Q Double Page spread Analysis

I will be analysing a double page spread from a Q magazine that I have bought. As you can see from the picture below a large image usually takes up one of the pages and is related to the article. The large image is used to attract the reader by standing out and draw their attention to read the article.
On the page there is no mention of any competitions or subscription information. This may be because Q don't want any additional information on the page that will draw the attention away from the article.

In total there are five images used on the double page spread which gives a balance between text and image.
The headline used "muse's voyage extraordinaire" tells us what the story is going to be about and makes us want to read about their voyage. A drop capital has also been used to show the reader where the article starts.

Q Contents Page Analysis

The image below is a picture of Q contents page which is clear to the reader. The layout of the page is organised and easy to read. The text is placed into columns which helps to. The stories featured are mostly based around different artists and bands. There are a couple of images on the page to show who is featuring in the magazine and gives us an idea about whats inside. 

Not much colour has been used but the red stands out very clearly from the background and makes it stand out. The colour red draws our attention to the highlighted areas. 

The house style has been carried on through to the contents page with the use of colours and style of text.

Q Front Cover Analysis

This is the front cover of a Q Magazine I bought. The main image features Robbie Williams who looks to have minimal editing done to him maybe just removing blemishes. 

The house style of this magazine is mainly red and white with the odd black or grey text. These colours are carried on through the rest of the magazine but not to a massive extent. 

The front cover has codes and conventions of a typical magazine such as barcode and banner. 

College Magazine Contents Page

College Magazine Contents Page

This is a very basic mock up of what my contents page should look like. There is no detail but it gives me an idea on where things will be placed. I have not included too much information because I may change a few things to make it better. 

College Magazine

I was given a task to create a college magazine as practise for my music magazine that I will be creating. this is my final piece.

I took this picture using the camera on my phone so next I would use a better quality camera.

 

 



 

College Magazine Progress

This is the progress so far on my college magazine, I still have to add text and edit a few things before it is complete. I will upload my final piece later.

 

 

Q Magazine Annotation

Magazine Terminology

Pugs - Normally in the corners of the page and are either bar code or price tags.

Banner - Text on a coloured background that stands out.

Puff - Shows whats inside the magazine.

Buzz words- Words such as "Exclusive" and "free" that promotes whats inside.

Strap Line - Phrase that is memorable to the magazine.

Masthead - The name of the magazine.

Caption - Description of the image.

Headline - The largest font on front cover to show main story.

Sell lines - Text that atrracts the audience to buy the magazine.

Anchorage Text - The way text helps to show the meaning of a picture.

Drop Capitals - A large letter at the beginning of an article.

Impact of Photoshop

Photoshop is a very useful tool and is used alot in media when making magazine front covers. There are both positive and negative effects of photoshop which can have a major influence on peoples lives.

Positives

• Mainly benefits the magazines as they can have a good front cover which will help to sell more
• Attracts more popularity for celebrities
• It gives the reader something good to look at

Negative

• Makes girl think that they have to look like the models to be considered as beautiful
• Can lead to eating disorders like anorexia 
• The readers of the magazines are getting a false idea of what women actually look like

Photoshop album cover

This is what I created from the two pictures using photoshop. I decided to put Susan Boyles face onto 50 Cents face and blend them together and this was my final result.

Using Photoshop

I was given a task to make a mock up of album cover from two celebrities that you would never put together. The two I was told to use was 50 Cent and Susan Boyle so these are the two pictures I have chose to merge together using photoshop.

Magazine Analysis 2

This is my second analysis of a magazine front cover.

Music Magazine front cover analysis

Below is a analysis of a Q magazine I have chosen. I have fully analysed the front cover using terminology I have learned.

Analysing a College Magazine

First thing I notice when I look at this magazine is that it looks formal because of the layout with all of the text set out in columns. The very few images make it look boring and uninteresting. However the image of graffiti on the walls shows the school has a relaxed attitude and the sub heading of the "heads message" shows that he is involved in the school. Also the story on the Christmas concert shows there is a lot to do in the school with extra curricular activities outside of lessons. The red background stands out and the title has a Christmas design with the snow on the text.

Things I would do differently
This is more of a newsletter than a magazine so first I would actually make a magazine. I would have more images and less text to make it more interesting and appealing. Also I would neaten things up and maybe include more colour.

Ideology

Ideology is what we think of something and the beliefs behind it. The ideology of school is safe and welcoming but can be shown in many ways just look at the images below:

The ideology in this picture makes it look cool but if you look deeper into the image it doesn't look a nice place. The low angle taken of the school makes it look large and imposing. The clouds behind are dark and miserable making it look scary and prison-like.

However this picture has a completely different ideology. The blue sky is clear and makes it look more welcoming than the other picture. This picture shows the school to be a safe environment and is taken in a way were it looks non threatening.

