like





Q Layout

I have been looking at some Q magazines as this is the genre of music magazine that I would like to do. So here are some of the magazines that I have been looking at to help me with ideas for the layout of my music magazine.First is the double page spreads, then the contents page and then last the front covers.

For my double page spread I have to have three colunms so these top to are the most like the type of article layout that I will have. 













Saturday 24 March 2012

Week beginning the 19th


On the Monday I was finishing of my first draft of my music magazine, on the Tuesday I then handed in my first draft. On the Wednesday I had my target audience have a look at my first draft of my music magazine so that I could see what they through of it and also what they liked and did not like. So that I could see what I needed to change on my final magazine. Here is a link to my first draft target audience feedback.
 
On the Thursday I start to remake my magazine in a way that my target audience would like more. I did this through first starting to think about the colour theme that I would use, I also through about how I would use for my photo and so on with all of the things that I wanted to change about my music magazine. On Friday I then used continued remaking my final draft of my music magazine.

Friday 23 March 2012

Colour sheme


After asking my target audience which of the three colour schemes that I should use. I found that the best colour scheme would be the green one, but not with the black instead with the grey colour from the purple colour scheme.  I found this out by asking people which colour scheme they liked, the results are shown in this pie chart:

A lot of people put other, i then asked them why this was and they all said that they liked the green colour scheme but they wanted the grey from the purple instead of the black with the green. So here is what the colour scheme of my music magazine is:




Thursday 22 March 2012

New Colour Scheme

This one of the colour scheme's that I am thinking about using for my colour scheme for my magazine as I feel that these colours go well together and also the orange will really stand out. I am changing my colour scheme for my magazine as I was told by my target audience that the colour scheme that i had was to cute. So here is the first colour scheme that I am thinking about using:


This is the second colour scheme that i'm thinking about using I feel that this colour scheme is a bit different with the use of the purple. So her is the second colour scheme:


This is the last colour scheme that i'm thinking about using for my magazine. I really think that this green stands out with it being so bright against the black and the white. Here is the last colour scheme:






First Draft Feedback


Yesterday I asked my target audience to have a look at my first draft of my music magazine. The first question that I asked was. What do you like about my project at this stage?

These are some of the things that people said:

  • Organised layout of the front cover
  • Layout and colour scheme on contents
  • Detail on barcode- issue number and price
  • Clear colour scheme throughout
  • All pictures have captions
  • Nice simple font cover
  • Good picture on front cover
  • Good questions for article
  • Good quality photo on from cover
  • Creative features
The next question that was asked was. What could be improved?

Here is what was said:

  • Model looks too young
  • Better props in photos on contents page
  • Needs better colour scheme case the colours are dull
  • Fairly young artist on the front cover
  • Barcode could be a bit smaller
  • Magazine name
  • Very simple font, maybe using more unrecognised fonts
  • Very boring colour scheme
  • Change model
  • Only using one image on double page spread
  • Text
  • Maybe change model as very young
  • Not sure on genre
  • Use more artist and have more diversity
  • Get article checked as many errors
  • Need to use more models
  • Don’t repeat the questions in answers
  • Make the colour scheme and models clothing match
  • Use more adventurous fonts and colour scheme
  • Model too young for genre
  • Only used one model need more
  • Change layout on double page spread
  • Fake instruments not good
  • Bad picture captions
  • Change model too young
  •  Photos must be better variation
  • Colour scheme too cute
  • Main article title too cheesy
  • Not sure on genre, maybe meant to be like Q. Not sure if so needs to be more mature 
After reading the feedback the things that I feel need to be changed are:

  • The layout needs to be more like my target genre which is a magazine like Q
  • Make my fonts more interesting and not as simple
  • Change my model
  • Change the colour scheme
  • Need to redo my article, titles and captions
  • Have variation in photos

Tuesday 20 March 2012

First Draft Hand in


Today is the first draft (rough cut) deadline. So by 4.30pm today I have to have finished my first draft of my front cover, contents page and double page spread. I have finished all of these three documents. Click on the picture to make them bigger so that they can be looked at in more detail. So here is my first draft of my front cover:

My contents page:



And my double page spread:




Friday 16 March 2012

Week beginning 12th March


So this week was the second week of making my music magazine. There is a deadline next Tuesday on the 20th March. This is a deadline for my first draft of my music magazine. This week I have done a lot more on my magazine I have mainly done more on my double page spread, and my front cover. I have also done a bit on my contents page. 

