Final Masthead Planning

For my final masthead font, I have chosen number 1, from my previous post. I chose this font because it can apply to a range of people, male and female, as well as being very simple with a rough edge to it, with it looking as though it's being drawn.
Below is an edited version of it, in which I have removed the background, and added a drop shadow.

Here, the shadow very subtly makes it look very professional, and slightly separates it from the rest of the page, making it obvious, and intriguing. 

I have also experimented with some other colours for my masthead, as I wanted to see what it would look like, however still keeping neutral colours such as grey, so that it wouldn't be too overpowering on my front page.

From this experimenting, I have decided to keep my masthead black, although the other colours do look nice. I have chosen this because I want to keep my magazine looking simple and consistent, and black is a very easy colour to keep using throughout my magazine, that also looks professional. As well as this, I do think that it looks better black than coloured, and it looks very original, as opposed to slightly unprofessional.

Possible Mastheads For My Music Magazine

Possible Mastheads

Below are 6 possible mastheads for my magazine...

There is a variety of looks here, this is because I am not yet entirely sure what I want the masthead to look like, however I am thinking of going with something like numbers 1 or 5.

I like number 1 because it is very simple, yet it also looks different from most other mastheads of music magazines. It looks almost as though it has been drawn, which makes it look rough, and could be related to many things, as it looks slightly retro, yet also looks to do with indie, and could even be used for pop music.

I like number 5 because this was the kind of look I originally had in mind, it looks very indie, and looks quite girly and feminine, it is also very simple like the first font, however it may be slightly too feminine, as I do want my magazine to appeal to both genders, although it would be very good for the magazine I have in mind, as long as i make the rest of the magazine to appeal to females.

I want my masthead to be black because it is a simple colour, that will not take too much attention from the front cover, yet it will be bold enough to attract the reader's attention.

Final Magazine Name

Final Magazine Name



I have chosen 'Lyrics' as my final magazine name, as Lyrics are in all songs, and therefore apply to all music genres I will write about. It is a slightly different name, so it would draw the reader's attention, but it still sounds relaxed, and fits in well with the rest of the music magazines. The name makes it clear what this magazine is about, and so the reader will buy the magazine for a specific reason, wanting to read about music, 'Lyrics' fulfills this purpose well, and will intrigue reader, which is why I have chosen it to be my magazine name.

Slogan:
The slogan that I am going to use for my magazine is 'the heart of music', this is because lyrics are essential to music, they are what differentiate songs and make people want to listen. The slogan suggests that the magazine will tell you about all kinds of music, as well as being essential, and important in the world of music in general.

Audience Research- Questionnaire Results

1.What is your favourite music genre?

2. How often would you want a music magazine to be published?

3. What would you prefer the tone of the magazine to be?

4. How much are you willing to pay for a music magazine?

5. What interests you reading a magazine?

6. What articles would you like to read about in a music magazine?

Magazine Name Ideas & Connotations

Name Ideas for my Music Magazine

Below is a mind map of some ideas I came up with to name my magazine, I have written connotations for some of them, that I would be more likely to use as the final name for my magazine.

Feature Article Artist Planning

Artist Planning

Artist Name: Lola Roberts

My artist will be a solo artist, she will be a new artist just becoming famous, practising some of her songs, and learning about the business, attending events that she isn't used to, and generally getting used to the industry. She has a very individual style, and always looks very girly, but with her own twist on it.
She is doing the interview for publicity, promoting her first album, after only releasing singles prior to that. Her music is country-esque, and very original, she is a young, and very laid back person.

Hoe will she be presented in my magazine?

Below is a mood board, capturing elements that I want to try to include when photographing my music artist...

From this mood board, I was trying to get across a very natural, casual, country looking style, that combines girly clothing and feminine makeup, with laid back shoes like converse, guitars, and very individual jewellery, I woud like her hair to look girly and casual, fitting with the rest of her image, so it would be curly, however slightly messy,these are things that contrast with each other, however represent her style well. 

Why is she doing the interview?

