Pop Music Magazine Analysis- 'Top of the Pops' Double Page Spread

The double page spread of an issue of 'Top of the Pop's' helped me to learn the conventions of a double page spread that would be located within the contents of a pop music magazine such as this. Firstly, I was influenced by the image located upon the double page spread; it is very large and can go from one page to the other. This makes the double page spread connect well, and keeps the target audience engaged because it seems like an article with a lot of information. There is large text upon one of the pages which initially may attract the target audience; "How to get my life!". The audience will imply that the celebrity upon the double page spread is saying this, and therefore may be more inclined to read the article because they want to read about their admired celebrity/celebrity that they are familiar with. The double page spread links with the front cover; Selena Gomez is the celebrity that features upon both, and this is effective as she is a well known celebrity for this age group, particularly due to her involvement within the television programme on Disney Channel 'Wizards of Waverley Place'. This is an effective way of enticing members of the young female audience that this magazine is trying to appeal to; they may recognise her from this programme and therefore be inclined to purchase the magazine. Alternatively, they may know her for her singing and therefore this is the reason why she has been included upon the front cover and upon a double spread within this pop music magazine. This is an example of how the magazine tries to incorporate celebrities that are related to media other than music; television for example, and this is appealing to a young female audience.

I learnt that it is effective to include an introduction to the article upon the double page spread; that it summarises the article as a whole and tends to draw the audience in by including the most important and appealing sections/information within the article. The introduction to this double page spread is "She's bursting with confidence, has a bunch of fab friends and a fit boyfriend. Want to know SEL's secret? Just follow her amazing tips and tricks..." There are many techniques included within this introduction that may appeal to a target audience of young females. Firstly, the phrase "She's bursting with confidence..." is appealing as at the age that the young female audience are at, they are usually striving to be confident and need advice on how to be usually from outside sources such as magazines. In addition, the phrase "...has a bunch of fab friends" entices the target audience to read the double page spread because it uses language that is easily accessible to a young female audience. Words such as "fab" and "bunch" are words that are likely to be used and heard among this young age range, and therefore the article may be of interest to the target audience through the use of these.

Furthermore, the phrase "...and a fit boyfriend" appeals to a young female audience because they are interested in boys at this age, as indicated by this magazine on the front cover and contents page also when they mention "12 hot lads" and "We love boys". A rhetorical question is also used within the introduction to the double page spread; "Want to know SEL's secret?". The use of a rhetorical question entices the audience to read the article as they find themselves wanting "to know SEL's secret"; the use of the language "secret" implies that this magazine has information which is exclusive and therefore it is unlikely that it will be found in another magazine. This makes it stand out from its competitors, and in addition, how the magazine refers to Selena Gomez, as "SEL" implies that they may be friends with Selena; friends use nicknames. This also may make the audience feel as though they are friends with Selena too. The end sentence of "Just follow her amazing tips and tricks" may attract the target audience, as it implies that in order to "...know SEL's secret" they have to "...follow her amazing tips and tricks". They state "Just", which suggests it is easy to adapt their lifestyle to that of Selena's and achieve what is stated before this, and this is appealing as a target audience of young females are likely to read on as it seems simplistic to achieve things that they want to experience.

Alliteration again is used within this magazine, "Fantastic friendships Selena says..."; this catches the eye of the target audience immediately. The colour scheme of the double page spread again complies with the colour scheme seen upon the front cover and the contents page; the colours are pink, white and black in particular. The image of Selena Gomez also complies to this colour scheme; she is wearing clothes and shoes that are black, and her make-up also matches this colour scheme with red lipstick and black eye make-up. This implies that a young female audience are more likely to keep engaged with the content of the magazine if the colour scheme is consistent and the image of a celebrity/artist blends in with this colour scheme, so everything seems linked and together. Shapes also seem to be a well used visual tool within magazines that are trying to appeal to a young audience from this double page spread. I analysed much of the language that the article consists of also, as seen within the images above.

Pop Music Magazine Analysis- 'Top of the Pops' Contents Page

I analysed a contents page from an issue of 'Top of the Pop's'. By doing so, it was clear to me the types of stories included within a pop music magazine, particularly learning from this that within a pop magazine which is targeted at a young female audience, the stories included have to relate to their lives away from music too. By being a pop music magazine, this indicates that a large audience will be interested within it, as pop music is usually enjoyed by a great number of people (this type of music is called 'pop' because it is popular and mainstream). To elaborate, images are included again upon the magazine's contents page, and this emphasises the idea that a young audience are likely to take in the information presented to them within a magazine via a magazine's use of visual tools such as these, likewise to the front cover of this issue of 'Top of the Pops'.

