Digital Mock Up

Magazine Title

I have chosen my magazine title to be 'dark temptation'. I have chosen this title because I think it is catchy and easy to remember but not only that I think it is also something that everyone has a temptation of dark things that we shouldn’t want, also in most cases we always want what we can’t have so the idea of 'dark temptation' is supposed to suggest being tempted by things that shouldn’t tempt you. I also wanted it to remind you of the cynical dark side of our need for things such as alcohol and drugs, but not only that also the temptation and need we have for music in this generation. I do think that my magazine is slightly more targeted at the teenage generation as I have based it on the NME magazine which I think is definitely aimed more so at the teenage audience, I think this is inevitable as the teenage audience are the main people that would be interested in purchasing a music magazine.

I have included some images from various different bands. Some of the bands included are famous, such as the strokes and the vaccines, but I think this is different from using one single individual artist as the focus is taken away from the single person with a band. In the picture above, we are focusing on the style of the band and what they are doing as opposed to who the band are, we are relying on the stereotype of the way they look which is what I wanted to create because readers are going to aspire to dress and act like them, and when this is the initial thing we notice when we look at the photograph then this is a positive because this is the first thing readers will notice. I have retrieved some images of the internet and recreated them to be my own in Photoshop because it is hard to recreate an image like this using my own resources.

I liked the idea of using massive music icons, such as the above, Jimi Hendrix, for my magazine front cover because they instantly draw reader's attention and make an instant positive statement about the magazine. i think you would have to be sensible about which artists you included however, as in some cases the musician may give out a certain impression which is associated with them because of their reputation and so therefore I think it would definitely matter who it was that I included. Artists with troubled backgrounds such as Amy Winehouse or Britney Spears are not great artists to include when trying to promote a magazine to the teenaged audience as they are not always considered inspiring, i think it very much depends on the artists reputation and how popular the artist is with the public as to how many mags will sell as for it to be appealing to the public, the desire to read about the particular artist has to be there. After considering this, i experimented with a few designs that did not include a named, famous artist for the front cover, instead i have included almost faceless photography, this way, the readers are looking completely for the stereotype of the front cover for them to be able to decide whether or not they are interested in reading the magazine. i think it would be difficult to find an artist with a completely untroubled past.

Draft 3

front cover draft 2

Draft 1

Language – the eye-catching colours of white, black and red against the grey background, and the use of hyperboles also makes it stand out more, such as, ‘The Grinch Speaks’ and ‘NME goes head to head with Simon Cowell’ they are a statement in themselves and by using the face of Simon Cowell that is well known and linked to the x factor which is the main name included on the front cover. It grabs our attention and makes us want to read the magazine.

Institution – NME magazine

Ideology - values of NME include: fashion, music, trends, gossip about new and old band and music in general but as opposed to other magazines found on the high-street it does not feed off gossip as much and does not write such horrid gossip instead focuses on mainly the music and what the artist is doing next with the occasional story to keep readers interested. There is no horrible story printed on the cover of the magazine about a stars life instead there is just stories about various different music artists, and upcoming bands and the state of the music industry today and also reviews about primal scream and various different artists and therefore that is something that I think particularly the teenage audience would want to read about as they are so music involved and the music being included in mostly stereotyped to be from this generation.

Audience – people interested in music trends. People who are not interested in reading about celebrities, perhaps more focused on people who are interested in the music industry and the latest top artists, that may get the magazine every month so that they can keep up with what music people are listening to in the particular time period, the impression the magazine gives is it is aimed at the younger more interested in the trends of new music that features in the charts.

