Publisher Draft

This is another box plan for my magazine cover which was made on Publisher. It is similar to the previous design besides from a few changes. One of these being the positioning of the masthead, it is placed on a diagonal slant this time. The idea of this being that it connotes a quick pace, which relates to the genre. The masthead also connotes a rush, and the idea of it being messy. Which can also relate to the genre, the styles of the bands, as well as the costume style of the audience.
        The main image will take up the entire front cover, and have the text and other smaller images placed above it. The idea of the image being so large is that is attracts the audience, as well as following a style just like every other magazine. Although other aspects will make it different.

This is a digital mockup of the magazine cover, going with a simple idea at first. This is the first digital plan, I do intend on making more - this giving myself more designs to choose from, and also the opportunity to make more interesting covers. Not to mention a design that fits the genre of the magazine, as such. This meaning that the design could look more hectic and messy, instead of neat and tidy - which will reinforce the genre of metal/screamo music.
    The simple design of this is, using the main image to cover the whole of the magazine, and then adding the odd things over the image and on the sides of it. The masthead going roughly across to the top, more than half way up. I rather like the placement of the masthead, due to it not being too in the middle and covering up too much of the picture - and it's also not too far out of the way and hidden.
    The splash at the bottom is where my offers are going to be placed, following this design at least, for example; a free CD, free posters, or even the random single. I want to keep this idea in mind for the final cover - I quite like the idea of offering the audience something, in return for them purchasing the magazine. Not only that, but it is also another good way for promotion. For example; if someone see's their favourite band's CD, or they feature on a poster in one of the posters, they're going to buy it for that band. I know this is true, but I've done the same thing myself.
   The small headings down the side will just mention features in the magazine, like an article on a band, or comments about a band/festival live show. One of the big stories in magazines at the moments being about the Download festival which is happening June 2013. This will feature in my magazine, which will bring in more of an audience, and this will cause more people to purchase the magazine, to find out more details about the metal festival.

The Focus Group

This video is of me and three others answering a few questions about music magazines, and also magazines in general. A few of the questions featuring in the magazine are:

• How much are you willing to pay for a magazine?
• Would you be likely to buy a subscription to the magazines you buy?
• Would you respond to an advert for a magazine online?

This is the main backdrop which is going to be featuring on the front cover drafts of my magazine, and possibly even the final front cover. This backdrop is actually my bedroom wall, it basically being a large collage of A4 and also A3 posters. I think the contrast of the colours works well, not to mention the fact all of the bands which are featuring on the posters also fit the chosen genre of my magazine. Not only does the genre fit, but the colour scheme also does, as it contrasts it also gives off a busy and loud feel to it. Which is exactly what the genre is, the music is fast paced and hectic in certain cases.

This is a music video clearly taken from Youtube, this will be one of the bands that feature in my magazine, besides from a few that I have made up which will fit in with my photos. This song having relevance due to it fitting the music genre, and also the band has similar dress style to some of the bands which will also feature in the magazine.

This is a more detailed plan of my magazine cover. Keeping similar ideas as the box plan, besides from a few changes. The free posters advertisement now being placed along the right hand side, and the teasers being placed down at the bottom of the page on both sides. Everything else staying the same. On this draft I have also changed the font of the masthead, this font style giving off the same effect of being aggressive, rough and angry which relates to the actual word 'Brutal' itself. Not only that but instead of using a normal A, I have replaced it with the anarchy symbol. I thought this would be a good way of catching the viewers attention, and it also gives the impression of what the music inside is going to relate to. The anarchy symbol often being used in punk music, metal music, and also other genres that fit what the magazine is offering and supplying information on.

This is my second draft for my magazine front cover, this is a more detailed version than the box plan, it following the same rules. The posters being at the bottom of the page, and following the idea of the masthead being at the top. Making the font large, and bold, this catching the viewers attention. Not only this, but the style as well. It links in with the actual font style as well, it bring blunt, aggressive, and it also reflects on the music style. As well as the font, the actual name I've chosen also relates to the music style which the magazine features. 'Brutal' actually being a word used often in this genre of music. 

