Masthead Fonts for preliminary task

When deciding what kind of font my masthead should be, i have created a list of 'Tommies Telegraph' in different fonts. This helped me decide which font would be the most appropriate for the masthead, which is important as it is one of the first things a reader notices. The font also had to be neat and readable. I have decided on using the first one as it stood out to be the most and i thought it would be the most appropriate.

Drafting & Planning: Creative Q Magazine task

The point of doing this creative task was to practice skills for my final piece. I have practiced my cropping skills, creating symbiosis between the artist and the Q magazine logo. Symbiosis creates a perfect relationship between the magazine and the cover star as the cover star is covering a piece of the logo, showing that both, the magazine and the artist, are being promoted on an equal level. I have also practiced creating a headline and anchorage text, which will be useful to me when creating my final piece. I have also explored different types of fonts and layout. This is important so that the text can be clearly read by the audience of the magazine. I also had to look at conventions of music magazine so that this planning task looks like a normal magazine. With this draft, i also came to learn to use a new software which will help me later on. Practicing these skills will be useful for me in the future as i can then apply these skills into my own music magazine project.

Research into similar product - Contents page 2

I like the layout of this contents page as it has many features. On the right side of the page we have the contents of the magazine. On the left a list of all bands and where to find them. In the middle a picture and a mini-article. This gives the reader information about where specific things can be found. The colours on the page are also effective as they link to the NME logo. This is called symbiosis. The picture in the middle of the article gives the reader an insight into what is in the magazine.

Research into similar product - Magazine cover 7

Research into similar product - contents page 1

I chose this Q magazine contents page as i think that the layout is interesting. The text 'Q contents' stands bold at the top of the page, so that it is recognisable that the page is the contents page. I like how the additional smaller pictures are tilted, it makes the page look more filled up. The picture of Matt Bellamy is also interesting as it is bigger than the list of contents, showing that he is the most important article in the magazine. I also like how the pictures and photography link to the contents of the magazine. For example the smaller picture of the man splashing water represents the article on page 88. The colours on the page are also interesting as they link to the house colours of Q magazine. The colours white, black and red make the page look neat and organised.

Research into similar product - Magazine cover 6

Research into similar product - Magazine cover 5

Research into similar product - Magazine cover 4

I believe that this magazine cover is one of the most interesting ones i have found. I think this because it is unusual. I like the layout of the two different pictures and how the overlay each other. I think it is interesting as this the way the cover of the magazine can tell you which two different musicians are featured inside the magazine.The tile 'Overshadowed' relates to the cover picture as the two pictures are covering parts of each other, as if they are trying to overshadow the different person. I like how the masthead stands out at the top of the cover, it is bold and in big writing, which clearly stands out against other pictures. I also like this cover because it is interesting in a simple way.

Research into similar product - Magazine cover 3

I have chosen this magazine cover as i find the colours of it interesting. I like how the picture of Green Day is in black and white; it contrasts the colours on the whole page and makes them stand out more. The typography is interesting as on the cover we see many fonts in four different colours (black, white, yellow and pink). I think that this makes the magazine more interesting as it is more eye catching and the reader of the magazine may feel persuaded to look at it and buy it. As the picture of Green Day is black and white, the masthead of AP magazine stands out as well as 'Green Day'. This is important as the reader needs to know what the magazine is about. There are other subtitles in yellow, which also stand out and give the reader information on what else is in this magazine. I think that this cover is very interesting because of the mix of different colours and fonts.

Research into similar product - magazine cover 2

I chose this magazine cover as the colours really stand out. The mix of pink, blue and white are eye catching and work well on the cover. I like the way that the main subtitle is 'Scream if you want to go bigger' and All Time Low are to be seen as shouting. Therefore, the image relates to the text. The masthead is hidden behind the main image, in that way the magazine can tell the audience that the band on the cover is the focus of the magazine. The masthead also fits the cover, as it fits the colour scheme and it makes the cover look neat. Furthermore, the typography is interesting, nearly all text is the same font, however, the word 'Scream' is in a different font and in a different colour, so it stands out against other text. 

