Evaluation slideshow

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Finished Product

Media Institutes

In order for my magazine to become successful, it would be incredibly useful to have a large publishing company take the mag on. The first one I came across was Bauer Consumer Media.
They are responsible for the success of KERRANG! magazine and as they are UK Based they would be perfect to take on STRUM. 
They have good contacts in the music industry, an established website and fanbase. Fantastic publishing facilities to make sure the magazine looks as good as possible. 
A good understanding of the magazines genre and how it should be aimed at it's target audience. 

Double page spread analysis

This double page spread based on the Foo Fighters was taken from KERRANG! magazine. The right side page has a large amount of images in it, all the images are of the artist. There is a quote box next to the images and the quote has been taken from the base text.
Things I instantly spot that I need to include are-

• Images
• Quotes
• Most blocks of text start with a large bold letter

I could also include a fact file about the artist and if possible, tour and music release dates. I should remember to include a myspace link or other method of following the band as seen above.

Choosing/ editing the images

The images used are from a friends band who are currently unsigned named 'Our People Cersus Yours'.
As communication with them is simple and I have permission to use their images I will be using them as the main feature. The images I've chosen are during the bands practice session, those images will be used on the double page spread, where as the lower two pictures featuring the urban background will be used on the main cover and possibly the contents page.
I decided to keep the editing simple, I have cropped out the background for use on the front cover and for one of the images appearing on the double page spread. In order to represent the band effectively, I have left the urban background with the cars in the other image that will be seen on the contents page.
I have also chosen the DEFUSED font to represent the band.

Images for the magazine

Band photography

In order to style the artist I use for the photographs in my magazine I need to research what other artists in my target genre wear. I should also look out for other codes/ conventions of the images and if possible apply them to my own images. Below are some images of popular bands in the post/ hardcore and punk genres. 

In terms of costume, tightly fitted jeans seem to be a universal trend, they feature in every photo on the majority of the band members. 3 of the images are in what appear to be a modern setting, the first photo shows graffiti in the background. When taking or using images I should look for a modern area to use or if I have to do so, artificially create one. 

Longer hair styles also appear to be a trend within this genre, so choosing models or an artist to incorporate this is a must in order to represent my magazine well. Many of the artists are looking directly into the camera while some are looking away, so i should make a decision when taking/ choosing images and act accordingly. 

Contents Page Sketch

This is a sketch of what my contents page layout will look like. The magazine name/ logo will again feature at the top of the page and underneath I will use a different font to write contents in large lettering.
The feature article will have the largest image on the page as shown and other main articles will have smaller images below. The other articles that appear in the magazine will be listed along the right hand side, as commonly seen in most if not all magazines. The page number for each article will feature in the bottom right corner of each picture as shown in the sketch.
I may also choose to include a short editors section at the bottom of the page, however I do not see this as something vital to the contents page and I think it could appear elsewhere in the issue.

This is a very basic sketch of how I plan to layout the front cover of my magazine. The logo/ mag name will be at the very top as this is a convention for every type of magazine and I don't plan to break that now. Underneath that will be the main feature image and article, via a picture of a band that I will edit to fill the space. I will use one of the five fonts I evaluated earlier for the band name underneath that image.
I will use various band images underneath the main image and to the side trying to give the magazine as wide an appeal as possible.
I have also decided to go with a color scheme of Green/Black/White and this will be evident on my magazine cover.

Finished Logo

I eventually decided to go with the font Infected, however I have made some adjustments using a photo manipulation program to add some color and add added texture (noise) to the text.
I believe that although the text is not broken like some of the other fonts I considered, it does represent the genre I was aiming for with it's rough look and color scheme.
I have decided to use the S as a marker on some pages in the magazine as an alternative logo to use on occasion. Simplifying the logo down just to the S will help readers develop an instant recognition for the name and therefore magazine.
The font is also very easy to read in comparison to some others I chose and even in comparison to some of the successful brands font logos currently on the market, possibly giving me an advantage. I am very happy with the name I have chosen, I wanted it to be one word that is easy to remember but also has a strong link to music and if possible the rock/ heavier genre, I believe I have achieved that.

Above are five fonts featuring the name I have chosen for my magazine. I decided on the name 'STRUM' as it instantly relates to music and in particular the rock genre. Based on the fonts from the popular magazine logo's I determined that in order to fit the necessary conventions I should use a broken/ distorted font, so using a few websites I picked my 5 favorites from these categories.
They are named as follows:

1. Pulse
2. Defused
3. Farcry
4. Infected
5. 28 Days Later (movie font)

I have ruled out the first font Pulse as it is slightly difficult to read in comparison to the others and I want my magazines logo and name to be instantly recognizable. I have also decided against the use of the font Defused as I later discovered it is a very popular font used in advertising for bands (e.g Pendulum). 

The 3 fonts left I feel represent the genre I am aiming to target very well. All of them are easy to read and actually resemble the logo's I analyzed earlier, so I know I'm hitting all the right conventions. 

I have decided not to use the 5th font; 28 Days Later as it has been used in advertising before and I feel the 2 fonts I am left with can be used to create a unique look for my magazine. 

Once I have chosen my final font from the remaining two I will edit in some color and maybe edit them slightly to make them unique to my magazine. 

Above are 5 of the most successful music magazine logo's involved in my chosen genre. In order to decide how to style my own logo I should look at those of successful magazines and determine why they chose their logo's and evaluate to what extent this aided them in establishing a reputable brand name. 

1. The first logo has been taken from 'KERRANG!' magazine. The font style comes under the 'distorted' genre, giving it a damaged, rough look, conventional of the metal or punk genre. It has been written in block capitals and the name itself has been chosen to represent the sound of a guitar strum at high volume (onomatopoeia). It's unique design is something that has made the magazine very recognizable on the shelves of stores in several countries and I would do well to make my logo stand out as well as this one.