It is evident that within this pop music magazine's contents page, the magazine is constantly trying to appeal to a young female audience. This is indicated through the use of language, which the audience are likely to relate to at their young age. This language is simplistic and words are used which the age group being targeted would use frequently. The phrase "We love shopping" appeals to the target audience as young females are likely to enjoy shopping; it is a common activity carried out by young females, and as this pop magazine is targeted at a mainstream audience, shopping is likely to be enjoyed by these readers. The use of the word 'We' implies to the target audience that the magazine is including them, almost as though they are a friend to them. The target audience feel, as a result of this use of language, that they are contributing to the magazine in some way and therefore are appealed to it as it seems as though it involves them. One of the articles stated expresses; "Everyone's wearing..." This phrase appeals to the target audience, as 'Top of the Pop's' is trying to attract a young female audience, and at a young age girls usually want to adapt their style to the current fashion; styles and clothing that the majority of the people their age are wearing.

The article "How to get classy curls" is effective upon the contents page, due to the fact that alliteration is used firstly. "Classy Curls" may attract the target audience's eye, and it also appeals to a young female audience as it implies that the magazine is going to provide them with instructions on how to achieve a look that will make them fashionable. The description provided of the "Curls" is "Classy", and this adjective is appealing as it's a positive and admirable description that a young female audience will be attracted to. The contents page includes the use of second person; articles such as "How YOU can live like Selena" and "Your say with CBBC's Dick and Dom" is appealing to the target audience as the use of "you" and "your" implies that what the magazine is saying is being directed at to the individual who is reading the magazine. The incorporation of celebrities within the articles makes the magazine appealing as the target audience recognise the names and are more inclined to purchase the magazine as a result of this, as their favourite/admired artists appear.

The article "Win 1D's signed ipod shuffles with the lads personal playlists" is appealing to the target audience of young females as the use of the word "Lad" is a colloquial term, and therefore the target audience for this pop music magazine is likely to be aware of this word and use it frequently, which makes the magazine attractive to the target audience as they are able to access the language easily. The fact that the target audience have the chance of winning something which includes "personal playlists" of an admired band of theirs, is appealing to them as it may feel as though they are receiving a gift from their favourite celebrity if they win the competition. The use of "1D" indicates that this band must be well known, as by presenting their name in this way it implies that the target audience are aware of them; instantly when they see "1D" they know that the magazine is referring to the band One Direction. This shortening of bands included within the pop magazine implies that a young audience is able to understand something when it is shortened if well known; connecting to a young person's use of their phone as they are likely to text often; shortening language connects to text language e.g. the use of LOL for laugh out loud and OMG for oh my gosh. The target audience of young females will be able to access this type of language generally as they are familiar with it and therefore they presumably will understand such words that are shortened.

Furthermore, the phrase included within this contents page "hottest accessory" is attractive to a young female audience, as it relates to fashion and the clothes that they wear; again it emphasises how a pop music magazine aimed at such an audience needs to take into account what their lifestyle is like in order to seem appealing to them. A young female audience will be interested in accessories as they are aware of their appearance and usually want to keep up-to-date with the styles that their age group are adapting to. Visual tools are also used once again as upon the contents page, with a smaller image of the front cover of 'Top of the Pops' located upon it, and this is labelled in order to guide the audience to the pages where the articles featured upon the front cover are within the magazine. There are also other visual tools included that are likely to keep a young female audience engaged; images of clothing and accessories, which are also labelled with the number of the page that these can be seen upon. Upon my own contents page, it would be effective therefore to include the number of the pages that the images relate to that I'm going to include upon it.

It was clear that at the top of the contents page, in order to direct the target audience of young females to the  list of articles, the magazine included a banner that implied that this was the contents page; "Inside the mag..."    This is useful in a variety of ways; firstly, the colour of the banner atttracts the target audience to read what it upon it as it is segregated the text written within this from the rest of the page, and therefore due to the fact that it is segregated, it's information that the audience are likely to process first, and this is effective as the magazine directs them to read what the magazine consists of through this banner. The "..." included after "Inside the mag" is effective as it directs the target audience to the information that the magazine consists of. This is a useful technique to include within my contents page in order to direct a young female audience to read the contents of the magazine.

There seems to be certain parts of a young female's life that pop magazines such as 'Top of the Pops' appeal to, when looking at the contents page. As the articles are segregated according to the interest that it is linking to, this helps with my contents page as it is clear what a young female audience reading a pop music magazine wants to read about; "We love shopping" refers to the interest of shopping, and therefore indicates to me that a young female audience would want to see articles upon the contents page that are related to shopping/fashion. Linking with this, there are images of clothing and accessories which attracts them to this section as they are visual tools that are easily accessible by a young audience. There is a section which is entitled "All About You", and this attracts the target audience, as it involves them within their magazine; focusing upon their lifestyles e.g. "How YOU can live like Selena", along with articles which link to the interactivity that the magazine offers; "Your oops! Share your shame with Radio 1's Aled & Dr Mel". Here, the mention of a radio station is appealing to the target audience because the magazine is based on pop music, and therefore the target audience of young females are likely to listen to the radio frequently as 'pop music' is mainstream and therefore it seems as though there will be a large audience who do listen to the radio that read this magazine. Including DJ's "Aled & Dr Mel" is effective as the audience are likely to be aware of who they are if they listen to the radio station "Radio 1", and it is likely that they have either heard of or listened to this radio station, which  means that the incorporation of Radio DJ's does make it appealing to this young audience.

