evaluation

Evaluation

Front cover

I looked at one of the recent Armthorpe school “excel magazine’s” for an idea of what to put on my front cover. After analysing the “excel magazine” I started to think of idea’s of how I could set out my front cover, where I would put the masthead, puffs, plugs and tagline. I sketched out 3 potential ideas of how I could set out the front cover of my magazine, all of which were different. Looking at each of them individually I picked out what would and what wouldn’t work for the front cover and started to combine the three of my ideas into one, which eventually became my actual front cover. I decided to put my whole background as a picture, much like the excel magazine at school. I decided to do this because I believe it didn’t look tacky, like having a picture and a different coloured background would. I put my masthead right at the top in the middle of the page where it is big, bold and bright this would attract the readers attention. I put the colour of the font as yellow; this corresponds with the colour jacket the person is wearing in my back ground image. I added effects to the text to make it easier to read and also to make my front cover look better.

Contents page

I looked at one of the recent Armthorpe school “excel magazine’s” for an idea of what to put In my contents page. After analysing the “excel magazine” I started to think of idea’s of how I could set out my contents page. I sketched out 3 potential ideas of how I could set out the contents page of my magazine, all of which were different. Looking at each of them individually I picked out what would and what wouldn’t work for the front cover and started to combine the three of my ideas into one, which eventually became my actual front cover. I decided to put my whole background as a picture, much like the excel magazine at school. I decided to do this because I believe it didn’t look tacky, like having a picture and a different coloured background would. I put my masthead right at the top in the middle of the page where it is big, bold and bright this would attract the readers attention. I put the colour of the font as yellow; this corresponds with the colour jacket the person is wearing in my back ground image. I added effects to the text to make it easier to read and also to make my front cover look better.

Contents page analysis

The background colours on the contents page with the picture of Kanye West on are very neutral and simple colours this may be for more than one reason. One of those reasons being, so that all the text is clear to the audience, another may be to help the redness of the heart on Kanye’s chest can contrast better than it would if there were numerous vibrant colours in his jacket. There is a layered effect to how the word and title “contents” is set out, this from what I have found in my research is something that is in almost every magazine that “vibe” make. The “V” on the back ground which is contrasting to the actual background colour is almost just a reminder of the title of the magazine, so when the reader see’s the “V” they’ll think to themselves “vibe magazine”. The artist Kanye West is looking directly at the audience this is direct mode of address. Both his hands are in his pockets this suggests arrogance and power, much like his facial expression. The type mode used for the sub headings are serif, this is because they are not in an informal font, it is very much formal due to its curls and points on the ends of letters. However the title “Contents” is in sans serif, this is so that it is easy for the audience to read and they know straight away what the page has to offer for them.

The background colours on the contents page with the picture of another rap artist on has a dark red coloured background, this may be to represent where about in California he is from, this is because of the gang population and the colours they use to represent it. Many rap artist belong or were in gang’s at some point in there life, the use of this back ground colour may just reiterate that. He is looking directly at the audience; this is direct mode of address. His facial expression and the way he is holding up his chains shows his arrogance, power and how much money he has. His facial expression makes him look almost angry but again he is only showing off his money and being arrogant about it by putting his “Grillz” on show. Again much like nearly every contents page in vibe magazine’s it has a stacked lay out and is in a completely contrasting colour to the background so its easy for the audience to read. Again there is a “V” in a slightly darker shade of red to remind the audience about what the magazine they’re reading is called. The type mode used in the subtitles are in serif which is a formal font this could be to make the reader think what it’s advertising to them is more interesting than what’s just in a sans serif font which makes everything look dull, however it is easy to read which is why it has been used as the type mode of the title.

I like the use of stacking the title and having one dominant image on the contents page, it keeps it simple, easy to read and nice for the reader to see. I also like the idea of having just the first letter contrasting vaguely in the background of the contents page, just as a little reminder to the people reading it what the name of the magazine is called. The use of colours in both these magazine's is effective because they totally contrast with the background but do not look silly at the same time, i can take these methods and put them into use on my contents page. 

double page spread analysis

There is not alot of text on this double page spread, the left hand side page is an image, the whole page is one image of soulja boy,  (a well known rap artist) with what look like tattoo's and marker pen all over him. This dominant image will attract the readers attention, one because its an eye catching image on its own another reason that the reader will notice it is because you read left to right so it will be the first thing they look at properly then they turn onto the page. The colours that are used in the pieces of text are red and black, the same as the writing and tattoo's all over the artist's face and neck. Again in the top right corner the letter "V" is used very subtly in the bar code at the top. Judging from what i have reasearched and seen, the "V" in vibe magazine is used on almost every page. The red text is what i would classify as the more important pieces of text, for the simple reason that it introduces the artist for people who don't know who it is by the picture and the "graffiti" text about the piece of writing is underlined in red and things that are underlined are important so the underline being in red stresses it's importance. There is a greater chance that male's will be into vibe magazine and the colour red naturally attracts males. the type face used is sans serif so it easier for the audience to read. the font is very small, this is so more information can be fitted into a small space.




 This article is about Biggie smalls, also known as Notorious "B.I.G." which is why the pun "B.I.G." in the title is used. The colour yellow in the title corresponds to the "I" at the start of the piece of text, i believe this is because the title is big and bold, along with that first letter to start the paragraph off. The picture of Biggie smalls on the "I" makes it seem as though it is him talking, this is also put across with the use of direct mode of address as he is looking at the audience on the little image of him on the "I". The right hand page is a covered by a whole picture, this is picture shows biggie smalls rapping, it also shows his size compared with his peersand other rappers on the stage, it asserts his dominance over the other people, also he is the first person you notice when you look at the right hand side page. the information piece of text is in a small sans serif font so it is easy to read due to its size it has been put into the sans serif font the reason being if it was small and curly etc it would be extremely difficult to read.  

