Contents Page Photo Selection

Pre-production Planning - Advertisements

As witnessed in the document above, Wire Magazine features 35 advertisements in total; 30 of these are from third party advertisers, and 5 of these are from Wire Magazine themselves. Both full page and partial adverts are used in the publication, including multiple adverts (generally 3 or 4) featuring on one full page, gaining split revenue from each company.

As a direct result of my primary research, Alt magazine is priced at £3.50 - £1 cheaper than Wire - but still retains 100 pages, meaning that more advertisements will need to be placed into the magazine in order to gain more income.

Using the same Key as above, I have created a flatplan for Alt Magazine, which consists of 45 adverts in total, 10 more than in Wire Magazine.

DPS Photoshoot

Find all of the original, unedited photos on my flickr set via:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hayleymccarthy/sets/72157640985355843/

Revised DPS Flatplans

For the same reasons that I have revised the contents page flat plans for, I have decided to subtly alter the DPS Flatplans to be consistent with the shift in focus. I was also inspired by the techniques I learned in the InDesign workshop, and intend to integrate the majority of them into the flatplan. In the original flat plan here, a clear focus is on the angular mask of the image. I was originally concerned with white space in the top left corner as a result of this, so I shall not be including this in the revised version.

I wanted to keep as many elements of the original flatplan as I could, whilst conforming to the quite conventional linear style demonstrated especially in the contents page. I also wanted to maintain a clear focus on the article as well as the image, to further expose the cover star.

To further this, the grid is the same as the contents page:
Gutter: 5.5mm
Margin: 15mm
Bleed: 5mm

Revised Contents Page Flatplans

A combination of the changes to my original cover intentions and techniques arisen from the InDesign workshop, I have decided to change my contents page flatplan quite drastically. As mentioned in the original flat plan post here, this plan was formed directly from the emphasis of angles in the 'A'. As I eventually decided not to use the slightly-transparent 'A' on my front cover to avoid clutter, I felt that this aspect was made redundant in both the contents page and double page spread.

Drawing inspiration from both my design inspiration Pinterest board and my original sketches, I have designed a conventional grid which could be flexible should problems arise. Looking back at my original designs, I had maintained either a 3 or 4 column layout. Considering the content which features in a conventional contents page, I have decided upon a 4 column layout, with a slight irregularity in the two middle, bottom-third, columns. This is to create a visual interest, giving the design a slight edge over a regular grid. This is consistent with the slight edginess which I tried to portray through the use of pose and font within my front cover.

Maintaining a vertical layout featured in all of my original sketches, I have allowed enough room for: 20 articles, social contact details, editorial panel and flannel panel. Keen to include all of these conventional elements, I believe if I stick to my design intentions I can achieve a contents page which is informative without looking cluttered.

Furthermore, looking back at my College Magazine project, a similar vertical layout was used which was very effective.

Exhibition to Gain Feedback

In order to gain qualitative feedback on my first draft of the front cover, I printed a full-colour version of the magazine and attached the label above. The cover was then exhibited in the main study area of the sixth form, so students visiting the room can leave feedback on various areas of the magazine to the email above, created for this purpose.

UPDATE : Since the original exhibition date, I have received no feedback from the students. This has been a similar trend amongst my classmates, hence indicating that this has not been a successful process in obtaining data. I have decided to arrange a focus group with my target audience to gather feedback, which will be conducted once I have amended certain areas of the cover, which were highlighted in my personal evaluation.

Pre-production Planning - Cover Line Font

Referring back to the flatplan for the cover page, I had decided to feature six cover lines and one buzz and puff. The main cover line will be larger than the others and in a different font which will enable the reader to differentiate between the content. I aim to heighten this difference by using a unique font which is in a different style to the other cover lines. Considering the heavy san-serif presence, I have decided to experiment with using a brush-style serif font. I need this font to be feminine yet edgy, which emanates that of the cover star.

Firstly I completed some sketches of what I had in mind for the font. These will not be exactly copied as I plan for the final font to be more professional than what my current tracing skills could achieve. Nevertheless, the serifs and styles of my sketches will inspire my search.

These quite flowing sketches mimic that of brush style fonts, with the open 'Q' and flowing 'S' denoting quite feminine qualities.