Moreover, "Celebs & gossip" as a section includes celebrity names, and therefore the target audience are likely to be attracted to the magazine's content as they recognise artists written upon the page; for example "JLS", "The Wanted", "Olly Murs" and many more; a target audience of young females are enticed by information about their favourite/admired celebrities. A visual tool is included again, an image of a poster provided by 'Top of the Pops' to it's readers, of two members of the band "One Direction". This again is effective as a young female audience find this easily accessible and are attracted to an image of members from their favourite band. "Wins & Offers" as the title of a section is effective, as the target audience are likely to be attracted to the magazine if it offers them a chance to win prizes that they are interested in; for example, an article stated is "Win! 1D's signed iPod shuffles with the lads' personal playlists", and this is effective because the audience will be interested in the prize that they will recieve if they win the competition; it is a prize which relates to a familiar pop band. Linking with one of the competitions, "Win! Doodles and dolls from The Wanted", a visual tool is included within this section which is an image of one of the band members "from The Wanted" writing something, and therefore this entices the target audience as it is more believable that their favourite band has contributed to their prize if they win.

The colour scheme of this contents page is consistent with the colours that are used on the front cover, which  teaches me that the colours chosen for my magazine front cover, contents page and double page spread should be consistent in order for the target audience to keep engaged.

Pop Music Magazine Analysis- 'Top of the Pops' Front Cover

This is the front cover that I analysed. Once choosing the genre of music magazine that I wanted to create my music magazine around, I had to analyse a front cover of a magazine already on the market in this genre. I chose 'Top of the Pops' magazine, mainly because it seems to be the main pop music magazine available to the target audience interested in this genre of music. As I looked at the magazine front cover, many of the choices that the producer of this media product made led me to imply that the target audience of the magazine was a young female audience. Many of these elements incorporated into the front cover of this magazine will be considered during my production, and 'Top of the Pops' will be a useful source for me to refer to when I need help during this process of producing my own music magazine front cover.

Beginning to analyse this front cover of 'Top of the Pops', I pointed out the effectiveness of a banner upon a magazine front cover. Straight away, the information within this banner is highlighted as the banner segregates it from the rest of the cover, thereby implying to the audience that it is of significance to their lives. Within the banner, the information included helps me to infer that music magazines in the genre of pop strive to relate to their target audience's lifestyle in a number of ways away from music. Included upon the front cover of this pop magazine, the cover line 'Amazing offer! 10% off at Pineapple' is enticing as it implies that as a result of buying the magazine, an offer for a brand that they are likely to be familiar with and find attractive comes with   this purchase. The logo of 'Pineapple' as a brand is included upon the front cover, and this is effective as when browsing magazines that are being sold, the target audience of 'Top of the Pops' are likely to notice the logo, and as they are familiar with it, be drawn to the magazine straight away. This is a useful way of enticing the member of the target audience upon first glance; it is a visual tool used in order to attract the eye immediately and make the magazine instantly more attractive. This is something that I could incorporate into my music magazine; focusing upon the target audience for my 'Pop' magazine and including a visual tool such as a logo in order to entice them upon first glance. This could be a logo for a popular/well known brand among that age range, or alternatively a well known name of a type of media that the target audience consumes frequently.

The use of numbers upon this pop music magazine is clearly used as a way of bringing different members of their target audience to purchase their magazine. By using numbers upon a magazine front cover, the target audience may be more inclined to purchase it because the numbers seem to imply that there is a lot of information available within the magazine. The use of numbers usually means that the target audience notice how much is included within the magazine's content, thereby are usually more inclined to purchase the magazine. The coverline 'star styles to copy' is appealing to the target audience as they are a young female audience who idolise these 'stars' mentioned; the stars are presumably celebrities who they are interested in and therefore they are likely to want to copy the styles that they have. They usually want to share something in common with these celebrities, and by adapting their style to that of their idol allows them to do so. To elaborate, the target audience of young females may have an intention of one day looking like their idols, and by including a feature which will help them to do so (by giving them information regarding the styles of these celebrities), the magazine instantly seems more appealing.

