When creating my magazine product I aimed to incorporate several features from existing magazines such as Kerrang and NME, in order to make my magazine look more professional and therefore making it successful. Several features that I have used include colour, font, and layout and image style. Along with this I aimed to emulate the style of anchorage text, buzz words and puffs. When incorporating these features I tried to make them as precise as that of an existing successful magazine so that my magazine would to be successful. In order to do this I had to look at several existing magazines like Kerrang and study their conventions while creating my magazine. For example, in the case of buzz words I aimed to make them look as effective as possible, as I felt they were key in a magazine. I also looked at other magazines in order to see how contrasting they were to my design. For example, I looked at the magazine VIBE, which is based on the hip-hop genre, even though I created a rock magazine, I felt it was key to look at successful magazines in all genres in order to create a more successful magazine. While looking at existing magazines is key to creating a successful magazine it is important to ask the audience of your given genre what they want as they will be the people purchasing your magazine. To do this I carried out a questionnaire, from which I determined what layouts and features to include in my magazine. For example, I have constructed my front cover so that the title and central image correspond with my questionnaire. The title for my magazine is ‘X-Stream’, which had majority votes in one of my given questions. I have placed the title in bold and the top centres in order for it to be visible to the audience as this is were titles are generally placed. Moreover, for the central image I have used a low angle shot in order to present the band member as dominant. The fact that the audience has to look up to him shows his dominance and control, perhaps over the music genre. The main social groups that my magazine represents is from those that listen to my chosen genre that is rock. Groups regularly associated with this genre include, Goths and Emo’s who express themselves through rock and are commonly if not always associated with this genre. Keeping with my aim to making a successful magazine, I have had to make sure my magazines appeals to them through the conventions that I have used. I have emulated such magazines as Kerrang and choose to keep to colours such as black, yellow and red, which, except yellow, are quite dark and may emulate the way that these groups feel. However, I could not simply choose these colours because I believed that they were appropriate and that they had appeared in several other magazines. To make sure that I was heading in the right direction I handed out a questionnaire, and within it asked all social groups what colours they would prefer.The answers that I received enabled me to make a solid conclusion on what colours to use and therefore making sure that my magazine appealed to my main social group as well as a wider audience, which was needed in order to make my magazine more successful. When constructing the images for my magazine I had to work around that of my main social group. For example, on my front cover I have presented my image so that the character is powerful through using a low angled shot. The props that I have used with my character also present him as a rock star, and his facial expressions imply that he may be playing to a crowd. When creating this magazine I took into consideration that the rock genre is typically a ‘white’ genre. I chose to develop a character outside of this genre so that I could reach out to a wider audience. I used this method throughout my magazine so that I could reach my target audience along with a wider audience that may not be attracted my other rock focused magazines.The target audience that I wish to reach out to in my magazine ranges from around 13-mid 20. The reason for my choosing of this specific age group is due to the content that will appear in my magazine. I feel that anyone in there 30’s or older will not appreciate the content of the magazine as much as someone in my given age group, however they may still want to read the magazine. Evidence to suggest that my magazine will appeal to a younger audience is through the bands that I chosen to represent in my magazine. Most of the bands if not all that are publicised in my magazine are reaching out to a young audience. Also, some of the bands have only recently been formed meaning that only younger audiences will have heard of them, and will appreciate their music. To make my magazine appeal to a wider audience such as people in their late twenties I have tried to incorporate language and events that would be more commonly associated with people of that age group. For example, I looked at ‘The Word’ who aims at a very mature audience. They incorporate very mature language in their articles which bring in that target audience. My belief was that if I mix these mature conventions with youthful conventions and ideas, then I would be able to create a wider target audience.To address and attract my chosen target audience I have incorporated such as layouts, colours, language etc that are familiar with many existing magazines that have the same genre type and target audience as my magazine. For example, in my double page spread I aimed to emulate most features of an article in one of Kerrang’s issues. I felt that the conventions used in this article would best fit the images that I have taken, and therefore, due to its success, create success for my own article in my magazine. For example, green was the main and most consistent colour of the Kerrang article, along with black, it created a dark and somewhat ‘extreme’ effect which I felt matched my genre type and target audience.
Moreover, I also looked at Kerrang when creating my contents page. After research I noticed that Kerrang always use the same layout and most times, colours, in order to reach out to their target audience. Consistent colours that are uses are black and yellow which keep with my dark and extreme effect that I had aforementioned. I also aimed to emulate their layout of contents. Due to myn and Kerrang’s target audience being very similar, and the fact that Kerrang is one of the, if not the most successful rock magazine in the world, my target audience would be familiar and would be adapted to their style of layout. They would not want to see any other type of layout presented in their contents. Therefore the fact that I have kept with their layout may help me draw in my intended audience and therefore making my a more successful look.