Representation – the image is representing dominance and cheekiness by the impression on Simon Cowell looks very sly in the picture but similarly to Rihanna on the previous front cover, he still looks bold and confident. I think this is an image that some people may aspire to have especially boys because they may desire to be feared and admired by the overwhelming confidence, also despite looking cheeky he looks cool and not afraid to do whatever face he wants to and therefore I think this could be seen as a positive and perhaps an image that some people may aspire to have which is I think why they have used him especially, I think they have also chosen to use Simon Cowell as he is an obvious strong image that he portrays, he seems confident and people know him to not be afraid of voicing his opinions.  I also think that fact that he is the main judge of the x factor is important because that in itself gives him some sort of leadership which is what will make the audience put him on a pedestal.

Language – the eye-catching colours of white and black against the red background, and the use of hyperboles also makes it stand out more, such as, ‘I’m not dead!’ and ‘artic monkeys split!’ they are a statement in themselves and by using the face of Dave Grohl that is well known and linked to the foo fighters which is the main name included on the front cover. It grabs our attention and makes us want to read the magazine.

Institution – NME magazine

Ideology - values of NME include: fashion, music, trends, gossip about new and old band and music in general but as opposed to other magazines found on the high-street it does not feed off gossip as much and does not write such horrid gossip instead focuses on mainly the music and what the artist is doing next with the occasional story to keep readers interested. There is no horrible story printed on the cover of the magazine about a stars life instead there is just stories about various different music artists, and upcoming bands and the state of the music industry today and also reviews about primal scream and various different artists and therefore that is something that I think particularly the teenage audience would want to read about as they are so music involved and the music being included in mostly stereotyped to be from this generation.

Audience – people interested in music trends. People who are not interested in reading about celebrities, perhaps more focused on people who are interested in the music industry and the latest top artists, that may get the magazine every month so that they can keep up with what music people are listening to in the particular time period, the impression the magazine gives is it is aimed at the younger more interested in the trends of new music that features in the charts.

Representation – the image is representing anger, Dave Grohl looks very fierce in the picture but similarly to Rihanna on the previous front cover, he still looks bold and confident and looks as if you would not want to get on the wrong side of him which I think again is perhaps an image that some people may aspire to have especially boys because they may desire to be feared, also despite looking angry he looks cool and not afraid to do whatever face he wants to and therefore I think this could be seen as a positive and perhaps an image that some people may aspire to have which is I think why they have used him especially, I also think that fact that he is the lead singer of the band is important because that in itself gives him some sort of leadership which is what will make the teenage audience put him on a pedestal.





Language – the language used on here is very important as we see the rebellious connotation of the stars being used instead of letters for the effect of making the cover seem more rebellious and more exciting with the hidden meaning and almost the clues that have to be found out by us, and worked out by the readers. Also the use of capitals helps to draw our attention; also by it being situated in the middle of the cover it draws our attention to the model even more. There are also many other artists listed in the bottom left corner of the magazine and they consist of many different genres from idie to R’n’B so therefore the magazine will appeal to a wider audience.

Institution – NME magazine

Ideology - values of NME include: fashion, music, trends, gossip about new and old band and music in general but as opposed to other magazines found on the highstreet it does not feed off gossip as much and does not write such horrid gossip instead focuses on mainly the music and what the artist is doing next with the occasional story to keep readers interested. There is no horrible story printed on the cover of the magazine about rhiannas life instead there is just stories about various different music artists, and upcoming bands and th state of the music industry today and therefore that is something that I think particularly the teenage audience would want to read about as they are so music involved and the music being included in mostly sterotyped to be from this generation.

Audience – people interested in music trends. People who are not interested in reading about celebrities, perhaps more focused on people who are interested in the music industry and the latest top artists, that may get the magazine every month so that they can keep up with what music people are listening to in the particular time period, the impression the magazine gives is it is aimed at the younger more interested in the trends of new music that features in the charts.

Representation – the connotation of the bird on her shoulder is almost pirate-like and pirates are evil and naughty so that is the image of rhianna they are trying to portray, the fact rhianna is not smiling shows rebellious, and the way she is stood shows her attitude, she looks bold and confident instead of shy and timid, I think this may appeal more to the target intended, which of course is teenage, the way she is bold and confident may inspire teenagers to be more like her which makes her more of an idol, also she is relating with the stereotype of teenage years and being full of attitude and being rebellious and therefore that is what rhianna is reinforcing here in this photograph. Rhianna has a very unique style also which I think some people may envy so this is also another thing I think has been puroposefully included in order to make us envy her and  aspire to be more like her and confident like her.

