Final evaluation

Lucy Blumberg Evaluation

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double page spread

Here is my final draft for my double page spread

Contents

This is my final draft for my contents page. I have used a similar colour scheme as my front cover to keep the theme related. I have also included a letter from the editor to give the page a more personal feel to it, and one large image on who the double page spread is going to be about. I have also included a small picture of a celebrity which I took on a night out.

Front Cover

Here is my front cover page that I am going to use. I have used a mixture of bright and attractive colours, such as yellow and pink, that would appeal to young girls. The image that i have chosen to use is one that I took of my sister, and she is looking straight at the camera which engages the viewer, and it's as if she is making eye contact with them. Her posture is upright with her arms folded, which suggests she is confident and strong. I think that the black and white image looks effective against the vibrant colours surrounding it.

Double page spread layout ideas

Here are two double page spread layouts that I have created on Publisher. Could you leave feedback on which one you prefere please, thank you.

Final colour scheme layout for front cover

This will be my colour scheme for my final piece cover. I have used stereotypically 'girly' colours to attract my target audience, such as yellows and pinks, and a blue colour to make it easy on the eye to read. The font that i have chosen is youthful and 'funky', and the whole layout of the page is clear and simple.

Cover Lines

The cover lines that I am going to use have to be appealing for young girl teenagers and make them want to read the magazine. The topics need to relate to the audience and make them think they are getting a lot for their money. The cover lines aso need to be mostly music related as it is a music magazine. Therefore I have decided on these ones -

• Fancy a change?

Stylish make overs to make you look like a star!

• Hottest Celebrity Gossip

Who's been caught red handed?

• Competitions

Win EXCLUSIVE tickets to see the X Factor Live!

• Music Quiz

Which singer are you most like?

Front Cover Layout Ideas

Here are three layout ideas I have created, could you leave feedback on which one you prefer please, thank you.

Textual Analysis of a Double Page Spread Top of The Pops

I am writing about the double page spread in Top of the Pops magazine, on Cheryl Cole. The main picture is of Cheryl Cole on her own, which is a mid shot and she is looking up as if she is either dreaming or looking at the stars. The quote that accompanies this picture is 'I always kept my eye on the dream', suggesting that anybody can reach where she is now, which would inspire young readers, and make them want to read her story.

Stars are used as border, and various other places on the page. This emphasizes that Cheryl is now a huge star, yet also relates to the fact that she used to dream about being one. The two other picture of Cheryl contrast each other. For example, there is one of Cheryl before she was famous, and she looks nervous and unconfident, which matches with the headline of 'feel the fear and do it anyway', and the other one is of Cheryl in front of her fans looking relaxed and happy. This conveys that if you put in a lot of hard work and don't stop believing, you will eventually reach your dream, which would be obvious inspiration for young girls.

A large part of the double page spread is taken up by the headline, creating a huge focus on the message that is being put across, and attracting the eye of a reader if they are simply flicking through. There is also a picture of a rainbow, again giving the impression that Cheryl is dreaming and looking up to the stars.

The layout is clear and easy to read, and the text is divided into subheadings. Each of the questions are yellow or blue, this makes it clear when a question is being asked and when Cheryl Cole is answering it. 'Cheryl Cole' is written in bold in order to attract the reader, and the interview comes across as exclusive, as if you can't find this information out anywhere else on earth

Font Research

Here are some fonts I have found and I would like to use one for my magazine. Could you leave some feedback on which ones you like the best, thank you :)

Name of My Magazine

From the results of my poll, and my own personel preference I have decided to choose the name 'Star Girl' for my magazine. The word star would attract the audience as young girls aspire to be like famous stars, such as Cheryl Cole and Britney Spears. 'Star Girl' is also a well known mcfly song and is very catchy so people would remember it to buy again. Stars are also seen as very special and precious so buying the magazine would make readers feel important. I have decided to incorporate the word 'girl' in my magazine name so the target audience is clear to people at first glance. For example, if a young girl was choosing amagazine and was in a rush, she would automatically see the word 'Girl' and know that the magazine would suit her. I will use an image of a star behind the mast head to relate it to the name of my magazine.

Internet research

These are a collection of exsisiting young teenage girl magazines, all of which contain girly colours and topics that the target audience would like to read about. All of the images on the cover are making eye contact with the viewer, which would encourage people to buy them.