Celebrity endorsement is also used as an enticement upon this magazine front cover; an image is included of a celebrity popstar that the target audience are likely to be familiar with. There is an implication that this celebrity is well known among the target audience, as the image of this celebrity is located within the box that links with the coverline '89 star styles to copy', which suggests that she is one of these 'stars'. Tulisa is a well known popstar, and the target audience may be inclined to purchase the magazine because they are interested in her life, or alternatively enjoy her music. She has recently been involved in the talent show 'The X Factor', which may entice the target audience even more because the magazine is current and includes information about celebrities who are in the limelight at the current time. There is also a large interest in the style of X Factor judges usually within the media, and this information shared with the target audience therefore is likely to be appealing to them.

The front cover includes the main coverline, and ends this with 'by Selena x' in a different font type compared to the rest of the text included upon the front cover. This implies that it is 'Selena's' handwriting, which makes it personal and therefore may be appealing to the target audience of young females as the magazine seems as though the celebrity included within the main image of the front cover has contributed to it. The incorporation of this text also gives the target audience the impression that 'Selena' is a friend to them, because the use of the 'x' is usually used between friends or those who care for eachother. This may appeal to members of a young female audience as they are likely to idolise the celebrity included within the main image; they may be attracted by the fact that she seems friendly towards them. The coverline 'Flirt Alert: Celebs caught kissing' is attractive to the target audience due to the fact that it indicates to them that the magazine has exclusive information; the word 'caught' implies that the magazine took photos or have obtained information that these celebrities didn't want to be revealed to the public. Therefore, this information seems secretive and implies that it can only be found in this particular magazine, and this attracts the target audience as it seems exclusive and as though it is revealing information about celebrities they are likely to be interested in. This may make it stand out from it's competitors, as this information isn't likely to be found in these magazines too, which consequently makes it unique.

The rule of three is used through the coverline 'Mad, Bad and Dangerous', and this is located on the left third. By using the rule of three, the magazine is likely to attract members of the target audience, as it is an effective technique that draws people in to read the rest of the content by seeming short yet revealing information about the artists. The phrase 'the unseen side of Little Mix' is appealing as it seems to be revealing something about a new band; the target audience of young females are likely to be interested because they are new to the music scene and the public know little about their personal lives due to this. This magazine, however, will allow them to learn about their lives, which makes it attractive to the target audience. The magazine seems to generally reveal the behaviour that a young female audience would want to imitate; the positioning of the band 'Little Mix', with their mouths open. The colour scheme of the magazine front cover, consisting of turquoise, pink and white, seems feminine and therefore would presumably immediately attract a young female audience to the magazine when seeing this.

Studying this magazine front cover has allowed me to infer how a pop magazine attracts it's  target audience, I began to form ideas for my own front cover of a pop magazine. I noted any important aspects that I thought should be included upon my front cover in order for it to be recognised as a pop music magazine. Certain conventions, I found, were present upon the 'Top of the Pops' magazine front cover, that I could possibly be inspired from. For example, I noted that I could maybe include an offer linking to a well-known brand that the audience are aware of, likewise to this 'Top of the Pops' magazine which includes an offer for 'Pineapple', a well-known brand recognisable to a young female audience. I also inferred from the magazine front cover that it is a good idea to include small images of celebrities that the target audience of the magazine are likely to be aware of; these could be placed alongside coverlines upon my magazine front cover, and from this I learnt that it is key to place visual tools upon my magazine front cover if I am trying to attract a younger audience, as they can relate to images straight away when glancing at the magazine, therefore an image is more likely to catch their attention than text upon a magazine front cover.

From this pop music magazine, it was clear that it is good to include a fashion element within it, as it is likely to relate to the lives of members of a young female audience that like this magazine I will be trying to attract through my front cover. Presumably, the majority of a young female audience would be interested in fashion as they are aware of what they wear, and try to adapt their styles to current ones presented in magazines such as this. A magazine is one of the media sources whereby they get their information from regarding fashion, alongside the television, internet and radio etc. As a magazine allows them to consume information via visual tools usually, it is important to include information about their everyday life as they can relate to the visual aspects of the magazines well and therefore are likely to want to consume information in this way. It was evident through my analysis that maybe an article could be included that gives advice to a young female audience; at this point in their lives, they are likely to come across common problems that causes them to seek advice from outside sources that are usually unbiased. An insight into an artists life (someone who is likely to be of interest to the target audience that is trying to be attracted) could be included upon my magazine front cover; as it is evident from this front cover that members of the target audience enjoy/are intrigued by information regarding a celebrity that they know of, through the headlines that refer to the lives of celebrities such as 'JLS' and 'Selena' Gomez.

