Magazine Proposal

Distribution Methods

Audience Feedback Evaluation for Preliminary Task

When I made a plan for my College Magazine  I set out the layout for the page and title of the magazine, this same layout and title was used for my final copy of the college magazine.

To create the front cover I used photoshop. I took the image that is used for the background of the magazine, I chose to take it in front of a plane background as it would be easier for the cover lines to be seen. I like the image that I used as it does show someone with the right features to be a student. She looks studious and responsible as a she is holding some books and folders and this works well with the college genre of the magazine, she is also smiling and this shows that she is perhaps happy and confident to be in college. I think that the image could be improved by taking it in natural lighting as it would brighten the front cover. A College magazine should reflect positivity and the great atmosphere of the college, a bright cover would show this. If i wasn't able to take the picture in natural lighting than i could have changed the brightness of the image on photoshop by increasing the contrast, this would have also improved the quality of the front cover.

The Mast Head that I used stands out as it has a white background highlighting the text, the colour of the actual text is a dark navy blue colour. 'LSC Weekly' is in bold letters so this stands out even more apart from having a highlighted background to it. When placing the mast head on the cover it was on top of the cover star. On photoshop I used the eraser tool to take away the part of the mast head that was on top of the cover start, by doing this the front cover looked much more professional. To make sure I erased the masthead accurately i reduced the opacity of the masthead so i was able too see the picture underneath, once I finished erasing this I reverted the opacity. The colour of the text i chose was navy blue because it matched the colour of the clothes worn by the cover star. Despite this i feel like i could have improved the colour chosen because when looking at the finished magazine the dark colour makes the front colour look even more and the colour connotes something being low spirited and glum which contradicts the genre of the magazine.

For the colour schemes i chose to use white and two different tones of blue . The white allows for some of the text such as the puff and the mast head to stand out against the background. The brighter blue is my favourite colour used on the front cover as it is bold and a cheerful cover and it helps the entire cover stand out.
 "The front cover has bold colours on it which make is stand out"

"The front cover has a goof layout, blank spaces need to be filled in"
I agree with the comment above ad I like the layout of the magazine because it looks like an actual existing magazine. One thing that compliment this is by adding more text to the front cover. There are still empty spaces that could be filled with text. The existing cover lines could be extended by adding short description underneath it.


As for the contents page i used Indesign to be able to produce it. The production of the contents page was a lot quicker compared to the front cover. It was a lot easier to place everything in its place. Because there aren't that many element on the magazine there isn't that many thing to talk about.

 One of the things that i like about my magazine is the appearance because it looks very well organised. I made sure to align the the text on the left side and the images on the right side so that the page looked very well done.
The colour scheme for this page doesn't follow the same as the front cover, apart from the navy blue colour. A point of improvement could be that if i was to follow the same colour scheme both pages could match more. Furthermore i think that my contents page needs some more colour as the plain background makes the page look a little bit dull. By adding brighter colours the magazine would be able to be linked to its genre.

In the contents page the subheadings is highlighted with a different colour and the text underneath is a short explanation for each subheading. This seems to be essential in every magazine as it helps for the reader to be directed through the magazine.

"Lacks page umbers that will direct readers"
In regard to this comments a change that i could make to the magazine is to change the size of the page numbers because they are included. I made sure to add the page numbers before which could be confusing to the reader as it is not seen clear therefore this is a big point for improvement

Preliminary Task: LSC cover and contents page

Preliminary Task: LSC magazine Plan

XXL Media kit Analysis

The most recent Media Kit that I found for XXL Magazine is from 2012 and it is the most updated information that they have. 

XXL Magazine was first published in August 1997. The magazine based around Hip hop and the latest from the Hip Hop genre. The fans/consumers of the magazines are said to be major influencers and people who are connected to the streets.  

The reader of the magazine emphasises the Hip Hop culture and embraces this side through music fashion and lifestyle. 

The gender majority is of male (78%) This conforms with the genre of the magazine because there is a greater amount of male hip hop artists than female attracting males that aspire to be like these famous artists. The magazine focuses on the latest trends and as the mission statement says, the try to keep up with the pace of Hip Hop's dynamics. This would appeal to the male audience because there are many people trying to evolve with this genre and they are trying to become what the magazine says is the lifestyle they should follow.

The age range majority is of 25-29. I believe that this age range is attracted to the magazine because at that age the goals that they have are trying to be met. Ethnicity also plays a big part in the demographics of the

magazine. African American takes the largest part of ethnicity of the readers. I believe that this is because the grand part of celebrities who feature in XXL is African American as they are the most influential in Hip Hop. 

XXL Magazine Publishes 11x a year with a circulation of 136,532.

