Initial Ideas

 

By Deanna Hammond-Blackburn and Emma Hall

 

 

House Style

Target Audience

• Age
  -20+

• Gender
  -both

• Music genre
  -indie side of chart music

• Social Group
  -festival-goers
  -city life
  -fairly wealthy
  -Southerners
  -people who buy physical CDs as well as downloads.

Colour Scheme

• Black and White
• Ice Cold Blue
• Purple
  -luxury
  -lilac

Cover Story

• Concerts
• Festivals
• New Bands

Name

• Vive
• Suite

Fonts

• simple masthead
• tall and thin
• quirky

Miscellaneous

• Straight lines
  -Angular
  -Squares
• Rule of thirds
• No stars flashes
• Nothing gaudy
• Fairly empty
• Not crowded
• Plain Background

Research - Music Magazine Double Page Spread - Similar Product Research

By Deanna Hammond-Blackburn and Emma Hall

The article uses a dropped capital to mark the start of an introductory paragraph, in a very feminine, curled, calligraphy font that represents the girly, artistic nature of the singer's music. This font is repeated in a title above the main headline 'Britain's best pop star', which is almost a subliminal advert for Florence's music, and makes the article feel worthy of reading as it is about a great artist. A similar serif font is used in bold for the questions in the article, to stand out from the answers, and to give the article consistency. The font used in the main body of text is a simple, small serif font. ‘Florence’, the article title, is in the largest font and is very clear and bold; it catches the eye immediately and also tells the reader straight away what/who the article is about. The title is also underlined, which emphasises the importance and links to the strap line.

There is a lead underneath the headline, introducing the article, in the same font as the questions, and is centred, along with the rest of the page, which makes the page look balanced and look quite sophisticated. Embedded in the lead is a by line, separated slightly by being in bold. Following on from the subtlety of the underlined title, the picture credits are framed above and below by two thin lines, and the text is once again neatly centred. The symmetry is broken slightly by the drop capital, but is balanced on the right by the page number and further picture credits, which form a corner border. The whole right page is very balanced, with the gutters between columns being neat and making the text clear and legible. However, this does mean the right page is very self-contained, as nothing overlaps with the other page. The modern white background is shared though, as is the black and white colour scheme. The left page has only a photograph and a pulled quote on it, which accentuates the focus on ‘Florence’.

The photograph is a long-to-mid shot of Florence, which fills most of the page, with a little white space to either side of her, although the top of her head is cropped off. The image shows Florence as being quite glamorous even when casual, as her shirt is baggy and simple, with her hair tousled, but she is wearing gold jewellery, and her top has the Chanel logo on it. This makes her seem elegant and well-dressed without much effort. The black and white theme also relates to the old-fashioned film era, where women were typically very elegant and sophisticated. This also links to the magazine’s target audience of fairly wealthy, 20+ readers.

Her pose is quite shy and unassuming, as her head is bowed and her arms held out gingerly, but the fact she is straight on in direct mode of address and her expression suggests that she has an inner confidence. In this way, she defies the stereotypes of women being photographed for their beauty and figure, as although her face is pretty, it is hidden behind her vibrant, unconventionally red hair. Similarly, although she has the thin body some women envy, it is covered by a loose shirt. In a pop magazine, a female singer would be dressed in a tailored costume to highlight her figure, but here the singer is being focused on for her music, not her looks.

The photograph also includes signs like the interlocked C sign on Florence’s t-shirt. According to Barthes theory of Semiotics, this is an iconic ‘signifier’ for the company Chanel. Wealth is also symbolically signified to some people, depending on whether the reader has encountered the Chanel Company before. Her tattoo is also a sign symbolically signifying peace and love, as it includes images of a bird and heart. These signs work individually to show aspects of Florence’s unique identity.

The register of this DPS is consultative, as it is a formal conversation between Florence and Rebecca Nicholson in the form of an interview. The tenor is also quite formal mostly, as Florence is talking to the media, so what she says and how she says it is very important. This shows through in particular when she talks about intelligent topics like politics or ‘bipolar disease’. The latter is a sign that people can interpret differently depending on their background, as younger, less intelligent readers may not understand the term, whilst others may have had close contact with the disease and sensitive to the terms usage. In the context of the interview, I interpreted the term’s usage as part of a joke. The interview does slip into a casual register at times, when the topic of conversation turns to music as part of everyday life, and signs like ‘X Factor’ and ‘Wikipedia’ are used, which are Western terms. The informal language works as an indexical sign with Florence’s casual clothes to signify a modern, everyday woman.  The casual register is also apparent in sentences like “Yesss…yes, I would (giggles)” , which make it clear that the original medium of the interview was speech. The interview uses a consultant register prominently in her interview questions, as it is important for her to be formal and polite, especially since her and the interviewee are relative strangers. The language used in the introduction is slightly more casual, as the reporter is talking to regular readers.