Kerrang music magazine analysis

Prior to starting to plan my own  music magazine's front cover, in order to get an idea of the types of elements that compiled to form a typical magazine front cover, I analysed a magazine that already exists. "Kerrang" is a music magazine that has existed for some time on the media market, and is a rock music magazine, which can be seen immediately from the masthead of the magazine. Focusing particularly  upon this at first, the music magazine's front cover evidently portrays a rock genre, as the lettering is in capital letters, bold and very large across the page. Alongside this, the writing is cracked, which implies a rock genre as it suits the behaviour of rock stars, as being random as well as very spontaneous. The masthead immediately suggests that the magazine is exciting through the masthead, and will be entertaining, as there is an exclamation mark following the title "Kerrang", which emphasises how the genre of this music magazine is rock as it reflects the behaviour of rock stars and those who enjoy rock music; they usually are carefree and very lively.

To elaborate, upon this magazine front cover there is an opportunity for the target audience to 'Win' something, and this is an appealing element to Kerrang as a magazine, as the opportunity to win something entices many members of the target audience. The prize that they could win is also appealing, as it is something that Kerrang's target audience are likely to be interested in. 'A meet and greet with You Me At Six' is an appealing prize to the target audience as the band that they have a chance of meeting is one that they are likely to be interested in, as it is a band in the genre of the magazine that they have bought. Another appealing element of the magazine front cover is the use of language such as 'new' and 'revealed'. 'New' suggests that there is something up-to-date included within the magazine, that possibly will be the first time that the target audience here of this information. The information is also likely to be appealing to the target audience, and related to their particular interests.

Including an article on the subject of 'Valentines day' implies that a young target audience is trying to be appealed to, as this age group is more involved in this occasion in general. To elaborate, there are posters included within this magazine, as indicated by the coverline 'Valentines poster special'. This indicates that the target audience will be gaining something extra by buying the magazine; and this is appealing as the posters are of artists that are popular in the genre of music that this magazine reflects. The magazine states these artists as 'Oli Sykes' and 'Cristina Scabbia', and writes after this 'and more', which entices the target audience to buy the magazine and find out which other artists are featured upon a free poster. Similarly, the magazine 'Top of the Pop's' includes posters of artists that are popular within the genre of Pop, and also seem to link this with young girls having a crush on these Pop stars. This appeals to the target audience of young girls, similar to Kerrang who are trying to appeal to a young audience who are interested in particular artists in the genre of rock and Kerrang link this to love. This also shows how Kerrang are aware of the time of year that the issue is being sold within, and incorporate this within the magazine in order to appeal to the target audience; it seems to link with their current lives, as Valentines Day will probably be celebrated by a younger audience more than an older one, and this is the age range that Kerrang are trying to appeal to.

A banner is included upon the front cover of Kerrang in order to attract the target audience by having this information segregated from the rest of the front cover. This implies to the audience who see the front cover that this information is important and is being highlighted by Kerrang for them to make sure that they read. This is an effective part of a magazine front cover that can be incorporated into many magazines, including those under the genre of Pop. For example, the magazine 'Top of the Pops' incorporates a banner into their front cover, in order to attract their target audience of young girls who listen to Pop music. Here, the Pop music magazine tries to appeal to the young girl's lives away from music, by stating an offer related to a clothing brand 'Pineapple', that evidently is popular with this age group. Upon a magazine banner, usually there is information that would be particularly appealing to the type of target audience, and it is likely to be read as it is highlighted specifically by the magazine at the top of the page and segregated.

Kerrang states a cover line which expresses; "The Ultimate Love Guide" This is yet another reference to the time of year that this issue of the magazine is being released within ('February 13th 2010, as stated as the date of the magazine's publication); near the special occasion which is Valentines Day (14th February). This is effective as the magazine strives to relate to the target audience's life away from music; as love and relationships are common within the majority of young people's lives, as this magazine is trying to appeal to a young audience, a 'Guide' that is likely to help them with relationships, it is appealing to them. Valentines Day is also an occasion which is publicised to a large mainstream audience, and has become a novelty day almost, with people finding it appealing as it is popular and allows them to celebrate their love for someone.

The magazine seems to be giving something to the target audience; assisting them, and therefore providing them with a reason to buy the magazine as it is beneficial to them. The use of symbols upon the magazine seems effective with this magazine, as the symbol of a love heart is located nearby a cover line which is linked to Valentines Day; a visual tool such as this is effective as it is likely to draw the audience into the magazine front cover initially when they are glancing at magazines. As it is the time of year whereby the special occasion Valentines Day will be celebrated, a love heart indicates straight away to the audience that the magazine will be referring to this occasion which they are likely to celebrate if in a relationship. Another visual tool near this is a man and a woman located near each other, which also indicates love or a relationship, which relates to the special occasion of Valentines Day. The people are also celebrities, which is likely to attract the target audience too as they will be interested just by the sight of their favourite artists.