Initial Box Plan Draft

This is a simple box plan of what my magazine cover may actually look like, but for now it is simply just a draft. I went with a basic design, although more box plans will be created in the future, to add more variety to choose from. Possibly to give my magazine a more unique style.
The idea of this draft is that the masthead is going to be across the top of the page, this making it big and bold, also easier to catch the viewers eye. Another way of catching the viewers eye is the use of the main image, which is basically going to be placed across the whole of the page. With the small boxes on the left overlapping it slightly, these little boxes featuring small headlines, and also teasers. In between the boxes is a headline, which will also be another way of catching the viewers eye, this can also be a way to make them interested in the magazine. My idea is, to place a band name in the headline box.
At the bottom is a large box for smaller features, these being the free posters, advertisements for a free CD's and so on. Then at the top of the page, it features the usual information that we find on every magazine, a barcode, a price, and also the date.

Motionless in White are one of the bands that I have wrote about previously, these being one of the main bands which definitely will feature on my magazine. They also happen to be my favourite band. This style of music certainly fitting into the screamo genre of my magazine. They will also have their own little section on the double page spread, when it is complete.

Kerrang! Reader Profile

This is an existing reader profile for Kerrang! magazine, which is published by the Bauer Media Group. It shows that just a few more males read Kerrang! more than the women. Which shows that what features in the magazine, seems to appeal more to men. As well as the gender, age is also shown on this profile - showing that more people aged 15-24 read the magazine, this being due to the fact they generally have more time. In the sense that people in this age group don't have important jobs, such as managing a business - or earning quite a huge wage. They earn a lower wage than the other age groups, which means they may not work as often. This giving them plenty of time to read the magazine, as well as enough time to save up the money for the magazine.

Price/publishing.

The price of the magazine has to fit in with the target audience that I am choosing to relate to, those aged mainly from 15-24, with the exception of others aged 24-35. This meaning that the price isn't going to be something ridiculous like £10 each time. It will probably be inbetween the prices of Rock Sound and Kerrang! this making it kind of even as a rival against them two, it losing out slightly being being more expensive than Kerrang! which is priced at £2.20, which is also published and released weekly. Though it will be at a slight advantage against Rock Sound which is priced at £3.99, which is published and released monthly. In order to compete against these two magazines, which feature the same music genres as my own. The price would have to be placed around £3 each time, and released weekly to compete against Kerrang! The price, besides from the idea of competing against those two magazines, is also chosen at that price to be affordable for those who go to school, college, and work - but who are paid at quite a low rate. The released dates for every week are chosen due to not only being able to compete with Kerrang! but with the idea of making a slight profit, and also the idea of making the audience wait for a short period of time. Not to mention it's an easier date to remember, than for those magazines that are released monthly. It will also save pages, in the sense that in a week there is less news and information to cover, than there is in two weeks, or a month. This will make it slightly cheaper to produce, and publish.

Target Audience.

When it comes to the target audience for my magazine, it's easier to start off with the idea of who listens to what type of music first. So, in that sector of target audience, my magazine is going to aim at people who listen to heavy metal, hardcore, post-hardcore, punk, and also indie styled music. To be stereotypical of who listens to what genre, the magazine is generally being aimed at Goths, Emos and also Indies. But other people may also listen to the music, who don't follow those stereotypes at all. To follow on with that, age is quite hard to pinpoint in this section of music really, because anyone can listen to this genre, from 5 years old, to 50 years old. So just to make it safe, and to make it appeal to everyone, the basic age group that the magazine is being aimed at is from the ages 15-24, and then 24-35. It mainly being focused on the younger group, depending on their social class. For example, most people at the age of 15-24 are in normal jobs, who kind of live a more wild lifestyle. The ideas of them going to concerts for this sort of genre, and also buying the magazines. For the 24-35 years old age group, it's a little less believable, but it is also still believable. In the sense that, they can still go to concerts at that age, just a little less likely. Most people around this age are further into the job industry, possibly getting paid slightly more, and a generally seen as more mature. That also being rather stereotypical. When it comes to male and female audiences, the magazine is going to be aimed at both. Seen as the magazine is going to feature both male singers, and female singers. Male drummers, and female drummers, and so on. This saves the ideas and comments, of the magazine being sexist in any way, shape or form. As for the idea of professions and income, using the theme of being stereotypical it is rather hard to picture people who are high up in the social class scale to read a magazine like Kerrang! or Rock Sound. So the aim there would be to aim at people who are lower down, so working class and middle class style people. As for profession, I doubt people who are working in forensic science, or popular actors would also read the magazine, so the aim there would be to appeal to people who possibly do saturday jobs, or full time jobs, but without the higher pay wage as high social class people. But once again, that's being stereotypical, those people may also read magazines that fit the genre of Rock Sound, or Kerrang!
The magazine will also be aimed at the target audience of people who are kind of rebellious in a sense, those who dress less mainstream, and just in general act different by their personality and attitudes towards others, and the community. The genre of the music fitting in with the rebellious style, not to mention anger, rage, fury, and other types of feelings and personalities. I want the magazine to relate to others, ones who keep to themselves, they don't tell others what they really feel. That way if they can't relate to others, they can at least relate to the magazine, this giving them a sense of hope, and helping them feel less alone in the world, in a sense. This can link in with situated culture, the magazine will appeal more to those who don't have perfect relationships with their families or their social groups, this also being in the sense of stereotypes. Those who do have good relationships with their families and social groups, may also relate to the magazine in other ways, or may just generally have an interest in the music genre.
I want the magazine to give the readers inspiration, for example; some people aim to start a band, and they focus on that for their whole life. Whether they become successful or not. I want the idea of them seeing these bands being successful in the magazine, to motivate them, and give them hope and the will to go out and succeed with their dreams, or at least be happy and satisfied with what they choose to do. I want it to be inspiring to them. As said earlier on, I also want the magazine to give people hope. 