Language – the language used on here is very important as we see the rebellious connotation of the stars being used instead of letters for the effect of making the cover seem more rebellious and more exciting with the hidden meaning and almost the clues that have to be found out by us, and worked out by the readers. Also the use of capitals helps to draw our attention; also by it being situated in the middle of the cover it draws our attention to the model even more. There are also many other artists listed in the bottom left corner of the magazine and they consist of many different genres from idie to R’n’B so therefore the magazine will appeal to a wider audience.

Main Task

In my main task I must include:

• Front page
• Contents page
• Double page spread
• I must manipulate the images on photoshop
• I must include a brief
• L.I.I.A.R Analysis
• Magazine Conventions
• Analysis on 3 magazine front covers - 3 contents pages and 3 double spreads

The Brief

Main Task: the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. All images and text used must be original, produced by you - minimum of four images.

Contents page

I also added a contents page to make the magazine easier for students to use so they can just focus on reading what they need to rather than having to read the whole magazine before finding out what they really need. This will contain different stories following different areas each time the magazine is published. I have sued the colour purple as it symbolizes Wyke and therfore follows through with the theme from the wyke logo included on the front cover of my magazine.  

Final Design

Final Design - with the barcode, price, issue number and wyke logo added to the design to improve the design further.

Evaluation

                        Evaluation

My magazine has many of the conventions you would expect to see on a front cover for a magazine. I have done this purposefully, so that the magazine looks neat and professional. I have also done this purposefully so that I am able to include all the magazine conventions that are needed to be included, such as the masthead, small features, colour scheme, sky line, left third etc. the way that these are set out is really just as important, if not more important, as if they are just thrown onto the page without any real thought of where they are being placed then it can make the front cover look untidy and not cared for, and this really isn’t what I wanted my magazine to look like, I want it to look like it has been cared for and there is a reason for things being where they are.   By placing the barcode, price and issue number in the bottom left hand corner of the magazine, it not only makes the magazine look even more professional but also can determine how successful the magazine is, which could be seen as a positive.

I have used two students, who have been photo shopped so that they are actually on the campus of the college and you are able to see the college in the background and the college looks clean and tidy and a nice place to be. Originally, you could see lots of students in the background, when the photograph was landscape, however the image had to be cropped to portrait A4, so I lost some of that but you are still able to see the students in the background and this is good because it shows that the college is a place that excepts most people and it is a busy and popular college which is good to have on the front of the magazine as it is promoting the college. The college students are smiling and holding books which show they are hard-working and at college to learn, and by them smiling it shows that they are happy to be at the college and they are enjoying it. By incorporating the logo into the magazine makes the magazine seem more familiar and may make people recognise the logo more so it makes it more clear of which college the magazine is aimed at so I also see this as a positive which is why the logo has been included, by including the logo this is called an identifying image.

Institution

The magazine would be distributed around the college and advertised on the college website where students are accessing the site daily to check their emails and catch up on the courses they are studying so catching a glimpse of the college being advertised is indefinite. The college would not need to be distributed outside of the college or at other colleges because the magazine is solely for Wyke and their students and therefore no other colleges should need to know about what is happening, as the magazine is simply informing people about events happening at Wyke and then exam pressure etc which other colleges will have in their magazine for themselves.

Ideology

By using an image of the college site, it shows that we are not afraid to show off the college facilities and that the college is a clean, tidy and happy environment to be in. the fact I have used two students stood happily smiling and holding books this gives the impression that they are happy to be at college and enjoying their education which is definitely a positive. The fact I have used two women also promotes the idea that men and women are equal at the college and women have just as much of a chance to gain a good education as men despite the stereotypical view that women are supposed to stay at home and not gain an education, this is 100% not the case now in the modern world we live in and at Wyke college.