Publisher: Town square media
Editor-in chief: Vanessa Sattern
Managing Editor: Dan Rhys

RWD Magazine Analysis

As the Genre of magazine that I am doing is Hip Hop I wasn't able to find another magazine to be able to analyse. 
RWD is a British based Hip- Hop, Grime and Rnb Magazine that includes some Fashion and sport. RWD is an online only magazine that is found because it is online it does not follow some of the main conventions that magazines follow such as barcode and prices that a normal physical copy of a magazine would have.
RWD is a grand example of an Ezine. An Ezene are different from magazine websites, the layout for this Ezine id very similar to hard physical copy of a magazine 
Front Cover
The image of the magazine is a close up. 'Big Sean' is wearing a matching tracksuit and a chain, he looks clean and fresh. The way he is presented is in the form as someone wealthy and confident because of the way he is posing.  As for his facial expressions he looks very serious, this is the way many artists of his genre present themselves. He has a lot jewellery on, this connotes prosperity and wealth. The colour of his clothing matches the colour scheme for the front cover, this makes the cover looked uniformed and simple.The background for the magazine is plain off tone of white, this makes the readers attention draw straight to him. The masthead is uncovered and nothing is in its way, perhaps this is because this magazine needs exposure as it is not as popular as XXL. The positioning for the masthead is on the top left corner on the page because it is usual to read left right and top to bottom.  There is nothing else in the background this could suggest that he is very successful as he doesn't need nothing else to improve his image. The mast head font connotes something flashy because it is in italics. 
There is only one cover line for this front cover as it is an online magazine. A regular magazine uses its cover lines to attract readers and their audience and online magazine does not have to do this therefore it only uses this one cover line to show what the front cover is about and the main element to the magazine. Overall the front cover is very plain and simple as the writing is very limited and the colours are plain.
Mast Head - Font=Modern
Cover line- Big Sean in a simple font. There is only one cover line as the front cover is not going to be in a shop trying to attract the reader by what it says on the front cover. This the reason
why this front cover is very plain and simple.
Image- Long shot- not like regular magazines.

Contents Page
The image for the contents page is placed across the whole page but it is not seen entirely, there is a text box with the actual contents that covers the picture. This could be because the whole image does not have much importance but it also makes the page look a bit intricate. What we see in the image is a male model that looks young (around 16-17) and stylish. He is wearing casual in-style clothing. The bomber jacket and trainers that he is wearing connotes young, trendy. This could mean that as a young person he is following the latest fashion trends. This is an image of what many your people would wish to have in terms of clothing. 
As this magazine is not only music based the fashion side is portrayed throughout this image, furthermore we see that this is a big element because it is a part of a section in the contents calles style. There are headings for each section that are in red, this colour matches the T-shirt that the model is wearing but it also following the colour scheme for the front cover. The text that is place in between each section is in black and it does not include any explanation as to what is to be expected, like the XXL magazine. There page numbers for each section which are useful for the quick navigation  of the online magazine. 
- The contents page does follow up with normal code and conventions. It has heading editorial contents and the layout is the same as normal contents pages. The image is the same as

Double Page Spread
The double page spread has a large medium shot that is spread out from the left page to right which is what a lot of hard copy magazines do. This gives this online magazine a realistic feel to it because it look as if your are looking at both pages from the magazine. In the image the artist form the front 'Big Sean' is seen again in the same clothing which connote wealthiness. 'Big Sean' is seen posing with his arm at the back of his neck which connotes a sense of vulnerability or shyness.The heading for this double page spread is bold and underlined, there isnt anything exciting with this heading but it is plain and straight to the point. There is a big paragraph under the subheading 'THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS'. The text is talking about a more deep topic that is why he looks a lot more vulnerable in the image, he is letting the                                        reader know him in a different light.  
the Double Page spread has a large image the crosses over the right page which is what a lot of hard copy magazines do. There is two columns of writing.
- interview
Font is simple and modern
Wearing the same thing as the front cover
 - Branded tracksuit 'cool'
 - Gold Chains- riches