Billy Talent are a band that has featured on my blog previously, myself writing a little section about them which features the band members, the albums, and also some information on the band. This song featuring on Billy Talent's fourth album, which was released this year.
   The genre of this song also relates to the genre of the magazine I am creating, and this band will have their own little section/article on the double page spread, and also in the contents page.

This is a double page spread, which is featured in the rock magazine Kerrang! When looking at the image, you can see what genre the magazine features inside. The idea of the ripped looking column down the side gives you the impression of rough, possibly even angry styled music. Or even rebellious in a sense. Looking amongst the images we notice a picture of the crowd and also several pictures of the band members, them all seeming to wear tank top styled shirts, with the sleeves ripped. This also bringing in the impression of rebellion, and also anger. The smaller images are placed out around the main image of the singer, but some are positioned on a slight angle. This could represent the idea of images being pinned up on a teenagers bedroom, they're rough, not in line and also messy. This may also reinforce the music genre for this magazine. The column down the left hand side of the page starts off with yet again, another white background which allows all the text and information to stand out nicely, causing a contrast. Not only that but the title is printed this time in a bold blue text, against a black box. Below that is the title of the band, and other subheadings. As the eye is drawn further down this column, you can notice the 'KKKK' printed in a bold red, this being the magazine's rating system. The higher the rating, the better the band may be at performance, style, or even just fan base - for example, who has the most fans, it may have been voted the best band by the fans and so on. Most people who read magazines, would tend to look at the bands with high ratings, because they're the most popular. If they're so popular, then they must be good. Information is then placed under the rating system, but for a normal magazine, a lot of writing isn't actually used, this may tell us that the images are more important in this case. This also being backed up by the idea of the images taking up most of the page, it could tell us that without reading the actual paragraph of information, the images generally tell us all we generally need to know.

To start off with, the contents page is well set out in the sense of attracting the audience. The white background is one of the best ways of making the rest of the information and images stand out, this being a way of catching the audience's attention easily. The title 'Contents' is another easy way of catching the audience's attention in the idea that yellow/orange stands out brightly against a black banner background. The rest of the subheadings being set out in pretty much the same way - also this could connote the sense of being lively, or full of way. The way the two colours contrast against each other, and look loud and noisy. When it comes to looking at the page, the first thing we notice is the images that are placed down the left hand side of the page, which then takes over the center, and partially the right side. The images displaying and providing information towards what is going to be featured in this weeks magazine. The idea of the images is to catch the readers attention, which will then lead them to read the writing underneath. The names of the bands underneath the images are set out in bold, this being another way to catch the readers attention, and to also make the headings stand out against the smaller font which is featured underneath. Underneath the title of the page, there is a quote from a band member. Any reader who is a fan of that certain band, would instantly begin to turn to that page and this also making them want to buy the magazine, the font being large, this making it stand out against the rest of the page, not to mention the artist's name and band name are also featured in bold. This attracting the readers eye. Not to mention the layout of the page, the page numbers and most of the information is set out in a column along the right hand side of the page. This may prove that there is in fact of lot of information in this weeks issue, or even a lot of topics that may need to be discussed, and also a lot of news for the music industry of this genre, in this week alone, this may include new bands, gigs, and also tour dates. In the bottom right hand corner there is also a little advertisement, set out in it's own little red box. The colour red against white also contrasts, the idea of red usually connotes danger or even something incredibly important. Which will make the readers notice it easily. The information being an offer on being able to buy the magazine at a cheaper price, and having it delivered. Which is also another way of making easy money.