I like the whole of one page being a picture, this is used on both magazine's and i think it would go well in my magazine as im doing a "rap battle" magazine which is on the same level as rap music itself. I also like the use of the big "i" and the picture of biggie smalls in there fits really well and looks professional! Another reason i like it is because i like using images in my work so it would be a personal benefactor. I would like to use a pun or quotation as the title of my work, i think it works really well in these two article's and i think it would work in my magazine too. 

Front page analysis

The artist (Kanye west) is the most dominant thing on the front cover of this magazine, the reason being the image used makes him look really big! He dominates the whole page, meaning he is the first thing you notice when you look at the front cover. He has a look of arrogance, this shows his importance and dominance over the readers.  He looking directly at the audience, this is called the direct mode of address, it draws the audience in because it is almost as if the artist is addressing you personally. The colour scheme of grey, blue and pink is used throughout. The title is blue, other writing which i blue would be considered important because it corresponds to the title. Also pink words would show important words because it is a contrasting colour to the back ground and the other writing. His head is covering the title, this shows that the magazine is well known so it doesn't need to be seen fully for the audience to know what it is. the type face is sans serif so it is easy for the readers to read and they know what the magazine contains for them. 

The title is overlapped by the artist Nicki Minaj, this shows the magazine is well known and that the title doesnt need to be seen for the people who see it to know what it is. There is a colour scheme of white blue and pink. The title is white and this means that words in white are words with a certain importance about them or seriousness such as "Minaj" and "The death of". Also the clothes she is wearing are white blue and pink. This means that all the page colour's correspond. The white writing on the blue background however contrast nicely so that it is still easy to read. The use of black writing and pink writing on the white background also contrast nicely so it is easy to read as well. the type face is sans serif this is because the magazine doesn't want to seem to formal, the  magazine wants the audience to be able to read and see what the magazine contains. The image is the most dominant thing on the page, the reason being it is the biggest thing on the page so it stands out the most, also the use of direct mode of address makes the audience feel as though the aritst is addressing them.

questionnaire results (conclusions)

after getting my class mates to complete the questionnaire I created I found that majority of them are fans of rap battles and rap music, this may be battles they have seen on youtube, in films or on television. This made me come to the conclusion that doing a rap battle magazine would be a good idea, another thing that made me think this is that i don't see any magazines to have anything to do with rap battles in my local shops so it would be a whole new big seller in shops.

audience is not to about whether there is more writing than pictures or visa versa. This means i can vary the use of text and photo/pictures throughout my magazine. This makes the magazine less repetitive than a lot of others where they use text for the majority of pages or the other way around.

If i was to put my magazine on the market from the answers i received from my peers is that i should put the magazine up for one a month and the magazine may cost between £3.01 and £5. This would mean i would have to put all one months news into one magazine and also promote up-coming events for the next month so people know when there is an event. I would have to make the up-coming events dates and times stand out so the audience wont forget, the reason being i have to make sure that they know definitely because each magazine would be out once a month.

I thought that a loyalty bonus to customers who have had the magazine subscription for a number of months they will get money off tickets to upcoming giggs and battles. I personally thought this was a great idea because people of the ages of 17+ are all about going to giggs and stuff for the "buzz" and the stories to tell their mates.

Primary Research (Questionnaire Results)

Media Questionnaire

1.    Are you a fan of “rap battles”?

  Yes (6) No (4)

2.    Do you like Hip Hop/Rap music?

Yes (6) No (4)

3.    Would you prefer to see more images than text?

Equal (5) Yes (5)

4.    How often would you buy the magazine?

               Monthly (10)

5.    How much would you be willing to pay for the magazine?

£1-£3           £3.01-£5      £5.01-£7    other (please specify)

4        6                                        ____

6.    In the magazine would you like to hear about up-coming events and where & how to buy tickets?

         Yes (9) No (1)

7.    Would a discount off tickets to upcoming events due to a subscription appeal to you?

         Yes(8) No (2)

Double page spread analysis

1. The image on the right page is the most dominant thing on this double page spread this is because it fills one whole page, it uses minimal text and uses different colours compared with the black and white which we would associate the text page with. The figure in the picture is Brandon Flowers, a well known lead vocalist in the band "the Killers" This band is very well known due to big songs they have released. e.g. Mr 

Brightside.

2. The font used is sands serif, this is because it is a pretty formal piece of writing, they use this font up until the most dominant part of the text is written. The reason this has been done is because it is a quotation and "I'd still have a chip on my shoulder" is not a formal use of language, it is much more informal.

3. "i'd still have a chip on my shoulder" is in big, bold, red font because it wants the reader to see this dominant piece of text and think to themselves "why?" which would then make them want to read the whole article so they know why he would have a chip on his shoulder. The colour of the font corresponds with the colour of the logo which may also indicate this is an important part of the text. 

4. The title of the this double page spread is not in large text, this may suggest that whoever has bought this magazine will know for definite who the man in the picture is so they will automatically know who the text is about. The font colour is black, this is because there is a basic plain white back ground and the colour black stands out well on this colour.

preliminary front cover