Finalised ideas (written)

After receiving a lot of feedback from the questionnaires i distributed and analysing each initial idea closely to find it's positive features and drawbacks, i was able to come to a conclusion and finalised decision about the ideas for my products. This will enable me to create the best possible music magazine for my target audience.

Main Story For My Magazine:

 I found it hard to choose my main storyline due to feeling that all of them had potential to be approved of by my target audience, but after looking at photo inspiration from female indie music artists of the present day, i felt as though "Indie Electro - Out Of The Box" would be the most relevant and up to date with the modern times. I also knew the perfect model who would fit the brief for photographs relating to this storyline (my friend Anna) due to her indie dress sense and hair. This was the most popular answer from the poll i posted and therefore i feel the audience will enjoy reading about it.
Due to storyline being about someone breaking free from a stereotype, this can also encourage readers to be different and stand up for themselves. This could inspire and influence many teenagers and young adults and therefore i feel it would be both intelligent and motivational.


Magazine Title:

My magazine title i've chosen is "Soundcheck" which was the one i felt most passionate about from the beginning when drawing up a long list of potential names. It was again the most popular vote from my questionnaire and this gives me confidence in that it will be effective.
The name immediately shows the magazine is linked to music, and (a soundcheck) is a vital part of any live performance. By being linked to live music, this could denotate how the articles within the product will be stripped down and honest (just like live music), allowing readers a real insight into who they are reading about. It is also unlike any other magazine title in the music industry at the time which will make it stand out from competitors and be something completely new for the audience to be excited about.


Colour Schemes:

The generic music magazine colour scheme is that of black, white and red. I wanted to keep linked with this theme in order to create an instantly recognised musical product, but i also wanted to add my own twist and did this by adding in the colour blue alongside the conventional red, white and black.
This colour scheme is both sophisticated and vibrant, allowing the older range of my target audience to be interested as well as the younger one. The black and white allows simplicity whilst the blocks of colour make it more aesthetically pleasing and interesting for the readers.


Magazine Front Cover Design:

I decided to choose design 1 here, which was the most popular from the poll and also my favourite design. By allowing a medium shot to take the cover of my model, this provides both intimacy with the reader, due to being able to see clearly the facial expression of the artist and make eye contact as well as showing off fashion through the clothes she is wearing. This can portray that the artist is simply just a human being, like the audience, but is a role model to many and can influence them greatly through her looks, fashion and music. The clothes the model will wear should not outshine the fonts and features used, and therefore i will use subtle styling and make the artist stand out in a less obvious way (this could be using props such as glasses).


Magazine Contents Design:

I have chosen to develop my 3rd sketch for this design as i felt this was the most sophisticated approach and linked in the best with the front cover and double page spread layouts. The design is clear, easy to read and will include photos of both live performances and specific photo shoots of bands. The colour scheme will continue throughout alongside the use of banners so that continuity is visibly present.


Magazine Double Page Spread Design:

 This was the design i felt most strongly towards out of the three final products i will produce. I decided to use sketch 1 for this product as there is an appropriate mix of both images and text. The style of the page with banners creating a box shape provides a framing to the pages, and the arrow shaped pug points to the title, immediately drawing attention there. I haven't seen the use of translucent shapes in any modern day music magazine and i therefore feel this will challenge conventions and provide something new for the readers.