music magazine preparation

8/14/2019 Music Magazine Preparation

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RESEARCH &PREPARATION

For the production task: the music

magazine



What is a house style?

The house style of a magazine is the way that

the magazine ‘holds together’. All pages

within the magazine need to show some

evidence of being the same publication.Without a house style, the magazine will look

disjointed and disorientating. With it, the

authority and professionalism of the production

shines through.



NME - House Style

The NME house style is very effective, immediately it is clear that these 3 pages belong to the same magazine through the use of

colour scheme and typography. A convention used throughout the magazine is headlines and anchorage text, these are both

used effectively to draw the reader in. The colour scheme of red, white and black is used throughout the magazine which is very

effective as the colours all compliment each other really well. On the front cover a plug has been used to draw attention to

important information. Also the imagery used is quite similar with all photos being quite mysterious which draws the reader in as

they want to find out more information. I would say this house style is very mysterious but also slick which makes the publication

seem very relevant and retro but at the same time very dangerous and edgy.



PME- House Style

I don’t find this house style to be very effective because although the magazine

maintains a consistent colour scheme I don’t think the magazine looks very

professional. I think the use of imagery makes the front cover seem very cheap and

unprofessional. Also I think that the colour scheme includes to many colours and itmakes the front cover and contents page look too crowded.



Kerrang - House Style

I think this front cover is very effective as the colour scheme and typography are very consistent which makes the

publication seem very professional. The conventions that are most dominant are the secondary leads and feature

photos these make the magazine more accessible as it offers the audience more choice on artists. The different

bands have been grouped together effectively which makes the magazine easier to follow for the reader. Overall I

think this house style is very hard core and is completely dedicated to its genre of music which is shown

throughout the magazine with the constant action shots.



Real R n’ B - House Style

I don’t find this house style to be effective because on the front cover numerous different

typographies are used which makes the whole magazine seem unprofessional. Also the

conventions used on the cover aren’t very effective. For example the secondary lead blends in with

the background so it isn’t really visible, this makes the whole purpose of the secondary lead

pointless. Furthermore the size of things aren’t proportionate to the size they should be on the front

cover.



Rolling Stone - House Style

I don’t find this house style to be effective as no apparent colour scheme or typography

is noticeable. The only convention really used to any effect is the use of kickers and

cover lines which have all been effectively grouped on the left hand side of the page.

Information on the contents page has not been grouped effectively and can be quiteconfusing for people to follow as the information is scattered all over the page.



Issuu – the Dawn on the Online Magazine

I think this house style is very effective as information is clearly grouped

and is very easy to follow. Also the colour scheme and typography are

consistent which makes the publication seem very professional.

Furthermore the size of everything is in proportion which makes thewebsite easily accessible to everybody.



Deconstruction

To make my magazine appropriate for my

genre and audience, I have decided to

deconstruct a professional publication that is

of a similar genre to my own. I have chosenNME. I have also chosen to deconstruct their

website to see how It differs from the print

publication.



Front cover

The masthead has been placed

in the primary optical area which

is where stereotypically most

mastheads are placed. The

masthead is also placed on top of

the photo emphasising the

magazines importance.

The colour scheme for this cover

is very basic with a white andblack colour scheme. This colour

scheme has been successfully

contrasted with the main images

bright red hair which connotes

passion and excitement.

To signify the importance of the

artist, NME have effectively

placed her as the only visible

image. This makes her seem

immediately superior andmakes her seem more

important.

The imagery used uses the direct

mode of address which makes the

magazine seem warm and

welcoming. This has been effectively

contrasted with the moody serious

expression used by the artist. This

makes the magazine and the artist

seem mysterious.

The layout of this page is very

professional as seen by the kickers

and cover lines placed together at

the side of the page.

Similar typographies have been

used on the cover which makes it

seem more professional and easier

to follow for the reader.

To make the focus solely on the

main image NME have chosen not

to add any graphic features or

secondary leads which again makes

the main artist seem more

independence and dominating.



