Name of product
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What I thought were the strengths
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What I thought were the weaknesses
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The Booth
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The magazine itself was extremely well composed and provided
regularity relating to the way it was presented on the page. The contents is
organised, two sizes of fonts have been incorporated, the larger bold used on
the title of the feature articles and other areas of interest effectively
emphasises importance to me- and therefore the reader, whilst small sizing is
used to provide essential information about the article. I find this
efficient as it provides me with a ‘preview’ of the article before I view it,
therefore assuring me I’ll be interested in reading it. Bold numbers have been used to guide me to
the articles which is time saving therefore I wont have to browse through the
magazine to locate it. The colour scheme running throughout the cover,
contents and double spread (red, black and white) relates to the theme of the
magazine which is indie/alternative, this is effective as the writer is
keeping n consistency with the genre of the magazine, so reassures me I am definitely
reading a music magazine I am interested in. There are a variety of images
incorporated on the contents which provides the idea the writer does not just
focus on particular bands but a wide range. The masthead is large and in a
completely different font style to the remainder of the pages, this uniqueness.
The double page spread used an unique font style compared to the rest of the
article to grab the attention of the reader, thy are much more likely to take
notice if something is inconsistent and disjointed and this reverberates a
mysterious sense and makes me want to read the text. A kicker is also
incorporated to pull the audience in as it has used lager font then the
article to provide more information upon what you are reading.
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The front cover, contents page and double spread all have a major
flaw- the background on all is very plain (white colour palette) and not
extremely eye-catching, there has been no background colour used which to me
vibrates dull and boring, the lack of an interesting background means I’m
less likely to notice the magazine when its being marketed in a retail
environment. The main image on the cover appears to be very naïve in nature,
with many Photoshop mistakes which are easily noticeable and can be
identified, this does not give the magazine a very professional feel to it.
The body of text on the front cover is very disorganised and there does not
appear to be any consistency with the way it has been positioned, this makes
it look chaotic and very childish in nature. There is a lot of information
provided within the double page spread, it is all composed together as one
body of text without an image or pull quote separating it, this may bore the
reader if they believe they have a lot of information to digest. The main and
only image on the spread is very unrealistic as its easily noticeable it has
been took in a back yard rather than a studio prepared shot.
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Dynamic
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The masthead on the front cover is eye-catching, the use of yellow
and black colours which is incorporated into the font against a luminous
purple background, makes it jump off the page and is impossible to miss when
viewing this magazine- it is clearly the first element the reader will notice
and is the major pull for attracting audience interest.
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The images on all of the pages (cover, double spread and contents)
are extremely unprofessional in the nature of their editing, it is clearly
identifiable these have been created in Photoshop- this would not look
appealing at all if it was being marketed in stores and the reader will be
less likely for this reason to purchase it- as I know I personally would not
be interested. The font style is the same throughout- I understand it creates
consistency but the lettering is very boring and not particularly appealing
to look at especially when it has been repeated over and over again. The
layout on the contents does not keep with traditional magazine conventions,
there are too many images crammed into the same place which makes the page
look overpowering- as if the writer is trying to incorporate so many ideas
together as possible to attract attention but this just overdoes the whole
design and makes it look fairly tacky when presented like this on the page.
There is too many a variety of colours used, this does not provide regularity
within the magazine and it gives me the impression the editors tried to over
do it by making it as attractive as possible
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Mash
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On this magazines front cover an extremely limited
color palette has been incorporated to the style of the page, but they are
fairly bold which makes it more of an eye catching product then others of its
kind. The way the image has been placed and framed is effective as it is
staring directly at the reader enticing them in to viewing the articles.
There is a good consistency as the same text/font style is apparent in both
the masthead and the body of text, which gives a rhythm and consistency to
the product and makes it look more of a professional standard then what you’d
expect a student to produce. The masthead itself is unique, the way it is
presented to the audience is unusual which gives an intriguing feel to it and
encourages others to take interest, this would make it more noticeable in a
retail orientated environment. The text is positioned on par with the readers
eye line which makes them gain its attention more easily as the sell lines
and main images are clearly visible, attracting them to the more essential
sections of information the writer wants them to see. The image itself of the
artist ‘Scarlett Reeves’ portrays a sense of pride and an outgoing nature,
this may intrigue the reader to want to know more about her as her
self-confidence is more attractive then someone who is looking directly away
from the camera. The pale background used on the contents page fits in with
the overall color theme and conventions of the magazine, this levels it with
a more of a professional standard and seems more authentic and believable as
a true product. The page numbers have been placed besides there opposing
articles which is an aspect of a official magazine, the use of an image
besides the page number of the article is extremely effective as it
identifies to the audience who they will be reading about and gives them a
preview of what to expect. On the double page spread there is a large central
image, which occupies the right hand side of the page and clearly represents
what that particular feature will be focusing on. Pull quotes are an
additional aspect as they help to gage the reader’s attention and make them
more willing to read the spread. Another effective technique is the use of
the same color palette again which breaks the article up, the reader can
identify from the color scheme that the whole article is related and this
provides consistency and assurance to them. This consistency can be seen
proved again with the use of a repeating color on the text and questions.
