Textual Analysis Front Cover 1, Artrocker

Textual Analysis Front Cover 1

Artrocker, issue 94 published in October 2009 features the 'Alternative' band 'The Horrors' on the front cover.

The images used on the front cover, are cut out jagged pictures of each band member. This style of layout is unusual to others on the market and presents an 'Alternative' look. The use of multicoloured lines for their hair conotes the vintage VCR pattern. 'Alternative' bands often refer their style to a vintage look and idolize past trends and fashions.

By using black and white images with a pixelated texture look links to their band name 'The Horrors'. Looking as if they are on another side of a TV screen staring down at the reader to make them feel paranoid, intimidated but also drawn in. The members cold, emotionless facial expressions make the reader feel as if the band is 'cool, calm and collected'. They are made to look mysterious and sexy towards their female audience.  

Two members of the band, including lead singer, Faris Badwan, are wearing the prop of blacked out sunglasses. This accessory gives the members a 'hidden identity' and a 'bad man' style and presence.

The typography throughout the front cover, although is mismatched, works together and is easily legible. The headline of 'The Horrors' is written out in a gothic, handwritten style text to relate to the band itself and is an 'Alternative' typography to other genres e.g. bubble writing for pop bands. For the brand name 'Artrocker' the typography used is in a painted, punk rock style. The 'E' in the word 'Artrocker' is made to look like a pacman style monster. This gives the brand name a quirky, more iconic edge and an identity. The pink used stands out against the nude, grey background and is completely different to any of the other colours used on the cover; this draws the readers eyes into the brand name to want to pick it up and read it. 

As mentioned in my introduction and aims, 'Alternative' music magazines often use nude colours as a basic colour so the brighter, more eccentric colours stand out over top. This 'Artrocker' issue follows this trend with the washed out grey background with the bright brand name and multicoloured lines. 

Throughout this front cover, it follows the conventions of an 'Alternative' music magazine. The colours, band used, typography and layout all present an 'Alternative' style. This type of look is rarely found in other genres, so it tends to stand out against other music magazines and carries its own individual style and identity. 

Introduction and Aims

Introduction and Aims

To be able to go any further with designing my music magazine, I have had to do a series of research on my particular genre, ‘Alternative’. I studied various Alternative music magazines, for example, Q, Mojo, Clash, Rolling Stones and NME. Although each magazine was uniquely different, all consisted of the same forms and conventions.

Typically, all the magazines included their masthead at the top of the page, in the largest, iconic font to there magazine. (With the exception of ‘Q’ magazine that placed their iconic name to the left of the cover, as a brand statement.) Throughout each front cover they use mixed fonts; all typography is clear and simple. Rarely they used more ornate fonts to represent certain artists e.g. Lana Del Rey on Q, they used a pink font that gave the effect that it will handwritten. The fonts I am planning on using throughout my magazine will be clear, thin and bold fonts, which will help, represent my feature article/band.

All magazine covers, of all genres include coverlines surrounding their feature article. Having said that, the way that they are placed differentiates between the different genres. Alternative music magazines, which I am focusing on, place their coverlines fairly orderly; in columns and blocks of writing. To help reach my genre and target audience I will also do this; placing coverlines orderly, and professionally.

Alternative music magazines usually have a nude colour palate. They repeatedly use the colours grey and white in all shades for their backgrounds. These colours pass off a professional and upmarket look. For my magazine, I will also be using nude colours so that my feature artist will stand out vibrantly and catch the eye of passing possible readers. The cover image itself will be taking a large percentage of the space on the front cover. This again will ensure that the artist will be the main focus of attention.

The artists positioning on almost all music magazines, holds a direct gaze. This helps lock in the readers and makes the image look bolder. When I go to do my photo shoot I will ensure that my subject will be holding a direct gaze with the camera so they too are able to engage with the reader.