First I looked online for possible fonts, starting with fontspace. I used the search tool to find fonts listed under the 'brush' tag, and limited my selection to just three fonts. These fonts are listed and explained below:

After viewing these fonts, I looked through my Font Book on my computer. This listed all of my downloaded fonts, and I discovered some which will also be suitable for the main cover line. As these have already been downloaded, I have lost the original source of these fonts. I presume that they would either come from fontpalace or lost type.



After considering all of these fonts, I have limited my selection further to just 4 possible fonts. My main criteria was: an edgy feel, feminine connotations, readability and brush style. I believe that the following fonts possess this, and when I come to construct my front cover I shall decide which is the most suitable.

When searching for the main cover line's font, I came across Bebas Neue from theultralinx.com, this is a 5 weighted font which will be perfect for keeping the cover lines consistent. I was quite certain that I wanted an all-capital letters font for the cover lines, as from my primary research, both Classic Rock and Clash feature their cover lines using just capital letters. Also, from doing some quick secondary research using google images, the majority of covers feature all capital letters as their font. From this, I believe it is safe to presume that capital letters for the cover lines are conventional. As the cover lines still need to make an impact, primarily using this font will suit this purpose.

Pre-production Planning - Cover Lines

Cover lines are placed on a magazine in order to entice the reader into buying the magazine. They are a small blurb on the front cover which gives a small amount of information about an article, or feature, inside. A magazine conventionally has one main cover line and several other cover lines. I have decided for my magazine to feature 6 cover lines overall, with 1 main cover line and 5 normal cover lines. This is all reliant on the image and space left on the page.

The main cover line will be directly related to the cover image, which will be solely featuring the same artist for the double page spread. As I plan for the artist, Aggie Champion, to have quite a diva-like personality, I need the main cover line to express this. The anchorage text beneath the cover line will directly reference the content of interview, which mainly focused on the negativity fame brings.

• Main Cover line: Queen She
• Anchorage: Aggie Champion on taking the good with the bad

I tried to be as inventive as possible, with 'Queen She' a play on 'queen bee'. The direct reference to royalty clearly connotes her diva attitude. The anchorage references 'taking the good with the bad' which is similar to what the artist said in her interview; "you've gotta take the good with the bad".

Ideally, I intend to have 5 cover lines which will provide insight about both the regular and feature articles. The first features a band which I constructed to be listed in the feature section. I intend to have an image of them in the contents page, but not feature in my double page spread. I have also decided to include a pull quote which will further entice the reader.

• The Coos: "We're living the dream"

The other 4 cover lines are directly related to the article list, each of which is explained in an earlier blog post.

• Getting brave with the 1975 (in reference to the Alt Challenge)
• Jamming with the Foo Fighters (in reference to the Lyric Lowdown)
• Have your say
• Up close with
• Foals
• Lorde

Interview Manuscript

Maintaining a clear idea of what questions I needed to ask during the interview certainly helped me gather the responses I needed. Before commencing the interview, I told Shannon (a.k.a the cover star) a bit about the personality which I had constructed, focusing on the more diva-esque aspects.

I altered some of my original questions to fit with the conversational tone as well as aspects which Shannon had previously said. On multiple occasions Shannon remarked something which could be explored further and add more depth to the article, so I thought it would be appropriate to address this. Despite the slight tangents, I remained true to the purpose of the article, including a musical aspect as well as a more conversational tone. Such tone is conventional in gossip magazines, which conventionally should appeal more to my target audience of females, despite the clear separation I want to maintain between these two genre of publications.

Cover Photo Shoot

Find all of the original, unedited photos on my flickr set via:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hayleymccarthy/sets/72157639597868065/

Pre-production Planning - Outfit

As alternative rock encompasses two genres, it is important for me to fins a compromise between these two stereotypes within the representation of my model. Further considering that alternative rock is a sub genre of rock music, so I will retain a major influence from the rock genre.

In a previous post where I analysed a quite conventional rock star Lemmy from the band Motörhead within Classic Rock. A laddish lathario with dark-coloured clothes adorned with chains portray a ruthless persona which is stereotypical of the rock genre.

In contrast to this, alternative genre conventions generally include well-dressed, fashionable young adults as seen in Clash magazine. Yet, as this is such a diverse genre, a rock influence is sometimes apparent. Distressed clothes, leather accents and chain accessories can also accompany fashionable clothing styles.

