My magazine

After four weeks of work, this is how my magazine looks like:

Double page & contents

After a few more changes on both the double page spread and the contents page, this is how it looks now.

Double page spread

After a few more changes, this is how my double page spread looks now.

Double page spread

I've made some changes to the double page spread. It's still not quite how I want, but this is how it looks.

Making the contents page

I added the rest of the writing I wanted on the contents page, this is how it looks now.

Starting the contents page

This week I've moved on from the double page spread and I'm concentrating on the contents page. This is what I've done today.

Making the double page spread - part 2

I added some more things to my double page spread today, so that almost everything is done when I add the pictures.

Making the double page spread

Today I concentrated on getting my double page spread done. This is what I did.

Starting the creative process!

Today I started developing my magazine from the plans I had previously made. Below is what I produced.

Flat plan of my magazine

Based on the analysis I did of Kerrang! magazine and on what I want my magazine to look like, I made a flat plan for my magazine.

Typography Research

I did a little research about typography to know what fonts would be suitable for my front cover and what writing techniques I could use to make my article more interesting.

Typography Research

View more presentations from Yasmin Soares

Shot list

I have planned my photoshoot using a shot list.

Second draft of double page spread article

I have edited my article so that it would both be easy and pleasant to read and would fit the space in my double page spread.

THE FEMALE GREEN DAY? THANK YOU, SIR!

H

ave you ever wished you had got tickets to the best gig in town? Well, we think we’ve got another one to add to the list. If you were not there, you really missed a hell of a concert. Place: Wembley Arena. Date: last Friday (4/11/11). Band: Bassless. Outcome: an epic, unforgettable concert.

Surrey’s three-piece girl band proved to anyone that still doubted that they’re here to stay and are more than just good-looking. The concert featured songs from their first, self-titled, album and from their newest album ‘Coke Generation’, including the hits ‘I’ll Be Fine, Pretending I’m Not, ‘The Poison’ and ‘Coke Generation’. The latter took the crowd to hysteria, making the public scream in full lung to the lyrics of the song. We met up with the girls at the backstage some hours before the concert. Between jokes and funny stories being told (all regarding drummer Daniela, I’m afraid), the interview nearly did not take place as we were having such a good time and Diana, vocals and guitar, and Selma, bass, couldn’t stay away from Tumblr.

FIRST OFF, I THINK WE’RE ALL CURIOUS ABOUT THAT: WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR BAND NAME FROM?

[General laughter]

Selma: Everyone asks us that! Our name is so random, isn’t it?

Diana: Basically, we didn’t know Selma yet and we didn’t have a bassist.

Daniela: We were trying to find a name, then Diana said it was going to be a ‘bassless’ band because it didn’t have a bassist and we kept that as our name. I’m not even sure if this word exists.

Diana: It exists now! 

Selma: Yeah, they found a bassist later but chose to keep the name. I joined about a year later.

YOU ARE REALLY INTO SOCIAL NETWORKING. YOUR CONCERTS ARE REALLY CROWDED. DID INTERNET HELP FILLING STADIUMS?

Daniela: Probably. I think we spend way too much time on the Internet, more than we actually should. 

Selma: I still don’t believing everything was sold out! We’re so pleased with that. We worked so hard in this album. It just seems that we’re dreaming.

Diana: As the tour went on I saw my followers increasing. That was so scary! It’s a bit weird to think that just some years ago we followed some band members on Tumblr and Twitter and they didn’t even know we existed and now we’ve got their numbers on speed dial. [General laughter] I’m serious, though. We’ve made some friends in the industry, our fans are amazing. Sometimes I catch myself thinking 'my God, I have fans'.

Daniela: Diana has a point. It is really freaky! I still can’t believe we supported acts like Green Day, Good Charlotte and Simple Plan and we hang out with some bands sometimes and about three years ago I was going to their concerts. Internet really helped a lot in promoting our music. We’re thankful to it.

TALKING ABOUT GREEN DAY, MANY PEOPLE REFER TO YOU AS THE ‘FEMALE GREEN DAY’. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?

Selma: We take it as a compliment. I think it’s really flattering that people think we’re as good as them. 

Daniela: I’m glad because I want to marry Billie Joe [Armstrong, from Green Day]. [Diana laughs hysterically]

Diana: She wants to marry everyone. Plus, Billie has been married for quite a long time now.

Daniela: Have you ever heard of divorce? [General laughter]I’m only joking. Seriously now, I admire them a lot and it means that people expect a lot from us. I always worry not to let them down. 