Audience

It is clear to see the audience that my college magazine has been aimed at, it is aimed completely at college student and the magazine has been made to help them further and to help them to find out about activities and clubs taking place at the college and to also give them help about exams and the pressure of exams and help them to succeed during their time at Wyke. However, college teachers may want to also read the magazine to find out what’s going on and what the students are up to, this could also give them a better idea of student life and help them to relate to students problems and help students feel like their teachers are their friends as well as their tutors.

Representation

The college is represented well on the magazine front cover as the college looks clean and tidy and there is no rubbish anywhere on the site in the picture so therefore, this is a positive and the college site looks busy with students which shows that Wyke college is a popular place to study and not only that, the two students included on the front of the magazine are both smiling and both look really happy and enjoying their studies which once again promotes a happy environment for students which may persuade people to choose Wyke.

digital mock up

I created a digital mock up using publisher, this may be my base for my own magazine as then I have a template to copy off and can put me in the right direction, i have done it slightly different to an original magazine front cover mock up because i wanted it to be a bit unique to me.

Portrait Draft

After careful consideration, I have decided that the landscape magazine front cover that I did was not appropriate as landscape looks more like a poster than a magazine front cover so therefore I changed the layout and style of the front cover but kept the text and context the same and made the magazine front cover A4. This now looks ideal for my magazine front cover, not only is it now the correct size but it is also portrait instead of landscape. I have also changed the colour and style of some of the text in the hope that it will be easier to read, despite the different colours in the background photograph, as I wanted to listen to my audience feedback.  

To create the background image, I took an image of the two girls and a background image of the college and I then cut around the 2 girls using the lasso tool and then added them onto the other background picture as I was not 100% happy with the background image they were currently on. Even though it was more work, it was worth it as it is difficult to tell i have even done so as I used the blur tool to go around the edges to make it less possible to tell that i have imported a separate image.

audience feedback explanation

For my audience feedback, I asked various peers in my class what they thought of the mock up for my magazine and to be completely honest in their opinions about the magazine, i then asked if there was any improvements that they thought could be added to the magazine, and i made sa not of them in my jotter. For my final design, I will include these extra ideas, to make the work the best of my ability. By collecting feedback from my class I was able to put together this basic table.

Audience Feedback

	Yes	No
Is the colour scheme too plain?	1	5
Is it a good representation of the college?	6	0
Is the writing too difficult to read?	0	6
Is the masthead clear? (the college it is focused on – Wyke)	0	6

outside college

basic exisitng website idea

How would you promote the launch of your magazine on the internet?

How would you promote the launch of your magazine on the internet?

I would promote the launch of my magazine by putting up leaflets around the school saying that there was going to be a college magazine that is going to be able to inform people as to what has been going on. I would also tell students and teachers to tell everyone about the new magazine so that the news can travel by word of mouth, for example if teachers are letting students know that the things that are going on can be found in the college magazine, then this is a positive for the sale of the magazine as people are more inclined to buy it. I will make the magazine different from the website by including things that are more interesting and fun that people would want to read about, for example, the prom and parties that are going at that moment, Wyke parties etc. also including information about driving instructors and lessons, whereas the internet page will be kept totally for school work and keep it based around college lessons, topics, coursework and exams and keep the internet as more of a help page instead of whereas the magazine will be taken less seriously and more focused around the students as then they are more inclined to buy it. This will be helpful because students will be able to read about things going on at college and then tell each other about the things they have read about, so therefore, once again, the word of the magazine will travel and therefore more and more people will want to buy the magazine as they won’t want to miss out. The benefits of engaging the audience via the website is that the website is constantly checked by students for them to be able to access their emails which are from teachers about work so is a very important source of communication, also in this day and age, teenagers are a lot more likely to be using the internet to research and find out information and even using social networking sites such as Facebook, twitter etc. so therefore teenagers are already constantly online, even receiving updates straight to their mobile so by using the internet site as well as the magazine this means that students are able to look at it from the internet on their phone/laptop and therefore makes it easier and takes up less of their time so they are more likely to visit the web page. On the website there would be only parts to a story and then the story is continued in the magazine, for example, ten top tips for exams are on the website but the other ten are in the magazine so the magazine has to be bought for the whole 20 top tips for exams. Another example would be, that there are ideas for the theme of prom on the website, but the ideas of where to get your suits and dresses and the timings for the prom are included in the magazine. This way the reader’s attention is grabbed yet they have not been able to do anything about it as of ye5t as they need to buy the magazine.

