Task: Create your own flat plan on A3 paper. Remember to leave a border around your drawn mock-up of your product so you have room to explain your ideas in full.
Front cover
Masthead:
Why did you select "Symphony" for the name of your magazine?
I chose the name Symphony for my masthead because the name is defined as an elaborate musical composition which I thought would metaphoric for my magazine as all the pages are different (referring to instruments) and they all make the magazine (a musical composition). I also chose this name because I knew that I could play around with some of the letters and make them be musical notes such as the S, P and O. Since the genre of my magazine is pop music,
What font will you use and why?
For my masthead I will use the font Handscript SF in order to create a 'curly' 'paintbrush' affect which will stand out. I decided to use this because as some of the letters will be shown as musical notes, I found that the font Handscript SF matched the musical notes' style the best in order to bring the art of the musical notes to the font of the text so that it creates a unique masthead.
What colour of text are you using and why?
I am either going to use a black or red colour of text for my masthead, depending on the background of the image. This is because these colours contrast each other meaning that my masthead will stand out. This also relates back to the recent market research which I carried out on what colour combinations people prefer with the majority being black and red/black and white. I bared this in mind when deciding on the colours of my magazine as I aim to use all of them somewhere on the cover.
Strapline:
What is the purpose of your strapline and do you think that it's effective?
The purpose of my strapline is to make the reader believe that they are reading the best pop magazine that they possibly can by calling it "Britain's Best" in order to attract more readers. This is also alliteration, making the strapline flow and effective because it makes the reader believe that they are reading the 'best of the best' and is eye-catching.
Price:
What price did you decide on for your magazine and why?
I decided on the price of £2.00 for my magazine because by carrying out a series of market research on prices of magazines, I found that the majority of people would pay between £2.00-£3.00 on one issue. I then decided on the price of £2.00 because I believed that this would attract more of the target audience to my magazine as it wouldn't be too expensive for them to buy on a weekly basis.
Will this be affordable for your target audience?
I believe that the price of £2.00 is affordable for my target audience since I have put into consideration that it is likely that some parents may be buying these magazines for them. My market research was open to all ages so that I could see what parents would believe to be an acceptable price for a magazine as well. Many other people voted for the option of 50p-£1.00 so I also put this into consideration when deciding on the price.
Main image:
What camera shot will you use for your main image?
My main image will be a medium camera shot of the model. This is because I don't want the shot to be a close up as I would like the reader to be able to see her outfit in order to attract them to the magazine. However, I don't want it to be a long shot because then some of the detail of the shot is lost and it could tend to look slightly blurred and pixelated when on the front cover. Consequently, I thought that a medium shot would be the best to use as it is in the middle of the two and will show the outfit of my model in detail.
What will be in the background?
In the background of my main image will be a red or black backdrop (depending on what is available and looks the best after experimenting). This is because, since the backdrop is so simple, it will be easy to put the coverlines in front of it because I will be able to put them in a contrasting colour in order to make it eye-catching and readable. Since the background is simple, it will help my front cover look a lot more professional as it is simple but extremely effective.
What clothes/props will your model be wearing?
My model will be wearing a cropped black top with a low neck line with chequered black and white high waisted trousers. I chose this outfit because it stands out as the black and white on the trousers contrast one another and the cropped top brings the outfit together as it matches the black squares on the trousers. I wanted my model to be eye-catching so this would attract my target audience to the magazine by choosing an outfit which they wouldn't see someone wear everyday. I also want my model to hold either a guitar or ukulele (depending on what is available) in order to symbolise what my model plays and that she creates music, since this is a music magazine.
Coverlines:
What will your coverlines be promoting?
The main coverline for my magazine is promoting my double page spread which will be an interview with 'Leia Randall' who is my model on the front cover. This cover line will be promoting her success from such a young age (which is relatable to the target audience) and how she balances school with her busy work schedule as part of the music industry.