Selma: There were a few people who said we were trying to copy Green Day’s style and that made us all a bit sad.
Diana: When we were supporting them in their ‘Awesome as Fuck’ tour, we had a laugh over this. Pierre [Bouvier, from Simple Plan] was also telling us that we remind them of themselves when they started. I think it’s normal to compare. 

YOUR SONG ‘COKE GENERATION’ HAS BEEN COMPARED TO THEIR ‘AMERICAN IDIOT’ QUITE A LOT. 

Daniela: Green Day has been one of our biggest influences since forever! But we’re not going to copy their song because of that. 

Diana: When Selma and I wrote the song, I didn’t think people would make such a big deal out of it. I get why people compare it, though. They’re both critical of the society. But Green Day wrote a whole album criticising war and society, we wrote a ‘stand-alone’ song about it. 

Selma: Exactly! So what? Loads of bands have done the same. We’re not really worried about all of this. Not everyone is going to like our songs, we know this. 

FINALLY, YOUR LAST SHOW IS TODAY, AFTER AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL TOUR. WHAT’S NEXT?

Daniela: I don’t know!

Selma: We have the next week off before we start our European tour. We still have about a year touring abroad.

Diana: We’re already writing some new stuff. So when the tour finishes we’re back home, back into the studio and ready to start all over again.

Daniela: You’re going to hear from us soon, don’t worry.

In depth analysis of magazine

Me and my classmate Hannah made a video in which we discuss the institution, target audience, contents etc of the rock magazine Kerrang!



I also made a flat plan of the magazine we've talked about.

Costumes and Props Research

I have created a mood board with the type of clothing and the locations that would be ideal for my photoshoots.

Article for my double page spread

Based on other articles I read, I wrote an article for my double page spread.

THE FEMALE GREEN DAY? THANK YOU, SIR!

H

ave you ever heard of gigs that you really, really should have been at? Well, we think we’ve got another one to add to the list. If you weren’t there, you really missed a hell of a concert. Place: Wembley Arena. Date: last Friday (4/11/11). Band: Bassless. Outcome: an epic, unforgettable concert.

Surrey’s four-piece girl band proved to any one that still doubted that they’re here to stay and are more than just good-looking. The concert featured songs from their first, self-titled, album and from their newest album ‘Coke Generation’, including the hits ‘I’ll Be Fine, Pretending I’m Not, ‘The Poison’ and ‘Coke Generation’. The latter took the crowd to hysteria, making the public scream in full lung to the lyrics of the song.

We met up with the girls at the backstage some hours before the concert. Between jokes and funny stories being told (all regarding drummer Daniela, I’m afraid), the interview nearly did not take place as we were having such a good time and Yasmin and Diana, both vocals and guitars, couldn’t stay away from Tumblr.  

FIRST OFF, I THINK WE’RE ALL CURIOUS ABOUT THAT: WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR BAND NAME FROM?

[General laughter]

Selma: Everyone asks us that! Our name is so random, isn’t it? [They all nod]

Diana: Basically, we didn’t know Selma yet and we didn’t have a bassist.

Yasmin: We were trying to find a name, then I said it was going to be a ‘bassless’ band because it didn’t have a bassist and we kept that as our name.

Daniela: I’m not even sure if this word exists.

Diana: It exists now!

Selma: Yeah, they found a bassist later but chose to keep the name. I joined about a year later.

YOU ARE REALLY INTO SOCIAL NETWORKING. YOUR CONCERTS ARE REALLY CROWDED. DID INTERNET HELP FILLING STADIUMS?

Diana: Probably. I think we spend way too much time on the Internet, more than we actually should.

Selma: I still don’t believing everything was sold out! We’re so pleased with that. We worked so hard in this album and it just seems that we’re dreaming.

Yasmin: It’s a bit weird to think that just some years ago we followed some band members on Tumblr and Twitter and they didn’t even know we existed and now we’ve got their numbers on speed dial. [General laughter] I'm serious, though. We've made some friends in the industry, our fans are amazing. Sometimes I catch myself thinking 'my God, I have fans'.

Daniela: Yasmin has a point. It is really freaky! I still can’t believe we suported acts like Green Day and Good Charlotte and about three years ago I was going to their concerts.

TALKING ABOUT GREEN DAY, MANY PEOPLE REFER TO YOU AS THE ‘FEMALE GREEN DAY’. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?

Yasmin: We take it as a compliment. I think it’s really flattering that people think we’re as good as them.

Selma: Green Day is one of our favourite bands, so being compared to them is a huge compliment.

