Fonts

I have experimented with different fonts from the website www.dafont.com to see which one I think will be the most suitable for the master head of my magazine. I then chose eight fonts which I thought would be the most successful and asked my target audience for feedback. My results showed that font three was the most popular (they're coming to take me away) so I will be use this for the master head. Font two was also popular so I will consider using this for other text on the magazine for example subtitles or names of bands.

Title Of Magazine

This list shows the 6 title names which I think will be suitable for my magazine . I got the ideas by looking at existing products and then thinking of words which are associated with indie bands for example the word spin features in many indie songs. I then asked my target audience which they preferred and the majority of people said wired. I have decided to take this forward as my title as I also believe it is the best out of the six.

• Wired
• Audio
• Wave
• Distortion
• Spin
• Inspired
  

Questionnaire Results

I printed out 40 copies of my questionnaire and handed them to my target audience of 14-20 year olds: I have added all of the results together to get an average score on each answer, my results showed:

1. The images used on a front page of a magazine were what attracted most people. This suggests I will need to concentrate on taking an eye-catching photo graph on my front page.

2. My results show people prefer one large image on the front cover rather than a few smaller ones. However 17 people chose both so I could consider using one large image and a few smaller ones at the bottom of the cover.

3. Most of my audience preferred a magazine to be both full of information but with images as well. I had a few comments saying the magazine shouldn't be overwhelming and the text should be easy to process.

4. For this question i received many answers, however the most popular were dark colours, bold text, bands, artists, logo, large title

5. My results showed that my audience preferred there to be a variety of texts on a front cover.

Overall my questionnaire was helpful and I received many useful answers which will help me when creating my final project. I will need to consider the answers given and use them when planning my project for example using a larger image on my front page.

Questionnaire

I have created a quick questionnaire which I have given to my target audience of 14-20 year olds. Hopefully the questionnaire will give me some more ideas for my magazine and will give me an implication of my audiences preferences:

Questionnaire

Could you please take a few minutes to fill out this questionnaire, it will be very helpful when creating my final product :)

1. What grabs your attention the most when you first look at a magazine cover?

The title
Features
Price
Images
Colours used
Other:

Please specify: _______________________________________

2. Do you prefer for there to be one main image on the page or a few smaller ones? Why?

One large image
A few smaller ones
Bit of both
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

3. Do you prefer a magazine to contain lots of information for example a front cover containing lots of information around the images and the master head?

Yes full of information
No less information and more visually filled e.g. images and logos
Bit of both

4. What images would you expect to see on an indie magazine? For example a band or a single artist?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

5. Would you prefer there to be a variety of fonts used on the page rather than just one?

Yes
No

Do you have any more ideas or comments which you think will be useful when creating my final project?
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________

Thank you for your time!

Letters To Kerrang And NME Magazine

To find out more about music magazines and what methods are used to attract the audience’s attention I have decided to send emails to successful magazines in my chosen genre (Kerrang and NME). This will allow me to find out why the methods are used on the magazine and could possibly give me some ideas about different methods I could use for my own magazine.
I have decided to ask questions which I think will benefit my own magazine, for example why are certain fonts used. Below is a copy of the letter I have sent to Kerrang and NME. I hope to receive feedback from the emails and will update my blog with any information I receive.

Dear whom this may concern,

I am a year 12 student from Biddulph High School, studying AS media studies. As part of the course I have been asked to create a music magazine as my final piece, which consists of a front cover, contents page and a double page spread.
As research for my final product I have been carrying out analysis on existing products, with Kerrang being one of the main magazines I have studied. As Kerrang is the genre of magazine I am considering for my own magazine, I have found it very useful when looking at mise-en-scene, layout and fonts.
I was wondering if you could answer the following questions to give me further knowledge for creating my own music magazine.

Who is your main target audience and how do you attract them?

What makes an interesting feature?

Why are certain fonts and a colour scheme chosen?

If there is any more information which you think would be suitable when creating my own magazine I would be very appreciative. Thank you for your time, I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Nicola Chaddock

Brainstorm Of Ideas (front page)

I have created this quick brainstorm to show a few ideas about the front page of my magazine. I also plan to do this for my contents and double page spread.

How useful was it?

I found brainstorming my ideas was a good way to think about what neeeded to be included on the front cover of my magazine. It has also helped me in finding out what else I need to consider for the overall project for example types of font, colours and how many images I will use.

Problems?

The ideas I have included are very basic and are not very specific. To develop them further I will need to carry out more planning such as experimenting with fonts and colours. I may do another brainstorm similar to this when I have carried out more planning to show which ideas I am taking forward.