Research - Music Magazine Front Cover - Similar Product Research

By Emma Hall

The masthead is the letter ‘Q’, which is in their recognisable house style of a red box in the top left hand corner. Underneath is a sell line ‘Discover Great Music’, which helps encourage the reader to buy the magazine. Both of these are staples of the magazine, and are recognisable enough for the main image to cover some of it enough. The main image of the lead singer of Coldplay is central and appears to be dancing, which links to the overall energetic, festival tone the cover is going for. This magazine has gone for a slightly unconventional approach and had the singer’s arm looping into the ‘Q’, which helps tie the separate elements of the magazine together and gives it cohesion. The background is quite full, and is black with neon graffiti on it. This appeals to a younger audience, as well as promoting the band’s album, which also uses this motif. Because of the multi-coloured background, limited colours are used for the text, sticking to white and yellow, which are bright enough to be legible.

 The strapline is ‘the secrets of Coldplay’, which is in a handwritten, sans serif font, to suit the younger audience, and the name of the band is in the biggest font and is underlined, so the reader is drawn in by the name of the band, and then precedes to read the rest of the line. The rest of the articles are detailed down the right-most third, and use large numbers and a mixture of font styles to grab attention, and look modern. Along the top of the magazine, is a seasonal piece of text ‘2011 reviewed’, which is positioned so it will be visible if the magazine is stacked, and will entice fans of all genres, to look back at the year. There is also a puff along the bottom detailing other features, and just uses the artists names, which means a lot of names can be fitted in and will grab the attention of fans of each artist, whilst leaving enough intrigue for a reader to flick through the magazine to find out about their favourite artist.

 Chris Martin is the only one of the group Coldplay to be shown on the cover, showing the need of male bands to have a frontman, a leader, who does the media coverage. Male bands are nearly always represented in this way, which shows the way men seem to need to be seen as independent and strong on their own terms, which wouldn’t be inferred if the picture included the rest of Coldplay behind the singer. However, the dancing position Chris Martin is holding doesn’t suggest strength. Instead it looks like an individual expression of style, and as his clothing is very casual, he looks very carefree, and comfortable in his own lifestyle. This individualism and self-expression is a common theme in indie music magazines, and is less about what popular society says a man should look like, and more about him finding his own identity. His wife Gwyneth Paltrow is also mentioned beneath the strapline, but in a slightly smaller font, a she is not directly related to the music scene, though this could also show the role of women being downplayed. However, the fact she is included at all shows how accepting this genre of music magazine is compared to more popular music, where she might not have even had a mention.

The masthead uses a very simple font that is legible, recognisable, and yet is still slightly edgy, as the L and A share a diagonal edge. The white font is slightly difficult to see against the picture, but is neutral enough to go with a variety of moods the magazine wishes to portray. In this edition, the colour scheme is very limited to shades of white, for the masthead, strapline and article list. The text is all in the bottom third and is nicely balanced by the masthead in the top third. The font for the strapline is also very unique and elegant looking, matching the elegance of the main image. There is some anchorage text beneath it which links the two well. The single word ‘Bombshell’ is also very dramatic and created intrigue into what this relates to, as well as complimenting the artist.

The main image is of Iggy Azalea, in a medium close up, with her eyes on the top third line, in direct mode of address. Her eyes are framed by eyeliner which makes them stand out against her pale complexion, and emphasise her staring gaze at the reader. Her arm is raised in an artistic manner, and she is showing the camera the writing on her fingers ‘love’ ‘live’. The abstractness of the pose, words and outfit she is wearing reflect the fact that the issue is specifically related to the fashion element of music. This specialised edition is to attract new readers by suggesting they shouldn’t miss this particular edition. As the edition is dedicated towards fashion, the representation of Iggy Azalea is towards the stereotypical, fashion model end of the femininity scale. This doesn’t reflect indie music magazines on the whole, which generally show realistic images of women. This edition however shows a typically blonde, thin, pretty girl in a pout, full of innocence and passivity. However, there is an undertone of individuality, which seems to be a code of indie magazines, as she is wearing an unusual top and hairstyle which suggests someone who has her own idea about what is beautiful. Also, unlike most modern representations of beautiful women, Iggy is very pale, not tanned, and the photograph is focused on the natural beauty of her face, not her body.