She is doing the interview as an up-and-coming artist, promoting herself, and introducing a new style into the music industry. As part of my magazine focuses on finding new artists, she is someone who we will have noticed, and asked to interview. She has had some publicity before, however she is hoping that being in my magazine will help her get started, and give her the publicity that she really needs. She is in the process of launching her first album, after some singles she has launched that became very popular very quickly. 

Location of the shoot...

In order to bring out the artist's personality, I would like to do the photo shoot outdoors, in a field, or somewhere that looks very raw, and very natural. However, at the time of the shoot, as it may be cold, the appearance of the location might not be what I imagined, and therefore I would do the shoot inside, and simply use props to bring out her personality and image. If I have it inside, I would do the shoot in lots of different rooms of a house, in order to have a variety of images, and show her as a calm, homely person, that the readers can relate to. My ideal is to do the shoot outside, as it will show the country side of her personality, and at the same time show her as a very laid back, natural person.

Photograph ideas...
I want the photos to look very natural, not as though they are posed, and perhaps slightly so that they are humorous. As she is only just starting as an artist, she will still be very similar to people actually reading the magazine, so in the photos, she should come across as herself, pose as she feels she should, and therefore be even more relatable to the readers. Her makeup is going to be very natural, neutral colours, so that she doesn't look 'fake'. Her clothing will be very girly, and pretty, she will be wearing a skirt, a headband with flowers on it, combined with casual shoes, as shown above in my mood board. For props, she will have things like a guitar,and flowers. For her facial expressions in the pictures, they will be slightly humorous, not too formal, but not too posed, in order to stay in theme with the rest of the picture, and her personal style.

Other artists...
As I will need other artists to put on my contents page, I need to plan them; I will need some bands so that they can differentiate from the artist used on the front cover, the bands will be from different genres, so that there is a variety, to represent that the magazine includes a variety of artists. I will also use some names of existing famous artists, that would attract the reader's attention. I don't want my contents page to be overcrowded, so I will probably include around 10 artists on it.

Front Cover Analysis- NME Magazine

NME Front Cover Analysis

 



Mast Head:
The Mast Head of this magazine is very bold. 'NME' is in block capitals, making it stand out, it is also obstructing the main image, showing that they want their brand identity to be clear, and stand out to anyone who may want to buy the magazine.
As well as this, the colour of it is red, which is a very bold, loud colour. Red is usually a colour associated with anger or danger, this means that the type of person who they are aiming the magazine at is someone young, daring, or someone who likes music that is loud, and perhaps very unique. Although it is obstructing the main image, there is also some text obstructing the corner of the Mast Head, which is a quote from one of the band members on the front colour, this tells the reader about the bands they are using, that they fit in well with, or are perhaps even louder and more individual than their magazine.

Straplines/Slogans:
The fact that there is no real strapline on this front cover, shows how much they are focusing on this particular band 'Haim', NME is choosing not to follow this convention in magzines, perhaps they are trying to be different, and to stand out from other music magazines. As a strapline would normally be a line of text promoting the magazine, or promoting an 'exclusive' event inside the magazine, by not using this, they are instead using text that promotes the band on the front cover through the use of 'Haim, Get the Picture?'


Pictures:
The only image on this front cover is of the band 'Haim' that they are focusing on in this particular issue of 'NME'. The picture very much draws the reader in, which is what it is supposed to do, it is large, taking up most of the front cover, and the picture of the band members are of all of them looking directly at the camera, making eye contact with the reader. There is a slight difference in that the centre band member, is holding a camera, as though taking a picture. Because she is pointing it at the camera taking a picture of her, it gives the effect that she is taking a picture of the reader, making them feel included, and further drawn in. This motion of taking a picture is then further enhanced by the text 'Get the Picture?', addressing the reader, and being associated with the camera in the main picture.


Sell Lines & Puffs:
As this magazine cover is so simplistic, there isnt really anything used as a sell line, or any conventional puffs, however there are things used that are similar. For example, the band names around the outside of the page are being used as sell lines, selling the bands to the reader and promoting what is inside. Puffs used on this front cover are the quotes from the band members, thhey are showing small bits of information from the article inside, and drawing the reader in, they are very small but effective, instantly giving the reader an idea of what the band is like and making them feel connected to them and want to read the article.