Diana: It also means that people expect a lot from us, though. I always worry not to let them down.

Daniela: There were a few people who said we were trying to copy Green Day’s style and that made me a bit sad.

Diana: When we were touring with them we had a laugh over this.

YOUR SONG ‘COKE GENERATION’ HAS BEEN COMPARED TO THEIR ‘AMERICAN IDIOT’ QUITE A LOT.

Daniela: Green Day has been one of our biggest influences since forever! But we’re not going to copy their song because of that.

Diana: When Yasmin and I wrote the song, I didn’t think people would make such a big deal out of it.

Yasmin: I get why people compare it; they’re both critical of the society. But Green Day wrote a whole album against the war, we wrote a ‘stand-alone’ song criticising today’s society.

Selma: Exactly! So what? Loads of bands have done the same. We’re not really worried about all of this. Not everyone is going to like our songs, we know this.

FINALLY, YOUR LAST SHOW IS TODAY, AFTER A REALLY SUCCESSFUL TOUR. WHAT’S NEXT?

Daniela: I don’t know!

Selma: We have the next week off before we start our European tour.

Yasmin: We still have about a year touring abroad.

Diana: We’re already writing some new stuff. So when the tour finishes we’re back home, back into the studio and ready to start all over again.

Yasmin: You’re going to hear from us soon, don’t worry.

My magazine's plan

I used pages to draw a rough plan of what I want my magazine to look like.

Target Audience Research

I researched my target audience and what they would like to see in a music magazine and made a prezi with my results.

Music Magazine Audience Research on Prezi

NME Interview

On the 31st of October, my class went to the NME offices in London where we had the opportunity to talk to some of the staff to ask some questions and get some advice. This is what I learned from them:


What advice would you give on what would be suitable for the front cover?
The front cover has to be straight to the point, so be more artistic in the double page spread rather than the cover. Think of it as an advert; it has to sell the magazine. Just keep it simple, visual… Use simple fonts, nothing really fancy; keep those artistic fonts for the contents. We normally use 2 to three different fonts on the front cover, but no more than that. The logo has to be kept fairly simple as well. It needs to be recognisable. Weekly magazines have to keep fresh and so things change a lot, but you always have to keep everything simple.

How about the pictures? Have you got some tips on putting the right picture?
Always, always have eye contact on the front cover. The artist needs to be looking at the public, catching their attention, attracting them into buying the magazine. You rarely see an artist wearing sun glasses on the cover. This only happens when the artist is well known and you know that people are going to be able to recognise him or her straight away. Also, you rarely get another picture on the cover; small ones sometimes, when you’re promoting a poster and things like that. But generally there’s only one picture.

What do you think about black and white pictures being used in the cover?
It’s not very good. People associate black and white with old photoshoots so we try to avoid it. We only ever use it when the artist featured in the cover is an old artist and you’re using old pictures or if it’s about someone who died. It’s the same thing with sepia. Also, if your cover’s background is black, you need to carefully think about the colours you’re going to use. You don’t want you’re writing to be only white, do you? It’s a bit tricky because you really need to think about the colours.

Talking about the colours, how do you choose the colours that will be used in the front cover?
It’s mostly colours that would go along with the picture and that will be used through the magazine. You have to keep your colour scheme constant. The colour of the logo is used quite a lot. Also, the colour of the logo can change to match the picture and the colour of your headline. This way, it also helps to keep the magazine fresh.

How do you decide who’s going to be in your cover?
We consider who did something crazy, something different and might have gotten attention for that. Who is doing a big tour, who is releasing what… You need to think about your readers and what they want to see in the magazine, what is going to make them buy it.

Let’s talk about double pages. What is there to consider when making them?
Writing your article before taking your pictures. Really, that helps a lot. Your picture has to match your article; they have to go with it each other, they have to have the same tone, the same mood. It’s good to have, when it comes to a double page spread about the artist on the cover, pictures from the same photoshoot, so you also have the same theme. Use the same clothes; the feel and look of the pictures need to be the same. The headline also has to go with the picture and sell the story as a whole.

What advices would you give on writing the article then?
Don’t waffle. Keep it short and to the point. People don’t want to read lots and lots of writing.

What techniques can be used to make the writing more interesting?
We often use boxes-out. They are a mini feature within the feature. They can or cannot be linked to the article. It can be about an album that they just released, like a track by track one, or influences of the band, particularly if it’s a new band. Or it can be just silly random questions. The font of the box-out and the size of it are always different from the article’s font. We also use pull quotes, drop caps and you can change the colour of your first sentence.

