Planning - Featured Artist Inspiration: Music Magazine.

 Nina Nesbitt

Of Monsters and Men

Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir

These two artists are the basic inspiration for my own artist to be featured in my Magazine. Both Nina and Nanna have their own distinctive voice and music sound that makes them stand out of the crowd as musicians. They also have very distinctive style that I would like to apply to my artist too. They are both simple, with great voices and their guitar, making them relatable to a lot of the public, and in particular, my audience.

Planning - Codes and Conventions

One of the main conventions that are covered by all three examples is the placement of the Title. In each magazine the Mast head is situated in the top left corner. This is a convention that is typical of many magazine layouts. Two of my three examples include the word 'six' in their main title, such as Blackpool's "sixth sense", and St Joseph's "six". The connotations of this word link directly to 'sixth form' implying to the reader that the magazine is of an educational genre. The title 'Sixth sense' acts as a type of pun, as 'sixth' relates to the sixth form and 'sense' refers to education, but put together, they have a different meaning. On the front cover, it is also typical of all three examples to include the name of the establishing school in a tagline either underneath or above the main title.This will be a good idea to include because it gives a more professional tone to the magazine.

In the contents page it is typical to have a list of articles and their page number references, and in all of the examples the titles of the articles have been given educational puns and names that relate to sixth form. This shows that the magazine is aimed at an audience of young students.

In two of the examples, the magazines have included a 'letter from the head teacher' or 'note from the editor'. This may be quite conventional in school magazines, as it promote interactivity with the teachers at school, so would be a good aspect to include in my sixth form magazine.This also promotes a positive representation of the school, as the photo of the headteachers show them bright and smiling, and engaging with their students.

The magazines do not have a narrative because they are of an informative nature. They do not tell a story but inform the students and their parents of certain events and notifications happening at school.

The Contents pages are also quite conventional. They all include a contents title at the top of the page, with the contents list situated to the top left of the page, so this is something I shall consider using in my contents page too. Another similarity between two of the magazines is that they both include a picture of the front cover on their contents page. This helps to give the magazine a brand identity, so is something I shall definitely use in my magazine.

All the sixth form front covers have the Title coloured in white. The colour white has connotations of purity and innocence, something that is relative to children, or those at school. The majority of the colour schemes are similar, mainly white backgrounds with black font and a splash of colour here and there. This simple colour scheme keeps the magazine looking professional, therefore showing a professional representation of the school itself.

Research/ Planning - sixth form magazine analysis

Sixth form magazine analysis from sbiscoe21

Research - Textual Analysis of ELLE magazine

The Title of the Magazine, "ELLE" repeats the consistent font that ELLE magazine has used since it was originally published to show the brand identity. This stands out to the reader, because it is a recognisable symbol that the audience associates with the magazine, meaning they will know the type of genre the magazine is and the kind of articles it will include. 

The Weblink of the Magazine is also included on the front cover, inside the "E". Because the web-address has been placed in the position, the reader knows exactly where to find the address without having to look for it. This is also a very logical place to position the weblink, because the font colour can be changed to contrast with the colour of "ELLE" to make it stand out more. Including the weblink on the front cover also promotes interactivity with the reader and the magazine.

Cheryl Cole's name has also been printed in bold on the front cover. This acts as anchorage for the image, and explains to the reader who the main focus of the magazine is. This also allows members of the public who are unaware of the celebrity to find out about them.

On the cover, there are several puffs of information, each advertising a different aspect of the magazine. The more puffs a magazine has, the more enticing it becomes to the reader, because they feel the magazine has more to offer, and more value for money. The puffs on this magazine advertise hair tutorials, "shoe specials", and work. These kinds of puffs show that the magazine appeals mainly to women. 

The image used for the magazine is a central mid shot of Cheryl Cole. In this photo, she is showing direct mode of address and looking straight into the camera lens with eyes wide open. This shows that she is trying to engage with the public/reader. Her body language, open arms, shows that she is also open to the public. This image conveys a strong, independant woman, but with her hands stroking her hair and face, shows that she is also gentle and caring.
Cheryl Cole's hair and makeup has been styled in a very natural way, although it is made obvious that she is wearing makeup. Her long flowing brown hair adds femininity to the photograph.

The magazine has a very simple and limited colour scheme of neutral browns, beige and cream. These simple colours add a naturality to the magazine, and reflect the serious mood of the magazine. Around Cheryl's face, the puffs are off a lighter colour font to contrast her hair, whilst the puffs around her body are darker to contrast with the light beige tones of her outfit. The font of the puffs is also very dainty and the itallics, whilst emphasising certain words, add more femininity to the magazine. 

Construction - Media Story Board

SHELBY