Effectively the questions are short and answers are long which gives more
information about the artist for the audience to read.
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The fact that a lot of focus is upon the fashion
of the artist that this may distract the readers attention, although this is
clearly a music magazine they may be falsely interpret it to be a clothing
magazine. The image itself is extremely photo shopped as common errors (such
as lines around her hair and body off the magic and tool) makes it look
unprofessional and quite naïve in the nature of its presentation. The
masthead name is unusual ‘MASH’ and is not really a name or theme that you
would relate with a music magazine. The reader has no way of knowing what these
letters stand for as the mastheads description is not underneath it. The sell
lines are all organized together rather then being evenly spaced out, this is
bombarding to the senses, maybe even confusing the reader, also it makes the
page look quite messy and not presentable. There is too much variety in the
text and times, even though a variety can be effective, there is too much
color changes and disturbances within the letters and make it look
unprofessional. Regarding the contents page, all of the images are heavily
pixelated and some badly edited on the Photoshop software, this can give a
tacky effect to the magazine. It doesn’t really incorporate a consistent
color palette like some of the other magazines I browsed and doesn’t give it
a professional finish as the elements on the contents page do not seem
related or linked to one another and are scattered all over the page. The
text is many different varieties and sizes on the contents, further
emphasizing an armatures presentation. Finally the double page spread has
poor quality images, since this is supposed to be the main feature of the
magazine it should look more appealing but tacky images make it looked rushed
and not worth reading. The text colors are not related to the color palette
of the page, and because the same girl has been used in all the images in
exactly identical costumes it gives the impression the photographer has not
organized their shoot very well and couldn’t be bothered to include a bit of
variety in their work.
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The Twenty One
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On the front cover the main image the reader will
first notice has a high level of detail to it at a very replicable
professional standard, making it not seem as if it was created by an A level
student at all. Many other products I’ve studied all lack in the photographic
element whilst this particular magazine excels at it. There is a variety of
bold and bright colors on the text which helps to highlight it and make it
stand out, catching the interest of the audience much more easily. The
masthead is of an essential size and is displayed large, giving the magazine
a sophisticated edge making this product more authentic and believable as a true
retail marketing publishing. The masthead and sell lines text can be linked
and related to one another as they use the same style of text, this helps the
product to be in consistency with its elements. The title on the contents
page is the same style as the masthead, which relates the whole magazine back
to its chosen house theme. The first image is fairly professional in standard
and re-emphasizes the sophisticated sense this product is portraying. Keeping
on par with authentic music magazine this piece of student work included a
sub-heading ‘Inside this week’, these subtitles are normally used on a retail
publish. Page numbers accompany the articles allowing the reader to locate
areas of interest more simply then having to flick through the product to find
something that intrigues them. A whit background is incorporated into the
contents page, another element that is regularly used in professional music
products, and makes this one look realistic and smarter. The double page
spread has a fairly simple grey background, this occupies room and makes the
page look bold and interesting without giving it a cluttered, tightly packed
feel. Pink pull quotes are scattered at the top of the spread, which attracts
the attention of the audience and draws them to the text. The bold breaks
everything down and identifies who is speaking in the article at a certain
time, so readers don’t get confused with who is speaking or with conflicting
information. A strapline explains the teaser, this doesn’t reveal too much
information but intrigues the audience to carry on with the article. A large
image occupies the whole right hand side of the spread this clearly
identifies who the feature is focusing on and relates back to what the
audience will be reading as it is overly emphasized. Three columns of text on
the left side of the page are placed in consistency with one another, making
the text more organized and less compressed giving it a professional feel and
much more easy on the eyes to read.