The location of one of the Valentines Day cover lines is on the left third, the 'Valentines Poster Special', and this is effective because the target audience will be attracted to this straight away, especially with the presence of the heart as a visual tool. The target audience are able to immediately see this cover line as the location of the left third is somewhere where the information is usually seen rapidly. The main cover line "Enter Shakari and the King Blues" links with the main image, as they both refer to a particular band that the target audience are likely to be familiar with. The direct mode of address of the main image is effective as the audience feel involved straight away with the magazine; the eye contact that seems to be made between the artists within the main image and the audience engages the target audience as they become attached to the magazine due to this emotional connection. As in real life, when someone makes eye contact with another person, there seems to be a connection and establishment of understanding between the two people, and this can be reflected through the direct mode of address of the main image. Therefore, it seems key to include a direct mode of address if a celebrity is included within the front cover of the magazine, in any genre; the target audience begin to attach themselves emotionally to the magazine as eye contact is made. For example, the magazine 'Top of the Pops' also seems to have a direct mode of address through the main image; the audience want to connect with the artist that they are interested in and this helps them to do so, whatever the target audience may be interested in, regardless of genre or type of magazine. 

An enticement of the magazine is the part of the main cover line, whereby there seems to be a section of speech taken from an artist that the target audience are likely to be interested in; by including this, it seems as though this celebrity has contributed to the magazine and provided their input to the main article within the content of the magazine (as the main cover line usually links with the main focus of the magazine, and therefore to an important article inside). The names of bands listed at the bottom of the front page attracts the target audience as if they spot a band that they particularly like (which is likely to be the case because the bands listed are within the genre of music that the magazine is focused upon), then they are more likely to be interested in the magazine as it has information about one of their favourite bands. The use of the symbol '+' also appeals to the target audience as it implies that there is extra information for them, and if a list of something follows after the plus sign, then it seems as though there is much more information within the magazine that hasn't already been mentioned in the other cover lines on the front cover of it. 

Why Kerrang & other magazines fulfil their expectations

Analysing the magazine Kerrang, and particularly focusing upon why Kerrang as a magazine fulfils it's expectations, I deducted that there is a certain expectation for how different genres of music magazines should appear; there are specific criteria that are usually met according to the genre of the music magazine. I also realised that the language used within the magazine appeals to the target audience, and suits this audience as it comes across in a way which the audience can understand and relate to. To elaborate, when analysing an article within the magazine Kerrang, I discovered that they used language such as 'yeah' in order to come across in a certain way to their target audience. This language is easily understood to the majority of the audience reading, and this is effective as it is easily accessible. The target audience is more likely to buy the issue of this magazine again if the language is easy to read, as they are taking in information that they are interested in, in a way that they can easily understand. This helps me to think of the language that I need to use in my music magazine, according to the genre that I eventually chose.

Furthermore, the magazine seems to include advertisements for musicians; this indicates that the target audience reading this magazine are either musicians themselves, or are likely to know musicians who may need a job. This teaches us more about the type of audience that are reading this magazine; as in the genre of rock, Kerrang is likely to be read by musicians as many have an interest in not only listening to rock music, but making rock music too. Those who enjoy rock music also may know of local bands that they listen to or watch in their local venue, and therefore are likely to know of musicians or be connected to them in some way. An example of this is Harlow's square, whereby bands come together and perform to a local audience, and although these musicians may start off as low key, the audience that they play to may open up their options as they hear about opportunities such as this offered in Kerrang magazine. 

Linking to this, I also found within the magazine that there was a 'Gigs Guide', which indicates that those who read the magazine attend Gigs often, or are interested in attending Gigs at some point. Advertised also are merchandise of the bands that the audience are likely to be interested in, and this is something that may be found in other genres of music magazines, as those interested in music of most sorts may want to wear merchandise or own something related to the band/type of music that they enjoy listening to. An example of this seen in a Pop magazine is in Top of the Pop's, whereby advertised are 'The Wanted' dolls, that resemble the members of the band and the audience can buy these.

The photographs included are of members of rock bands performing, or of people who are likely to be interested in the type of music stereotypically. This indicates how according to the genre of a music magazine, the people featured upon it need to relate to this type of music in some way; there needs to be a connection between the people featured upon the magazine and the genre of music that the magazine is reflecting. This can be seen upon the Pop magazine Top of the Pops; Selena Gomez is the main image seen straight away upon the front cover of the magazine; as a pop star she is suitably featured upon it in order to attract the target audience.

Within music magazines also, there are current issues discussed in order to attract the specific target audience. Within this magazine, there is a section entitled 'Economics', and this is effective as the target audience that are attracted are young adults, and this makes the music magazine more appealing as it includes other subjects other than music in order for the target audience to keep engaged within the magazine, and for the focus of it to not only be music, but expand out to other subjects of interest to the target audience. An example of this is also seen in the magazine 'Top of the Pops', whereby other subjects are included, such as fashion and celebrity gossip, in order to attract the target audience of young girls in particular. 

