Final Front Cover

Second Draft Front Cover

First Draft Front Cover

Front Cover Mock Up

Front Cover Mock Up

Front Cover Mock Up

Choosing a Masthead

Testing out Mock Ups

This is my first attempt at a mock up for my magazine cover. It isn't particularly what I want my magazine to look like, but there are elements to it that I like. I have done this to experiment with what works well when composing the magazine, so I have a better idea of what is the most aesthetically pleasing and what matches my target audience. I have only got the very poor quality test shots to use before I take my actual photos, so I have had to improvise. Because the photograph is one of the key elements I have struggled to work out the rest of the cover without it. However, I think it has allowed me to look at other aspects of the cover that need special consideration. For example, the mast head is not particularly appealing, and doesn't represent my magazine or its genre well. The font also doesn't match the rest of the cover. Although, I had previously decided on my colour scheme, after applying it to this mock up I have realised that it doesn't match my target audience that is mostly female.  Because of this, I plan to experiment further with colours that are considered more appealing to females. The magazine also doesn't fit in particularly well with the rule of three that applies to magazines. The page is not divided into thirds, resulting in it appearing disproportionate  and therefore not aesthetically pleasing. The coverlines are also not very well positioned because they draw attention to the wrong part of the page, again making it not aesthetially pleasing to someone who would buy the magazine. Ideally I should of placed them in the bottom two thirds of the page. The photograph also doesnt follow the rule of three as they key parts such as the top of head and bottom of her face don't match up with the thirds. I do however like the fonts I have used for the coverlines and the main coverline, as I think they work well together, by mixing a more formal and informal font it gives the right impresssion of my magazine. I also like the white background and the black text, however I may need to re consider using this when adjusting my colour palette. I think the banner across the bottom looks good, but doesn't fit in with the rest of the page, as does the plug to the left, depsite matching the fonts and colour scheme. Overall, this first mock up needs a lot of changing but I have learnt a lot about what doesn't work and what does so I will use it  to improve my other mock ups and then my drafts.

Magazine Name

To come up with a name we have to think of something that represents the magazine being about music as well as the genre. Of course it needs to be original and something appealing to the target audience. I found this especially hard when deciding on a name for an indie magazine as the term 'indie' is rarely used to describe something of your own, such as the magazine. But of course without using this targeting the right audience is difficult. Eventually I have decided to call my name 'LP' with the letters standing for 'Lastest Playing' which I have changed from long playing to fit to my magazine. I think this does link to my genre and fits in to what my magazine is about; the latest new music. Although LPs are not considered particularly modern, what it actually stands for and the contemporary look I am planning for my magazine, should help it to appeal to my target audience.

Kerrang! Magazine Analysis - Front Cover

Colour Palette
There are four colours featured on the cover as opposed to the usual rule of three; black, white, yellow and red. The cover is overall very dark, which suggests a darker genre of music, thus allowing us to infer that the genre is rock. White is the predominant colour of writing and it stands out because of the dark nature of the background. Red is used to draw attention to features in the magazine and yellow is used to highlight relevant news, such as the readers’ poll results at the top.

Q Magazine Analysis - Front Cover

• This full body shot of Florence Welch is reflective of the cover lines about how she is one of the few front woman, in competition with a lot of front men; she is shown in a powerful light to reflect her success in a predominantly male role. The hands on hips are ambiguous; they can represent a strong attitude, again being powerful or alternatively they can appeal to her male audience by drawing attention to where men could focus their eyes. Focusing on her face, she best fits Trevor Millum’s seductive pose. Her expression is cool and level as well as self confident; her eyes are directed straight at the camera. This again reflects power as well as being aesthetically pleasing, particularly for men. We see this representation again with what she is wearing. Firstly, she isn’t actually wearing a lot which in itself suggests the look is meant to be sexy and aimed at a male audience. It is very low cut, to again be sexy yet the panelling creates a structure and in essence makes the outfit more masculine, which again shows her power. The outfit reflects her ability to compete with the front men, yet it shows the femininity she brings to her music. Positioning Florence to be towering over famous landmarks that obviously tower humans is again showing her power, but using landmarks from around the world, we could infer that Q magazine is suggesting Florence and the machine to be a worldwide success. 
• The banner at the top has been positioned there to attract attention as this would be seen on a news stand easily, and the offer of 'Free music' would appeal to a reader. The black and white contrast, not only each other but the rest of the cover. This again could be to draw attention to it. 

NME Magazine Analysis - Front Cover

• The main cover line about Mark Ronson tells us that he is reinventing himself; this could explain why he is wearing a blue jacket that differs from the colour scheme; it is a symbolic code to show his change through his style. It also reflects what the magazine represents, bringing the latest news in contemporary music, which is exactly what they are doing with Mark Ronson. Those who are fans of Mark Ronson will find this appealing because they are fans, yet it will also appeal to those who didn't like his previous work because it tells  us he is changing, so it appeals to NME's target audience of 15 -25year olds who, if they are buying this magazine must have a interest in the current music. The cover line is an enigma code as the reader is intrigued as to what the reinvention consists of. 
• The banner at the top of the page widens NME's audience to older people as well as those interested in older music, as well as or instead of contemporary. The clash were an 80's rock band that featured in NME throughout the 80's when they were together, so readers of the magazine since then would appreciate this as well as those interested in 80's music. The fact it is a 'collectors issue' makes it seem more desirable and because they are advertising the 'Free' part in the largest font on the banner, it shows they are trying to show the reader that they are getting two magazines for the price of one.
• The '+' feature across the bottom of the page is a common plug used on magazine covers to show the reader how much content the magazine consists of. Simply giving us the artist's name and no information as to why they are in the magazine is an enigma code that would encourage the reader to buy the edition if they are interested in any of these artists. NME is a trusted magazine and so when they feature artists, a semi literate audience and respected fans of the magazine would trust that there is relevant feature of interest to them about this artist. 

Magazine Inspiration