From this research, I can see that indie music magazines concentrate heavily on individual style, and defying conventions in terms of both magazine concepts, and social expectations. They also use font styles well to reflect the theme of the magazine. Another thing that seems to be a common fact, is the use of special editions, as 'Q' uses a review of 2011 feature, and 'Clash' a fashion edition, which makes the magazine seem a must-have item, and is something I can take forward into my own designs.

Research - Music Magazine Front Cover - Similar Product Research

By Deanna Hammond-Blackburn

This edition of Clash magazine uses a close up shot of James Blake, who is a new and upcoming artist. He is in direct mode of address and is centre frame, and his eyes are on the top horizontal third, which catches the readers’ eye instantly. By framing him like this it gives the representation that he is important: but the yellow background and yellow typography portrays him as physically weaker as yellow is often associated with more emotional things.

The masthead, ‘Clash’, and the strap line – both sans serif fonts - are over the top of the central image, which also reduces the sense of importance and physical strength illustrated by the framing and positioning of the image. This representation is more common in this genre of music as the magazines tend to focus more on the personalities of the musicians rather than the physique, which is breaking the normal masculinity representations. This is shown by the focus on Blake’s face. We should manipulate our use of colour combined with the central image in our magazine in a similar way to help portray the desired representations. The cover photo is anchored to the strap line ‘JAMES BLAKE’, in the bright yellow and simple, clear font, which is very eye-catching; the reader is first drawn in by the central image and then the eye is drawn down to the strap line. This makes the subject of the main article very obvious, which could be a good selling point and a bad selling point; if people like the artist then they will want to buy it, if they don’t like the artist they are much less likely to buy the magazine as a whole. This is something we need to consider when writing the DPS of our magazine.

The puffs on this front cover look quite sophisticated with the black, white and red contrasting against the yellow and checkered pattern of James’s shirt. The colours have connotations of simplicity and clarity, with the red adding excitement and danger.

 Above the masthead there is a freebies advertisement for ‘FREE MUSIC’ in black, this is an effective code and convention of music magazines and we should include one in our magazine. ‘

'Exclusive’ is used as a buzz word quite effectively as this suggests an exceptional and unusual article, thereby making the magazine more interesting. The front cover uses quite a few pugs in black and red to promote the articles; the different pugs are staggered slightly on each side which helps draw the readers’ eye across the page. This makes the cover more interesting and could be a useful page layout to influence ours from.

The central image for this edition of Mojo magazine is a mid-shot of the band Oasis, with at least 3 of them in direct mode of address. The image is very dark, the background is black and their clothes are a range of greys and blacks with minimal white. Two of them are also wearing dark sunglasses. This colour scheme represents the men as very serious with a dark side to their music, this links to the pulled quote ‘We’ve been to the dark side’ which is in red. The red suggests danger and energy. The image also focuses on their faces, suggesting that this magazine also focuses more on the personality and emotional side to the music rather than the physique.

The men are all at different levels in terms of foreground and background; the man completely foregrounded is portrayed as the most important in the group, each after that is then less important than the one in front. In a band each member has an important role so for our magazine I don’t think this technique would give the right representations, even though it does make the image slightly more interesting. However every member is layered over the top of the masthead so this emphasises their importance and represents their influence in the music industry, which could be effective for ours.

The central image is anchored by the strap line ‘OASIS’, in bright white font, like an illuminated sign, it contrasts against the darkness, thereby giving connotations of hope and renewed life. These connotations further link with the pulled quote. The masthead is very bold as the white font contrasts against the black background.

Pugs and puffs are used a lot on this cover which makes the magazine more interesting but also more crowded and unsophisticated. On our magazine we won’t use as many as we prefer the sophisticated look. In the top left is a freebie; ‘FREE CD!’ which is also in a pale grey flash. The light grey helps grab the readers’ attention as it stands out and it also relates to the actual CD as it is also mainly light grey. Linking the freebie and the actual product by colour is a good idea which we could apply to our magazine.

 

Research - Representation of Men and Women

By Emma Hall

I feel the physical representation of women has got worse, as women feel pressured into having the typical Keira Knightley thin figure. The news media tend to focus on the problem of this in film and television, but I think the same is true for the music industry, as there are rarely female singers who are plus sized, despite the fact they often can produce bigger voices (like Adele).I think that the representation of women has improved in terms of having more strong , independent role models in media, however, like in the new BBC One show 'Hunted', which boasts a strong female lead in a primetime TV spot. Although there are still a lot of sidekick, femme fatale females in this area, this is not true for the music industry. In the indie sector, there are few female bands, and more female solo artists, which shows that women are not always grouped together in the media, but can successfully go it alone.   In pop, there are still a lot of press for girl-bands, like the Saturdays, but this is equalled by the representation of boy-bands, so this is clearly a sector that isn't gender specific.