When looking at media institutions I found that the most appropriate and best suited institution would be Bauer. When researching media institutions I also looked at IPC media which like Bauer is a big media institution. After comparing both of the institutions I was able to determine that Bauer would be most appropriate for my magazine due to the fact that it is responsible for the distribution of magazines such as Kerrang, Q and Mojo. Whereas IPC media tends to publish magazines that drift away from the rock/indie genre, for example, Nuts, TV Times and Marie Claire. The fact that I have chosen to distribute my magazine with such a big institution such as Bauer could help the sales and popularity of my magazine.During the process of creating my magazine I have had to use many different types of technology and programming. I have learnt how to successfully use such programmes as Adobe Photoshop and illustrator, to which my success with before was not great. However, during the process of making the magazine I did have some trouble in using them. For example, I was had some difficulty in editing images in Photoshop and found that once I imported my photos into illustrator that they were not cut to perfection. As the production went on however, I was able to successfully create images that were cut to the best of my ability, through using methods that I was not aware of beforehand. I have also learned how to create different types of fonts both through the use of the internet and adobe Photoshop. Before the creation of my magazine I had not been successful in creating fonts. But as my knowledge of Photoshop developed I was able to import fonts from the internet and cut and edit them successfully in to my magazine.From the creation of my college magazine to my creation of music magazine I have learnt several things that I didn’t already no of. For example, I have learnt about the importance of keeping in touch with our target audience and genre type. When creating my college magazine I never once kept in touch with my audience which was college students. Unlike my music magazine, I never sent out questionnaires as to what they may want to see in the magazine. This was my main downfall, as without the backing of their target audience, no magazine can be successful as no one will purchase it. Also, when creating my college magazine I never kept to a consistent layout or colour scheme, and simply used conventions that looked nice to me. However, when creating a music magazine I developed an understanding of such things as a colour scheme, and choose colours such as red and black to emulate the emotion of my main social groups of Emo’s, Goths etc who are quite dark in their emotions, which is sometimes showcased through the rock genre. I also used layouts due to their success rather to my taste, as one of the most important parts of making a magazine is judging its success, rather than your own likeability.
This interview is to be placed in a double page spread article in my magazine. Souvik and Rajit are two members of a band named 'The Hooks' who i have created specifically for my magazine genre.
1) ‘The HOOKS’- a one hit wonder: true or false?
Souvik: I wouldn’t like to picture ourselves as a one hit wonder. Unlike all these money and attention grabbing pop stars I want to establish a strong career through my music and personality. I hope to prove to people that I can achieve this however I do realise that I will always gain unwanted media attention such as this.
2) ‘The assumption nowadays is that young artists such as yourselves don’t last long in this industry due to your invulnerability to maintain audience?
Souvik: Assumption…… another view of the media I guess.
Rajit: Listen, any young artists has the potential to be successful, in my view it’s all about the way they go about doing this. I don’t know how the rest of my or Souvik’s career will go, but with the help of our fans and our record label we will be able to prove the critics wrong.
3) When you started out did you ever think that after a year you would have become one of the most loved young artists in the world?
Souvik: To be honest, no I didn’t. I mean who really believes that they will become a world renowned star at just 18. Whoever does is not thinking straight or is heavily gifted.
Rajit: I fully agree with Souvik on that matter however, I’m not taking my current success for granted; I still believe I have a lot to prove amongst my fans and others in the industry
4) Seeing as it is so hard for young stars to gain entrance into this industry successfully what advice or tips would you give to them?
Rajit: Well…….. When you’re young you have to have the mentality that not everything as is easy as you think its going to be. Becoming a musician consists of lots of hard work which takes mass amounts of practice before you could even consider entering the industry. A good idea may be to attend music classes or concerts in order to get a feel of what being a musician is all about.
Souvik: We are proof that hard work at any age can make you into a success.
5) On a lighter note, it has been rumoured that you are to produce an up and coming duet with Anette Olzon of Nightwish?
Souvik: Like much of what the newspapers say, this is again just speculation. But, I may say that it is possible. I mean we and, Anette are very close friends and have considered a duet together. However, she is currently on a tour around America, so it won’t be happening any time soon.
6) What were the factors that contributed to your successful and quick rise to stardom within the industry?
Rajit: There are many factors which contribute to anyone’s success in the industry. Personally it consisted of hard work and dedication. From the age of 10 I have been a musician. I practised every night after school, went to all the classes and concerts I could afford on the weekends. At the age of 16 I was able to start producing music and eventually start getting some gigs together locally. The rest pretty much writes itself.
7) What were the key characteristics you needed to make your voice heard – confidence, creative ability, sex appeal, courage?
Rajit: Personally I would have to say its all about passion, confidence and courage. If you have those three things you can achieve pretty much anything.
Souvik: I had the passion to get better at every part of my act, the courage to post my recordings to the internet and to record companies, and the confidence to go out there and perform in front of thousands of fans.
8) What are your current status involving your record company and your contract status?
Souvik: There continues to be growing speculation that we and our record company have to come to some disagreements, and that I am not going to get resigned. As far as I have been told there has been no change in my contract since I joined the company.
Rajit: We have not engaged in any arguments and are currently negotiating a new contract.
9) At your age and status, how do you aim to defend against media attention? Do you believe you’re vulnerable?
Souvik: Of course. Really no one is free from the media in this industry, as they look to pounce at any issue or speculation that may be of concern to the public. However, most of them never know the true story behind it. I do believe that I am vulnerable, but I’ll just have to find a way to get around the media attention every time such an issue occurs.
10) If you could have brought yourself into the music industry any differently, how would you have gone about this?
Rajit: Well, it certainly wouldn’t have been at this age. I mean, I do enjoy the fact that I have accomplished what I have waited so long for, but, I just believe that I need slightly more maturity before I can establish a solid successful career.
