CD Research

My interview with Leanna is focused solely on her music and the release of her upcoming album, so I believed it would be a good idea to create an actual cover for the CD to create a sense of reality for the product and present a music magazines usual conventions. I researched other female artists within similar genres, and planned to use some of their album art as inspiration for my own.

Most covers shown appear to be shot at close-ups, so that we are able to see and recognise the artists face, therefore I intend on doing the same.

NME Cover Analysis

* The NME masthead, abbreviated from New Musical Express, is used in the top left corner which is instantly recognisable to readers, making a clear statement. The bold colour of red, which is used nowhere else among the cover, and use of capitals helps it to leap out from the page, making it easy for the audience to identify the name of the magazine. The orange and white text used for the headlines also contrats with the black shadows in the background, and these loud colours appeal to the readers attention.

* The font size of the main headline, "Arctic Monkeys" is a lot larger than any other text presented on the cover. This emphasies the bands importance, as they are very popular within the indie genre and many of their target audience would purchase the magazine simply to read more on this particular feature. A quote is also used, "We can't worry about what other people think", creating a sense of realism. It also quite a controversial quote, that would encourage the reader into reading more, convincing them to purchase a copy.

* The cover image is a fairly simple, medium shot of the band Arctic Monkeys standing within the shadows. I have noticed that backgrounds of only one colour are commonly used in magazines, as busy patterns or such would appear cluttered and detract from the featured artist itself. All members are staring directly at the camera, and this eye contact acts as a hook to draw in the reader and entice them. Their facial expressions also appear quite glum and moody, although confident. This correlates well with their posture, the lead singer raising his head slightly as though he feels imperiror to others or assured of himself. Their clothes are also of a stereotypical indie band, sporting a casual, cool and contempary look that is commonly shown among the alternative scene - wearing jeans and loose fitted shirts.

* There is a use of a song lyric along the right hand side, next to the barcode - "There's nothing you can't do/Now you're in New York". The extract, taken from a song of Jay Z's, is printed in so small that is is barely noticeable, although loyal NME readers would know to expect this as a new lyric is regularly used every week.

* Other coverlines include "15 New Bands To get Excited About" and "Amporphous Androgynous: The band that changed Noel Gallaghers life!" The language used in both these is very suggestive, and attracts the reader, suggesting that both articles included important and will interest the reader - hence the used of the word "excited". The colloquial language also makes the magazine more approachable, and easily understood.

Market Research

Before creating the actual design for the magazine, I decided to research other popular publishing's currently around, looking at their sales and circulation figures - as well as its content on both the cover and inner pages for inspiration. I chose to analyse NME, as this was most like the idea I had in mind, and they share similar music tastes to what I had planned, it being indie/alternative influenced.

NME is sold weekly by IPC Media, for £2.30 an issue - which is affordable and worth its amount of content. According to the publisher's website, the magazine is mainly aimed at a younger age group. Therefore, this is where I shall also have to focus my attention to. After discovering the NME Media Pack, I also found the following statistics. They show, on average, the magazine's gender of readers, the ages of those buying it, as well as the circulation and readership figures:

Male: 76%
Female: 24%
Median Age: 23
Circulation: 40,948
Readership: 388,000
Target Market: 17-30

Circulation of the magazine has fallen continuously since 2003. In the first half of 2009, the magazine's circulation was 40,948, 44% down on a 2003 figure of 72,442, which evidently means a huge drop in readers. The internet may be the reason for this, as much of whats included in magazines can now be found online. From this, I can also calculate the magazine's approximate monthly revenue, by simply multiplying its circulation by the price - which would be roughly £400, 000 for NME. However, these are now fluctuating all the time.

Research of Poses

Before taking any photographs for my magazine - I thought it would be useful to do a little research and see pictures of other female artists, for inspiration and ideas for possible poses my model can use.

To the right, are various images that I found during my browse and liked the look of. Although some of these may not be best suited for the front cover [either due to lack of eye contact, dull lighting effects or length in shot], all could be of use elsewhere in my magazine. Many of the poses shown can be quite simple, but others are eccentric and engaging to the reader due to its originality. This is the direction I hope to take, as my chosen title suggests.