Interactivity is a key part of a music magazine, as it is for every type of magazine. Kerrang successfully interacts with it's target audience by including competitions that are appealing to it's target audience, offering them the chance to win something that they are interested in. In one section of the magazine, it offers the reader a chance to win a '£50 CD voucher'. This is enticing for the target audience as the prize is something that they are likely to enjoy once they have received it. This indicates how music magazines and most other magazines include competitions that offer prizes that are appealing to their target audience, in order for them to be inclined to enter them. Another example of this is within the Pop magazine 'Top of the Pop's', whereby the target audience are offered the chance to win iPods that have been signed by 'One Direction', who are a popular and well known pop band. This is appealing for the target audience of 'Top of the Pop's', as the audience are more likely to enter the competition with the chance to win something related to a band they are likely to be a fan of or enjoy listening to, in the genre that they enjoy evidently as they have bought a Pop magazine. 

"Stewards Academy" School Prospectus




This school prospectus front cover is based upon "Stewards Academy", and I incorporated a variety of elements within it that would make it recognisable as a prospectus for a school/academy. The images that I took had to be suitable for the school prospectus front cover, as if published, the prospectus would immediately have to have images included upon it that would make the academy a welcoming and suitable place for the children that may want to go there. One of the target audiences would presumably be the parents of these children, and therefore they may look out for certain facilities and a certain sense of atmosphere gained from the pictures, that would be suitable for their child. I feel I have included this within my prospectus front cover, as I have made sure that the many facilities which would aid a parent's child during their education are visible within the images, and the positioning of the people within the photographs seem as though a working atmosphere has been established.

I produced a plan for the content of the pictures in order to make sure that the parents and children saw the school as suitable and somewhere that they'd enjoy attending. The main picture is an establishing shot of a sitting area located within the academy, and this would attract parents and children, as it seems tidy and somewhere where the children can sit. Because it isn't a sitting area that can be found in every school/academy, parents may be attracted to the front page of the prospectus, and consequently may want to visit the school or research into this specific area. On first glance, this sitting area may appeal to them as it seems like a unique place that must have been designed by someone within or connected to the academy, and if researching into this specific section of the academy, this assumption will be confirmed as it was designed by someone connected to the academy. Therefore, it makes the academy different to other academies that are available for them to attend. This justifies why the main image is of this unique sitting area, and will make the parents and children more intrigued to pick up the prospectus, as this exact sitting area won't be found in any other academy/school nearby if it has been designed by a pupil or someone connected to the academy.

The second image at the bottom left hand corner is a point of view shot of the school library within the academy. This image can attract parents and children as a library is where a variety of facilities can be found. It can also be an effective use of an image because it is a point of view shot, as if the child/parent is looking into the library from the door. The fact that it has been taken like this makes it seem as though the audience is actually looking in on the library, and therefore it is almost like the academy is including them already and classing them as a member/part of the academy's community. Within this picture, you can also see a "welcome" sign, which would automatically make the academy seem welcoming to the future potential pupils and their parents. The door is open within the image in addition, and this is effective because it seems as though the parents and children have been welcomed already. The image also looks as though it contains many objects that would aid the children when they were studying within the school, which is appealing as it makes the school suitable enough for a parent's child to presumably be well educated and to succeed.

The third image at the bottom right hand corner is of a section within the academy that evidently helps students in a number of ways. This is attractive to parents who think that their child may require some sort of support if they attended this academy. The students and staff around tables and seeming occupied implies that a working environment has been established within this section of the academy, which would attract parents and children. This is because, not only are the children working, but it also looks like a section in the academy where the children would be able to work with support available. An academy is likely to take on students who require this help, and therefore this is showing that these particular students can receive support from mentors. This focused support that the target audience can assume is available from the photographs, will attract this group of potential students and their parents.

The text included upon the academy prospectus' front cover is suitable for a number of reasons. The phrase "...pupil achievement is at the heart of all we do" is attractive as it highlights straight away to the target audience of parents and children, that if they attend the academy, the main focus is ensuring that they try their best to help promote "pupil achievement". This is effective as the fact that a pupil achieves during their education, is preferable to both the parent of the child and the child themselves, and is usually aimed for. The academy suggests that they are passionate about helping pupils to achieve, as they say that it is "...at the heart of all we do"; the caring nature of the academy is portrayed through this. Parents want to be reassured that their child is recieving the best support emotionally, and being taught by teachers who care about their achievement. Likewise, children may be attracted to the academy as they may believe that they will feel comfortable as the staff seem to have their best interests in mind through this statement; emotionally and academically.