Target Audience

My target audience is 16-19 years and of both genders. Audiences can be classified into groups using quantitative data about age and gender and socio-economic group.

S.E.G:

A – higher managerial, administrative or professional. 3%

B – intermediate managerial, administrative or professional. 15%

C – supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, administrative or professional. 23%

D – semi-skilled and unskilled manual workers.

E – casual labourers, unemployed, state pensioners.

These are estimated by related income. I will be using Physcographics to be able to interpret people’s beliefs, options and interests, by doing this groups can be classified in terms of attitudes, interests and lifestyle.

VALS -  Value Life Styles:

Needs – survivors and sustainers

Outer-directed  - belongers, emulators and achievers

Inner – directed – i-am-me, experientals and societally conscious

Outer and inner directed – integrated

Identifying And Explaining Why I Have Chosen The College I have For My Preliminary Task

I have chosen Wyke college to feature in my preliminary task because it consists of a friendly environment and it’s the best college. It promotes an environment which is acceptable for anyone who is willing to do the work. Wyke is a great example of a college with great, helpful teachers that are always willing to spend time with students to help them improve their grades. There is always lots going on which means it is always going to be busy and there are always going to be something going on and therefore will be able to be included in the magazine. Wyke is also known for parties and so therefore the magazine is a good way to let students know what is going on at the right time, therefore they would be benefit from the magazine the most.

Price & How often published

The price of the magazine needs to be kept low and manageable for students. Students are in block E, which is the bottom of them so therefore will have the lowest income which means the price must be kept low so that students can afford the magazine, because if the magazine is overpriced it will not sell. Also every penny made, will be kept safe by the students and spent on things that they really do want and therefore a college magazine may not comply with this, however if the cost is down then it may seem like an option. It would be a good idea for the magazine to be pulished monthly because some work places at this age pay monthly whereas some use a cash in hand or weekly system, however other commitments will need to be paid for so if it is a monthly issue, it may be easier to keep the money to one side to be able to afford the magazine. Also phone bills and other payments are due monthly so money could be kept aside for the college magazine with them.

Magazine Front Cover Analysis

L.I.I.A.R

Language - The language used is focused around events that are aimed at students, for example, highlighting key words that grab young peoples attention is going to help sell the magazine as they will see these words that grab their attention and make them want to read more about it. For example, 'make money on campus' this grabs your attention because the target audience is students who are often without much money and therefore that instantly grabs your attention. Another example, 'spring break escape' also grabs your attention as most college students are waiting and striving for spring break, so they may want to read about this too as it may be something they are looking forward to. The masthead is so bright, big and bold that it instantly grabs your attention and lets you know it is focused around college, this is good because then if this magazine was in the store a student would be attracted to it and want to buy it.

Institution -  The College

Ideology - values of the college magazine: the image of the student who looks stress-free and managing his work and enjoying education is promoting a good image for college. The image is encouraging good behaviour, hard work and good grades as this is how the man has been able to become on top of his studies. Also to inform people about what is going on recently in college so this is a positive for students.

Audience - The cover is aimed at college students. It may be handed out around the college to give people in formation about recent things going on in the college. It also gives information about parties and other things going on in the college, which could be useful.