2. The second logo is associated with 'ALTERNATIVE PRESS', one of my personal favourite magazines and an incredibly successful one in America involved with the post-hardcore genre, combining the tastes found in between metal, punk and even pop. This logo features a large AP in a modern font and the magazine name written underneath in block capitals. The AP is used as a marker throughout the magazine and advertising and is widely recognized, I could also develop a marker to be occasionally used in my magazine instead of the full logo.

3. The third logo is taken from 'METAL HAMMER' one of the most popular metal based magazines on the shelves. Now that I have seen it 3 times, I can presume the use of block capitals is a convention of music magazines and I will definitely be applying this to my logo. Besides that, the notable things about this logo include the bolded text with the broken look in the 'H' to include the word 'METAL'. There is also a blood spatter brush effect behind the logo, a code for the metal genre used very effectively. I may well investigate brush sets to include either in my magazine or the logo itself.

4. 'NME' - again block capitals have been included, alongside a very bold font. Much like the 2nd logo Alternative Press, the magazine name is featured beneath the main logo, depending on what I decide to name my magazine I may choose to use this effect. Unlike the other very black logo's, this one is a bright red, this could represent the magazines slightly less heavy style compared to the other two, I may choose incorporate color into my logo in order to represent the same thing.

5. As the 'Q' magazine cover in no way resembles any of the previous logo's, I am going to treat it as an outlier and will not be including any of it's codes or conventions in my logo.

Things my logo should definitely have after evaluating some other popular ones-

• Bolded Text
• Block Capitals
• A broken or distorted font style representing my chosen genre
• Some form of color to help it stand out
• Possibly a brush set effect (blood spatters?)
• Eye catching name

This is a contents page taken from KERRANG! magazine. This issue in particular is the 'Awards Special' and this is pointed out as the main feature by use of the largest image, similar to what it does on the cover.
Every article has been marked with a page number very clearly, the main articles have a caption alongside their page numbers while other sections on the right hand side do not, however they are noted underneath subtitles to make things easier for the reader.
At the top right of the page there is a black box containing the word 'Contents' to make things as obvious as possible for the reader, alerting them not to flick straight past this page, this is something I will definitely include in my work. The images showing the main articles is also a must and I should make sure to include as many articles as possible on the right hand side that all suit my magazine and it's target audience but also appear to show some diversity.
There is an editors section at the top of the page with a small base of text and a signature from the editor himself. This is something I could include but I think is not imperative to the magazine.
I should however be sure to feature the date and possibly the issue number as this is something seen on every contents page in the magazine genre.

I will do my best to follow the conventions mentioned concerning this magazine in my own piece.

 This issue of Kerrang features the band Green Day as the main focus.  All 3 featured members of the band are looking directly into the camera and each are pulling different facial expressions in order to represent themselves as both individuals and as a band. The man to the left has his eyebrows raised as if to look interested, as does the man in the middle who has a slightly more serious tone. The third member of the band seen on the right is pulling a scared or just strange face to look wacky and give the impression that he is not overly serious and quite funny, this also represents the band as a whole. The text associated with the band reading ‘Green Day –‘ “We’ve written the album of our lives”, is first of all linked to the band via the colour green. The main text is large, bold and in block capitals, first of all for importance and the semi-formal font ironically represents the punk genre the band are associated with. Fans of the genre will recognise this.

The artist’s costumes are conventions of the same genre, they are all wearing black and the ironic formal look is very typical of the punk sub genre. This can be seen on the artists one member is wearing a tie and all three are wearing shirts, however their hairstyles are all eccentric and stand out, especially with their artificial dark colour. You can also see that a program like Photoshop has been used to add effect to the artists with shadows, editing their eyes to take colour away but still make them stand out. I should also consider doing this on my magazine.

The magazine logo ‘KERRANG!’ is in a broken looking font in block capitals. The broken lines and rough look of the font represent the rock genre and being ‘anti-main stream’ or just different in general. At the bottom of the magazine, there are 3 more pictures each featuring a different band from a different sub-genre. For those in the know this shows that the magazine has diversity and a range of tastes are included. At the bottom left, we read ‘SEX! SATAN! SKELETONS!’ eye catching text that can be associated with the heavy/ death metal genre, so this magazine or at least issue really does appeal to a range of fans. This is something I will definitely want to achieve with my magazine. 

On this particular magazine cover the artist(s) features in the centre in order to give them a greater sense of importance to the audience. Their facial expressions show are serious and the camera is positioned slightly below them so that we are looking up at the artist, both of these things are to represent a higher status than the reader/ audience.

Where costume is concerned, the frontman is wearing a leather jacket and dark tight fitting jeans, he also has a long hair style, all conventions of the rock/ punk genre. The man behind him is made to look cool with the use of his guitar being edited to look like it’s on fire. The fire may represent the burning success of the artist and attract people to read more about them and hopefully listen to their music. When creating my own magazine, I should consider including some similar editing too add stature to the artist I will create and promote.

The magazine cover is actually very plain in comparison to a lot of the others I have analysed. However this does give the magazine an advantage in that the pictures and text do stand out. The cover features 3 different images, the main band I have previously spoken about and 2 smaller images on either side. As there is no background to interfere with these images, the audience can focus on them easily and then may choose to buy the magazine to either follow these artists or find out about them.

Choice of text looks formal at the top of the magazine, as do the Q logo. This may be due to the magazine being based in the UK and priding itself on that fact. It also suits the serious facial expressions of the artists and shows that this magazine takes the music seriously. The band text ‘Kasabian’ is in bold and stretches across a larger space than any other text, again to express importance and to show the audience the main focus of this particular issue of Q.