The Male Gaze

The male gaze was introduced by Laura Mulvey in 1975, the theory views the concept of how an audience views a particular scene or image. In feminism the male gaze can be categorized into 3 types of gaze:

• How men view women 
• How women view women 
• How women view themselves. 

The male gaze theory shows the power that women can have on men and this can be seen in music magazines like the one below. 

Lily Allen is featured on the front cover of this Q magazine and is seen as being attractive. Her appearance on the cover does not relate to music but to flaunt her body and to attract male attention. The seductive look with the look over the shoulder and the tagline "Lily Allen & her wicked wicked ways..." appeals to males and encourages them to buy the magazine.

In comparison Beth Ditto's appearance on the NME front cover takes the male gaze theory and does the complete opposite to that of Q. Beth wouldn't be classed as being attractive by males and her stunt is showing that not all women are attractive and slim. Her appearing naked is not something new as she tends to do this when performing because she gets overheated. Therefore the statement she was trying to make didn't have much of an effect.

Introduction to Feminism

Introduction

Feminism is the belief in the equality of the sexes. It is a movement aimed at defining, establishing and defending the rights for women so they have same equal opportunities as men. A feminist supports the right for women to be equal to men. Feminists campaign for women rights such as the right to vote, equal pay, political power and the same opportunities in education and employment.

History of Feminism
Feminism came around during the 1950's when the men where at war and the workforce needed looking after so the women took over and started to do what was the male job. Once the men returned it was expected that everything would go back to usual. However women liked the independence and wanted to carry on working. Since then feminism has gone all out to fight for equality and feminist groups have campaigned to secure the right for many things and still continue to do so.



Major Events
In the 1960's many women burned their bras to make a statement and to stand up for women rights. At Miss America Protest there were trashcan which they called freedom trashcans that women threw bras, curlers, tweezers, girdles and high heels into them to be burned.

Famous Feminists
There are many famous feminists today with many being in the media eye these include Lady Gaga, Gloria Steinmen, Hilary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey. All of these feminists have different views on how women are portrayed in todays society and below is a short clip of Lady Gaga on feminism.

Semiotic Theory

Semiotic theory focuses on the social and cultural meaning of signs and codes and conventions. Signs consist of an image, a word or an object. We all respond to signs in many different ways whether we agree or disagree with it. These signs can be presented in many different forms whether it is from an image, a word or a video. Semiotic theory is the study of signs in three different stages these are:

The perception stage - the person becomes aware of a sign.

The manipulation stage - the person interprets the sign and decides how to respond to it.

The consummation stage - the person responds.

Denotation 
The literal meaning of a word.

Example: the word home is a place where someones lives.

Connotation 
The hidden meaning and associations behind the word.

Example: the connotation of home suggests security, comfort and family.

This theory can apply to music magazines because if a magazine was dark and depressing it wouldn't attract people to buy the magazine. However, if a magazine was bright and colourful it would be positive and attract more people.

Questionnaire

Please take your time to fill in and complete my questionnaire.

Research Methods

To have a successful music magazine research is needed to find out what people find most interesting about them. I will be looking at two research methods that will help towards my music magazine these are quantitative and qualitative research.

• Quantitative Research - used to measure and predict leading to a final course of action.
• Qualitative Research - used to uncover and understand thoughts and opinions.

There is two different types of data that is collected when researching these are:

• Primary Research - the data found by the the person asking the questions. 
• Secondary Research - the data which has been found by others. 

How can the data collected help music magazines?

The data collected can help music magazines to be more interesting, include better features and to find out what people would like to see in a music magazine. it gives magazines a better knowledge on what people want to see on a magazine and allows them to add more interesting features in the future. 

What is a Music Magazine?

A music magazine is a magazine that contains many elements to do with music such as:

• Images
• Information about artists
• Interviews
• Reviews
• Tour Dates 

The oldest running magazine in the UK is BMG magazine being first introduced in 1906 and focusing on the acoustic genre. However it isn't the most popular, this goes to The Fly with a circulation of 104,568. The most popular music magazine globally is Rolling Stone with a circulation of 1,464,943.

Music magazines would focus on their specific genre and tailor information so it is specific. There are many different music magazine genres which are all aimed at a different type of customer. Kerrang! and Q focus on Rock. Vibe being associated with R&B and NME focusing on punk-rock.

The future for music magazines could be positive or negative as more people are getting subscriptions online instead of buying the actual magazine. People are able to get the same information as they would inside a music magazine but for free. However sales could improve with the magazines being online and mobile phone app allowing customers to buy them when they want.

Introduction to my Blog

Hi,
My name is Ian Pelgrave and I am a sixth form student at Cardinal Heenan, this is my first blog for my AS Media course.

My first task it to create a music magazine and my blog posts will consist of research and planning.

I will be uploading many blogs a week showing my progress leading up to my complete music magazine. Each blog will show an updated piece to what I am working on these will include:

• Research into music magazines
• Research into target audiences and genres of music
• Research into typography, layouts and colour schemes 
• Planning the layout