Representation -  the splash of this front cover is very busy, there are lots of colours and lots to look at, this will be more appealing for younger people as theres lots to look at and lots happening, it doesnt matter as much that there is so mnay different colours and no particular theme because this front cover doesnt need to be sophisticated and classy as the purpose of the magazine is to inform people of what is going on in their college. The main image of a young person holding college books, represents the fact that the magazine is aimed at college students in a similar situation to him. He is also smiling which promotes that he has no worries or stress which is something that would be appealing to someone in college. He also looks smartly dressed and content, this shows he is enjoying what he is doing and enjoying being in education. The image is on a black background because it looks stylish which appeals to young people and also helps the writing to stand out. The ethnicity of the man used is important because it is trying to say that college is suitable for everyone and anyone.

Magazine Front Cover Analysis

 

L.I.I.A.R

Language – the eye-catching colours of red and black against the white background, and the use of hyperboles also makes it stand out more, such as, ‘red-carpet glamour’ that is a statement in itself but also something that is desired, for example, something people dream of being on the red carpet. Another example of this is ‘the first lady of Bollywood speaks out’ by her being the first lady of Bollywood this makes it more appealing than just a random woman in Bollywood.

Institution – vogue magazine

Ideology - values of vogue include: fashion, glamour, wealth, designers, clothes, and models also. Vogue promotes a more classy and sophisticated image and doesn’t contain trashy stories and gossip, therefore it is not similar to other magazine found at stores, this magazine focuses more on just fashion alone. May appeal to women because of the desirable figure, in the medium long shot (waist/knees up)also the desirable looks of the woman.

Audience – people interested in fashion, clothes and designers. People who are not interested in reading about celebrities, perhaps more focused on people who can afford the clothes or people who work in fashion that may get the magazine every month so that they can keep up with what clothes are in fashion in the particular time period, the impression the magazine gives is it is aimed at the older, more sophisticated and classy woman.

Representation – the image is representing class and sophistication by focusing on the colour red. The colour red is sexy and draws your attention to the magazine cover, also the fact that the model is on a white background also adds to the classiness of the magazine. We know from our own knowledge that the photograph has been obviously airbrushed and edited but by using a skinny, pretty figure, the magazine is saying ‘you can look as good and as sexy as this.’ This alone is a point that could help sell the magazine. The colour red makes it look interesting and grabs your attention, and the white background is also eye-catching because its bright and airy. 

Magazine Front Cover Conventions

Left third - This is the left third of a magazine cover and it is importnant for sales in shops where the magazine is not shown by full frontage. The title must be noticeable in a display of competitors. The start of masthead is vital here and short coverlines are needed to be snappy and easy to read.

Masthead - The main title that has to be kept in the top left corner and dominate the overall text.

Images - Images are important for a front cover, it is important that that is the main center focus. offensive images should not be used and they should all be appropriate and you must have consent from the person that is modelling in the photo on the front cover.

Colour Scheme - You should keep your use of colour to a minimum, using the same colours throughout to show professionalism. By making the magazine too colourful, it makes it look tacky and over the top instead of neat and proffessional.

Splash - This a term for the front cover as a whole.

Vocabulary - This is just the text used in an article. It is really important that no offensive language or taboo is used throughout the magazine, this can be taken the wrong way and affect the sale of a magazine. It is good if you are able to use a wide range of vocabulary in an article.

Skyline - The line that is above the masthead, giving people information about the contents of the magazine.

Credit - Who the article was written by. A credit to the writer.

Bardcode - This is found on the back of the magazine and used to scan the price in shops.

Date Line - the date the magazine was out for sale in shops, this is also used so the public can keep up to date with the magazine.

The Brief

Preliminary excercise: using DTP and an image manipulation program, produce the front page of a new school/college magazine, cover featuring a photograph of a student in medium close up appropriately laid-out text and masthead. Additionally you must produce a mock up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of DTP.