How do you plan for a photoshoot?
You need to think about what you are trying to say about the person. Think of a concept that fits with what you’re trying to sell about the band. You need to then consider what colour you’re going to be shooting the person on, if it’s going to be inside or outside, what is the person going to wear. Read the article. Depending on how much writing you’ve got, you place the headline either on the picture or on top of the article. My advice is prepare but always have options.

Annotations of covers and double pages

As a class we annotated pictures of front covers and double page spreads of various magazines. This allowed us to pick up common codes and conventions. Below are some pictures of what we produced.

Music magazine institutions

I did a little research on the three major institutions that publish music magazines and did a video about that. It can be seen below.

Analyses of front covers

Since I decided to focus my magazine on the rock genre, I searched and annotated the covers of four magazines that focus on this genre.

Magazine charts

I did a chart comparing a few magazines.

History of music press

I researched the history of music press and put my information on a powerpoint.

History of music press

View more presentations from Yasmin Soares

Music Magazine - Research

As the first part of my research, I searched for music magazine's covers for me to have a look at. These are a few of the ones I found.

My finished school magazine

Evaluation

The project brief required creating the front page and the contents page of a school magazine including a picture of a student and appropriate text, as I have previously stated on my first post. Having read the brief I then researched school magazines to find general good features that I could maybe include in my magazine and other areas, which I could improve and include on mine as well. I think I managed to start having an idea of what to include, what wouldn't look good and what type of text was required upon completing that research. I then drew a rough version of what I wanted my magazine to look like and further developed that sketch on Pages, making it more organized and detailed as I labeled each section with what would be placed there. I then did the same for the plan of my contents page, even though I have to admit that I was quite hard to think about what else I would include other than an index. The result can be seen on my second post.

With the plan done, I moved into choosing the colour scheme and the fonts I would use. I settled for blue and green to be the colours I would use more, since green is the main colour on our school logo and blue goes well with it. I chose a basic Helvetica font for the main text and used Zapfino for titles and headlines. I then did the masthead and went on to fill the date and issue and the page numbers and then gradually filling in all the written information. In my opinion, the hardest part of the task was when deciding what to write on the index in the contents page. I took me quite a while before I completed that section. I then added a background. I researched for images related to school and settled for one that had colours used on my colour scheme and images that wouldn't look too childish or too mature so that it would appeal to the whole high school age group.

My magazine now had all the writing and a few images like the contents page's background and the school logo but it still lacked pictures of students, which were required by the brief. So I took some pictures around school, during lessons and asking students to pose with perfect uniform. I added some of the pictures I took to my magazine. Soon a problem appeared. There was a big white space in the picture and that needed to be filled. I spent about some minutes thinking and overcame this problem. I moved my picture up, so that there wasn't a white space left on the top anymore, but a black space at the bottom. This was filled by a simple, yet adequate banner.

Working with Pages was quite simple since I was already familiar with it. Therefore, it made the whole process of making the magazine easier and faster. I think the contents page was done to the best of my ability and looks very good and real. I think the time dedicated on doing that has paid off because I'm really happy with the outcome. I particularly like the index and I think I will probably do a similar one for the music magazine.

However, I'm not so positive about the front cover. I like the picture and I appreciate that the banner was a really good choice, rather than placing a few sentences to cover the blank space. I think I could have done the masthead better. It's too simple and it's not commercially appealing. So that's something I'm going to improve when doing the music magazine. Although I liked the banner on the bottom, I think that if I were in need of doing another one for the music magazine, I would dedicate a bit more time on doing that to improve it from what I did on the school magazine. I also liked the little pictures on the bottom yet I think they contrasted with the banner. So for the music magazine I'll think a bit more about the layout so this doesn't happen.

Overall, I'm quite please with what I've produced. I now know what works and what doesn't and I have a notion of what I'm going to include in my magazine, what to improve and what will be left out.

My magazine's plan

Before starting to produce the front page and the contents page how I wanted it to be, I made a plan of what it would look like, to guide myself. This was made on Pages, based on the research I did and reported on the previous post. I selected what I thought was the school magazine's best features and included them in my plan.

The picture above is a screen shot of my plan for the cover and bellow is a screen shot of my plan for the contents page.

Preliminary task: school magazine

The preliminary task was to create the front page of a school magazine including a picture of a student and appropriate text. In order to fulfil the task, I researched school magazines and some contents pages to have a notion of the conventions of school magazine and how I could do it to the best of my ability.
Bellow are some of the magazines I found.