When deciding the outfit for my cover star, I wanted to try and incorporate both of these conventions into the outfit. Working with the cover star, we created multiple outfits based around the concept of 'edgy but modern'. After debating each element of the outfit - from accessories to shoes - we created the outfit below which I believe fits this requirement.

[Above: Created using Polyvore.com]

The all-black attire is both fashionable and stereotypical of the rock genre, connoting a quite unfriendly and unapproachable personality, which is what I intend to both construct and de-construct within the interview.

Looking back to my primary analyses of Classic Rock, Lemmy the cover star wore a hat, which formed a recognisable part of his image. Inspired by this, I chose for my cover star to wear a bowler hat, which has many historical connotations. Seen as a fairly masculine item, it has recently been reclaimed by females; transforming from the historical businessman attire, to a fashionable accessory used on informal occasions. This modern change lead by women made the bowler hat an essential accessory for my female-orientated magazine.

My model, Shannon, was also keen to wear a 90's style choker accessory. Seen as quite glam rock, we agreed that this added a personal flair to the outfit, and is once again becoming more popular amongst certain social circles.

From being adopted by Teddy Boys in the late 1950's to being transformed to a rockier vibe by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, these connotations make Creepers the perfect shoe for my magazine. Recently revived by grunge culture, these shoes are becoming increasingly mainstream, and the majority of my target audience will own these shoes (or know someone who does).

Whilst these accents encompass the genre of the magazine, the main focus of the outfit would be the top and bottoms of the cover star. I did not want to distract away from the features and actions which I will be directing Shannon to do, but rather retain a modern feel without being overpowering. Maintaining the all-black look, we agreed on faux leather leggings and a baggy top. These equal each other out, as the figure-hugging leggings will heighten her figure, whilst the baggy top will not be revealing, maintaining a more mature element.

Pre-production Planning - Artist

Production Schedule

To make sure that I successfully meet my deadlines, I have created a production schedule with the main tasks which I need to complete listed. I used Google Calendars to create this, as this is an interactive online tool which can be accessed anywhere, unlike a generic spreadsheet which has to be manually made available. The use of this tool generates a url which other people can view, creating cohesion for those tasks which require a group effort.

Pre-production Planning - Facebook Page

To portray the social media side of my magazine, I created a test Facebook page to demonstrate how various aspects would look to a non-facebook user. I created two dummy posts, one encouraging the readers to vote as part of the Alt Charts, and the other to entice them into discovering the new cover star. I added the masthead as the cover photo and profile picture, and even created a custom domain extension of: https://www.facebook.com/altmagtest for this purpose.

Creating a test page demonstrates the refinement of my ideas, as well as taking my research further and acting upon it. Facebook was voted the most popular social media site in my studies, so the use of this platform is very appropriate.

Should I continue this aspect further, I would utilise various apps available to create a custom home page directed to another tab rather than the wall posts, which would list polls and competitions related to the magazine.

Pre-production Planning - Paper Quality

Looking back to my primary analyses of other related music magazines, I used this information to determine the amount of pages of my publication, comparing those in a similar price bracket (£3.50).

• The Wire - £4.50 - 100 pages including front & back
• Classic Rock - £3.99 - 140 pages including front & back
• Clash - £3.99 - 148 pages including front & back

Quality of paper is also a consideration, as glossier, thicker paper is more expensive to produce than thinner, matte paper.

• The Wire - gloss cover - thin matte gloss pages
• Classic Rock - high gloss cover - medium thick gloss pages
• Clash - matte cover - thick matte pages

As a direct result from the audience surveys, my magazine is priced cheaper than these publications at £3.50. Due to this price, I intend for my publication to have 100 pages, a gloss cover and matte pages, keeping the production cost at a minimum.

Pre-production Planning - Articles

Within the contents page, 20 articles must be referenced. Split into features and regular articles, these should interest the target audience as well as be relevant to the music genre of alternative rock.

As 39% of the target audience who are aged 16-21 listen to music for more than 5 hours a day, I wanted to maintain a clear focus on bands, with 84% of those questioned wanting to see interviews the magazine. Keen to keep the publication fresh and interesting, I shall add elements regarding bands which are conducted in creative ways other than a regimented interview style.