Today I will be mainly doing more on my contents page. This week I have written my article for my double page spread. I have almost finished my first draft of my front cover; this is the same with double page spread. As I only need the picture for my double page spread. I have to add a couple of bits of text to my front cover. 

I have taken some of my pictures this week I took the pictures for my front cover. So I have got my photo for my front cover. But I have not taken my photos for my double page spread and also the contents page. I will be taken these at the weekend as then I can spend longer doing my pictures and trying to make them fit what I want them to look like. 

I have to have all three of my parts of my music magazine first draft done by this Tuesday coming. So the things that I still need to do are take more pictures. Then put them into my double page spread and my contents page. Then my double page spread will be done. I then need to complete my contents page through putting in the pages that there will be in my magazine.

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Front Cover Picture choice

These are the three pictures that I wanted to choose from to have for my picture on my front cover. I asked my target audience that I used for my target audience research. On which picture I should use for my front cover. As they would be the ones how would be reading and buying the type of magazine that I am making so there opinions are important. The picture that will be used for my front cover for my first draft is the first picture that is shown here. The other two picture where the  other two that I was thinking about using. I did not choice to use the bottom picture as my target audience said that they did not feel that this picture was good for a front cover. And I did not use the middle picture as they said the background was to white. So I choice to use the first picture on my front cover. I may change the picture that I have for my front cover may change when I am making my final draft of my music magazine. If there is a better picture that I could use for my front cover when evaluating my first draft. I did have other picture that I could have used for my front cover but these three where the ones that I wanted to choose from to use. As I feel that these ones are the best ones that I could use.


This first picture is the picture that i will be using on my first draft front cover:



This picture is the same picture but edited so that it had a white background, but i will not be using the edited version of this picture, i will be using the one above which is the one that i did not edit.




I will not be using this one, this one has not been edited and this is the original image.



Tuesday 13 March 2012

Hand Drawn designs


I drew my hand drawn designs a couple of weeks back, I drew these after doing my magazine research. My first draft is not the same as my hand drawn design as my designs have developed since I drew my hand drawn designs. I have also changed the name of my main artist in my magazine. I have also developed my double page spread the most I feel as there is no article on my hand drawn design and the title is not very good. So here are my hand drawn designs.Click on the picture for them to be made bigger. 

Front cover: 


Contents page:


Double page spread:


Monday 12 March 2012

Picture Planning Table

This is my picture planning table this includes a lot of information about the different pictures. I have to have at least four images to be used in my music magazine. So I have planned to use four that look like this. I may change or take some more or different pictures in my final draft, as these pictures are just for my first draft. So I may change them Some of the information that it includes is:

  • Time and date that picture will be taken
  • The model used, pose and costume
  • Location
  • Type of lighting 
  • Camera angle and distance 
  • Where the picture will be used
  • Mise-en-scene
Here is may planning table for my pictures that will be used on my music magazine:

Making my barcode


I made my barcode for my front cover. I did this through using Photoshop; I used this video to help me see how to make it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkw_ZW9Qpgs

Here is my finished barcode that I will be using on the front cover of my magazine. click on the picture of the barcode to make it bigger.


Wednesday 7 March 2012

Magzine First Draft Started


Today I started to make my music magazine first draft on the computer. As the deadline for the first draft is on the 20th March. I have to have  to make my front cover,  my contents page and also my double page spread all done by the 20th March. I will be taking my photos next week for my magazine, so that then I can add them into my first draft. I started to make my contents page today, I have done the main outline of the layout of the page. 

Monday 5 March 2012

Audience Research


This is my audience research; I did this to see what the target audience of my magazine thought of my ideas for my music magazine. I asked three different people all of these were in my target audience for my music magazine so here are the questions that I asked my target audience.


  1. Would you pay £4.30 for a music magazine? If yes what would make you pay this?
Person 1: I would pay this much for a music magazine, the reason that I would pay this would be if from the front cover I could see that there were a good amount of articles and interviews from artists and bands that I like or would like to read about. Then I would pay this much if I could see that the magazine was worth buying.

Person 2: I think that this is a good price for a monthly magazine and I would pay for it. If there was a good amount of content in the magazine then I would buy it, but if the magazine did not have a good amount of interviews, news and stories then I would not be paying this much for a monthly magazine. If this was the cost of a weekly magazine then I would not pay this for it as I would not feel that it would be worth it as there would not be enough content.

