The Second Photoshoot

For the second photoshoot, I began taking pictures for possible use in my magazine. Leanna wore the same outfit to keep the same indie vibe - yet we moved to a different location, using a brick wall as the background. This seemed a typical backdrop used for various other artists, and it portrays more of a 'home grown' talent, rather than a manufactured one. I wanted pictures that would present Leanna's fun and bubbly personality, which is evidently shown by her facial expressions. Many of these photos have the potential to be my main cover image, however I believe they will need adjusting in Photoshop, for both lighting and facial editing.

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.

The First Photoshoot

By this time - I had the picture of how my magazine cover would look inside my head, so I was eager to begin experimenting with shots and taking some pictures. However, this would not be possible without a model. I wanted a cover star who would look cool, young and contemporary, in order to inspire and relate to the reader. I believed my friend Leanna would be best appropriate for this role, as she already dresses the part and is interested in the indie/alternative genre of music herself - therefore ticking all the boxes. Once this was decided, it was vital to get straight to shooting photographs!

I decided to start taking some pictures for my own practice, and so Leanna can feel comfortable in front of the camera, as well as for the testing of different postures. I firstly had to make sure she was dressed appropriately, wearing clothes that matched the magazine and her supposed genre of music. She wore a casual, but suitable, outfit - conisting of a blue plaid shirt and skinny jeans. These are traditional items of clothing worn by who I plan to target my magazine towards, so gives the indie kind of vibe I wanted. Her hair had also been dyed a shade of purple/red, so that added to the look even further.

These photos were all more of a test than anything, therefore none of these are likely to be used for the finished magazine issue of Dare. There are certain qualities of each picture that I like, as they all bring out her fun and playful personality, but I don't think the background would be suitable for the cover or any other area of the magazine as it is far too busy and will detract from the artist who is supposed to be the main centre of attention. The lighting is also not the best, which meant that the photos produced aren't as crisp as hoped, although this should help me improve in the future.

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.

Title & Font

For the name of my magazine, I wanted something short and sharp which would sound catchy - and hopefully interest or attract the reader. It must also suit it's overall house theme and main genre of music that will be running through the magazine. I decided that a one-word title would be best, and is it is often effective as it is more hard-hitting. So I noted down any words that came to mind and may be suitable.

* Impact
* Alive
* Click
* Gravity
* Dare
* Infinity
* Jigsaw
* [The] Edge
* Scratch
* Antidote
* Union
* Rebellion
* Listen
* Overpowered/Overload

I then tested out a selection of various fonts with a few of my preferred titles.



At first, I found it difficult deciding on one final title, as I felt I had at least a couple which I could possibly use. After confronting other people, I had eventually chosen Dare. I liked Dare because of the power it has to it. The harsh sounding consonant in its prefix is a sign to the reader of whats to come, as it suggests, along with the title, that the magazine goes where others don't - and dares to be different, unique or simply outrageous. This will have a heavy impact on the audience, as it is also instantly recognisable and unlike a title of any other magazine currently within the industry.

Once Dare had been confirmed, I thought I would alter the colour of the logo that I had originally used. I wanted a colour that was bold and represented the title. I figured red would be a good choice, as it portrays the danger that the the title suggests. I also added other effects, such as shadow and the bevel and emboss tool, in order to prevent it from looking too flat.

Main Task

The Brief

* the front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine (if done as group task, each member of the group to produce an individual edition of the magazine, following the same house style).

All images and text used must be original, produced by the candidate(s), minimum of four images per candidate.

The presentation of the research, planning and evaluation may take the form of any one, or combination of two or more, of the following:

a presentation using slideshow software such as Powerpoint;
a blog or website;
a podcast;
a DVD with 'extras'