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On the front cover there is a lot of focus on the environment that
surrounds the artist rather then attention being entirely on them. This can
send a negative message to the reader and they may not believe the article is
not worth viewing and therefore they are unlikely to buy the product if they
are not enticed by an alluring image of the artist. Other sell lines
revolving around other articles do not include any names or relevant
information therefore on the feature itself, the audience may be deterred
from purchasing the magazine if they do not exactly know what is contained
within the article as it may be uninteresting or boring. The whole purpose of
the cover is to entice the reader into the product ad not to deter them. Some
of the images on the front cover have imperfections and red eyes, this makes
them look naïve and not of a professional standard. The style of text changes
throughout and does not convey a sense of consistency within this finished
product. The masthead is included along besides the bar code; this is not of
a true magazine convention style as normally the masthead would be at the top
of the page to attract interest and the bar code at the bottom, as it is
least important to the reader. The images on the cover of this magazine do
not relate well with the main sell lines – normally the image conveys a sense
of partnership with the article and represents the feature itself (for
example NME focused on Muse and linked them with the sell line to indicate
they were part of that particular article) On the contents page the title is
disjointed and spread messily over three separate lines, this goes against
traditional conventions as the title is usually placed at the top of the page
to immediately alert the reader where
about in the magazine they are. This contents in particular lacks the
repetition of the masthead along with the title, this is a good strategy to
remind the audience which magazine it is they are reading. The other images
included on this page look edited and unrealistic, a large contrast from the
professional, sophisticated style of the main image displayed on the front
cover. The images themselves look like they have been copied and pasted
directly onto the contents page and do not merge with the background well
giving them a naïve edge. Finally for the double page spread – it lacks
greatly in using sophisticated font techniques. The writer has not included
any conventions such as a drop capital which is useful in indicating to the
reader where the beginning of the article is, there is also a lack of
consistency with the page numbers as each one are in a separate colour from
the rest, it makes it seem as if the magazine is not linked with each of its
articles. The main image used on the spread is almost identical to the one
used on the front cover, thi indicates regularity, but most mainstream
magazines use different prepared studio shots/costume changes to provide
variety in the artist and make them more intriguing for the audience to read
about. Some of the colours clash with the palette for this page, the combination
of dark colours (grey and brown) does not merge well with lighter ones (green
and white)
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Amplified
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The use of the same colour palette for both the front cover and the
content page provides consistency, regularity and rhythm within this product
and imitates traditional magazine conventions. The main image is placed in
the centre of the cover; this immediately attracts the reader to it and is a
great pulling method of interest. It is also edited well and does not look
like it has been created on a piece of software such as Photoshop. The major
sell line is highlighted against all the other articles as different sized
font has been used to make it bold and more attractive then anything else.
The masthead is large and easily noticeable to potential buyers- the colour
style used on it further helps to emphasise its importance. All other
essential information such as other sell lines, issue number, barcode have
been included. The contents page includes three images, breaking down the
page into sections making it less cluttered for the audience to view. An
editors view is included – this explains how the editor themselves feel about
that particular issue, it provides an opinion and a slight preview of the
articles to come informing the reader as to what to expect. An editors view
is a traditional aspect of higher placed music magazines. The colour palette
is fluent in the contents and matches along side the images. Spaces and lines
have been incorporated to separate articles from one another that makes the
layout look tidy and professional. The double page spread uses a different
style of writing/font which provides variety to the product and shows this
spread in particular is the main attraction and completely separate from
anything else included in the issue. The title of the feature is placed
directly in the middle, which informs the audience instantly about what they
will be reading. Bold text is used to represent the text of the interviewer,
indicating there responses are not linked with what the artist has to say.
Strap lines are placed correctly, showing where the article itself begins.
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There are too many different and unusual types of texts, as a
completely separate style is use for each piece, this gives a very messy
presentation and gives the impression they are not related to the article at
all. A lack of colour is used on the image, this makes it seem insignificant
to everything else when really it should be the centre piece and stand out
above all other additional articles as it is the main method of selling this
product. There is too much essential information included (such as other
articles) this draws focus away from the sell point of the main feature.
Within the contents page there are a few flaws. The editors view doesn’t
stand out amongst the other pieces of text due to a similar colour palette as
the background of the rest of the page and is almost overwhelmed by the other
columns. There should really be an image included of the editor as well to
give a personal aspect to the magazine. A website address or email link has
failed to be included, this would provide more opportunity for sales for the
magazine company if readers could access a website related to them. The
writer has chosen not to repeat the masthead besides the contents title or
any of the page numbers, this would have been effective in emphasising to the
reader which magazine they are reading in particular. Finally the double page
spread does not have any pull quotes, this would assist in breaking down the
pages and attracting the readers attention with relevant information to the
interview. There is a caption besides the image relating to the costume the
artists wearing, his is regularly used in fashion magazines rather than music
based products.
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