When I create my magazine pages I will be aiming it at the late teens/early 20s age range. To catch this audience I will feature the most recent and popular bands and include interviews with questions that will appeal to my target audience. I am hoping to aim my magazine at both men and women. I believe there are few unisex music magazines in the market at the moment; therefore I am hoping mine will be unique. My chosen colour palate of nudes will help me appeal to both sexes and I will not specifically aim any pages at the stereotypical gender types but to write professionally and give what my audience as a whole wants to read, not just specific groups. Finally, the social economic groups I will be aiming at are C1, C2 and D. These groups of people include the lower middle class, skilled working class and the working class.  I chose to aim at these specific social economic groups as these groups’ hold the majority of people.  These groups of people are also the main listeners of the alternative music genre therefore they are my best chance of success for my magazine.

From my introduction and aims I am able to have a better idea of my target audience and since I have studied various Alternative music magazines I have gained more knowledge about the genre itself. I have chosen my colour scheme of nudes and the simple layout of my front cover including simple, clear typography and to have my feature article/ image covering the majority of the cover with a direct gaze to catch the eye of the readers.

Finally, my target audience of unisex, late teens/early 20’s within the social economic group of C1, C2, and D allow me to appeal to the largest group of people possible who are the most interested in the music genre of Alternative. 

Alternative Music Mind Map

Music Genre Mind Map

Production Schedule

Task	Date due to start	Date due to complete
Introduction to music magazine and initial ideas	18th September 12	18th September 12
Production Schedule	19th September 12	19th September 12
Mind Maps for magazine cover	19th September 12	21st September 12
Introduction and aims	25th September 12	28th September 12
Any developments/ideas made for my music magazine	29th September 12	29th September 12
Introduction and initial thoughts on preliminary tasks	30th September 12	30th September 12
Introduction and thoughts on Photoshop	2nd October 12	2nd October 12
Preliminary task photo shoot	2nd October 12	5th October 12
Development and screenshots of preliminary	6th October 12	6th October
Two Mood Boards	3rd October 12	5th October 12
5 textual analysis of music magazine front covers, taking photos of real magazine front covers, not from the internet	21st October 12	2nd October 12
Questionnaire	5th October 12	9th October 12
Questionnaire graphs and analysis	9th October 12	12th October 12
5 Textual analysis of music magazine contents pages, taking photos of real magazines, not from the internet	20th September 12	9th October 12
5 Textual analysis of music magazine double page spreads, taking photos of real magazines, not from the internet	10th October 12	16th October 12
Development of preliminary tasks including screenshots and looking over previous tasks	2nd October 12	19th October 12
Any more thoughts on using Photoshop	18th October 12	18th October 12
Finished Prelim pages and evaluation	17th October 12	19th October 12
2 Draft layout of front cover, contents and double page spread	3rd October 12	19th October 12
Photo shoot plan for all music magazine pages; considering location, props, make up, clothing, model etc.	23rd October 12	26th October 12
Contact sheet of all your photographs taken	30th October 12	30th October 12
Assessment and reflections of the photo shoot went and the quality of photos.	31st October 12	31st October 12
Masthead font choices and other key layout decisions e.g. colour combinations	9th November 12	10th November 12
Screenshots from front cover	12th November 12	13th November 12
Peer Assessment of front cover and my own opinion	13th November 12	13th November 12
Screenshots from contents page	26th November 12	27th November 12
Peer assessment of contents page and my own opinion	27th November 12	27th November 12
Construction	22nd October 12	10th December 12
Screenshots from double page spread	10th December 12	11th December 12
Peer assessment of double page spread and my own opinion	11th December 12	11th December 12
Evaluation: Introduction Question 1- Genre (Podcast) Question 2- Representation (Prezi) Question 3- Institution (PowerPoint) Question 4- Audience (Free choice) Question 5- Audience (video) Question 6- Technologies (YouTube tagging) Question 7- Preliminary task (Diagram) Conclusion	3rd December 12  3rd December 12 3rd December 12 2nd January 13 4th January 13 11th January 13 10th January 13 10th January 13 9th January 13	17th December 12 17th December 12 17th December 12 7th January 13 7th January 13 14th January 13 14th January 13 14th January 13 14th January 13
Finial version of front cover, contents page and double page spread. Make sure they appear at the top of the blog.	14th January 13	14th January 13

First blog post!

This will be my first post on my new blog! I have just be given my first media coursework at college, and first thoughts are not looking good. I would rather be in the middle of this long project and to have at least a few ideas for my magazine; i am having no such luck as of yet.