 Recently, men feel the need to go to the gym more, and advertising for male beauty products has increased, targeting the common man to aspire to have a movie-physique. In this way men are growing to be as pressured as women.I agree that men tend to be shown as isolated heroes and never realistic family men, like in 'House' where the male lead never accepts help, however, thin and intelligent men are slipping into the mix more often, like Ben Whishaw as the new 'Q' in James Bond. In Indie music, men have often been the thinner variety, as shown by the trend of wearing skinny jeans and chinos which showcase the fact. This is contrasted by the R&B scene, which is still orientated mainly around muscular men, though even in this area, rap artists like Plan B and Eminem are gaining popularity.

 On the whole I think indie music defies most stereotypes, and shows a range of different characters for each gender. In my magazine, I can show this by featuring a strong independent female solo artist, or a thin male band shown to be intelligent but also highlighting their everyday, family life, to show they are real people to.

Research - Representations of Men and Women

By Deanna Hammond-Blackburn

Although representations of women have changed and the media focuses have changed, women are still subject to the effects of male-domination. In many films the women are seen as the prize for the men, eg. Scott Pilgrim vs the World, and this portrays the women as objects to be acquired and further empowers men. However the social stereotypes are beginning to change as more women are becoming the protagonists. In music women are seen as more independent but in reality they still depend a lot on men. Many record labels are run by men so the overall image of the women is overseen by the men in charge. However the women are often represented as strong, work-based, beautiful a d emotional women; much like in the femininity theories. The focus on beauty is more exaggerated in music as this is a main source for their popularity, and women in music are more often used to advertise beauty products such as Cheryl Cole in the adverts for hair dye.

Representations of men are starting to change, slowly. More men are being portrayed as weaker and less physical, however this is still an extreme minority and when this representation is seen there is always a more powerful man portrayed in the protagonist, for example Van Helsing shows David Wenham as the weaker side kick and Hugh Jackman as the fierce hero. I feel that media is also starting to focus more on the physical side of masculinity though; physique over intellect, action over thought. In music this is obviously more of a focus in some genres more than others, similar to film/tv. Pop, rap, RnB etc all focus more on the sexual attractions and this is what makes the artist popular and successful. In other genres, such as indie, alternative etc tend to focus more on the music and personality of the artists. Moreover nerdiness or being geeky is what makes some of these artists more popular. 

These representations will have a significant effect on the way the artists will be portrayed in our magazine; we will focus more on the music and personality side to the genres, but also represent the artist in a positive way physically. This will make the magazine more interesting as there will be more balance between the physical representations and the emotional representations, which also fits more to the indie genre the magazine will be based on.

Research - Music Magazine Front Cover - Similar Product Research

By Deanna Hammond-Blackburn and Emma Hall

The central image is of Florence Welch from 'Florence and the Machine'. It is a close up of her face with her hair filling most of the space, leaving very little background visible. She is in direct mode of address, staring out of the magazine. This catches the readers eye and is enhanced by her eye makeup. The cover photo is anchored to the strap line: 'FLORENCE', which is simple but striking. The masthead, 'NME', is in a simple sans serif bold font that is white and very clear against the red image. The price, £2.30, is located above the masthead in a small font so it can be visible when the magazine is in a rack. There is a pulled quote; 'I would never have got through the X Factor auditions', which adds intrigue and arouses curiosity as to why she thinks this. It also gives a sneak peek into the cover story. There is a plug: 'The state of music today', which lists the major articles featured in the magazine. The use of the list structure is simple but effective. The magazine uses a buzz phrase, 'special edition', which draws the readers attention to the differences in house style and makes the magazine seem an essential buy. The classic colour combination of black, white and red is not the magazine's house style, which interchanges colours but keeps the font style and the neutral background the same each time, to show consistency, whilst giving each edition its own individuality through colour, according to what artist they feature each time. The magazine also uses AIDA through its use of several special edition covers. It raises awareness of the new magazine format whilst stimulating interest by changing it each time. This invokes a desire to buy the magazine for its new special edition covers.

Florence is represented in a fairly traditional way for a woman, with her hair curled and make-up on to accentuate her natural beauty. However, her image being the only photo on the front cover of a popular magazine is quite an achievement and  shows her as being quite independent. She also defies the narrow conventions of popular representations by being very pale, and having vibrantly coloured red hair. This in particular relates to the individual style and daring of indie magazines.