Features:

• Cover Star Aggie Champion (own creation)

• Touring with the Coos (own creation)

• Album Success We The Kings

• Catching Up with Imagine Dragons

• Lunch with Arctic Monkeys

Regulars:

• Up Close:

  - Foals

  - Lorde

• Getting Deep with Haim

• 10 Facts about The Lumineers

• Lyric Lowdown the Foo Fighters

• Alt Challenge with The 1975

• Upcoming Artist

• Reviews

  - Album

  - Live
  - Reader

• Alt Charts

• Alt Voice

• Competition

• Merchandise

- Up Close is the section where more personal questions are put to artists that are perhaps glazed over by more mainstream publications. This is a section whereby artists can lay any rumours to rest, as well as declare any interesting information about their lifestyle and upcoming work. This more gossip-lead lifestyle section is appealing to the female target audience, who stereotypically enjoy reading magazines such as 'OK!' and 'Heat' in their leisure time. Somewhat of a guilty pleasure for most, this section is fully geared to the target audience, rendering it suitable for the regulars section in every issue.

- The most in-depth part of the magazine, more philosophical-orientated questions such as "what's the meaning of life". Purely for entertainment, this allows the artist to engage with the publication more, giving thoughtful answers, hence portraying a more heightened realism within the artist. This also allows the artist's viewpoints to be read by their fans, which are often hungry for information. As part of the 'regulars' section, I plan for this Q&A to stick to the same template of questions (around 15) which remain the same in each issue. This in turn encourages the readers to become familiar with these questions, and perhaps begin to ask their peers them. If nothing else, I plan for the readers to be intrigued about these questions, developing the more mature nature of the magazine.

- Choosing a recent song from the artist/band, Alt magazine analyses the lyrics with the help of the artist, uncovering their intended meaning and their significance with the artist. This is a more thoughtful section, which is very much focused on the music element, maintaining a clear focus within the magazine. Once again, this is a more mature stance which will be appreciated amongst the 16-21 year old target audience.

- The Alt Challenge is similar to popular food challenges which much of the target audience have participated in. From eating the fieriest chilli to how many ice cubes you can eat in a minute, these various entertaining challenges will both appeal to the audience as well as showing a lighthearted view to the artist which isn't always portrayed in the media. There is also possibility to record the event for the fans to view online on sites such as YouTube, further involving them in the publication. As this is listed in the 'regulars' section, I intend the Alt Challenge to become a unique element of the magazine which can be heavily associated with the publication.

- Album reviews were especially popular with those surveyed, with it being the second most-wanted element within the magazine. Catering to the target audience's needs once more, the inclusion of both album and live gig reviews will keep the readers interested, as well as giving a sense that their opinions matter, strengthening the relationship they have with the publication.

- As mentioned previously, the very high figure of those who listen to music for more than 5 hours a day clearly shows an interest and enjoyment in music. Therefore I believed it would be important to include a tailored chart section for the alternative music genre voted for by the target audience using social media. A monthly selection of 30+ songs will be voted on using social networking sites such as Facebook (which was also voted the most popular social media site) gaining a further involvement with the readers.

- Dubbed Alt Voice for it's connotations with speech, this section is where the readers can have their say about the alternative rock industry. Opinions are welcomed, even those which can be deemed 'unpopular'. A full-fledged rant page where people can get involved and show their passion for music. People can get involved with this through social media and the magazine's website, with the opportunity for comments to be made in a forum setting to directly respond and confer.

- To be advertised on the front cover, this is a further enticement to buy the magazine, and to some people a justification of the reasonable £3.50 price. I didn't want to include a freebie as I believe that this can cheapen the publication somewhat. A free CD often contains fairly unpopular songs which are somewhat lacklustre, and in most cases not the sole reason for purchasing the magazine. Because of this, I believe the offer of an competition is far greater, such as meeting a band or winning signed merchandise. Furthermore the winning of a competition encourages feelings of success and can be advertised on the magazine's Facebook page, giving good publicity for the publication.

- Females are quite stereotypically well-known for their shopping habits, which explains why 44% of readers voted a for a merchandise section. Adhering to stereotype, a merchandise section will feature both band and magazine related content, which would involve the magazine earning a profit from each sale. As well as a secure service for the readers to gain their genuine band merchandise, the inclusion of items such as wrist-bands and t-shirts which feature the magazine logo increase publicity for the brand. Appealing more to the younger end of the target audience, this is an avenue which could potentially gain both profit and popularity.