Magazine Name Poll

What is the best magazine name?
	Gossip Girl
	Teen-Tunes
	Celeb Central
	321
	Star Girl
	Smash
pollcode.com free polls

Treatment

Not many people filled out my audience questionairre, and the people who did were mostly older, and therefore favoured music magazines aimed at their age range. Therefore the questionairre was not that useful to me and so I have decided to create my magazine for a younger age group, and I will ask my friends younger sister, what she would most like to read about. The reason that I have decided to do this is because I used to read young music magazine such as Top of The Pops, so I can relate to what younger people would want ot read about. Also, I do not currently read any music magazines, therefore it would have been difficult to know what attracts people to them.

Treatment Sheet

Target readership: Stargirl is aimed at girls around 11 - 14. They are confident and popular and will often spend a lot of their time hanging around with friends. They will also be watching shows on tv such as X factor and music channels, and maybe going to their first concerts to see bands like Girls Aloud, Mcfly or the Sugababes. The price will be £2 because the target audience will most probably be relying on their parents financially, or using their pocket money to buy it. The magazine will come out every 2 weeks also, so readers willbe kept up to date with all the gossip happening in the music world. Young teenagers will be really interested in it and like reading it and will happily afford new issues when they are released.

My magazine will be A4 size, and will include topics that would interest and entertain young teenage girls, such as; celebrity gossip, popular band interviews, fashion advice to look like their idols, and embarrassing stories. There will also be friendship and love quizes, relating to an everyday teenage girls way of life. Coverlines will be about popular female popstars such as Cheryl Cole or Rhianna, and pinups of young boybands such as JLS. Advice collums from Mcfly, focusing mainly on boys will also be included. There will be alot of information and topics on the cover to make the reader think they are getting alot for their money, and the writing will be in a youthful font and language such as 'OMG', 'LOL' and 'WOW' will be used, to relate as much as possible to the target audience.

I will experiment with colour layouts, but it will probably include alot of stereotypically girly colours such as pink and purple, and bright colours which make the magazine stand out from others. My magazine will also include a free gift, such as make up, to make them want to buy it, and again to make them think that they are getting alot for their money.

Advertisments on the magazine will include fashion brands and make up brands to appeal to young girls, such as Topshop, New Look, Max Factor and Sketchers etc. Also music related companys such as HMV.

The editorial team will be made up of experienced writers, mostly women around the age of 25. Readers of the magazine will also be give an opportunity to contribute their ideas, and to get a males perspective on things, the writers from the magazine BreakAway magazine will contribute to the magazine everyweek. The aim is to bring in fresh ideas for the target audience, but still having some experienced writers for reliability.

ABC figures for sales of music magazines

These figures show that nowadays, the majority of music magazine are losing money. This emphasises the importance for any new music magazines to have a specific target audience and to appeal to a specific market, to ensure the target audience will want to buy them.

This chart is helpful because you can see which magazines are doing well and which ones are making money, and you can use their ideas to help your magazine to be more appealing which would persuade the audience to buy it.

Contextual Analysis of Kerrangs Contents

This contents page from Kerrang magazine at first glance is very cluttered, however I think the untidy image works really well as everyone in the picture looks like they are having a really good time. This perhaps relates to the wild nights out that the target audience, teenagers, have. The large picture at the top breaks the page down into two main sections, and prevents the whole page being filled with texts, which may put many readers off at first glance.

The main colour theme on the contents page is white and yellow, which makes the magazine come across and lively and youthful. The tile 'CONTENTS' and the words 'THIS WEEK', which are both in a yellow and bold font, stand out and catch your eye immediately due to the black background behind them. In the bottom half of the page there are mini subheadings included in the contents which also catch your attention due to the colour scheme. This also enables the viewer to find the topic that they want to read about quickly, and helps to sell the magazine as it gives the impression that it includes loads of information and interesting topics. All of the main and important writing on the page has been printed in capitals which makes it easier on the eye to read and to navigate around the page easier.

All of the main artists on the page are in bold, which gives them importance and makes the reader think that they are getting good value for their money. The contents page also has a letter from the editor. This gives the magazine a personal touch which would make readers feel important and provides the audience with a lot of information. The caption also includes page references, furthermore making it an excellent feature to include.

