I used a house style throughout the magazine. I kept to two fonts: Arial rounded and times new roman. This ensured that, while there was a contrast available to help text stand out, the magazine didn’t look messy and it ensured that it looked like the layout had been well thought out throughout. I also used a similar colour scheme of black, green and pink throughout. These colours not only tied in with the images of the main artist, giving the magazine a professional edge as it looks as if the photos has been taken specifically for the magazine issue. The use of a few minimal colours ensured that the reader wasn’t over powered with different designs throughout and helped the form of the magazine run smoothly throughout the pages.
The contents page uses slang such as “glasto” to really grab the audiences attention. As this is the contents page the magazine the function is no longer to attract it is to inform. The use of shortened words helps free up space and also helps connect with the audience who will know abbreviations due to there knowledge of the genre of music. The language used is also very domineering, “get tickets”, “make sure you” helping direct the audience to different part of the magazine. Although this approach could be seen as bossy and may put off some customers who feel patronized, due to the target market being in there teens/early twenties, the will appreciate the dominant language which helps them look at what they want quickly and less time is wasted on flicking through pages.
The double page spread is opened with the quote “there are no space fillers. Just good honest tracks” this reflects the type of music the magazine supports, honest, new and different. The fact that I refer Alexa as “the next big thing” suggests that my magazine is up to date with the best new music which is what my audience want. Also it shows that VERTIGO can afford to have exclusive interviews with the best acts around encouraging customers to buy the magazine under the impression that VERTIGO is just as good as its leading competitors as it can, like them, afford to cover and interview new music that looks to be successful in the future. Slang language is used throughout the interview to make the audience feel comfortable while reading it as, because it is a large piece the audience could easily get bored or intimidated by the writing which my prove uninteresting to them. Therefore by using language such as “aint” and rhetorical questions such as “but surely a high flying chick like alexa can afford a blackberry you ask?” the writing connects with the audience and keeps them interested throughout by making it personal, as if you were there at the time of the interview.
[image1]
The front cover clearly represents the institution through the VERTIGO logo at the top of the page. I have followed the conventions of many popular magazines by putting the logo behind the actual image which suggests that the magazine is popular and well known therefore the logo will not need to be completely on view as people will recognise it. Although this may put off some new customers who cannot make out the magazine name, I believe it will benefit the magazine on a whole as it makes the front cover more professional therefore people are more likely to buy it as it looks legitimate. I also used the word VERITGO in bold whenever it was mentioned on the front cover [image1] this not only helped the customer understand what the magazine name was if they couldn’t understand it from the headline; it also kept reminding them what the magazine name embedding it into their minds and hopefully making them recognise and purchase it in future occasions.
The reader is once again reminded of the institution on the contents page; I used the VERTIGO headline in the top left hand corner of the page as it is where readers are most likely to look first, this ensures that the reader is repeatedly reminded of what the magazine name is helping them remember it. At the bottom of the page I put the website address in capital letters and large writing so that it stands out. This provides the reader with another place to catch up with VERTIGO news and helps attract the customers towards our website were they can subscribe for VERTIGO magazine and purchase merchandise of their favourite bands.
The double page spread simply has the VERTIGO logo in the left hand top corner. I didn’t find it necessary to add any other representation of the institution as at this point the reader would be well aware of the magazine and what it stands for, therefore the use of the VERTIGO logo is simply to ensure that there is a subtle reminder of the magazine name on each page and ties in with the house style of the magazine.
From the front cover my audience can see that my magazine is aimed at a younger age range due to the sans serif font which connotes a less serious style. Also the fact it is a new and not very recognisable artist on the cover suggests that my magazine is for a more open minded audience that are willing to try new music. The genre of music is also suggested by the artists listed on the front “We Are Scientists, Little Comets, Blood Red Shoes…” all of these artists belong to the indie rock/folk genre of music which shows that the magazine is aimed at those interested in that genre. The name VERTIGO is the feeling of being dizzy which is a feeling commonly associated with live music. The name is fresh, new and exciting and reflects the ideology of the magazine; the shape of the name on the page looks bold and stands out against other magazines; all of these effects help represent the magazine as new, exciting and different; things that a new magazine needs to be to be successful.