Pre-production Planning - Interview

The content of the interview must cover at least one full page, as well as giving an insight into the artist's life. A clear purpose should be maintained, with all questions relating to the music industry and/or significant current event.

As we are able to construct an artist for the purpose of the magazine, the focus of the article will be about the artist's recent career success and the challenges from their peers which they faced along the way. Open-ended questions which offer scope for a long answer will be used.

Main Article:
• With a grammy and two gold discs, do you feel you've succeeded?
• Do you think that being on the cusp of an increasingly popular mainstream genre helped your success?
• Do you think that fame is a burden?
• Are you really that ruthless?
• Why do you not like doing interviews?
• How do you deal with the negativity?
• Do you care what people think about you?
• Did you ever doubt yourself?
• What one piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

Pre-production Planning - Classic Rock

From looking at various print publications, it is rare to have the questions written in bold exactly as they were asked. In this article from Classic Rock, the questions are blended seamlessly into the article, or simply left out and replaced with a background to the answer.

My favourite article structure is that of Classic Rock's, which uses third person (shown in red) to offer a background of an answer, before switching to first person (shown in blue) for the answer, and occasionally the injection of a question. The juxtaposition of these two offer varied viewpoints, with the third person giving insight into the situation, and the first person giving the artist a voice, bringing the article back to the present. Should the whole article have been in first person, the focus of the article would have been shared between the interviewer and the interviewee. This conflict would have been distracting, and obscured the purpose of the article.

Despite this, I believe a more structured question and answer model would be more effective for my target audience. By keeping the information in chucks this breaks up what could be a daunting body of text.

The fluidity of this extract has inspired me to ask questions in a chronological order, with the questions eventually building to the main chunk of the interview; relating directly to the cover line and contents page text.

At the same time, this extract has shown the importance of long answers from the artist, so open-ended questions which I already have an idea of what the answer will be allow me to structure the article further.

Pre-production Planning - Time Magazine

The interesting format of this interview is unique and one which could be replicated within my own publication. By limiting the interview to 10 questions, this relieves pressure on the artist to give lengthy answers, as well as providing a wealth of information for the reader. 

Constant reference to the artist's career and previous work maintains the purpose of the article; to inform. This reiterates the importance of maintaining a clear focus of the topic of the interview, as music magazine readers intend to read about music - rather than lifestyle or fashion tips - hence staying true to the genre.

Emma Watson's recorded interview with Time Magazine is interesting in many ways. As well as being physically able to see the reaction of the interviewee, the questions subtly add a comfortable pace to the interview. I intend to include interactive features, perhaps a link to either a video or podcast of my own magazine interview would add a further connection between the artist and audience.

Starting with more physical-orientated questions which have a simpler answer, to later developing more meaningful questions which require thought, the interviewee is not immediately pressured into giving lengthy answers. Furthermore, the first question focusing on appearance - "You look amazing in your new do! What made you cut it?" - addresses current news as well as being an obvious compliment, once again making the interviewee feel at ease.

Perhaps most interestingly is the origin of the questions, all of which come from fans. The inclusion of a sidebar with fan-written questions would involve the readers further, enhancing the crucial sense of loyalty with the fans which is essential for the success of the magazine. With 84% of those questioned confirming that interviews the the most important part of a magazine, I believe it is crucial to involve them in this way.

Pre-production Planning - Dropout UK

Entitled "On The Spot" this very candid interview method is appropriate for the younger, more carefree target audience. Relaxed questions such as: "how do you start your day?", "biggest fear?", and "who do you call the most" offer interesting information which fans may not have previously known about. This very informal nature would perhaps not be entirely suitable for a full double-page spread, as the answers received are generally quite limited and not very in-depth. However this open-ended style of questioning could easily be applied within my own publication.

This has inspired me to include questions or 'quick facts' which are more for entertainment purposes to interest the reader further. From a quick brainstorm, I believe the possible feedback received from these sorts of questions is something which could be expanded upon as well as being nuggets of information;

• "Most embarrassing moment?"
• "Time you've felt most happy?"
• "Your favourite musician?"

Continuing this, considering my target audience of 16-21 year olds, similar questions relating to culture and brands which they are interested in would be of interest;

• "Are you fast at messaging people back?"
• "Favourite fast-food restaurant?"
• "Favourite thing to order at Starbucks?"