The second coverline will be promoting a competition which gives the magazine's readers a chance to win two guitars and concert tickets to an artist of their choice. I decided to include this because the readers will think that they may get more than just the enjoyment of reading the magazine.
The third coverline will be promoting "20 Artist Trends You Should Follow". I decided to include this because it makes the reader think about their own style and how they can change it in order to follow their favourite artists' trends.
The fourth coverline will be promoting the story of "Ed Sheeran reveals what really happened behind closed doors with his tour manager". I decided to include this cover line because from carrying out some market research, I found out that Ed Sheeran is the most popular artist so I thought that a story about him would entice more readers as many people know who he is and will want to know the gossip inside the magazine.
The fifth coverline will be promoting "50+ festivals you need to attend this sunny summer". I decided to include this because it gives readers ideas on what to do in the summer which would draw them in so that they aren't missing out.
Has your magazine sought to represent any social? How?
My magazine tries to show teenagers how they could style themselves in order to follow their favourite artists. This can then get the readers talking about what their favourite artists' wear with other readers and how they could take inspiration from them. My magazine also talks about social activities such as festivals to attend to, which brings friends together through music which is the genre of my magazine.
What images will you use to entice your readers further?
I will use an image of two guitars and concert tickets under the coverline about winning a competition. This is in order to draw the readers in as they can visually see what they could have the chance to win. I decided to do this because it will catch the reader's eye before they even read the coverline, and once they read that they will actually have the chance to win them will attract them to the magazine even more. I may also use a smaller image of cat ear headbands (inspired by Ariana Grande) and bracelets above the artists' trends coverline to give the readers a 'hint' to what artists are wearing and seeing as fashionable which will make them want to read on to find out everything about what is fashionable right now.
Feature Article
Title:
What is your article about and is this reflected in the title?
My article is an exclusive interview with the model (Leia Randall) on the front cover on how she achieved fame at such a young age. This is reflected in the title as it is the name of the artist followed by a quotation in the interview in order to draw the reader in as they can relate through their own personal experiences with the quotation. I decided for the title to be in red as this stands out and contrasts with the black background. The font will be in bold so that it is easy to see because the title will be the first thing that the reader will read.
Layout:
What style of copy will you be using? (An interview? a review? an essay?)
I chose to do an interview for the style of my copy.
Why have you chosen the layout you have?
I have chosen this layout because from doing an interview, the reader will be able to connect and engage with Leia Randall as they learn tips and advice on how to follow their dreams. I have tried to show Leia Randall as being more of a best friend then a 'rising star in the music industry' so that the reader can relate to her. By doing an interview, the reader can also learn a lot more about my model's life before fame and how she led an ordinary life and had to work so hard to get to the top because no one, at first, knew who she was.
Image:
What image are you using and and why?
I am using one main image under the quotation which shows Leia Randall stood on a pavement in front of a brick wall wearing a vibrant red, blue and green top and short denim shorts. I decided to use this image because it shows the background that my model is from. The reader may expect her to be from a luxurious background whereas, in reality, she is from an average one. This ensures that the reader can relate to the artist a lot better because, in most cases, they come from the same background. Since the image is took in front of an ordinary brick wall, I decided for my model to wear vibrant eye-catching colours in order to bring the image to life.
The three smaller images below are all similar to one another as being close ups of my model's face. However, they show different angles of her face in order to show a different sort of image (variety). In every image, there is a red background which contrasts with the magazine's black background but also links to the red in the title. In these images, Leia Randall is wearing a green-grey top which contrasts with the red background of the image. This makes her stand out to the reader.
How will this link with your front cover?
These images link to the front cover as they show more of Leia Randall's life (background as well as fame). The image on the front cover shows the artist as being musically talented as it introduced the reader to her and draws them in. Whereas, the images on the double page spread allows the reader to connect with the artists through their background as they start to learn a lot more about her life and her rise to fame. This results in drawing the reader to the interview as they want to read about her journey and look up to her as an inspiration from starting where they are.
*I later changed my mind on the genre of music for my magazine from a pop culture magazine to a young musician's magazine*