I filled the contents page with pictures of live events, showing the magazine covers gigs frequently. The writing is now serif form and mainly in capital letters which helps the magazine look bold and exciting,. I used a lot of band names on the contents page as I wanted to make it clear that the magazine is mainly centred around the music and nothing else, a specific convention of this type of music that focuses on the music and not the image. I put the website address at the bottom of the page because my target market are likely to benefit from being able to access the magazine via a website; this could also lead to increased sales through subscriptions which are largely advertised online.
My double page spread tones it down a little, appealing to the folk fans among my target audience. As the singer has quite folky routes; I chose a softer colour scheme to reflect the nature of the artists and used a picture which showed her standing in a natural pose, smiling. This reflects the writing of the piece which talks about her good, honest music and the quote from the interview “There are no space fillers. Just good honest tracks” brings all of this together to support the quirky, gentle music of the artist who appeals to a large part of my target audience.
Because my magazine appeals to a specific music genre fans; I could get my audiences attention by advertising specific bands on the front cover that are popular in that genre at the moment. As my target audience are a fan of live music, I appealed to them by offering the promise of competitions to win tickets to gigs and festivals. I used a bold sticker reading “160 reviews!” as my audience, although mainly into gigs, are quite serious music fans and those who are new to this type of music would benefit from reviews of music which helps bring in new audiences as it is a less intimidating approach suggesting they don’t need to know everything to be into this type of music as there is always something new.
My contents page shows that my audience are all about the music and nothing else. I used band names in bold to grab the readers attention and make it easier for them to find the artists they are looking for. Also I used the bottom right hand section to list the regular posts such as “FAQ” and “Gig Guide”; these regular columns reflect the wants of the audience who want to be kept up to date on gigs, music, new releases and a place were they can debate and ask questions.
My audience are represented as passionate about ‘’indie’’ music through the fact that my magazine is centred around indie music and nothing else. Also it is suggested that their main interests are going to gigs and listening to new music through the offers of winning gig tickets and band merchandise on my front cover. The contents page suggests that my audience are good with technology as it clearly advertises the magazines website at the bottom of the page. The main groups represented in my magazine are teenagers, young adults, those interested in ‘’indie’’ music and new musicians. These groups are represented positively throughout my magazine in several ways throughout my magazine. Features such as ‘’your view’’, ‘’gig guide’’, and ‘’the best this month’’ show that VERTIGO value the views of their audience and understand exactly what their audience wants. However I could have made my magazine more representative of new musicians by advertising a place were new musicians could upload there music and where it could be reviewed by VERTIGO and possibly published within the magazine. Something like this would help attract a larger audience as those interested in getting coverage for their band would appreciate an opportunity like this which is unconventional and is unique to VERTIGO giving it a unique selling point and encouraging more people to get involved with VERTIGO.
I think the use of a website would be useful for a magazine such as VERTIGO as its target audience are the same demographic as that for use of the internet; therefore they would be more beneficial than an older audience or advertising the magazine in other formats of media such as radio stations. A website would also allow the magazine to advertise themselves cheaply and effectively, the have an infinite amount of room to win over the readers, advertise their merchandise/subscriptions and use synergy to help pay for the magazine and website. Also it would allow new musicians to easily upload their music and provide a perfect platform for readers to listen to new music by unsigned acts.
From this project I have learnt to use and develop my skills with several different technologies. I used Photoshop to create my magazine, which although I found hard to use at first, I am now confident with. I also used a digital camera to take my photos, and a blog to upload all of my work. I think that although this was a struggle at first to get to grips with, it has helped me gain crucial skills that will help me in the work environment in future.