Person 3: I think that it would be a bit better if the cost of the magazine was £4.00 instead of £4.30. As I feel that this would be a better amount to pay for a magazine. I would pay £4.30 if there was a good amount of stories and interviews, but if there was not much in the magazine then I would not pay this much.

  1. What makes you want to buy a music magazine?
Person 1: If the cover catches my eye or if there is somebody in the magazine or on the cover of the magazine that I would like to read more about.

Person 2: A good amount of interviews and stories, so that there is a good amount of content in the magazine. As if there is not a good amount then there is no need to buy the magazine as there will not be a good amount to read.

Person 3: If there is a good amount of music news and articles in the magazine then I would buy the music magazine. I like to see a good range of stories and interviews on the front cover as this will them make me more likely to look at the magazine.

  1. Which parts of music magazines do you prefer? The features, Interviews, Music news or other?
Person 1: The part of the magazine that I most like is the interviews as you get to read about a certain artist or band and find out more about them. I also like the music news as it shows you what is happen and going on in the music world.

Person 2: The part that I most like is the features and the interviews. As I like to find out about new and well-known artists and bands. I like to mainly read the articles that are shown on the front cover.

Person 3: I mainly like the features that are on the contents page and also the things that are on the front cover of the magazine. As they are the things that normally make me want to buy and read the music magazine.

4. What attracts you to a music magazine front cover first? The images, cover lines or something else?

Person 1: I will pick up a music magazine to have a look at if there is an interesting story on the front cover or if there is a band or artist that I like on the front cover. Another thing that I like is if there are posters in the magazine of bands and artists that I like.

Person 2: Cover lines attract me to magazines if the cover lines are interesting. Another thing that I like on the front cover of the magazine is the image as this is one of the first things that I see when looking at music magazines. Something else that I like on the front cover that is one of the main things that I spot on the front cover is the title of the magazine, as it will depend on the type of magazine it is on whether I would read it.

Person 3:  Normally the picture of the artist or the band as this is the most eye-catching thing that I see first. As the picture fills the whole of the front cover. The stories or feature that are normally on the front 
cover of the music magazine, as these are on the front cover and are normally in big bold lettering.

  1. How often would you want the magazine to be released? Weekly or monthly?
Person 1: I like to buy magazines monthly as then you get more in the magazine as it is not coming out as often, as weekly magazine normally don’t have as much in them. I also feel that it is better value for money when they are monthly as you do not have to pay as much every week as you are only getting it every month.

Person 2: Monthly as I think that there is more in a monthly magazine and also I feel that I would not want to get a new music magazine each week. Monthly would be better.

Person 3: Weekly if it had a lot of content and it was worth it, but I mainly like to read and buy music magazines that are monthly as then the magazine has a lot more to read and also it is better than having to buy it every week as this can get really expensive. But if you buy it monthly you only have to buy it twelve times a year.


From this research I have found that £4.30 would be a good price to use for my music magazine so I will be making my magazine cost this much. This is all an average price for a music magazine as well.  Another thing that I found was that I need to have good articles shown on my front cover as this is one of the things that makes people buy the magazine. Also my front cover needs to stand out and by eye-catching as if not then people will not see it or want to buy it. I also need to make sure that I have good features as these the features are normally the things that people like the read the most. Need to have good names for the articles on the double page spread, as this helps to make the article more interesting. I also need to have good pictures on my front cover and double page spread as these take up a whole page each. I will also be making my music magazine a monthly magazine as most people do not like weekly magazines. 

Thursday 1 March 2012

Initial Ideas


This is my initial ideas diagram this shows all of my initial ideas for my music magazine the things that the diagram shows is my ideas for:

·         The Colour scheme
·         Target audience
·         Ideas for the contents page
·         Ideas for the double page spread
·         Ideas for the main image on the cover
·         Ideas for the smaller images
·         Stories and feature that will be on the cover
·         Title of the magazine
·         Stories and feature that will be on the contents page
·         Title of the main story on the double page spread
·         Ideas for fonts
·         Wording for double page spread
·         Images for main spread and also font
·         Layout for front cover

This initial ideas diagram shows all of these things listed above. These are my initial ideas, so then these may change as I design and make my music magazine. Here is my initial ideas diagram: