Final Magazine...

Audience Feedback via Facebook

I uploaded my front cover page onto Facebook for people to comment and give me feedback on my front cover page for my magazine. I thought this was important as my friends on Facebook are round about the same age as who my magazine is aimed at, so their opinion was relevant to the success of the magazine - whether it looked good in a magazine rack and whether people would buy it.  

My target audience commented what they liked and disliked which was mostly the image and the logo as it was clear what the magazine was about - as i paid close attention to codes and conventions of other front covers of music magazine. Also, the colour scheme proved to be popular as it made it look professional. They also mentioned how they would buy the magazine if it was in a shop proving that my front cover was a success! 

Here are comments on my magazine as a whole, including the front cover, contents page and double page spread:

Double page spread: Working Progress

Here is my Double page spread working progress... By using MWSnap each slide shows the step by step process of making it.

Interview research

For my music magazine I will be interviewing Sam Irving and Jake Ray as professional music artist in a band called Jam and Steak (the combinations of their name!) They both listen to indie music, which is why their genre of music (and the whole magazine) would be indie - hence the washed out colour scheme which is seen in similar genre magazines such as NME and Q. 

My double page spread will consist of:

• Picture that will take up one whole side of the double page with a quote from the band
• Headlines across the top of one page
• Drop capital at the start of the article - so you know were to start reading, they are sometimes in bold or bigger size texts.
• By line of the double page spread
• Strap line - short and should grab the reader's attention and make them want to read the article. 
• Smaller pictures on the opposites side to the big picture. 

Also, I have recently read a number of articles from the NME magazine to get a sense of which questions to ask and how to approach the tone of the article. Mostly, from what I have read, the mood is very chilled out, casual tone and the questions are always very laid back and flow into each other. So, I will write my mock interview in a conventional Question and Answer format. So I decided against planning questions but instead to ask them questions which were relevant to their answers.


Research ON GQ MAG...

The artist formerly known as Elliot Gleave has history with GQ. Back in September 2006, when he was still signed to Mike Skinner's label The Beats, he was photographed by legendary lensman Mick Rock in the 100 Club. "The way he shot me was almost like chatting me up," laughs the Hammersmith-born rapper, slouching in an Obey T-shirt and Levi's jeans. "He kept saying, 'Yeah! Show me them lips!' I can just imagine him in the Seventies being completely off his nut taking pictures".Since that fateful day five years ago, The Beats has imploded, the Streets have retired and Example, thanks to a newfound love of electro-pop, has topped the singles charts twice with "Stay Awake" and "Changed The Way You Kissed Me". Despite having already completed 14 interviews when we sit down with him in his PR company's central London offices at 12.30pm, Example chatted to GQ.com about surviving Ibiza, overrated chefs and the erotic effects of his own music...
GQ.com: You vent a great deal on Twitter. What's really irritating you at the moment? Example: The Toilet Duck advert. The animation's not bad, but the Toilet Duck himself has had a personality bypass. The new Toilet Duck is just a bit aggressive, a bit cocky, a bit like Jeremy Kyle - he's got too many faults to actually love him. I think that the Toilet Duck should be confident but sassy - like Mr Muscle.
What's the worst thing anyone's ever said about you? I've been called a "scruffy Inbetweener". My first album got really slated, but to be fair it was a bit all over the place, so I don't mind that too much. I don't really listen to critics - I don't mind interviews, but reviews are f***ing pointless. Someone can hear my album and say that it's the best thing they've ever heard, someone else can hear it and think it's the worst thing they've ever heard. Both of those people are right because it's their opinion. I haven't read a live or an album review for two and a half years.
Talk us through the outfit you're currently wearing. I'm scruffy, like every man, but with a few high-end brands in tow. I'll rock a Belstaff, maybe; a bit ofLanvin or D&G. I've got a couple of Margiela jackets, but really I'm a jeans and a T-shirt kind of man. I like just feeling comfortable, I don't care about looking tooflash. What's my style tip for autumn? Dress like a hero.
What the strangest request you've had on Twitter? Usually stuff like "Can I come round your house and sit on your face? You look like you've got a comfy face" from 16-year-old girls. I can't believe 16-year-olds are doing that now. At my age, 16-year-olds were probably just playing spin the bottle and now they're offering to come round and sit on my face.
You're just back from Ibiza. What are your top survival tips? Never do two days in a row. On your day off, sit on the beach or by the pool. Sleep lots, have a few piña coladas, maybe go for a nice steak, have 12 hours' kip then go out again the next day. And wear lots of sunscreen.
Other than this one, what question do you hate being asked?" Why are you called Example?" is the worst one.  I just think, "Look it up on Google or Wikipedia!" Or "Who do you want to work with?' I hate that question - boring. Look at my album credits, that's who I've worked with.
Who's the best dressed man? I'm a massive fan of Sergio Pizzorno from Kasabian. I think he's cool. Brad Pitt dresses well most of the time but every now and then really f***s it up with some dodgy sweatpant/boot combos. In the UK, Tinie looks great, doesn't he? I've also bumped into David Gandy a few times at press party events and he always looks sharp. But I suppose he was created by God to wear clothes, wasn't he?

MY INTERVIEW 

"Booze, drugs and the F word has made 17 year old Sam Irving a tabloid fixture. But with the support and guidance from his best friend, Jake Ray, the duo ‘Jam and Steak’ have had huge chart success in the last few months once again! Satina Sanghera meets the pair" - This will be the strap-line underneath the title, i think its catchy and when I will put it on my magazine, I will make certain words such as names bold to make them stand out.

Introduction:

After dropping out of school, both Sam and Jake were convinced music was going to change their life. Endless pub gigs and travelling led this pair on a journey of self discovery and in 2011 they were finally discovered! They brought massive hits such as ‘I’ll take you to the pub and back’ and ‘Crazy’ led to huge success and fame. However, there is always a price to pay with fame and for Sam this was his outrageous behaviour being widely reported in the media every day. The front man admits ‘I couldn’t cope... drinking was a way out.’ But after a long stay in rehab, they’re back with only one goal: ‘to become indie gods.’

Arriving an hour late, the two lads arrive in what seems yesterdays clothing. Sam walks straight over o the vending machine and purchases a hot chocolate; whilst Jake glances in a mirror to check on his perfectly shaped hair.

- I made this up entirely and based their appearance and attitude on famous indie music artist such as Peter Doherty.

Interview: 

Woah. It’s been quite a couple of months back in the lime light, how are you both coping?
Jake: It’s been pretty insane, but nothing I can’t handle (turns and looks at Sam sarcastically)
Sam: (laughs) I’m clean, rehab really helped and I’m not an idiot anymore. I’ve given up my foolish antics.

What changed for you and made you check into rehab?
S: Um... Jake I guess. I couldn’t let him down anymore and I didn’t want to lose him. The music we were producing was shit and that was down to me. I think it was when people started to not take us seriously, it bugged me, people started judging our music by my behaviour and that wasn’t fair.
J: He went through a pretty tough time, but all is good now. We’re back on track and this time nothing’s going to stop us.

You’re right saying you’re back on track, five months and three number one singles! That’s an achievement, how do you guys celebrate?
S: Beer! But without the total loss of control. (smiles)
J: Yeah, we like to party, last night actually we went to our friend’s house party. Was mental, didn’t get back until this morning, which explains why we’re late. Sorry. We’re packing all the sleepless nights before we go on tour - (July, LAD’s on tour), then we can give our fans a proper show. One that they’ve been waiting for!

Do you have a particular favourite song you like performing?
S: For me, it’s ‘madness’ it really describes the journey I went through, after the breakup (2011 he split from model girlfriend) and the whole drug addiction. I don’t know who I was back then, but with Jake’s help, I think I’ve found myself.
J: The crowd goes mental for our song ‘dumb and dumber,’ it really reflects who we are. Me being dumb and Sam, the dumber one obviously.
S: Can’t argue with that, to be fair.