Case Studies: XXL magazine Textual Analysis

Textual Analysis 

Front Cover
The image on the front cover is a multiple person Long Shot. There are 10 rap artists being presented on this front cover and they are all wearing white clothing which brightens the look of the magazine. Apart from this the white has a positive connotations which could mean that these artists are positive influencers. Although they are all matching colour each of their outfits are very different this shows the individuality of each person. In regards to the clothing they are all high end brands which portrays their success as hip-hop/rap artists.   White clothing connotes a classy style. They are also wearing gold chains and this connotes wealth, success and power. In this image all the artists are showing their riches which shows off the money that they have and perhaps what comes with being a hip-hop artist. 
The background is also white and makes the front cover look very uniformed because it matches the clothing. The artists are positioned in and order of three in the top row, four in the middle and three at the bottom. This gives the image some order and it make every artist be seen but it also shows what category the artist my stand at as the artist at the top seem to have more power. They are all doing hand signs or standing differently making their individuality be noticed even more. Some of the gesture that they are making show their personality as either cool and serious gangster on the other hand some are showcasing their personality as fun, wild and unique. Everyone in the image are looking directly to the camera this emphasise their power and confidence. Further more this gives the reader a bigger connection between everyone in the image and them. 
   As for the lighting for the image it is placed directly at them but with some distance between the artist which compliments everyone in the image as everyone is seen very clearly. 
The masthead of the magazine is partially covered by the image, this is a because XXL is a well established magazine. 'XXL' Logo is placed in the Left hand side as we naturally read left to right and top to bottom therefor the masthead would be the first thing to be read. In this specific issue of the magazine XXL are showcasing their '9th annual freshman issue'. The 'Freshman Issue' is an annual issue of the magazine were XXL announce a new class of rappers that they feel will takeover in the industry. As this magazine is anticipated for readers the skyline just accentuates this feature of the magazine. All the principle cover lines which include the name of the artists from the image are placed on the right side of the image and is very minimal. 
The font follows a modern, street graffiti/city aesthetic. This goes well with the magazine because it is a hip-hop/ rap genre magazine. The font also makes a reference to a school type font as it seems young and handwritten, this links to 'freshman' as freshman is used to name a grade in school. 
The cover line is highlighted with bright colours. Pink and yellow are not used in any other part of the magazine so this part stands out. "THE NEW WAVE" is written in a different font and is the largest of the writing on the front cover. Because the magazine is a special edition the cover line is spread out across the bottom magazine with a lot of information.
Normal codes and conventions of a magazine such as a barcode, pricing and issue number are shown.
Overall the front cover is portraying young 'fresh' successful artists. 
Image: Multiple Person Long Shot
Matching Clothing, White /White Background
Colour Scheme. White Blue and Black  Covering Masthead. Well established magazine
Skyline emphasises the milestone for the magazine.
('9th annual freshman issue')
Font- Connotes
Cover line highlighted with colour scheme.  
 'THE NEW WAVE'
(feature of the magazine more than one person)
Puff- '2016 FRESHMAN CLASS'
Barcode at the bottom
Issue number
Release Date
Price
- Follows Codes and Conventions


Contents Page
 The contents page is called the A-Side, it is the first page of a two part contents that XXL feature in their magazine. I will be analysing the this contents page. Unlike the image from the front cover, this image is a close up high shot. We can no longer see the artists full body but now their faces are a lot closer which makes the reader feel at lot more personal. The high angle is generally used to get an overview of the setting and with this we get to see the individuals a lot closer. 2/3 of the page is used up by the image and at the bottom the text is placed, it lists the editorial content and each sub heading is in bold so it differentiates from the small explanation for each section. Each heading is bold because it is what the magazine finds the most important for the read to read. The number of the pages are very useful because this is what navigates the reader through the magazine. Because the number are very essential they are in Red. As for the colour scheme for the magazine it is red, black and white (same is front cover) This colour scheme is simple and they are the staple colours of the magazine as it used in logo and these colours now are associated with XXL magazine.  
The XXL logo is at the top of the page and is very small, this gives the magazine some continuity and if in any case someone only saw the contents page, they would know it was an XXL Magazine. 
Lists all editorial content
The Logo 'XXL' is int he corner and is small, known magazine
Colour Scheme Follows part of the front cover.
The headings for each part in the magazine is Bold and in a bigger Font- makes the headings stand out.
The layout of the magazine makes the contents page look ordered. The image is the same the front cover. The text at the bottom

Double Page Spread
Because this magazine is a special edition this double page spread is from a 4 part feature. On this double page it is linking to the "NEW WAVE" cover line. It has two of the artists from the front cover. On the left page there is one column with an image next to it of "ANDERSON PARK" 
On the right page there is and image of 'DESIIGNER' and it follows the same layout as the other page (column on one side of the page). The headings of the pages are not at the top which is unusual for DPS's. 
Each of the fonts for the headings are different but they are both with vibrant colours. They represent the individuality of both artists and this show how they differentiate. The text for the double page spread is informative and is in the for of a fact file. the language is informal and it is written the same way they would say it, this gives the reader a more personal view with the celebrity.  
Features some of the same people from the front cover.
This Double Page Spread is part of a 4 a part feature.
As this is a special edition to XXL magazine there are 4 double page spreads that link to the cover line 'THE NEW WAVE'

Column on the left page with an image- the Heading of the page is at the bottom 'ANDERSON PARK' The font of the heading Connotes Modern, looks like neon lights, city personality

On the right page the layout is different but includes the same things.
The image is of a different person from the front cover 'DESIIGNER'
Font for the heading connotes street and graffiti, Follows the genre of the magazine.
The text is in informative way so it is a fact file.