Magazine Layout Research

Here are some existing music magazines to help me create some layout designs for my magazine.

Contextual Analysis of MixMag

Mixmag is a very popular dance and clubbing magazine, which covers a variety of topics including dance events and music reviews. The word 'mix' in the masthead refers to the DJ theme of the magazine, and perhaps the mixed reviews that the magazine cover.


The colour yellow is used frequently on the cover used including the masthead and cover lines; this suggests to the reader that the magazine is fun and youthful as yellow is often seen as a bright and vibrant colour, portraying happiness. It also contrasts the sophisticated colour of brown used in the background of the cover. The font used in the masthead is bubbly and trendy, which would also appeal to teenagers buying the magazine. It is also bold and clear to read, making it easy on the eye and stand out.


The price of this magazine is £4.20, which is advertised on the corner of the page. Somebody who is not really interested in clubbing and dancing that much, but just likes the look of the magazine to read, would not realistically pay that much for it. Therefore it is in a small font, and a place that is not that visible to see at first glance.


The picture on the cover is of David Guetta, and it is a mid shot which shows his relaxed and confident body position, which suggests that he is a good role model and would give the reader confidence to buy the magazine. He is also wearing sunglasses, which suggests to the audience that he is very famous as most celebrities where them, and also shows that he is fashionable. This would appeal to teenagers as they would want to aspire to be like him, therefore they are more likely to want to read about him and purchase the magazine.


The headline in the middle of the cover, which is a quote from David Guetta, reads '2009: F*** ME WHAT A YEAR!'. The swear word has been blocked out so it doesn't offend anyone, yet the swear word would appeal to teenagers as that is often part of there everyday language, so they may feel like they can relate themselves to him. It also portrays David Guetta as someone with an attitude and perhaps an argumentative person, which would make readers interested in his life and what he has to say.


The magazine offers a free CD when you purchase it, which would obviously encourage people to buy it, especially if they are seriously interested in DJing and clubbing. This also may persuade people that they are getting their moneys worth, which would help sell the magazine. In the top right corner of the cover, there is a picture of a girl at a gig which gives the reader an idea to what the magazine includes, and that it is fun and energetic to read. There is a list of famous singers and DJ's on the cover including Dizzee Rascal, La Roux and Major Lazar, which suggests that the magazine is well known and popular.

Poll

What is your favourite type of music?
	Rock
	Pop
	R n B
	Dance
	Classical
	Indie
	Heavy Metal
pollcode.com free polls

Textual Analysis of Q

The cover of this magazine comes across as very blank, and holds little information about what the magazine is about. However I think this portrays sophistication and intelligence and that the target audience for this magazine would be for an older age group than your typical music magazine, which are normally aimed at late teens. The first thing you notice when you look at this magazine cover is the name of the magazine 'Q', which informs the audience what magazine they are looking at. It has a background of the colour red which is often used to signify danger, and the two panthers on the cover relates to this also.

The vagueness of the cover has a deep impact on the audience, especially males, as although there are very few images involved, there is a picture of Lily Allen half naked looking straight into the camera. This engages the viewer and I think it is an attempt to seduce the male audience, and make them want to read on. Furthermore, the two panthers standing beside her also indicates that she has a dark and dangerous side to her which would again entice the minds of the reader and encourage them to buy the magazine.

The suggestion that Lilly Allen has both a good and bad side to her is further emphasized through the use of colour in her name. For example black and white is used in her name which is often used as a symbol of good and bad; this would make readers interested in her and want to buy the magazine.

The slogan underneath the 'Q' says 'A Different Take on Music', which is a catchy phrase and is likely to stay in people's minds which helps them remember which magazine to buy next time. The word 'different' also would intrigue the reader as it suggests that the magazine is superior to others and a change to anything they've ever read. Other language such as 'exclusive', 'Wicked' and 'Plus', would grasp the eye of the audience especially as they are in the catchy colour of red which immediately attracts your attention anyway.

Also, the big bands mentioned in the coverlines on the top right of the cover such as 'Oasis' and 'U2' would suggest to the reader that this is a well known magazine and has alot of information about very famous bands; thus giving the reader confidence to buy the magazine as it includes bands they like.