There is a mention that the academy is a "Science Specialist" at the top of the front page, and this is essential to mention as it may attract certain parents, who know that their children are interested in science, and therefore this may possibly attract certain children too. It also allows the audience to know that the school has a specific focus upon science, which may attract them for a variety of reasons. The overall layout of the front page was planned on paper, initial to it's creation on Adobe Photoshop, and I chose this layout for a number of reasons. As mentioned above, I chose the main picture to be the "Chinese Garden" that can be found within the school, as this is a unique place that won't be found in other academies in the surrounding area. This may attract parents and children, as they may believe that it will provide the children with a unique experience if they attended the academy, and it was placed within the centre of the front page so it is likelt to be the first image that the audience looks at. If seeing such a unique sitting area at first, it may attract the audience to discover more about the academy as it catches their eye and will entice them to pick up the prospectus.

The two photos at the bottom of the front page were placed there because I believe that both a working environment and the caring nature of the academy is portrayed through the image on the right, and the audience should link this with quote above. The fact that the academy is trying to achieve "pupil achievement" is portrayed through this image as the staff are evidently supporting the students, as they are sitting beside them, presumably helping them work/supporting them emotionally, and therefore the pupils seem like they are going to achieve in some way because of this, or alternatively are currently achieving as as a result of this help. The caring nature is portrayed through this image as there is an indication that the staff care about their pupil's well being as they look as though they are supporting them in some way. This is also seen through the quote used above this image, as it suggests that it is "...at the heart of all we do", indicating that they are passionate about trying to help pupils achieve, and therefore care for them.

Similarly, the photo on the left links with the quote as "pupil achievement" evidently seems to be important ("...at the heart of all we do") to the academy and one of their main aims, as an image of the library and the facilities that are available for the pupils can lead to them being able to achieve. It also suggests that they provide their pupils with the facilities that can enable their achievement; they make sure that they make this a focus. In addition, there is a sign which says "welcome", and this portrays the caring nature that can be deducted from the quote when they suggest that "pupil achievement is at the heart of all we do". Therefore, these two photos were placed at the bottom of the front page in order to be seen after the audience has read the quote above them, as they link to it; they act as visual tools that connect to the quote.

The colour scheme follows the house colours of the academy; white and black in particular. This is effective as the audience will be able to familiarise themselves with the colour scheme of the academy and be able to distinguish between academies as a result of this. Also, if they are looking for that particular academy prospectus and are aware of the house colours initially, it will be easy to find because they will be able to recognise it due to it's distinctive colours that differ from other academies. The logo is located at the top left hand corner of the front page of the prospectus, and this is effective because by being at the top of the page, the target audience will notice it straight away, and it is also alongside the title of the academy "Stewards Academy", which makes the audience aware of what their logo is for future reference.



School Prospectus- using Adobe Photoshop

After many days of working on my school prospectus front page, it is completed. Creating this front page of a school prospectus in preperation for creating the main music magazine front cover, has enabled me to be able to work with Adobe Photoshop more efficiently. If I hadn't created this front cover, it would have proved more difficult to then produce a magazine front cover, and presumably would have taken much longer as I tried to work Adobe Photoshop and the tools on there. The experience of producing a school prospectus has allowed me to be able to identify certain tools on the programme, and therefore when I use Adobe Photoshop in order to create my music magazine front cover, I will be able to find these again. I noticed when working with the images that I had opened into photoshop, that it was difficult to decide on the size of them, as the correct pixels had to be chosen. This took the most time, although now I'm more aware of how to re-size an image more effectively when using Adobe Photoshop. 

Another action that I discovered had to be known when using Adobe Photoshop, was being able to select a certain layer, and edit something on that layer. I learnt through working with layers, that for example if I wanted to edit a certain image, and it was on a seperate layer, I would have to select the layer that the image was in. If this layer wasn't selected, then I wouldn't be able to edit this image. This was evident as I worked on my front cover, and alongside this I was able to identify with other tools. When adding text to the school prospectus front cover, I selected "Horizontal Type Tool", and this enabled me to be able to write text upon the layer. However, I learnt that I had to make sure that in order to move this text, another tool had to be selected; the "Move Tool". In addition to this, I had to ensure that the layer that the text was placed in was selected in order for me to be able to move it.

I learnt was that I could crop an image whilst using Adobe Photoshop. In order to do this, I chose the "Crop Tool", which enabled me to select the section of the image that I wanted, and make sure that the remaining part of it was no longer visible. Another action that I learnt when using Adobe Photoshop was how to take an image that has been opened onto the programme, and paste it into another page that was created. In order to do this, I found out that I had to select the option of "Select", and following this chose "All". Following this selection, everything that was on that page was selected (in this case, the image that I had opened), and I could then selected "Edit", followed by "Copy". By doing this, I was able to paste the image on to the school prospectus front page, as all that had been selected (the image) had been copied. Therefore, when selecting "Edit" again whilst on the school prospectus front cover, the image could be pasted onto the document by selecting "Paste".