Contents Page

Information has been grouped

effectively to make it easierfor the reader to navigate

around the magazine. Also to

make it easier to find what

you want there is headings

and the contents underneath

it.

The colour scheme has

remained consistent from thefront cover which makes the

publication more professional.

Colour has been used skilfully

on this contents page to make

certain information stand out.

This is a good example ofmagazine advertisement

which is a convention of

music magazines. It is also a

good way of advertising the

online version of themagazine which offers the

readers a chance to interact

with their favourite artists.

The contents page contains lots

of different stories which offers

the reader a wide range of

things.

Also even though there is lots

of text, it has been spreadaround the page effectively

which makes it less boring for

the reader.

Imagery has been used

successfully on this page to

break up the text and also

intrigue the reader and want to

make them read on.

This page also uses headers

above the text which

immediately informs the

reader of the vast amount of

topics the magazine covers.



Double Page Spread

Information has been

effectively placed into 3

different columns which

breaks the text down

really well.

The headline used is very

clever as it is a pun which

gives the whole article a

humorous, light hearted feel.

The different sizes of

typography have beenused successfully to

make some information

seem more important.

The direct mode of

address has been usedwhich makes the article

seem more welcoming.

On the other hand the

way the artist has been

positioned makes her

seem attractive andsignifies to the reader the

strength and

independence of women.

The colour scheme

again is very simple, so

the sharp contrast of

red works really and

highlights the

importance of the artist.

The colour red also

makes the article seem

more welcoming.



NME Online

The online version of

NME doesn’t differ that

greatly in the content it

contains. However the

main difference is the use

of multi-media which

allows the reader to

watch videos, join chats

instantly and follow a

news story for moredetail.

Another difference I

have noticed is the

use of advertisement

which is all over the

online home page.

This is because this is

the only way for a free

online magazine to

make money.

The masthead and

colour schemehave remained

consistent to the

print magazine with

the iconic red,

white and black

colour scheme

used throughout.

Another thing that

is different to the

print magazine is

the use of extra

photos which are

usually kept to a

minimum on the

print version. But

seemed to be usedin excess on the

online version of

the magazine.

The online magazine is also very easy to navigate aroundwith a navigation bar been used and a menu strip across

the top. This makes the website seem very welcoming andfriendly.



Inspiration for my own

magazine

From analysing NME, I found that the lack of secondary

leads and graphic features made the cover seem more

professional and less crowded. This is something that I

will try to use on my cover.

I also like the red, white and black colour scheme which

I would also like to use for my own magazine as I think

that it makes the magazine seem very retro but also

very current.

Furthermore I also like the use of just one big mainimage on the double page spread. I also found the use

of columns to be very effective.

For the main image I think the direct mode of address is

very effective with the close up. This is something I am



Magazine Ideas

Possible names for my magazine: Amplified, Take Note,

Opening Act

Colour scheme: Red, white and black

Possible Fonts: Felix Tilting, Goudy Stout, RosewoodStd, Stencil Std

4 possible features that I will include on my cover:

Banner, secondary lead, plug or a puff.

Slogan: The ultimate source of Alternative Rock! Unique selling point: all British artists



Experimental Mastheads

AMPLIFIED



Ideas for Content

Double Page Spread: behind the scenes of Liam Henry’s

success

Double Page Spread: We just love to Rock and Roll

Main story (Headline) : Introducing Luke Bailey

Anchorage text: Ready to put Britain back on the Map Main story (Headline) : Britain's Best New Comer

Anchorage Text : The Widows ready to take Centre stage

Graphic Feature: Best live shows of the summer

Cover lines: This years biggest break through acts

Kicker: Exclusive Interviews inside

Cover Lines: The state of rock and roll today

Kicker: ‘No kid can do a mans job’

Cover Lines: Ryan Cage returns

Kicker: Music is the best form of medication

Cover lines: Plus ( list bands )

music magazine preparation

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