Research into similar product - Magazine Cover 1

I picked this music magazine cover as i think it is very interesting and eye catching. First of all, the typography matches the several designs on and around the person. The word 'ICON' seems to fit in with what is going on around it, but it stands out at the same time because of the colour. Secondly, The person is imitating the logo. the 'iD' masthead symbolizes a person winking, and so the person on the cover is also winking. I think this is very clever because it stands out from most music magazines. Furthermore, the desings on the cover are an interesting feature. They show that the magazine is mixed, as in it is fashion and music. There are no subheadings on the cover, therefore the person would have to purchase the magazine to see what is inside.

Audience Research: Preliminary Task

My first question was 'Should the magazine focus on the whole school or mainly sixth form?'. This pie chart shows me the percentage of people who said whole school or sixth form. 60% said that the magazine should focus on the whole school, therefore, my magazine should include news and information about the whole school.

The second question of my questionnaire, 'Should the magazine focus on the whole school or mainly sixth form?' received multiple answers. However, the school colours out of all the colour schemes were the most popular among my audience. If the colour scheme of my questionnaire is the same, or similar to the school's colour scheme then people reading the magazine, my target audience, will have an idea of what the magazine is about and what it's contents may be. As most people answered that the magazine should be focused on the whole school, the school colours will be convenient.

The next question asked my target audience what kind of content they would like to see in the magazine, 'What colour scheme do you think would be appropriate?'. 46%, the majority, answered that the would like to see news of what is going on inside the school. Therefore, this will be the focus of the magazine. However, 23% said that they would like to see events, and the rest would like to see the magazine contain important dates and study tips. I think that i should take into account all of the options, however, news will be my priority.

The next question I asked my audience was 'Should the magazine include the school logo?'. Everyone who participated in the questionnaire said that the magazine should include the school logo, therefore, it is important that the school logo is in the magazine. Preferably, it should be on the cover so that it shows my audience which school the magazine is about.

My next question on the questionnaire was 'On the front of the page, should there be picturs of students and/or teachers?'. This question allowed me to see what my audience want the front cover of the magazine to contain. 70% of the participants said that they would like to see both, students and teachers, on the front cover. This will allow the cover to be more balanced and show that the magazine is for everyone, not just students.

The 6th question of my questionnaire was 'What do you think the font should be for the text'. I made this question as a tick box question so that the person can only choose one. All of the fonts mentioned were fonts that i thought would be ideal. This allows me to chose a font that i like and a font that my audience likes. 40% said that they would like to see Century Gothic as the font, therefore this will be my font. All other fonts were voted 20% each.

The next question, 'What do you think would be an appropriate title for the school magazine?', was an open question so that the target audience of my magazine could suggest their own ideas. There were a couple of ideas for a name, however i think that the most ideal (and the one i liked the most) is 'Tommies Telegraph', as 'Tommies' is more of a slang term for 'St Thomas Aquinas'; therefore it can appeal to a young audience.

Next, i asked my audience if they would like the magazine to include links to the school's social media. 'Should i provide links to the school's social media account?'. 100% of the people asked said yes, therefore, i should make sure to supply link to social media accounts such as twitter. It allows people to find the school and interact on social media.

I also asked the audience 'How often should the magazine be published?'. This tells me how often the audience would like to read the magazine. Also, the more frequently it is published the more the news are up to date. 50% of my audience said that they would like the magazine to be published monthly. I agree with this is as it gives me more time to build up information and make sure that the magazine is done to the best of my ability.

My last question was 'Do you have any other suggestions about the magazine?'. Unfortunately, only otwp people said yes, however, one of them did not give any details or explain their answer. The other person suggested that i should keep the magazine simple. Therefore, 80% said that they do not have suggestions. This could be a disadvantage as i don't know what else my target audience would like to see, which was not mentioned in the questionnaire.

Earlier this morning, i cropped this photo of myself using publisher, and exported it as a .jpeg file. I also added the magazine masthead. This effectively demonstrates my ICT skills. Also, this picture will be useful for the cover of my magazine.

Hello there!

I am Alexandra Jonczyk, and here is my blog for my GCE media AS work.
I study AS Media at St. Thomas Aquinas school. I will be posting my projects, as well as the process of their creations. :)