Inspiration of Reader Profile:

Music Fan Profile.

The Juxtaposer


Age: 16-25


What are they wearing?: They hold an unconventional look, where they effortlessly juxtapose. A collared shirt is his statement piece. He loves a bold jumper and he is still living in his well worn Joy Division  ‘Unknown Pleasures’ t-shirt. She's in her grandads old faithful cardigan and stone washed levis . They cant live without their tatty dms and brothel creepers.

What are they listening to?: They love their classic oldies - Sonic Youth, Joy Division, Kate Bush, and love the more current bands such as Beach House, Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear. However, they are always on the look out for new and upcoming artists. 

Wants to be: Themselves - they are their own person, each reader will be individual.

Find them: Early in the queue ready for the support act in search for new music. Getting lost in their newly found book, in their local coffee shop. Rummaging through the vintage shops on Brick lane.

This is the magazine cover I came across which gave me the idea of choosing both a male and female model for my front cover. i think this works really well, and this is also the type of look/style I would like to go with as I think it would fit in really well with the music genre I chose.

I have decided to base my muisc magazine on the genre of alternative because I like this genre of music and so can relate to it easily. For the cover band, I have decided to use a male and female duo. Originally I had planned to have a group of four males however there weren't the models available, but I now think this idea may be stronger as a whole.

Effective Main Images

What do you need to think about to create an effective main image for your music magazine cover?

• Music genre
• Setting - interior or exterior
• Model(s) - availability
• Composition of photo
• Costume
• Props
• Colour Scheme
• Background - is it going to be removed?
• Shot distance
• Shot angle
• Lighting
• Hair
• Make-up
• Location + Time
• Representation - age, gender, music style etc
• Pose
• Masthead

I will take at least five images to make sure I have a number of options when it comes to making the front cover.

Music Magazine Cover Analysis

The main thing I liked about this particular magazine cover was the main image. I liked the composition and the way in which the band are arranged on the page. I like the overall colour scheme of this magazine cover, with the red and blue catching your attention and then the choice to use white in order for the text to stand out against the image. The main headline is situated through the centre which is effective as it emphasises the fact it is the main/most important article.

The masthead of this magazine takes up quite a large amount of the cover which I like as it is made very obvious to the readers that this is a Q magazine, putting their 'label' on it. I also like the use of the white background here as it allows the focus to be on the image and sell lines etc. I particularly like the grid structure with the sell lines down the sides of the cover. The image is very central, and so this becomes the focus with the sell lines working around the image. Another thing I thought was effective was the fact that the depth of the text varies between each word. This is effective yet done in a subtle way which I like, it doesn't look overdone, and more professional. The overall colour scheme works well.

School Magazine Evaluation

Overall I was generally pleased with the school magazine front cover considering it was my first time in doing so and the fact that I am new to using the software. The masthead is appropriate for the school magazine, but has a hidden meaning. I named the magazine 'Jangle', this meaning gossip in the tudor times, which was the period of King Henry VIII. The main colour of the masthead is yellow, with a black border. I felt this appropriate as i thoght it suited the school in terms of colour.
   The main image is an appropriate size, and I feel gives a clear indication of the story that it is representing. The image is showing the "battle" between the two contenders for the lead role in the play, in which i think is portrayed through the image, the stance and facial expression expressed in the two individuals shows this. I was generally pleased with the final image, however there was one thing that I was dissapointed with. I think there should have been more blank space to the sides of the image as that way it would have made it easier to fit in the sell lines, and therefore make the overall cover less squashed. I didnt use any subsidiary images in this particular task, as I didn't think the cover needed it and secondly I think it would have made it look even more cramped.
   There are several sell lines used on my front cover, all of which give a clear indication about the content of the magazine. The language of these is more informative rather than entertaining, which is what makes them understandble, however they arent very fun as I haven't used any literacy devices here. All the sell lines have a consistent colour scheme, which at first I found difficult to find as I didn't want the choice of colour to clash with the background of the main image or the masthead. A variety of different fonts were used in a number of different of places which gave the cover some variation rather than it all looking too similar.
   The overall layout of the magazine is generally clear, however I do think it is slightly cramped and restricted for space. This is all down to the main image, and if this was altered i think it would improve the layout. I think the cover is appealing to the reader as I think the bold headline will draw in people's attention, however I don't think it would be overly obvious that this was a school magazine if it wasn't for the specific sell lines and strap lines.
   I think my main area of improvement would be getting the main image right. I would go back and make sure there was enough surrounding space so I was less restricted when producing the final front cover. I would also try and make the sell lines and strap lines slightly more interesting and fun. Generally though, I am very pleased with the final outcome.

Final School Magazine Cover