You two seem extremely close. Perhaps, a bromance?
J: This is so much more than a bromance!
S: Yeah, bromance is an understatement; just take a look at some of the pictures from the shoot today! That is love, right there.
J: Too far Sam.

Well, it’s been great having you, and X readers will most defiantly follow your success. Last but not least: describe the album in three words?
J: Best Quality sound.
S: I am sober.

Layout:

 I may recreate this design and use one whole page dedicated to a image of the models and then use the two columns for the main article. I may need to add questions if I does not fill the whole page and I could 
add smaller images on the other side.  

Contents page feedback:

I received feedback from my front cover which was really helpful so I decided to do the same for the contents page. Nearly everyone preferred the one image with the articles underneath. Although, I preferred the other one I decided to ask one of my target audience: a male age 17 who listens to indie music. He said that the layout was good but it was difficult to read the headings on the right hand side as they were written in white. So I changed them to black to makes them stand out with a white cover line that does not over power the main text above. I also used flashes either side of the image to fill in the gaps and added a red border around the text and image. This works effectively to block up and separate the different bits, such as the pages are on one side only and the picture and texts are together in a box.

FINAL CONTENTS

However, I didn't personally like the contents page and when I asked another member of my target audience they said that the article was too much and made the contents page boring, whereas if their was other photos that were linked to the pages in the contents page so, I took this into consideration and changed the picture and the article put kept the layout the same. I also changed the red flashes as I thought they looked too bright and didn't go with the rest of the magazines so, I used the darker grey this made it stand out but more subtly.









Here is a member of my target audience commenting on the two contents pages and which one she thought looked better...

16th March: Contents page

This is my first attempt of the contents page. I have stuck to the layout I originally planned for and made room to insert an image or images. I have not yet decided if I want to use more than one image to represent the page numbers or just one main image with a little article… as like a sneak preview of the next week’s edition which is used sometimes in NME. I have continued to use the same colour scheme sticking to the grey background with red, black and white writing.


For my contents page I decided against using the pictures of the model which will be seen on the double page spread and the front cover. Normally in NME and Q magazine they include a different story/picture in the contents page so I decided to use the photos I had taken from the concerts and festivals I have been too. This still makes the photos from a primary source and I think they look effective as they show real life bands and singers in the concert type atmosphere. It also broadens the locations of the pictures I have taken as the photos represent live music and the lighting and setting of a concert in action. Here are the options of photos I could use because I have taken them myself:

You me at six:

 The Wombats:

 V Festival

I will pick one image from each concert/gig to include in my contents, I think this will give the images variety as they are all taken in different locations.

The I added three images to the contents page and filled in the gaps with writing and flashes such as ‘On the Cover’ to clearly indicate the main article which is featured on the double page spread. The page numbers are shown on the image to make it easier for readers to flick to their favourite bit. I also used MWSnap to take a photo of the front cover and use it for the subscribe section, this is always seen in NME:

I think this makes the magazine seem more realistic and professional as I also added a website and phone number.

This is my second attempt at the contents page before I ask for feedback of which one I should use. I have only used one image but stuck to the same layout as the previous one. This one is effective as an article is included underneath the main image which is also seen in NME magazine:

I have also paid attention to the photos mise-en-scene and wrote the article based on the models outfit; therefore it is relevant to music as she plans to 'break america' with it.

16th March: FRONT COVER

My first attempt had to be improved as there was way too much blank spaces and the magazine looked unfinished. So, for my final design I will try and fill the empty space at the top near the masthead. Also, I dislike the cut off bit of the image where Sam’s guitar had been cropped and it looked unprofessional. However I am happy with the main image and its positioning and the rule of left third looks effective as the cover stories can be seen easily. I asked a number of my friends for feedback for the magazine and they said they liked the layout of the titles and the main images looked very relevant to music but it looked a little plain and needed maybe one more image. 

My final version of the music magazine, included all the changes I wanted to make from my first draft. The inclusion of free posters fill in the gap at the top of the magazine and also are used to attract readers into buying it. I also used another flash to cover the cut off image and stretched the magazine to make them look more dominant. I took my friends advice and added more images that I had taken at concerts myself so they are still primary images.