Textual Analysis of Top of The Pops

The first thing that immediately catches my eye is the bright colour scheme and informal layout. The masthead of this magazine cover is in a bold and youthful font, with the use of a very girly colour of pink. Part of ‘Top of the Pops’ is covered by an image of Cheryl Cole, which suggests that the magazine is very popular and well known, as the masthead is not all visible, yet the audience still knows what the magazine is. The target audience is obvious through the use of typical girly colours such as pink and yellow.

In the picture, Cheryl Cole, who is a popular girl band member and a role model for many young girls today, is looking straight into the camera which engages the audience as it gives the effect of eye contact. This may encourage young teens to buy the magazine as they want to be like Cheryl Cole. In the picture you can see her make up and hair style clearly, due to the mid shot in which it is taken.

There are various cover lines that the magazine has, however the one that stands out most is ‘ITS SCARY BEING ME’, regarding Cheryl Cole’s interview in the magazine. This would interest the potential audience as readers would want to find out more about Cheryl’s life, which will obviously be included in the interview, and would also surprise the audience as they might think how can someone so famous, find their life scary? The cover line overlaps the picture of her, emphasizing its importance; and is in a pink colour which is the same as the outline of the masthead, making it stand out. The words ‘WORLD EXCLUSIVE’ which acts as a title to the cover line, is used intrigue readers and make it seem as though this is the only place in the world where you can read this information about Cheryl. In addition, all cover lines include the page number of the topic so if somebody is flicking through the magazine, it is easy to find what they are looking for.

To the right and left of the image of Cheryl Cole, there is a picture of Alexandra Burke and JLS, which both come from the famous and highly popular show the X Factor. This also advertises that you can win JLS signed hoodies, which would again make young girls, want to buy the magazine.

The language used on the cover of this magazine is very girly and youthful, which relates to the target audience. Words such as ‘OMG’ , ‘GLAM’ and ‘HOT’ would appeal to young girls as this is the type of language they use in everyday life. It also makes the magazine come across as very informal which suggests it is full of funny and interesting gossip, again making readers want to read on. There are no sophisticated words used on the cover, and everything that the cover tells the audience is that it’s aimed at youngsters who are interested in popular bands and gossip. At the bottom of the magazine it says that there are 6 ‘hot’ posters, followed by 6 pictures of famous celebrities, who are not actually all involved in music. This suggests that the magazine is not completely about music, and that the magazine is simply aimed at topics that young girls are interested in.

Audience Questionnaire

Audience questionnaire

What is your age?

• 14 - 16
• 16 - 18
• 19 +

Gender?

• Male
• Female

Do you currently read any music magazines at the moment? If yes, which ones?

• No
• Yes .............................

Which of the following subjects do you most like to read about?

• Popular bands
• Festival dates
• Upcoming events
• Interviews with famous singers
• Reviews of CD's and gigs
• Music Quiz
• Other, please state

What sort of picture on the cover of a magazine most attracts you?

• A well known band
• Pictures of festivals or gigs
• A close up of somebody
• Loads of different photographs involving music
• An image made by a computer eg cartoon.
• Other, please state

What colour schemes do catch your eye whilst looking for a music magazine?

• Bold and bright colours - orange, yellow etc
• Sophisticated colours - browns, purples, white etc
• Subtle colours - blues, greens etc

How much would you be willing to pay for a music magazine?

• Less then 50p
• 50p - £1
• £1 - £2
• Other - please state

Could you copy and paste this and fill this in for me to help with my magazine research, thank you :)

Breif and Action Plan

Now that ive finished my prelim task, i am going to start on my final task which is to produce a front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All the images must be original and taken myself. I have learnt alot in preparation for my final task. My action plan for this task is as follows.

Week 1
- Brief
- Action Plan
- First Contextual Analysis (front cover)

Week 2
- Audience Research
- Second Contextual Analysis (front cover)
- Music Poll
- Third Contextual Analysis (front cover)

Week 3
- Layout Research
- Layout Drafts
- Fourth Contextual Analysis (contents)

Week 4
- Magazine name poll
- Font research
- Fifth Contextual Analysis (contents)
- Colour ideas

Week 5
- Sixth Contextual Analysis (double page spread)
- Drafts (contents)
- Photoshoot

Week 6
- Drafts (double page spread)
- Final Front cover
- Final Contents

Week 7
- Add Photos
- Final Page spread

Week 8
- Final evaluation